«السُّوسْ مَا يِلْعَبْشْ إِلَّا فِي الْخَشَبِ النَّقِي»

The image is of wood-boring insects that leave poor, worthless timber alone and burrow only into fine, sound wood. The insect's 'play' here means destructive boring, not amusement, and the wood is prized for its quality, not its cleanliness. Damage is drawn to what is valuable, so being targeted becomes a sign of worth.

Applied to people, the saying holds that hardship and affliction often fall on the good and the worthy. Its comfort draws on the religious idea that the faithful are tested through trials; it reframes a person's suffering consolingly rather than stating a general rule that suffering proves merit.

Said to console someone of good character facing misfortune, illness, or attack, suggesting their trials need not mean weakness. It can also explain why admirable people seem to attract trouble. Best used sympathetically, not to dismiss real hardship or to claim that suffering proves virtue.