60 Arabic Quotes About Life, Love and Wisdom

tatanaffasu l-arḍu fa-nūladu, thumma tastarīḥu anfāsuhā fa-namūt.

The earth breathes and we are born; then its breaths rest and we die.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931), Gibran, Al-Badaʾiʿ wa-l-Taraʾif, “A Handful of Sand from the Shore”

Birth and death are imagined as parts of the earth’s breathing.

mā taʿāẓama faraḥuka aw ḥuznuka illā ṣaghurati d-dunyā fī ʿaynayk.

Whenever your joy or sorrow grows great, the world grows small in your eyes.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931), Gibran, Al-Badaʾiʿ wa-l-Taraʾif, “A Handful of Sand from the Shore”

Strong feeling changes the scale of everything around us.

mā sharibtu kaʾsan ʿalqamiyyatan illā kānat thumālatuhā ʿasalan.

I have never drunk a bitter cup whose last drops were not honey.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931), Gibran, Al-Badaʾiʿ wa-l-Taraʾif, “Shells and Kernels”

The opening sentence finds an eventual sweetness in hardship.

fa-anā wa-in sirtu bi-n-nūri lastu bi-n-nūr.

Though I walk by the light, I am not the light.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931), Gibran, Al-Badaʾiʿ wa-l-Taraʾif, “My Soul Counseled Me”

The speaker distinguishes receiving insight from owning its source.

fa-mā anta bi-awwali gharaḍin aṣābahu sahmu z-zamān.

You are not the first target struck by time’s arrow.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Mustafa Lutfi al-Manfaluti (1876–1924), Al-Manfaluti, Al-Nazarat, “To the Grieving Person”

A short clause of consolation in “To the Grieving Person.”

wa-law annaka ajmalta fī amalika la-mā ghalawta fī ḥuznik.

Had you been measured in your hopes, you would not have gone so far in your sorrow.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Mustafa Lutfi al-Manfaluti (1876–1924), Al-Manfaluti, Al-Nazarat, “To the Grieving Person”

The essay links overwhelming disappointment to unlimited expectations.

wa-lā taʿjab an yaʾtiyaka n-nūru min sawādi l-ḥalak.

Do not be surprised if light comes to you from the blackness of darkness.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Mustafa Lutfi al-Manfaluti (1876–1924), Al-Manfaluti, Al-Nazarat, “Mercy”

The surrounding passage finds comfort in helping people who suffer.

wa-mā s-saʿādatu fī d-dunyā illā lamaḥātun ka-lamaḥāti l-barqi takhfuqu ḥīnan baʿda ḥīnin fī ẓulumāti sh-shaqāʾ.

Happiness in this world is a series of flashes, like lightning gleaming now and then in the darkness of hardship.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Mustafa Lutfi al-Manfaluti (1876–1924), Al-Manfaluti, Al-Nazarat, “The Poor Young Person”

The lightning image belongs to an essay about learning the value of comfort through experience.

lastu ashukku anna li-l-yaqaẓati aḥlāman.

I do not doubt that wakefulness has its dreams.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Mustafa Sadiq al-Rafiʿi (1880–1937), Al-Rafiʿi, Hadith al-Qamar (1912), chapter2

The next sentence asks whether memory is anything other than a house of dreams.

al-jamīlu yaʾsirunā, ammā l-ajmalu fa-yuʿtiqunā ḥattā wa-min dhātih.

The beautiful captivates us; the more beautiful sets us free, even from itself.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931), Gibran, Al-Badaʾiʿ wa-l-Taraʾif, “A Handful of Sand from the Shore”

Gibran contrasts possessive attraction with beauty that allows freedom.

al-ḥubbu saʿādatun tartaʿish.

Love is happiness that trembles.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931), Gibran, Al-Badaʾiʿ wa-l-Taraʾif, “A Handful of Sand from the Shore”

One of the shortest lines here: delight includes vulnerability.

wa-abānat lī anna l-ḥubba laysa bi-mīzatin fī l-muḥibbi bal fī l-maḥbūb.

And it showed me that love is not a distinction of the lover, but of the beloved.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931), Gibran, Al-Badaʾiʿ wa-l-Taraʾif, “My Soul Counseled Me”

The subject is the speaker’s soul, which teaches him to look beyond his own feelings.

al-ḥubbu — aʿazzaka llāhu — awwaluhu hazlun wa-ākhiruhu jidd.

Love—may God honor you—begins in play and ends in seriousness.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Ibn Hazm (994–1064), Ibn Hazm, The Ring of the Dove, “The Nature of Love”

The opening of The Ring of the Dove addresses the friend who requested the book.

fa-man waddaka li-amrin wallā maʿa nqiḍāʾih.

Whoever loves you for a reason will leave when that reason ends.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Ibn Hazm (994–1064), Ibn Hazm, The Ring of the Dove, “The Nature of Love”

A sentence within the discussion of affection that depends on an external advantage.

fa-ʿilmunā annahu shayʾun fī dhāti n-nafs.

What we know is that it is something within the soul itself.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Ibn Hazm (994–1064), Ibn Hazm, The Ring of the Dove, “The Nature of Love”

The pronoun refers to love; Ibn Hazm has just argued that appearance alone cannot explain it.

wa-l-ʿaynu bābu n-nafsi sh-shāriʿ.

The eye is the soul’s open doorway.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Ibn Hazm (994–1064), Ibn Hazm, The Ring of the Dove, “The Signs of Love”

A short clause in the opening paragraph on love’s visible signs.

wa-s-saharu min aʿrāḍi l-muḥibbīn.

Sleeplessness is one of the signs of lovers.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Ibn Hazm (994–1064), Ibn Hazm, The Ring of the Dove, “The Signs of Love”

A brief observation introducing the book’s discussion of long nights.

wa-awwalu marātibi l-wafāʾi an yafiya l-insānu li-man yafī lah.

The first degree of faithfulness is to be faithful to someone who is faithful to you.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Ibn Hazm (994–1064), Ibn Hazm, The Ring of the Dove, “Faithfulness”

The chapter begins its account of loyalty with reciprocity.

wa-lawlā farḥatu t-talāqi, mā kānat tarḥatu l-firāq.

Without the joy of meeting, there would be no sorrow in parting.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Mustafa Lutfi al-Manfaluti (1876–1924), Al-Manfaluti, Al-Nazarat, “To the Grieving Person”

The near-rhyme farḥa/tarḥa joins the pleasure and pain of attachment.

innaka khasirta baṣarahā wa-lākinnaka sa-tarbaḥu qalbahā.

You have lost her sight, but you will win her heart.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Mustafa Lutfi al-Manfaluti (1876–1924), Al-Manfaluti, Al-Nazarat, “Loyalty”

Al-Manfaluti urges a husband to remain caring after his wife loses her sight; the wording reflects his direct address to that husband.

fa-l-yakhfiq qalbuka ḥanānan ʿalayhā bi-qadri mā khafaqa surūran bihā.

Let your heart beat with tenderness for her as much as it once beat with joy in her.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Mustafa Lutfi al-Manfaluti (1876–1924), Al-Manfaluti, Al-Nazarat, “Loyalty”

A clause about remaining tender when a loved one’s circumstances change.

al-ḥubbu junūnun, wa-lākinna n-nubūgha junūnun ka-dhālik.

Love is madness, but genius is madness too.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Mustafa Sadiq al-Rafiʿi (1880–1937), Al-Rafiʿi, Hadith al-Qamar (1912), final chapter

Al-Rafiʿi answers someone who dismisses love as irrational; this is figurative literary language.

wa-l-ḥubbu wa-l-ḥayātu shabīhāni fī ṭ-ṭufūlati wa-l-haram.

Love and life resemble each other in childhood and old age.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Mustafa Sadiq al-Rafiʿi (1880–1937), Al-Rafiʿi, Hadith al-Qamar (1912), final chapter

A brief closing clause in his comparison between youthful movement and aging.

inna l-ḥubba lā yakhluqu illā l-ḥubb.

Love creates nothing but love.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Mustafa Sadiq al-Rafiʿi (1880–1937), Al-Rafiʿi, Hadith al-Qamar (1912), chapter8

A short clause near the end of chapter8, within the narrator’s conversation with the moon.

ʿaynu l-insāni mijharun tubayyinu lahu d-dunyā akbara mimmā hiya ḥaqīqatan.

The human eye is a microscope that makes the world appear larger than it really is.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931), Gibran, Al-Badaʾiʿ wa-l-Taraʾif, “A Handful of Sand from the Shore”

The image questions whether our personal view gives things their true size.

al-muʿākasatu adnā marātibi dh-dhakāʾ.

Contrariness is the lowest degree of intelligence.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931), Gibran, Al-Badaʾiʿ wa-l-Taraʾif, “A Handful of Sand from the Shore”

A pointed reminder that disagreement alone does not prove insight.

al-ḥaqīqatu llatī taḥtāju ilā burhānin hiya niṣfu ḥaqīqah.

A truth that needs proof is half a truth.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931), Gibran, Al-Badaʾiʿ wa-l-Taraʾif, “A Handful of Sand from the Shore”

This is Gibran’s philosophical paradox, not a rejection of evidence in ordinary inquiry.

alā fa-abʿidūnī ʿani l-ḥikmati llatī lā tabkī, wa-ʿani l-falsafati llatī lā taḍḥaku, wa-ʿani l-ʿaẓamati llatī lā taḥnī raʾsahā amāma l-aṭfāl.

Keep me away from wisdom that cannot weep, philosophy that cannot laugh, and greatness that will not bow its head before children.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931), Gibran, Al-Badaʾiʿ wa-l-Taraʾif, “A Handful of Sand from the Shore”

Human warmth is the measure of intellectual or public greatness.

anā wa-antum ayyuhā n-nāsu maʾkhūdhūna bi-mā bāna min ḥālinā, mutaʿāmūna ʿammā khafiya min ḥaqīqatinā.

You and I are absorbed in our visible condition and blind to our hidden reality.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931), Gibran, Al-Badaʾiʿ wa-l-Taraʾif, “Shells and Kernels”

The speaker includes himself in the criticism.

waʿaẓatnī nafsī fa-ʿallamatniya l-iṣghāʾa ilā l-aṣwāti llatī lā tuwalliduhā l-alsinatu wa-lā taḍijju bihā l-ḥanājir.

My soul counseled me and taught me to listen to sounds that tongues do not make and throats do not proclaim.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931), Gibran, Al-Badaʾiʿ wa-l-Taraʾif, “My Soul Counseled Me”

An invitation to attend to quiet, unspoken meanings.

waʿaẓatnī nafsī fa-ʿallamatnī an lā aṭraba li-madīḥin wa-lā ajzaʿa li-madhammah.

My soul counseled me and taught me neither to thrill at praise nor despair at blame.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931), Gibran, Al-Badaʾiʿ wa-l-Taraʾif, “My Soul Counseled Me”

Self-worth is separated from immediate public approval.

waʿaẓatnī nafsī fa-ʿallamatnī wa-athbatat lī annanī lastu bi-arfaʿa mina ṣ-ṣaʿālīki, wa-lā adnā mina l-jabābirah.

My soul counseled me, teaching and showing me that I am no higher than the destitute and no lower than the mighty.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931), Gibran, Al-Badaʾiʿ wa-l-Taraʾif, “My Soul Counseled Me”

A sentence about human equality that includes the speaker himself.

law ʿalima n-nāqiṣu naqṣahu la-kāna kāmilan.

If the imperfect person knew his imperfection, he would be perfect.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Ibn Hazm (994–1064), Ibn Hazm, Al-Akhlaq wa-l-Siyar, collected letters p.354

A paradox about the difficulty of self-knowledge; aphorism86.

inna r-raḥmata kalimatun ṣaghīratun, wa-lākin bayna lafẓihā wa-maʿnāhā mina l-farqi mithlu mā bayna sh-shamsi fī manẓarihā wa-sh-shamsi fī ḥaqīqatihā.

Mercy is a small word, but the distance between its sound and its meaning is like that between the sun’s appearance and its reality.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Mustafa Lutfi al-Manfaluti (1876–1924), Al-Manfaluti, Al-Nazarat, “Mercy”

The apparent size of a word cannot contain the scale of what it means.

anā lā aqūlu illā mā aʿtaqid.

I say only what I believe.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Mustafa Lutfi al-Manfaluti (1876–1924), Al-Manfaluti, Al-Nazarat, “The Ethics of Debate”

The opening clause of an essay defending sincere disagreement.

li-anna l-qalama lā yaqwā illā idhā stamadda mina l-qalb.

For the pen gains strength only when it draws from the heart.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Mustafa Lutfi al-Manfaluti (1876–1924), Al-Manfaluti, Al-Nazarat, “The Ethics of Debate”

In context, intellectual honesty gives an argument its force.

lā yajūzu bi-ḥālin mina l-aḥwāli an yakūna l-gharaḍu mina l-munāẓarati shayʾan ghayra khidmati l-ḥaqīqati wa-taʾyīdihā.

The purpose of a debate must never be anything but serving and supporting the truth.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Mustafa Lutfi al-Manfaluti (1876–1924), Al-Manfaluti, Al-Nazarat, “The Ethics of Debate”

The essay opposes personal insults as a substitute for argument.

laysa t-taqaddumu bi-taḥsīni mā kāna, bal bi-s-sayri naḥwa mā sa-yakūn.

Progress does not come from improving what was, but from moving toward what will be.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931), Gibran, Al-Badaʾiʿ wa-l-Taraʾif, “A Handful of Sand from the Shore”

Gibran defines progress as movement toward a new possibility.

al-fannu khuṭwatun mina l-maʿrūfi ẓ-ẓāhiri naḥwa l-majhūli l-khafiyy.

Art is a step from the visible known toward the hidden unknown.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931), Gibran, Al-Badaʾiʿ wa-l-Taraʾif, “A Handful of Sand from the Shore”

A compact thought for creative work and curiosity.

qad yakūnu fī stiṣʿābinā l-amra ashalu s-subuli ilayh.

Finding something difficult may itself contain the easiest way to it.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931), Gibran, Al-Badaʾiʿ wa-l-Taraʾif, “A Handful of Sand from the Shore”

Acknowledging difficulty can be the beginning of understanding it.

al-ḥamāsatu burkānun lā tanbutu ʿalā qimmatihi aʿshābu t-taraddud.

Enthusiasm is a volcano on whose summit the weeds of hesitation do not grow.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931), Gibran, Al-Badaʾiʿ wa-l-Taraʾif, “A Handful of Sand from the Shore”

A vivid motivational image; it is an aphorism, not practical advice to ignore risk.

yaẓallu n-nahru jāddan naḥwa l-baḥri, inkasara dūlābu l-maṭḥanati am lam yankasir.

The river keeps pressing toward the sea, whether the mill wheel breaks or not.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931), Gibran, Al-Badaʾiʿ wa-l-Taraʾif, “A Handful of Sand from the Shore”

The continuing river suggests persistence beyond a single interruption.

al-ʿilmu yastanbitu budhūraka wa-lā yulqī bika badhran.

Learning makes your own seeds grow; it does not sow you as a seed.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931), Gibran, Al-Badaʾiʿ wa-l-Taraʾif, “A Handful of Sand from the Shore”

Education is described as developing what is already possible within you.

wa-mā ṣaʿidtu ʿaqabatan ḥarijatan illā balaghtu sahlan akhḍar.

I have never climbed a difficult pass without reaching a green plain.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931), Gibran, Al-Badaʾiʿ wa-l-Taraʾif, “Shells and Kernels”

The landscape turns effort and relief into a memorable contrast.

waʿaẓatnī nafsī fa-ʿallamatnī an aqūla: labbayka ʿindamā yunādīniya l-majhūlu wa-l-khaṭar.

My soul counseled me and taught me to say “Here I am” when the unknown and danger call.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931), Gibran, Al-Badaʾiʿ wa-l-Taraʾif, “My Soul Counseled Me”

The passage describes courage before an unfamiliar path.

fa-man lā yukhṭiʾu lā yuṣību, wa-man lā yaʿthuru lā yanhaḍ.

Whoever never makes a mistake never gets things right; whoever never stumbles never rises.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Mustafa Lutfi al-Manfaluti (1876–1924), Al-Manfaluti, Al-Nazarat, “The Poor Young Person”

The essay argues that a young person learns by taking part in life. Man is read here as a relative pronoun, preserving the indicative verb form of the source.

uḥibbu an yanshaʾa muʿtamidan ʿalā nafsihi fī taḥṣīli rizqihi wa-takwīni ḥayātihi lā ʿalā ayyi shayʾin ākhar.

I want him to grow up relying on himself to earn his living and shape his life, rather than on anything else.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Mustafa Lutfi al-Manfaluti (1876–1924), Al-Manfaluti, Al-Nazarat, “The Poor Young Person”

The author is speaking about the future of his young son.

wa-mā aḍaʿtu ṣadīqan fī ḍabābi s-samāʾi illā wajadtuhu fī jalāʾi l-fajr.

I have never lost a friend in the sky’s mist without finding him in the clarity of dawn.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931), Gibran, Al-Badaʾiʿ wa-l-Taraʾif, “Shells and Kernels”

The essay imagines friendship recovered when appearances clear.

lā, yā akhī, lā tastadilla ʿalā ḥaqīqati mriʾin bi-mā bāna minh.

No, my brother, do not judge a person’s truth by what appears on the surface.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931), Gibran, Al-Badaʾiʿ wa-l-Taraʾif, “Shells and Kernels”

A complete opening clause from the paragraph warning against surface judgments.

istabqāka man ʿātabaka, wa-zahida fīka mani stahāna bi-shaʾnik.

The person who reproaches you wants to keep you; the person who disregards you has lost interest.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Ibn Hazm (994–1064), Ibn Hazm, Al-Akhlaq wa-l-Siyar, friendship aphorisms89–94, collected letters p.355

Aphorism89 concerns a friend’s sincere correction, not abusive behavior.

al-ʿitābu li-ṣ-ṣadīqi ka-s-sabki li-s-sabīkati, fa-immā taṣfū wa-immā taṭīr.

Reproach tests a friend like smelting tests an ingot: it either becomes pure or disappears.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Ibn Hazm (994–1064), Ibn Hazm, Al-Akhlaq wa-l-Siyar, friendship aphorisms89–94, collected letters p.355

Aphorism90 uses metalworking to describe a friendship tested by honesty.

lā targhab fīman yazhadu fīka fa-taḥṣula ʿalā l-khaybati wa-l-khizy.

Do not pursue someone who has no wish for you, only to receive disappointment and humiliation.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Ibn Hazm (994–1064), Ibn Hazm, Al-Akhlaq wa-l-Siyar, friendship aphorisms89–94, collected letters p.355

Aphorism92 advises dignity when affection is not returned.

lā tazhad fīman yarghabu fīka, fa-innahu bābun min abwābi ẓ-ẓulmi wa-tarki muqāraḍati l-iḥsāni, wa-hādhā qabīḥ.

Do not disdain someone who values you: that opens a door to injustice and leaves kindness unreturned, which is ugly.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Ibn Hazm (994–1064), Ibn Hazm, Al-Akhlaq wa-l-Siyar, friendship aphorisms89–94, collected letters p.355

Aphorism93 concerns treating goodwill respectfully; it does not make romantic affection an obligation.

lā tanṣaḥ ʿalā sharṭi l-qabūli, wa-lā tashfaʿ ʿalā sharṭi l-ijābati, wa-lā tahab ʿalā sharṭi l-ithābah.

Do not give advice on condition that it is accepted, intercede on condition of success, or give on condition of repayment.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Ibn Hazm (994–1064), Ibn Hazm, Al-Akhlaq wa-l-Siyar, aphorisms95–96, collected letters p.357

The opening of aphorism95 separates generosity from controlling the outcome.

wa-laysa kullu ṣadīqin nāṣiḥan, lākin kullu nāṣiḥin ṣadīqun fīmā naṣaḥa fīh.

Not every friend gives sincere advice, but anyone who gives sincere advice is a friend in that matter.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Ibn Hazm (994–1064), Ibn Hazm, Al-Akhlaq wa-l-Siyar, aphorisms95–96, collected letters p.357

A complete sentence within aphorism96; nāṣiḥ implies genuinely wishing someone well.

wa-innamā yuḥmadu l-wafāʾu mimman yaqdiru ʿalā tarkih.

Faithfulness is praiseworthy when it comes from someone able to leave it behind.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Ibn Hazm (994–1064), Ibn Hazm, The Ring of the Dove, “Faithfulness”

A freely chosen commitment is distinguished from simply pursuing one’s own desire.

fa-maʿahu yakmulu l-unsu, wa-tanjalī l-aḥzānu, wa-yaqṣuru z-zamānu, wa-taṭību l-aḥwāl.

With him, companionship becomes complete, sorrows clear, time flies and life grows pleasant.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Ibn Hazm (994–1064), Ibn Hazm, The Ring of the Dove, “The Helpful Friend”

The pronoun refers to the trustworthy friend described at the start of the chapter.

ayyuhā r-rajulu s-saʿīdu kun raḥīman, ashʿir qalbaka r-raḥmata, li-yakun qalbuka r-raḥmata bi-ʿaynihā.

You who are fortunate, be compassionate; fill your heart with mercy, until it becomes mercy itself.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Mustafa Lutfi al-Manfaluti (1876–1924), Al-Manfaluti, Al-Nazarat, “Mercy”

The essay addresses a fortunate reader and asks for active concern for others.

inna l-yada llatī taṣūnu d-dumūʿa afḍalu mina l-yadi llatī turīqu d-dimāʾ.

The hand that protects people from tears is better than the hand that spills blood.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Mustafa Lutfi al-Manfaluti (1876–1924), Al-Manfaluti, Al-Nazarat, “Mercy”

A clause praising care above destructive power.

al-ḥaqīqatu l-khāliṣatu ka-ṣ-ṣadīqi l-khāliṣi l-mukhliṣ.

Pure truth is like a genuine, faithful friend.

Literary Arabic prose; formal register · Original Arabic; read in Modern Standard Arabic

— Mustafa Sadiq al-Rafiʿi (1880–1937), Al-Rafiʿi, Hadith al-Qamar (1912), chapter8

The sentence continues by saying that friendship costs one’s own self rather than money.