Sayings and quotations
Verses of Andalusian and Eastern poets, maxims of the tradition, workshop proverbs and passages of the Qur’an: the words the houses have set at the head of their charters, gathered here in the language in which they were spoken, with the translation beside them.
The hand and the craft
الرِّياضُ لِأَهْلِهِ، لَا أَهْلُهُ لِلرِّياضِ
“The riad is for its own, not its own for the riad”
مَا أَكَلَ أَحَدٌ طَعَامًا قَطُّ خَيْرًا مِنْ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ مِنْ عَمَلِ يَدِهِ
“No one has ever eaten better food than that which comes from the work of his own hand”
الخيطُ يكتبُ ما لا يمحوه الزمانُ
“The thread writes what time does not erase”
اليدُ إذا عملتْ أحسنتْ، والعلمُ إذا جُرِّبَ ثبتَ
“The hand, when it labours, beautifies; knowledge, when put to the test, stands firm”
إِنَّ اللهَ يُحِبُّ إِذَا عَمِلَ أَحَدُكُمْ عَمَلًا أَنْ يُتْقِنَهُ
“God loves that, when one of you does a work, he does it with excellence”
والخشبُ يلينُ تحتَ يدٍ صابرةٍ
“Wood softens under a patient hand”
مَا أَكَلَ أَحَدٌ طَعَامًا قَطُّ خَيْرًا مِنْ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ مِنْ عَمَلِ يَدِهِ
“No one has ever eaten better food than that which comes from the work of his own hand”
Dress and conduct
الْبَسْ لِكُلِّ حَالَةٍ لَبُوسَهَا
“For every state, put on the dress that suits it”
إِنَّ الْبَذَاذَةَ مِنَ الْإِيمَانِ
“Sobriety of dress is part of faith”
إذ المَرْءُ لَمْ يَدْنَسْ مِنَ اللُّؤْمِ عِرْضُهُ فَكُلُّ رِدَاءٍ يَرْتَدِيهِ جَمِيلُ
“When a man’s honour is stained by no baseness, every garment he wears becomes him”
عَلى قَدْرِ أَهْلِ العَزْمِ تَأْتِي العَزَائِمُ
“Resolutions are to the measure of those who bear them”
عَلَيْكُمْ بِالصِّدْقِ فَإِنَّ الصِّدْقَ يَهْدِي إِلَى البِرِّ
“Hold to truthfulness, for truthfulness leads to righteousness”
إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ
“Actions are worth only by their intentions”
وَمِنَ الْفُتُوَّةِ تَرْكُ طَلَبِ عَثَرَاتِ الْإِخْوَانِ
“It is part of futuwwa to give up looking for the stumbles of one’s companions”
مَنْ صَمَتَ نَجَا
“Whoever keeps silent is saved”
نِعْمَتَانِ مَغْبُونٌ فِيهِمَا كَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ: الصِّحَّةُ وَالفَرَاغُ
“Two blessings of which many men are cheated: health and free time”
The body and horsemanship
وَلَقَدْ شَفى نَفسي وَأَبرَأَ سُقمَها قَولُ الفَوارِسِ وَيْكَ عَنتَرَ أَقدِمِ
“My soul was healed, its sickness stilled, by the cry of the horsemen: “Courage, Antar, forward!””
إِنَّ لِجَسَدِكَ عَلَيْكَ حَقًّا
“Your body has a right over you”
اللهمَّ كما حسَّنتَ خَلْقي فحسِّنْ خُلُقي
“O God, as You have made my body beautiful, make my character beautiful”
وَإِذا كانَتِ النُّفوسُ كِبارًا تَعِبَتْ في مُرادِها الأَجسامُ
“When souls are great, bodies weary in the measure of their desire”
الخَيْلُ مَعْقُودٌ فِي نَوَاصِيهَا الْخَيْرُ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ
“Good remains tied to the forelocks of horses until the Day of Resurrection”
وَالسَّهْمُ لَولا فِراقُ القَوسِ لَم يُصِب
“The arrow, without parting from the bow, would not reach the target”
الثِّقافُ ما تُسوَّى بِهِ الرِّماحُ، وَتَثقيفُها تَسوِيَتُها
“The thiqāf is that by which lances are straightened, and straightening them is called tathqīf”
وَأَعِدُّوا لَهُم مَا اسْتَطَعْتُم مِّن قُوَّةٍ وَمِن رِبَاطِ الْخَيْلِ
“Make ready against them what you can of strength and of horses held at the bridle”
أَعَزُّ مَكَانٍ فِي الدُّنَى سَرْجُ سَابِحٍ وَخَيْرُ جَلِيسٍ فِي الزَّمَانِ كِتَابُ
“The noblest place in this world is the saddle of a steed; the best companion through time is a book”
The guest, the friend, the gift
أَفْشُوا السَّلَامَ وَأَطْعِمُوا الطَّعَامَ
“Spread the greeting of peace and offer food”
ضَيْفٌ لَهُمْ يَقْرِي الضُّيُوفَ وَنَازِلٌ مُتَكَفِّلٌ عَنْهُمْ بِبِرِّ النُّزَّلِ
“A guest among them who receives guests, and a resident charged, in their name, with the kindness owed to travellers”
مَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ فَلْيُكْرِمْ ضَيْفَهُ
“Whoever believes in God and the Last Day, let him honour his guest”
كَم صَديقٍ عَرَفتُهُ بِصَديقٍ صارَ أَحظى مِنَ الصَديقِ العَتيقِ وَرَفيقٍ رافَقتُهُ في طَريقٍ صارَ بَعدَ الطَريقِ خَيرَ رَفيقِ
“How many friends I have come to know through a friend, who became dearer than the friend of old; how many companions I walked a road with, who became, the road once ended, the best of companions”
مَا نَقَصَتْ صَدَقَةٌ مِنْ مَالٍ
“Charity never diminishes wealth”
مَن ذَا الَّذِي يُقْرِضُ اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا فَيُضَاعِفَهُ لَهُ أَضْعَافًا كَثِيرَةً
“Who is it that will lend to God a goodly loan, so that He may multiply it for him many times over?”
The family and the word
كُلُّكُمْ رَاعٍ وَكُلُّكُمْ مَسْؤُولٌ عَنْ رَعِيَّتِهِ، وَالرَّجُلُ رَاعٍ عَلَى أَهْلِ بَيْتِهِ وَهُوَ مَسْؤُولٌ عَنْهُمْ
“Each of you is a shepherd, and each of you is answerable for his flock; the man is the shepherd of his household, and is answerable for it”
وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ أَنْ خَلَقَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا لِّتَسْكُنُوا إِلَيْهَا وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَكُم مَّوَدَّةً وَرَحْمَةً
“Among His signs is that He created for you, from yourselves, spouses, that you might find rest in them; and He set between you affection and tenderness”
شَرِبْنَا عَلَى ذِكْرِ الْحَبِيبِ مُدَامَةً سَكِرْنَا بِهَا مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يُخْلَقَ الْكَرْمُ
“In memory of the Beloved we drank a wine; we were drunk with it before the vine was created”
إِذَا قَامَتَا تَضَوَّعَ الْمِسْكُ مِنْهُمَا نَسِيمَ الصَّبَا جَاءَتْ بِرَيَّا الْقَرَنْفُلِ
“When they rose, musk breathed from them — like the east wind laden with the scent of cloves”
فَإِنْ كُنْتُ أُخْرِجْتُ مِنْ جَنَّةٍ • فَإِنِّي أُحَدِّثُ أَخْبَارَهَا
“If I have been driven out of a paradise, I nonetheless tell its news”