Proverbs are the seeds of wisdom, the sprouts of knowledge, and the measure of good breeding. They grow in every land and appear in every age, and there is scarcely a nation that has reached its prime or become accustomed to prosperity without uttering proverbs.

Proverbs have special occasions and famous contexts in which they appear. When the situation arises and the context is appropriate, people of insight and experience bring them out, choosing the best wording and the most direct meaning, so that they stand out in speech. The masses then adopt them and use them in their situations.

The Arabs said, "They spread and endure with use."

Among their proverbs is: "If your people wrong you, the moon will not wrong you." The origin of this proverb, according to Al-Mufaddal bin Muhammad, is that the Banu Tha'laba bin Sa'd bin Dhubba, in the pre-Islamic era, agreed to meet on the night of the fourth of the month to sell the moon and dates. One group said, "The moon will be sold and the dates will be bought," while another group said, "No, the dates will be sold before the moon." Then a man among them said, "My people will wrong me." So they agreed on a man named Hakam.

He said, "If your people wrong you, the moon will not wrong you." His saying became a proverb. It is clear that this saying would not have been established in this form, nor would the situation narrated by Al-Mufaddal have been preserved, were it not for the fame of the context and the eloquence of the saying that the man brought forth, which made it spread and become widely known until it became a proverb. This is what has remained of the story.

The proverb is a general rule or a specific situation that is known by the proverb. They are not equal in their wording and meaning, but rather they are shared by the speaker and the listener.

"The Romans are wine."

"Tomorrow is a new day."

Or they are equal in their rhyme and differ in their meaning, like the saying: "Your chest is wider than your secret."

And among the proverbs: "The stick is the stick."

"Leave evil to pass."

And other similar sayings. This type is distinguished by...