I have traveled throughout these three countries, from their farthest reaches to their nearest, and mingled with many of their people, from all classes and sects. I have collected more than ten thousand proverbs from them, of which I have presented here one hundred Egyptian proverbs, fifty Levantine proverbs, and forty-nine proverbs from the collection, and one hundred Sudanese proverbs. This is the largest collection of popular proverbs to this day. I have named it "Proverbs of the Common People in Egypt, Sudan, and the Levant."

Now, anyone who takes a general look at Arabic proverbs, both modern and classical, will see that they differ in form and rank according to different eras and circumstances. The Arabs in the pre-Islamic era had their known proverbs. When Islam came, it guided them and their civilization expanded, so they added to their proverbs and enriched them with moral and wise meanings. As they became established in civilization and mingled with non-Arabs, flaws crept into their language, and their expressions and situations differed according to the regions. Each group developed proverbs that were not found among other groups. Thus, you find that the proverbs of the common people in the Levant today differ from the proverbs of the common people in Egypt. And the proverbs of the common people in the Levant and Egypt differ from the proverbs of the common people in Sudan. The proverbs of these three countries differ from the proverbs of Iraq, the Hejaz, Tunisia, and India. Indeed, you see a difference even between the proverbs of this era and the era that preceded it in the same country, just as you might see a difference between the proverbs of one group and another in the same era within the same country. This is because proverbs are derived from the circumstances of the people who use them.

Despite the differences in these proverbs, you see a general similarity and great closeness in their meanings and the ideas they convey. You often find many proverbs from one country circulating in other countries, and proverbs from past eras circulating in the present era, either in their exact wording or with slight changes in wording due to dialect differences. The reason for this general similarity is that the customs in which proverbs originated in all eras and countries are the same customs, namely Arab customs. Furthermore, there were commercial ties between them at various times. Also, Arabic books have always been circulated in these countries, and people have studied them and learned from them. When education flourished in this era and Arabic books and newspapers spread, the common people learned many classical proverbs and incorporated them into their own proverbs, which then circulated on their tongues, either in their original wording or with slight changes. Proverbs and wisdom are not lost.