Maahmaah Soomaali
Discover the wisdom of East Africa through traditional Somali proverbs
🌟 Proverb of the Day
Meaning: Stay close to wealth — whoever seeks fortune, stay near Mogadishu
Context: Proximity to opportunity brings success
Meaning: If you get "Alif" wrong, you'll fail in "Al-Baqara"
Context: A mistake at the start ruins everything after
Meaning: He who trusts everyone goes hungry
Context: Blind trust leads to loss
Meaning: He who has God needs no companion
Context: Faith alone gives comfort
Meaning: O God, don't punish us for ignorance or leave us to injustice
Context: A plea for wisdom and fairness
Meaning: O God, don't punish the ignorant man
Context: A prayer for mercy upon those who err unknowingly
Meaning: Either apologize early or be patient later
Context: Resolve problems early or bear the outcome
Meaning: Either take it with oily hands or rough ones
Context: Do something fully, whether it's easy or hard
Meaning: Either be visible or be absent
Context: Don't live halfway — commit or withdraw
Meaning: Praise cannot be hidden
Context: Goodness naturally shows
Meaning: The sky refused trust, the earth refused it, but man accepted it
Context: Humans carry the heavy burden of responsibility
Meaning: A trust that stays long with you seems like yours
Context: Familiarity can lead to forgetting what's borrowed
Meaning: He who has seen an Abyssinian calls a European a pilgrim
Context: Perspective depends on experience
Meaning: The Abyssinian's head takes an arrow, not advice
Context: Some people learn only through pain
Meaning: A lion's den has no bones left
Context: No one escapes danger unharmed
Meaning: Ignorance is darkness
Context: Knowledge is light — ignorance blinds progress
Meaning: Ignorance is worse than drought
Context: Lack of knowledge causes more suffering than hunger
Meaning: A man with sense is the one another leans on
Context: Wise people are pillars of support
Meaning: A wedding isn't delayed nor prolonged
Context: Joyous occasions are brief; enjoy them while they last
Meaning: Hunger is a need; dirtiness is foolishness
Context: Poverty is forgivable — neglect is not