Proverb of the day: The devil’s hope for paradise

Ahram Online , Monday 8 Jun 2015

The devil’s hope for paradise

heaven
Photo: AP

عشم إبليس فى الجنة

Asham Iblis fi el gannah

Translation: The devil’s hope for paradise.

Meaning: Not a chance. The chance that this matter at hand will work out is just as dim as Lucifer’s hope of going to heaven. The word “iblis” was adopted into Arabic from the Greek “diavolos” or the Latin “diavoli.” The saying is very much in use, usually in jest.

Source: Egyptian Proverbs, (Al-Ahram Center for Translation and Publishing, 1986) by Ahmed Taymour Pasha,

Translated by: Nabil Shawkat

Short link: