What does the expression “If the mountain does not come to Mohammed, then Mohammed goes to the mountain” mean? If the mountain does not come to Mohammed, then Mohammed goes to the mountain

Usually the origin of this expression is associated with one of the stories about Khoja Nasreddin, a hero of eastern folklore, a famous inventor and wit.

One of the Arabic collections (circa 1631) talks about how Khoja Nasreddin once decided to pass himself off as a saint. When asked how he would prove this, he replied that he could command the palm tree to come to him and it would obey. When the miracle did not happen, Khoja himself approached the tree with the words: “True prophets and saints are devoid of arrogance. If the palm tree doesn’t come to me, then I go to it.”

Sometimes another version of the phrase is found: “If the palm tree does not go to Joha, then Joha will go to the palm tree.”

Another story is found in the notes of the famous traveler Marco Polo (1254-1324), the first edition of which is on Latin published without indicating the place or year; presumably: Venice or Rome, 1484.

Marco Polo says that a certain Baghdad shoemaker undertook to prove to Caliph Al-Muhtasim the advantages of the Christian faith and allegedly performed a miracle: the mountain moved in his direction at his call. Apparently, the European version of this eastern legend replaced the palm tree with a mountain due to the Christian tradition, which states that faith moves mountains (I Corinthians, 13:2).

There is a well-known Turkish proverb: “Mountain, mountain, travel; if the mountain does not wander, let the saint wander.” The circulation of this proverb can be traced back to the 17th century.

IN modern version this expression entered European languages thanks to the famous English scientist and philosopher Francis Bacon. In 1597, in his “Moral and Political Essays”, in the essay “On Courage”, he says that according to legend, Mohammed promised the people to move the mountain by force, and when he failed, he said: “Well! since the mountain does not want to go to Mohammed, Mohammed will go to it.”

The meaning of this comic expression: due to circumstances, you have to obey the one from whom you yourself expected obedience.

Nicholas Roerich. Mohammed on Mount Hira.

Mohammed and the mountain

The mountain did not want to go to Mohammed,
Mohammed was in no hurry to meet her.
Although there was not much distance between them,
There was no talk of rapprochement.

So they waited, Mohammed and the mountain,
And when they finally perked up
And they mutually decided: “The time has come!”
Unfortunately, we missed each other...

Andrey Shigin

But the mountain still did not go to Mohammed.
He did not heed the prophetic advice of his ancestors,
And he didn’t go to her himself,
Ah, tragic and angry,
Walked around in the smoke of the office...

But the mountain still did not go to Mohammed.
He wrote her verse by verse,
He wrote and wrote
And threw it into the basket,
And he lit a cigarette again...

But the mountain still did not go to Mohammed.
They whispered a secret to him,
What does this mountain have?
Someone is burning fires, they say,
And, imagine, not the first summer!..

He was ready to forgive her for this too -
He himself was from such a plot,
But I waited, idiot
What will come, what will come, -
How much has been said to her, how much has been sung!..

But the mountain still did not go to Mohammed.
Why reproach it, the mountain, for this?
What will people think
If the mountains begin
Run around the world for poets?!

Well, he should at least send a carriage! -
Is it really possible for him, Mohammed,
don't understand that grief
In this eternal game
You need to be a planet for someone!..

But the mountain still did not go to Mohammed...
How many years have already sunk into oblivion...
But as the days flash by
We haven't gotten any smarter
And we don’t follow wise advice.
But as the days flash by
We haven't gotten any smarter
And the mountain does not go to Mohammed...

Igor Zhuk

Nicholas Roerich. Dorje the daring one.

The mountain came to Mohammed...

Exactly at 13.00 the mountain comes to Mohammed.
- Did you call?
- Called. Have a seat.
- Thank you. I'll wait.
- Sit down, sit down. It's more convenient for me.
The Mountain sits on the edge of his chair.
- Ugh, how big you are! - Mohammed gets out from behind the table and, smiling, goes to the mountain. Stopping at the foot, he lifts his head and says:
- Hey, how can you hear me?! Are you feeling okay?!
“Thank you, nothing,” the mountain gets embarrassed and stands up.
- Sit, sit! No complaints? Are the slopes and crevices ok? Is there enough snow in winter and enough sun in summer? Are you worried about cyclones?
“Thank you,” the mountain answers, “ Thanks a lot! - and gets up again.
- Sit, sit! - Mohammed laughs. - So everything is fine. No complaints... And I’m terribly glad to see you, honestly! Hey, can you hear me okay from here?
The mountain nods embarrassedly and looks down at Mohammed.
- Phew, how big it has become! And I remember you like this,” Mohammed waves his hand towards the window, towards the mountain range. - OK. Why did I call you? Don't you know?! Why did you come?! Wow, joker! - Mohammed threatens the mountain with his finger.
- I really don’t know! - the mountain is scared.
- “I don’t know, I don’t know!” - Mohammed imitates her. - So healthy, but you don’t know! This is not going well!
The mountain turns red.
- OK. It's OK. I'll remember and call. Otherwise, come in yourself. Just like that! Without these formalities. Let's sit and chat. Well, stomp, otherwise I have things to do. - Mohammed slaps the mountain on the ridge. - Yes! Try to remember why I called you! Don't make a fool of me. If I called, it means I meant something! Think in your spare time, what exactly?!
The mountain comes out sideways.
Mohammed sits down at the table and looks for a long time at the mountain range outside the window:
- How tired I am of all this! There are so many of them, and I’m alone! It’s good that the mountains are conscious - they themselves go to Mohammed! Otherwise Mohammed would have had to go to the mountain! I can imagine how ridiculous that would look!
Mohammed sighs and crosses out on the calendar: “13.00 - call the mountain.”

wing sl. There are various explanations for this origin. It is believed, for example, that it goes back to one of the anecdotal stories associated with Khoja Nasreddin, a beloved hero of Middle Eastern folklore. Once, when he was posing as a saint, he was asked by what miracle he could prove this. Nasrudin replied that he told the palm tree to approach him and it would obey. When the miracle failed, Nasreddin went to the tree with the words: “Prophets and saints are devoid of arrogance. If the palm tree doesn’t come to me, I go to it.” This story is found in an Arabic collection supposedly dating back to 1631.

Another story is found in the notes of the famous traveler Marco Polo (1254-1324), the first edition of which in Latin was published without indicating the place and year; presumably: Venice or Rome, 1484. Marco Polo says that a certain Baghdad shoemaker undertook to prove to Caliph Al-Muetasim the advantages of the Christian faith and allegedly performed a miracle: the mountain moved in his direction at his call. One of the researchers believes that the European version of this eastern legend replaced the palm tree with a mountain due to the Christian tradition, which claims that faith moves mountains (First Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians, 13, 2). Finally, already in 1597 English philosopher Francis Bacon (1561-1626) in his “Moral and Political Essays”, in the essay “On Courage,” says that Mohammed promised the people to move the mountain by force and, when he failed, said: “Well! since the mountain does not want to go to Mohammed, Mohammed will go to it.”

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Phraseological Dictionary of the Russian Language
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Michelson Explanatory and Phraseological Dictionary (orig. orf.)
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Dictionary of synonyms

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If the mountain does not come to Mohammed, then Mohammed will go to the mountain

There are many explanations for the origin of this expression. It is believed, for example, that it is connected with one of the old jokes about the beloved folk hero of the East, Khoja Nasreddin.

Once Khoja, posing as a saint, boasted of the power of his faith and the ability to perform a miracle. “I only have to call a stone or a tree,” Khoja assured, “and they will come to me.” He was asked to call the oak tree growing nearby. Khoja called out to the stubborn tree three times, but it did not even move. The angry Khoja himself went to the oak tree. “Where are you going?” - those around asked, not without gloating. Khoja replied: “The saints are not proud. If the tree doesn’t come to me, I go to it.”

Others believe that the expression stems from the legend of an unfulfilled prophecy contained in the Qur'an - the Koran, the "holy" book of Muslims.

Mohammed (570-632 AD) is considered the founder of the religion of Islam, the messenger of the Almighty on earth. Believers even have a formula: “there is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet.” So, according to legend, Mohammed once set out to prove his power to the faithful. The Prophet ordered the mountain to approach him. The mountain remained unruly. Then Mohammed himself went to her with the words: “ Well, if the mountain doesn't want to go to Mohammed, Mohammed will go to the mountain».

The meaning of this comic expression: due to circumstances, you have to obey the one from whom you yourself expected obedience.

Mohammed on Mt.

Most likely the meaning given expression is understandable to every person, but not every person knows about the origin of the famous expression. Therefore, it is worth understanding how this came into being. interesting expression and who is its author?

Origin of the expression “if the mountain does not come to Mohammed, then Mohammed goes to the mountain”

There are several versions origin this expression. The first of them is related to famous hero oriental tales Khoja Nasreddin. Records of this history are dated beginning of XVII century. Once Nasreddin declared that he was a saint and could perform any miracle. As a sign of confirmation of this, he agreed to give the order to the palm tree to approach him and it had to exactly carry out the instructions of the “saint”. Of course, the tree didn’t even think about moving and stood calmly in its place. Then Khoja Nasreddin himself stood up and went to him. In response to all the ridicule, he replied that saints are not arrogant and if the palm tree cannot come to him, then he himself will come to the palm tree.

The second version is associated with the name of the famous navigator and traveler Marco Polo. He described it in his notes, the first version of which was published at the end of the 15th century. They tell how one Baghdad shoemaker decided to prove to the caliph the greatness of the Christian faith and its superiority over all others. The shoemaker ordered the mountain to immediately come to him and a miracle happened: it obeyed. Both versions do not provide an exact reproduction of the expression and are, rather, the progenitors of the later metamorphosed proverbs.

The third version is closest to the original. It was described in his work by the English scientist Francis Bacon. The saying arose as a result of an unfulfilled prophecy. The author of the statement, according to him, is the Prophet Mohammed himself, the founder of the Islamic faith. The Messenger of Allah on Earth decided to prove the power of his faith by ordering the mountain to approach him. When this, of course, could not be done, he himself went to the rebellious mountain with the words: “If the mountain does not come to Mohammed, then Mohammed will go to the mountain.”