"Thomas Dalton" <thomas.dalton(a)gmail.com>
wrote in message
news:a4359dff0709170748lf145ac1j6f5b16c1568fb3d9@mail.gmail.com...
On 17/09/2007, Mark Clements
<gmane(a)kennel17.co.uk> wrote:
> "Thomas Dalton" wrote
> > On 17/09/2007, Mark Clements wrote:
> > > "Sabine Cretella" wrote
> > > ... don't know if this translation of a saying is
> > > > correct in English: when the prophet does not come to the
mountain,
> > > > take the mountain to the prophet
... have a great Sunday!
> > > >
> > >
> > > Pretty close. In English it is "If the mountain won't come to
Mohammed,
> > > Mohammed must go to the
mountain".
> >
> > Almost... try it the other way around. ;)
>
> A common misconception...
>
> IF THE MOUNTAIN WILL NOT COME TO MOHAMMED, MOHAMMED WILL GO TO THE
> MOUNTAIN - "If one cannot get one's own way, one must adjust to the
> inevitable. The legend goes that when the founder of Islam was asked to
give
> proofs of his teaching, he ordered Mount Safa to
come to him. When the
> mountain did not comply, Mohammed raised his hands toward heaven and
said,
> 'God is merciful. Had it obeyed my words, it
would have fallen on us to
our
> destruction. I will therefore go to the mountain
and thank God that he
has
> had mercy on a stiff-necked generation.' The
saying has been traced back
in
> English to 'Essays,' (1625) by English
philosopher Frances Bacon
> (1561-1626). It was included in John Ray's book of English proverbs in
1678.
> First attested in the United States in
'Jonathan Belcher Papers' (1733).
In
> German, the phrase translates as 'Wenn der
Berg nicht zum Propheten
kommt,
> mu?der Prophetzum Berg kommen." From
"Random House Dictionary of Popular
> Proverbs and Sayings" (1996) by Gregory Y. Titelman (Random House, New
York,
1996).
- Mark Clements (HappyDog)
Interesting. However, the commonly used saying is the other way
around. Perhaps it doesn't accurately describe the Islamic story, but
that is the saying.
Hmmm.... In my experience the most common form is "Well, if the mountain
won't come to Mohammed..." meaning "very well, I'll do it myself",
I'm not
sure how the other way round would work. "Well, if Mohammed won't go to the
mountain..." meaning, "very well, I'll do it for you" doesn't make
much
sense (given that a mountain is unmovable...). Or perhaps you meant some
other usage.
- Mark Clements (HappyDog)