Mohammed

if the mountain will not come to Mohammed

proverb One must change one's actions accordingly if things do not proceed as one would like them to. A shortening of the phrase "If the mountain will not come to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the mountain." You'll have to go woo investors if they won't come to you. If the mountain will not come to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the mountain. A: "You want to reconcile with your sister, right?" B: "Yeah, but I don't want to make the first move." A: "Well, if the mountain will not come to Mohammed…." If this is something you really want, you're going to have to make more of an effort. Remember, if the mountain will not come to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the mountain.

See also: come, if, Mohammed, mountain, not, to, will

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

If the mountain will not come to Mahomet, Mahomet must go to the mountain.

Prov. If things do not change the way you want them to, you must adjust to the way they are. (Mohammed is often used instead of Mahomet. Also the mountain has come to Mahomet, something or someone that you would not expect to travel has arrived. There are many variations of this proverb. See the examples.) The president won't see me so I will have to go to his office. If the mountain will not come to Mahomet, Mahomet must go to the mountain. If Caroline can't leave the hospital on her birthday, we'll have to take her birthday party to the hospital. If the mountain won't come to Mahomet, Mahomet will have to go to the mountain. It's true I don't usually leave my home, but if you can't come to see me, I'll have to come see you. The mountain will come to Mohammed.

See also: come, go, if, Mahomet, mountain, must, not, to, will

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

if the mountain won't come to Muhammad, Muhammad must go to the mountain

If one can't have one's way, one must give in. For example, Since you can't come here for the holiday, I'll go to your house-if the mountain won't come to Muhammad, Muhammad must go to the mountain . This expression is based on a tale that Muhammad once sought proof of his teachings by ordering a mountain to come to him. When it did not move, he maintained that God had been merciful, for if it had indeed moved they all would have been crushed by it. [Late 1500s]

See also: come, go, if, mounta, mountain, Muhammad, must, to

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

if Mohammed will not go to the mountain

or

the mountain must go to Mohammed

People use expressions such as if Mohammed will not go to the mountain or the mountain must go to Mohammed to say that if someone that you want to see does not come to you, you have to go to them. People, for whatever reason, are reluctant to leave their houses to vote, so if Mohammed won't go to the mountain, we have to go to them. Fifteen minutes later, Chotas walked into the office of the Prosecuting Attorney. `Well,' Demonides said. `Mohammed comes to the mountain. What can I do for you?' Note: The full expression is `if Mohammed will not go to the mountain, the mountain must go to Mohammed'. Note: These expressions are based on a story about the prophet Mohammed, who was asked to show his power by making Mount Safa come to him.

See also: go, if, Mohammed, mountain, not, to, will

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

if the mountain will not come to Mohammed...

When you can’t get your own way, bow to the inevitable. The complete expression is, “If the mountain will not come to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the mountain.” This expression, with the spelling Mahomet (a slightly different transliteration from Arabic), is based on the story that Mohammed once asked for miraculous proof of his teachings and ordered Mount Safa to come to him. When the mountain did not move, he said, “God is merciful. Had it obeyed my words it would have fallen on us to our destruction.” Sir Francis Bacon retold the story, saying, “If the Hil will not come to Mahomet, Mahomet will go to the Hil” (in Of Boldnesse, 1597). It was repeated in John Ray’s English Proverbs (1678) and numerous sources thereafter, including Shaw’s play, The Doctor’s Dilemma (1906).

See also: come, if, mountain, not, to, will

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer