«فَرُبَّ أُكْلَةٍ هَاضَتِ الْآكِلَ وَحَرَمَتْهُ مَا أَكَلَ»
Many a meal harms its eater and deprives him of its benefit.
Rubba introduces an illustrative case that sounds like a memorable maxim. The guest uses it to discourage excessive hospitality and the harm of overfeeding.
The irony lies in food, ordinarily a source of strength, becoming a cause of suffering. The statement warns against excess; it does not assert that eating is always harmful.
ExpressionRhetorical effect
Rubba uklatinIllustrative warning
Hāḍat al-ākilFood harms rather than nourishes