«وَقَلَّ مَنْ اسْتَهْدَفَ لِلنِّضَالِ»
Few who offer themselves as a target in an archery contest escape all danger.
Istahdafa depicts becoming or presenting oneself as a target; niḍāl is archery or a contest with arrows. The narrative transfers the physical risk of being shot at to the public exposure of an unsupported literary claim.
The audience warns that a failed contest can damage a person's reputation. This metaphor increases the stakes: the elder's confidence may soon be tested under scrutiny rather than in a private exchange.