The word "Inshallah" in pretty Arabic script.
One of the most oft-heard words in my local mosque is Inshallah. It means God willing, and if one can understand how the really religious could use it with many everyday sentences. I'm going to the grocery store - God willing. My flight will leave at noon, God willing. I hope you like the dinner, God willing. I say this word too when the situation calls for it, but I more often say the English translation. Unfortunately, it seems to me that it's sometimes used in ways that don't exactly mean 'God willing.'
First, I noticed that sometimes people use it to mean "maybe" or perhaps more akin to "maybe, it's really not in my hands, it's all God's will." Which would be fine if that were the case. Like if I were asking what the weather would be like tomorrow, "Inshallah, it will be nice," would be an appropriate response. But when I'm asking when you'll return my borrowed book? Something entirely within your control? "Inshallah, soon," often seems to really mean "hmm, maybe I'll remember it in a month or so." (True story, unfortunately.)
I've also noticed that it's often just a filler word or even superstition. As if you have to tack on "inshaAllah" on all your sentences or something bad might happen. I've heard some people pepper their sentences with inshaallahs so much that it becomes desensitizing, and the listener almots doesn't even hear the word anymore. One time I heard a speaker use three 'inshallah's in one sentence. In one thirty minute talk I attended during college, I counted one woman say it 41 times. I have no idea what she was even talking about I was so distracted by all the inshaAllah's flying around.
The inshallah use that really gets me is when it's mindlessly used as if it were punctuation. Just a word you have to tack onto the back of every sentence. A recent example: during the Friday religious services in the week leading up to Ramadan, one of our mosque's speakers was telling the congregation about when and where Tarawih prayers would be held. Our mosque actually rents a hall from the local synagogue and holds Friday prayers and Tarawih prayers there - both places are really dedicated to interfaith dialogue and involvement. The speaker was *trying* to explain that Tarawih prayers, the late-night extra group prayers held every night during the month of Ramadan, would NOT be held at the synagogue on Friday nights because the hall at the synagogue was not available for use on those evenings. On those evenings they held their own services for Shabbat.
But here's how he said it: "Tarawih prayers will not be held at the synagogue on Friday nights, inshaallah."
What?! God willing, there WON'T be any prayers there? Now that really doesn't seem like an appropriate use of the word!
18 comments:
I get your point about people abusing the word "Insha Allah" but it's actually fard to say it when you intend to do something because truly nothing in this life is in our hands and anyone of us could die at any given moment.
Here's some Tafsir on the subject of saying Insha Allah.
Tafisr Ibn Kathir
Surah Kahf:
(23. And never say of anything, "I shall do such and such thing tomorrow.'') (24. Except (with the saying), "If Allah wills!" And remember your Lord when you forget and say: "It may be that my Lord guides me to a nearer way of truth than this.'')
Saying "If Allah wills" when determining to do Something in the Future
Here Allah, may He be glorified, shows His Messenger the correct etiquette when determining to do something in the future; this should always be referred to the will of Allah, the Knower of the Unseen, Who knows what was and what is yet to be and what is not to be, and how it will be if it is to be. It was recorded in the Two Sahihs that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said:
(Sulayman bin Dawud (peace be upon them both) said: "Tonight I will go around to seventy women [according to some reports, it was ninety or one hundred women] so that each one of them will give birth to a son who will fight for the sake of Allah.'' It was said to him, [according to one report, the angel said to him] "Say: `If Allah wills'", but he did not say it. He went around to the women but none of them gave birth except for one who gave birth to a half-formed child.) The Messenger of Allah said, (By the One in Whose hand is my soul, had he said, "If Allah wills,'' he would not have broken his oath, and that would have helped him to attain what he wanted. ) According to another report, (They would all have fought as horsemen in the cause of Allah.) At the beginning of this Surah we discussed the reason why this Ayah was revealed: when the Prophet was asked about the story of the people of the Cave, he said, "I will tell you tomorrow.'' Then the revelation was delayed for fifteen days. Since we discussed this at length at the beginning of the Surah, there is no need to repeat it here.
(And remember your Lord when you forget) It was said that this means, if you forget to say "If Allah wills", then say it when you remember. This was the view of Abu Al-`Aliyah and Al-Hasan Al-Basri. Hushaym reported from Al-A`mash from Mujahid that concerning a man who swears an oath, Ibn `Abbas said "He may say `If Allah wills' even if it is a year later.'' Ibn `Abbas used to interpret this Ayah:
(And remember your Lord when you forget) in this way. Al-A`mash was asked, "Did you hear this from Mujahid" He said, "Layth bin Abi Salim told it to me.'' The meaning of Ibn `Abbas' view, that a person may say "If Allah wills'', even if it is a year later, is that if he forgets to say it when he makes the oath or when he speaks, and he remembers it later, even a year later, the Sunnah is that he should say it, so that he will still be following the Sunnah of saying "If Allah wills'', even if that is after breaking his oath. This was also the view of Ibn Jarir, but he stated that this does not make up for breaking the oath or mean that one is no longer obliged to offer expiation. What Ibn Jarir said is correct, and it is more appropriate to understand the words of Ibn Abbas in this way. And Allah knows best.
(And never say of anything, "I shall do such and such thing tomorrow.'' Except (with the saying), "If Allah wills!" And remember your Lord when you forget) At-Tabarani recorded that Ibn `Abbas said that this meant saying, "If Allah wills.''
(and say: "It may be that my Lord guides me to a nearer way of truth than this.'') meaning, `if you (O Prophet) are asked about something you know nothing about, ask Allah about it, and turn to Him so that He may guide you to what is right.' And Allah knows best.
Completely agree with you. That last bit was funny :)
hahhahaha, so true. I am also really used to saying it... but i do it when there is a need for it...
last bit...hilarious!
I love the word, "InshaAllah". I say it whenever and however I can, even if it's just superstition. Although, yes, I get the point when you say that some people say "InshaALLAH" too many times in a sentence.
oh, i know what you mean about using inshallah.
it scares me when a client replies with that word.
and i say - no way. do not use inshallah with me because that means i won't see your face in the next six months.
lol.
Haha! that is soo true.
Surely, for most people 'InshaAllah' means 'Only If God Wills, Because I Wont' :P
I understand the need to say inshaAllah... in fact, me having lived in an Arab country, everyone uses it. EVERYONE.
And yes, I also get scared when I ask something like: "Will you come tomorrow?" and the person replies, "inshaAllah" and I rephrase to ask, "Okay do you want to come tomorrow?" and I get the same answer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh cool - you go to the mosque that rents space from the synagogue? I remember reading about that recently & thinking how cool it was.
I get you on this one. I think that if you have a whole paragraph of speech that is aspirational, you can just tack on an insha'Allah to the end of it and that should suffice to indicate that you hope all your aspirations will come true just if God wills. I really do like using it in everyday speech though, and I say God willing more often in English when talking to non-Muslim friends, and insha'Allah if talking to Muslim friends. Interesting post.
haha InshAllah your blog will last a very long time!
My favorite is when you ask the mechanic when your car will be done? And he says, "tomorrow Insh'Allah". Which translates into a very, very long time.
Totally agree with you. With my husband, he only says it when he's least likely to do something eg. "Can we go see that action movie you really want to see? - Yeah of course, let's go now", compared to "Can you take me out for dinner, it's been ages? - Insha Allah we'll go" (never end up going). Totally agree with Sohaib - unfortunately it all too often means 'Only If God Wills, Because I Wont'!
And what beautiful calligraphy for Insha Allah at the start of your post.
I love it when people say "InshaaAllaah." I say it a lot myself, when referring to events I'm planning in the future. And I love when people use it a lot, even 3 times a sentence, even every other word.
What's wrong with remembering Allah? I've heard a class lecture that started something like this: "Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh. InshaaAllaah tonight we are going to inshaaAllah start our course about the Arabic language inshaaAllaah..." So what if he says it a lot? What's wrong with that?
Granted, it is wrong when people say "inshaaAllah" as an excuse or some such, but we should respect the term and use it appropriately, and not let other people get away with disregarding your own rights by claiming "inshaaAllaah."
I met someone recently who isn't a Muslim but has been living in this Muslim country for quite a while. One of his ways of adapting to the norms is using 'Insha'Allah' as much as he possibly can.
It's sorta like, "Yeah, sure, we'll see" kinda thing as you said and mostly it gets lost in the colloquial sense it is used. Like people might even say, "So I'll watch that movie tonight Insha'Allah" ... or "Insha'Allah, they'll be damned to hell" or something to that effect without realizing that it's God's will you're talking about here.
But so are the norms and people have kinda gotten used to it.
Nice observation though.
I understand where you're coming from, but I also say InshaAllah, a lot. I even say it when speaking to my non-Muslim friends. They all know what it means, now. :)
I will say that I don't say it in order to get myself off the hook for doing something (like returning a book.. ha ha). Though Anon. was long winded in their explanation, they reflect my understanding of the phrase. As Muslims, we're supposed to say it a lot because no matter how much control we have in a situation, it is God that determines whether it's going to actually happen.
Those Ramadan prayers? If Allah doesn't will it, we can schedule the prayers anywhere we like, but they aren't going to happen. So, that usage was entirely appropriate.
I'm glad that you bring stuff up like this. It's important for people to engage about stuff like this.
How am I only just discovering this blog? I remember some emails passed because I was confused between you and Gori Girl, but am shocked to see that I did not KNOW you had a blog. Shame on me!
Yes, I found in my own experiences that insha'allah was used as a throwaway excuse - fard or not.
P.S. I am not sure if you know my background, I dated a Pakistani (muhajir) in my early 20s for nearly 5 years and did a 6 week stint in Pakistan as well in 1993 (a beautiful, peaceful time - the year before all of the Sindhi/muhajir violence began and it all went to shit).
Am very excited about this blog. Excuse me now, I need to stalk you for awhile. So joking.
Living in Saudi, I find that inshallah is abused more often than not. As an American Muslim, it horrifies me. Same with assamalualaikum. Here, it's treated equally with Marhaba "Hello". In US and elsewhere, that greeting as a meaning. Here, it's so over-used it becomes trite. Inshallah is the same.
I find myself falling on the following religious argument as to how people can commit to something in the future, while still recognizing that Allah has power over it. Everything is based on niyat (my bad transliteration).. intention. Thus, I encourage people I know to make the intention that they will see me tomorrow, as opposed to simply and purely leaving it in the hands of God/Allah.
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