Insha Allah vs. Masha Allah - a Guide to Muslim Vernacular
If you’ve spent any time around a group of English speaking Muslims, you may have noticed that our sentences are peppered with Arabic phrases. If you pay really close attention, you’ll realize that most of these phrases end with Allah.
Muslims spend a lot of time thinking about Allah, speaking about Allah, considering Allah. If we’re doing it right, we’re living a very God-centered existence, even when we’re not in the middle of worship, like our five daily prayers, or reading the Quran.
Allah is the Arabic word for God, and God looms large in Muslim vernacular.
Looking at a gorgeous sunset? Subhan Allah.
Friend just scored an unbelievable 3-pointer from half court? Masha Allah.
Invited to volunteer at your kids’ science fair and trying to give a non-committal answer? Insha Allah.
Allah is central to all these phrases, but the first word is the one doing the heavy lifting.
Insha Allah literally translates to if God wills or, more simply, God Willing. Muslims use insha Allah in two ways. The first is to say yes while recognizing that we can never truly be certain of what is to come because fate and predestination belong to God. The second is to obfuscate if we don’t want to commit to something but we’re not quite ready to say no. I’m totally planning to clean the bathrooms today, insha Allah. Basically, Muslims use insha Allah the way secular folks use the word hopefully.
The phrase isn’t used exclusively by religious people. It’s permeated common speech to the point that it’s used constantly, often in a fatalistic way where we embrace uncertainty. My friend
wrote about her panic upon hearing a pilot say they were about to land, insha Allah in this thoughtful post.Masha Allah, translates to that God wills, or, more simply, God has willed it. It has a positive connotation, and is often used to hype someone or something. We literally use it in place of, or along with, awesome, way to go or congratulations! Masha Allah is the subtle reminder that when someone does something awesome, they’re great, but it’s also always in God’s hands. It’s a constant pull back to humility when we’re flying high, staving off that worst of sins, arrogance.
The funny thing about both insha Allah and masha Allah is that the differentiator between them is “if” vs. “that”. Maybe vs. definitely. Possibly vs. yes. The “sha’” in these phrases ties to the Islamic concept of fate, or qadar. Belief in fate is the sixth pillar of faith for Muslims, after belief in the oneness of God, his angels, his books, his messengers, and the day of reckoning. Muslims believe in a delicate balance between qadar and free-will that gives us the freedom to choose, to react, to decide, while recognizing the ultimate power of God in how the universe unfolds. Qadar deserves a post of its own, but its presence is heavily felt in our lives, in our behaviours, in the ways we ask God for reprieve when we’re struggling and the ways we thank him when everything’s coming up roses.
There are other phrases that end with Allah you’ll likely hear, but they are more often heard in the context of thikr, mantras of remembrance given during worship. Subhan Allah (Glory be to God), Alhamdulillah (Praise and thanks be to God), A’oodhu billah (I seek refuge in God), La illaha illa Allah (There is no one worthy of worship but God), and on and on.
A favourite Allah-ending phrase that’s used both in worship and in common speech is astaghfirullah. In worship, this is the phrase of repentance. It means I seek forgiveness from God, and is meant to be used as frequently as possible. The Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, the most perfect human to ever live, used to say astaghfirullah 100 times a day. We are encouraged to repent daily, whether for particular sins with which we’re struggling, or simply in recognition that we can never give God his due in terms of worship. That we will always fall short. While still believing and rejoicing in his mercy.
Of course, astaghfirullah can also be used cheekily, as long as it doesn’t cross the bounds of disrespect. My older son plays in a community basketball league at the mosque. A month ago, as the boys were warming up, one of the stars took a shot from some distance, and missed spectacularly. Airball. Astaghfirullah! A kid from the sidelines called out. I stifled my laughter. Language is amazing, masha Allah.
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Let’s chat in the comments:
Are there phrases you use that people are unfamiliar with? What are they?
How do you say wow, awesome, or hopefully?
Is your language tinged with religious or cultural phrasing?
Are you familiar with “Muslim vernacular”?
I’m continuing to share resources about the situation in Gaza and the West Bank. This week I’m sharing a few different posts relating to the treatment of Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank:
World renowned trauma expert and Holocaust survivor Dr. Gabor Mate on Palestinian hostages. May we see the end of the bombing of Gaza and the freeing of hostages from both Palestine and Israel soon.
We are told again and again that Israel is simply trying to root out Hamas, but the footage coming out of Gaza shows abhorrent treatment of civilians. Here is an Israeli soldier singing over the corpses of Palestinian civilians before they are dragged away by a bulldozer driven by another Israeli soldier. These are war crimes, recorded for the world to see.
Annelle Sheline, a US State Department official who resigned in protest of the Biden administration’s support for Israel during the massacre of Gaza, speaks to Christiane Amanpour on CNN.
Unicef official James Elder on Israel blocking aid from Northern Gaza, leading to the forced starvation of over 1 million civilians
And finally, Egyptian American comedian Ramy Youssef hosted SNL this past weekend. His monologue included the words, “Free the people of Palestine. And free the hostages, all the hostages.” Amen.
Insha Allah being said for noncommittal things is so funny to me. This whole post reminds me of lots of AAVE like saying “God is good all the time” and expecting someone else to say it back with oomph “AND ALL THE TIME GOD IS GOOD”. “If the Lord sees fit”- used id say more for dramatic flair and like Insha Allah. “Bless his heart”- poor thing. “Won’t he do it”- praise for a blessing God has given. “Good God” -said in shock & awe of something.
I am very familiar with some of these terms hahah and have even noticed they use them a lot even in Turkish shows. In Spanish, they have the phrase "Ojalá" which has the meaning of "insha Allah" and likely might have come from the influence of the Moors in Andalucía. Very interesting to read a bit more in depth about them. I am not Muslim but it's very cool to see the influence of other cultures intertwined with your own.