The word Inshallah, Inshallah or Insha'Allah, is translated from Arabic as "If God wills, " "If the will of God is so." Muslims thus express humility before the will of the Almighty - this is a ritual statement, but it is often used as an interjection exclamation.
The word inshalla in everyday speech is a marker of the future tense, it indicates a person’s plans. In Russian, similar phrases are: “if we survive” or “if God gives”.
Among Muslims, the answer “Inshallah” or “Insha'Allah” may be a polite refusal to request or an uncomfortable question. This is a tactful response, because the faithful do not say no to requests - impolite. And if they said "inshallah", it means: "If Allah does not intervene, then what you ask or ask is impossible."
In their holy book, the Quran says: “Do not say“ I will do it tomorrow, ”but say“ if Allah so wishes. ” Therefore, Muslims consider it obligatory to say "inshallah" every time when it comes to matters in the future. And if a person forgot to say this phrase, it can be repeated later.
Inshallah also points to the hopes of man, to his desire for something to happen in the future. In the modern Islamic world, the word "Insha'Allah" is often pronounced in colloquial speech.
The story of the inshallah
When the prophet Mohammed was just beginning to preach Islam, the Meccan tribes met him with great hostility. They did not want to know anything about tawheed, and called the prophet a madman, a liar or a sorcerer. They tried in every way to interfere with his sermons.
And then the day came when the Quraish decided to check Mohammed. They sent messengers to Arabia, to the Jewish tribes, to receive advice. All the Meccans were pagans, but trusted the Jews, because it was a knowledgeable people in the Scriptures, the people of the Book. And the rabbis answered the request for help: they offered to ask Mohammed three questions. He could be considered a true prophet if he answered 2 of them, but if he found an answer to everything, he would be a liar.
Quraysh rejoiced. They decided that they could baffle Mohammed, because he was not a Jew, he did not know the Scriptures, how could he understand how to answer the questions? In addition, Mohammed was illiterate. And the questions were as follows:
- “What happened to the young men in the cave?”;
- “Who was the king who ruled in the west and east?”;
- "What is spirit, what is it?"
Having heard these questions, Mohammed promised to answer the next day, but did not add the “inshallah”. The prophet waited for revelation for 14 days, but he was not there. And the hostility of the Meccans grew: they gloated, called Mohammed a liar who violated this word.
However, on the 15th day, the surah of the Koran was revealed to Mohammed, which is now recommended to all Muslims to read on Fridays. This surah answered only two questions, the third remained unanswered, and at the very beginning there was a clear indication that it was impossible to make a promise without adding “inshallah” to it.
Thus, the word entered into Muslim speech.
Religious significance
In a religious interpretation, when a person says “Insha'Allah”, he entrusts himself, his future and his deeds to the will of Allah. Muslims believe that nothing in their lives happens by chance: everything is chosen by Allah, plays an important role or carries a lesson. And if God wants to teach something to a person, point to something or give a sign, then he uses the will, actions and desires of the person himself.
Inshallah thus points out: no matter what people plan, and whatever they want, it all depends on Allah. It is for this reason, when talking about plans and desires, it is so important to mention him and say that everything is in his hands.
In addition, reflecting on the sura, Muslim theologians came to the conclusion that the word "Insha'Allah" contains 3 instructions for wise actions:
- People shun lies. When a person says “I will do it tomorrow” and then doesn’t, it turns out that he lied, even if objective reasons prevented him. But if he adds an “inshallah”, then he implies in advance that something independent of him may happen, and that means there is no lie.
- People avoid regrets. When a person plans a lot in the future, even for tomorrow, and then plans suddenly fall apart, he feels regret that he did not do what was planned. Sometimes remorse. But if he says "inshallah", then he agrees that Allah may not be pleased with his plans, and they can be transferred to another day with a calm soul.
- People ask permission from Allah. This prayer word connects a person with God, moreover, when he says "inshallah", he asks permission and help so that everything goes well.
Correct writing
The word "inshalla" must be spelled correctly even in another, Russian or English language. Most often, they write like this: "inshallah", "inshaallah", and for a person who knows the Arabic language, this will look wrong. The indicated spelling variations in a literal translation sounds like "create Allah."
And in order for the meaning of the word to be accurately transmitted, all its parts must be written separately: "in sha Allah." In this case, the translation will be "as Allah wishes."
