Inshallah

Some words have an entire philosophy of life embedded in them.

In the Arab world, it is the word ‘Inshallah’.

Inshallah, very simply, means ‘god-willing’ or ‘if god wishes’.

It is used very commonly by the Arabs and expats have also got used to it.

This word, I have observed, is a great stress-buster. When you use it, you leave certain decisions to god and then just accept what He dishes out for you. It implies complete surrender to the divine will. It makes life so simple.

Here are two examples to show you how the word is used:



1)     Your friend wins a dream vacation.

You congratulate her and say, “Have great fun with your family”.

“Inshallah!” she replies quietly  thus demonstrating a complete trust in god.

   

2)     You need a gas cylinder replacement.

“When will you come?” you ask the man at the other end of the phone.

He says, “At 3 p.m., inshallah”.

You are at work and return home at 3 p.m. He doesn’t turn up.

At 4.30 p.m., you call him again.

“Yes, yes, madam... I am almost there. Will be there in 10 minutes, inshallah”.

After 20 minutes, you call again.

“Madam, I am on your street now. I will be at your door in 2 minutes, inshallah”.

And then he finally arrives after 5 p.m.

The simple explanation is – that’s the way god desired it.

 

Will I send a blog post tomorrow? My answer is “Inshallah!”