inshallah

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic إِنْ شَاءَ ٱللَٰه (ʔin šāʔa llāh, literally “if God has willed [it]”).

Pronunciation

  • (US) IPA(key): /ˌɪnˈʃɑ.lə/
  • (Canada) IPA(key): /ˌɪn.ʃɑˈlɑ/
  • Rhymes: -ɑː

Interjection

inshallah

  1. (Islam) Expressing the speaker’s wish for a given future event to occur, and also generally their emphasis on its contingency upon the divine will.
    Synonyms: God willing, Deo volente, hopefully
    We will sign the contract tomorrow, inshallah.
  2. (colloquial, sarcastic) Expressing a skeptical affirmative, to indicate the unlikeliness of events, as if they need a divine intervention to come about.
    Synonym: yeah, right

Usage notes

  • In sarcastic contexts, it suggests that the speaker has no interest in making the future event occur, thus, it will only occur if God steps in and wills it. Unlike the Arabic usage, this seems to be more attested in English than the literal meaning.

Translations

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic إِنْ شَاءَ ٱللَٰه (ʔin šāʔa llāh, literally “if God has willed [it]”).

Interjection

inshallah

  1. (Islam) inshallah
    • 2015, Tarek Omar, Johan Forsby, Sønner af mænd, Politikens Forlag, →ISBN:
      Vi har set videoerne og læst på lektien. Det går, inshallah.
      We have seen the videos and done our homework. It will be fine, God willing.
    • 2016, Joakim Zander, Broderen, Gyldendal A/S, →ISBN:
      ... at jeg må væk, inshallah.
      ... that I have to get away, God willing.
    • 2013, Khaled Hosseini, translated by Marianne Linneberg Rasmussen, Og bjergene gav genlyd, Rosinante & Co, →ISBN:
      „Snart, inshallah,“ sagde Nabi ...
      "Soon, God willing," Nabi said

Swahili

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic إِنْ شَاءَ ٱللَٰه (ʔin šāʔa llāh, literally “if God has willed [it]”).[1][2]

Interjection

inshallah

  1. (Islam) inshallah

References

  1. ^ Baldi, Sergio (30 November 2020) Dictionary of Arabic Loanwords in the Languages of Central and East Africa (Handbuch der Orientalistik; Erste Abteilung: Der Nahe und der Mittlere Osten; 145), Leiden • Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 172 Nr. 1543
  2. ^ Fattakhova, Aida R., Mingazova, Nailya G. (2015) “Arabic Loanwords in Tatar and Swahili: Morphological Assimilation”, in Journal of Sustainable Development, volume 8, number 4, →DOI, →ISSN, page 307 of 302-308

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic إِنْ شَاءَ ٱللَٰه (ʔin šāʔa llāh, literally “if God has willed [it]”).

Interjection

inshallah

  1. (Islam) inshallah
    Synonym: om Gud vill

See also

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