inshallah

English

Alternative forms

• insha'Allah
• in sha Allah

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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

Interjection

inshallah

1. (chiefly 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.

   We will sign the contract tomorrow, inshallah.

   Synonyms: God willing, Deo volente, hopefully

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

   • 29 September 2020, Joe Biden, US presidential debate:

     Donald Trump: And you'll get it to see it [i.e. his taxes].
     Joe Biden: When? Inshallah?

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.
• In Arab countries, inshallah is often added to any sentence in the future tense. It is to show that the future event is not assured and if God's will steps in, it will not happen. I wish the event happens, but I don't have it all in my hands and unpredictable can happen. I wish it happens, but if it's not God's will, it will not happen.

Translations

God willing (Islam)

• Albanian: inshálla, ishálla
• Arabic: إِنْ شَاءَ ٱللّٰه (ar) (ʔin šāʔa llāh)
• Armenian: ինշալլա (hy) (inšalla)
• Azerbaijani: inşallah
• Bashkir: иншалла (inşalla)
• Bengali: ইনশাআল্লাহ্ (bn) (inośaallah)
• Breton: inch'Allah
• Catalan: si déu vol (ca)
• Chinese:

  Dungan: йиншанлахў (yinšanlahw)

  Mandarin: 印沙安拉 (yìnshā'ānlā)

• Danish: inshallah
• Dhivehi: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: insha'Allah
• Finnish: jos Luoja suo (God willing); insha Allah (Islamic context)
• French: Inch’Allah (fr), si Dieu le veut, si Dieu veut, Dieu veuille (fr)
• Georgian: ინშალლაჰ (inšallah)
• German: Inschallah, so Gott will
• Hindi: इंशाअल्लाह (iñśāallāh), इन्शाअल्लाह (inśāallāh), इंशाल्लाह (iñśāllāh)
• Hungarian: insallah
• Icelandic: ef Guð lofar
• Indonesian: insya Allah (id)
• Italian: a Dio piacendo (it), se Dio vuole
• Japanese: インシャッラーフ (insharrāfu), インシャッラー (insharrā)
• Kabyle: mayghva rebbi
• Kazakh: иншалла (inşalla)
• Korean: 인샬라 (insyalla)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: ئیشاڵا (îşalla)

• Kyrgyz: иншалла (inşalla)
• Ladino: ishalla
• Latin: Deo volente
• Malay: insya-Allah
• Pashto: please add this translation if you can
• Persian: ان‌شاءالله (enšâ'allâh)
• Portuguese: oxalá (pt), se Deus quiser (pt)
• Rohingya: incá Allah
• Russian: иншалла́х (ru) (inšalláx), иншаалла́х (inšaalláx)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: иншаллах, иншалах, ако Бог да

  Roman: inšallah, inšalah, ako Bog da

• Spanish: inshalá, ojalá (es), si Dios quiere (es)
• Swahili: Mungu akipenda
• Swedish: inshallah, insha'Allah, om Gud vill, om Gud så vill, förhoppningsvis (sv)
• Tajik: иншоллоҳ (inšolloh)
• Tatar: иншалла (inşalla)
• Turkish: inşallah (tr)
• Turkmen: inşallah
• Urdu: ان‌شاءاللہ (inśā'allāh)
• Uyghur: ئىنشائاللا (insha'alla)
• Uzbek: insholloh
• Wolof: inchaalaaxu

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic إن شاء الله (ʔin šāʔ allāh).

Interjection

inshallah

1. 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]”).

Interjection

inshallah

1. (chiefly Islam) inshallah

Swedish

Etymology

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

Interjection

inshallah

1. (chiefly Islam) inshallah

See also

• Allah