Amal Al-Sibai
Mashallah.
Inshallah.
Alhamdulillah.
These words are so readily on the tip of the tongue of every Muslim, but some of us forget the essence of what they mean. We no longer pause to reflect on these words, which actually have very profound meaning.
Traditionally, the early Muslims pronounced these words to keep their hearts, minds, and limbs connected to their Creator every waking minute, but today many of us have lost this connection and we say these words out of mere routine repetition.
The most commonly used and probably the most misconstrued word used by Muslims is inshallah or in shaa’ Allah. Today, people say inshallah in a negative way, or as another way of procrastinating and delaying matters that need to get done.
I too am guilty of the habit of misusing the word inshallah. Last week, my daughter looked at me pleadingly with those big grey-blue eyes and asked, “Will you take us to the park on Saturday?” Automatically I said, “Inshallah.” She started whimpering and crying.
Alarmed, I asked, “Why are you crying? I said I would take you inshallah.” With such honesty and frankness that only a child could have, she said, “No, you said ‘inshallah’. Inshallah means ‘you’ll see’ or it means ‘no’. I want you to say ‘yes!’ I want to go to the park!”
Immediately, I realized my mistake; I had given my children the wrong understanding of the word inshallah. The true meaning of inshallah is God willing, or if Allah wills it.Inshallah should give off a positive vibe, not negative. In my above example, inshallah means that I genuinely intend to take my daughter to the park God willing, as long as we remain in good health and weather permits. I need to re-train my children that inshallah is more of a yes than it is a no.
Mashallah should be pronounced correctly as ma shaa’ Allah, which is a phrase that expresses appreciation, joy, praise, and thankfulness for an event or person, or even a place or an object. You could say ma shaa’ Allah for a pretty dress you bought, or if you liked your friend’s haircut, for your brother’s new home, your co-worker’s luxury car, or a delicious dinner your sister cooked. If you are proud of your children’s report card, you would say ma shaa’ Allah.
Saying the word ma shaa’ Allah every time you are impressed by something or someone special serves as a reminder that all accomplishments are achieved through the will of Allah, and all blessings we have are from Allah. Muslims also believe that by saying ma shaa’ Allah, we seek the protection of Allah from jealousy, the evil eye, and the jinn.
The next time my son tells me about one of his projects in his super-interesting bioengineering college course, I am going to slow down when I say ma shaa’ Allah, to make myself more aware of the beauty and deep meaning of these words.
The way Muslims use the words Alhamdulillah is nothing short of fascinating.
I recently visited a Muslim woman in the hospital who had been run over by a truck. She had multiple fractures in her leg, went through several surgeries, was in constant pain, and had at least six months of physical therapy ahead of her before she could regain function of her leg.
When I asked how she was feeling, she said, “Alhamdulillah. My children are safe and they were not harmed. Alhamdulillah, I did not lose my leg, it will heal inshallah.”
I watched the video of a Syrian girl, pulled out of the rubble of what used to be her home. Her head was bleeding. When she asked her rescuer about her mother, brother, sister, and father and was told that they had survived, this child repeated again and again, “Alhamdulillah.”
Alhamdulillah means all praise and thanks are due to God, to Allah alone. When one consciously says it and not just as a routine response, it holds feelings of gratitude to Allah.It is to be said with a profound sense of love, adoration, and awe of the power, glory, and mercy of God.
The woman in the hospital and the little girl who had survived the bombings were thankful to Allah, even in times of calamity. Why?
The best explanation I could give is the explanation that Umar ibn Al-Khattab gave.
Umar ibn Al-Khattab is known to have said, “If Allah strikes me with calamity, I will thank Allah for four things: 1- that the test was not in my deen (faith), 2 - that the calamity could have been worse, 3 - it is an expiation for my sins, and 4 - any loss after losing the Prophet (peace be upon him) is nothing.”
There is another phrase that we say with our tongues, sometimes a hundred times a day, but if it did not move our hearts or stop us from committing sin, then the words alone will not benefit us.
Istaghfirullah means I seek forgiveness from Allah. It is commendable how some people repeat this phrase after the prayers, after waking up in the morning, before going to bed, in the car, or while sitting in waiting room of the hospital. Again, we must remind ourselves to bring more mental awareness when saying this phrase. Everyone makes mistakes, and we constantly ask for forgiveness.
The conditions for the acceptance of our repentance, as the scholars have pointed out are: feeling regret for committing the sin, giving up the sin, resolving to never go back to it, and sincerely saying istaghfirullah. If we are not doing so already, we should start saying it again and again, throughout our days, “Istaghfirullah”.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “By Allah, I seek Allah’s forgiveness and repent to Him more than seventy times a day.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)
The Prophet (peace be upon him) repeated this seventy times a day, when Allah had already guaranteed him forgiveness. Therefore, we should try to increase saying this phrase even more, with a high level of mental presence.
Subhan Allah can be translated as glory be to God, or exalted is God. However, there is no single word to fit as an English counterpart for subhan Allah; rather it holds several meanings. It is a testimony that attributes total perfection to Allah, removing any associations or partners or mistakes or faults or any human condition to Allah.
Ibn Taymiyyah described the phrase: “Tasbeeh [saying subhan Allah] implies declaring Him to be above any fault and venerating Him, and veneration implies affirming praiseworthy attributes for which He is praised, and that implies declaring Him to be above any faults, praising Him, magnifying Him and affirming His Oneness.”
These words may seem small and simple but they are great in the good deeds that we earn by saying them and they are great in bolstering our faith and love of our Creator. So, say them with your tongue, with your voice, with your heart, mind, and all your soul.
