Thanks for giving us a sense of one aspect of life in Cairo.
I've found myself using the phrase "god willing" lately when talking about the impending birth of our second grandchild in recognition that birth is a miracle not to be taken for granted.
This gave me all the feelings, David! Wishing your family the very best for the miracle that’s coming your way—may your new grandchild enter the world with ease and joy.
I remember this so well from being in Egypt! Insha’allah! It liked it while I was there and used it as much as possible, to remind myself how none of us know the future. Lovely essay.
Surrendering to the possibility. I loved this and didn't realize Insha'allah was used so ubiquitously! Your acceptance of it reminded me of the Sanskrit 'Ishvara Pranidhana' that we use to surrender in certain yoga poses - it produces calm acceptance too. Necessary in Italy too. Thanks for sharing, Samantha!
Another lovely piece Samantha. I wrote a poem when I lived in Egypt about the word Khalas exploring related themes 🙂 So this was very interesting to read.
In Nicaragua they say - Si dios le quiere - if God wants - which is very similar to the Arabic - Inshallah. I lived in Nicaragua before Egypt so I was more used to adjusting to that frame of mind by the time I came to Cairo.
I agree that once you spend time living in places with systems which do not function in predictable ways this everyday expression starts to feel more understandable - even just as a helpful management of our own expectations about how the world might or might not function.
Thank you, Catriona! Khalas is another good one...so many uses for that word.
"Si dios (le) quiere" was new to me until another commenter, Victoria, mentioned it is also a thing in Uruguay! Others in the thread have noted that there are Irish and Sanskrit equivalents, too. The principle of surrendering to fate and chaos is fairly universal!
Woah, so I think there’s a version of this in Irish culture as well! My mum will follow up planning-related — even like next day things — with a, “Yes, so that’s the plan and we’ll be there. Please god and all them.” She’ll even do a little shorthand in WhatsApp “p.g.”. Reading this about Insha’allah, it gives me way more chill about my mum saying her own version of this.
So interesting!! I hadn't heard of "p.g." A couple people in this thread have pointed out that there's also a Spanish version ("si dios quiere")--seems there are many cultures that do this. I love learning from readers 🙂
oooh yes please! In Jordan you really, really cannot compliment anyone on anything without a masha Allah or they WILL give it to you, they will not take no for an answer, and it will be very awkward lol
Hahahaaaaa lol I had forgotten ALL about the bonkers over the top gifting I’m so glad you reminded me. In the Arab community here in Canada the hospitality side of things is still on steroids , so you go for a 3uzooma and the amount of food being served in insane but the crazy gifting seems to have mercifully been dropped or at least toned down
As always, beautifully written! As someone who is in a particularly chaotic stage of life, I needed to read this. I guess for the foreseeable future, I will be adopting this mantra! Loved this so much.
For most of my life, I used insha’allah as ‘hopefully.’ That’s pretty much how my son hears it when asking if he can watch a certain movie on the upcoming weekend. He wants a black & white answer. Which probably suits the stage of human brain development..
It was as I matured and underwent life experiences that provided me the capacity to understand the impermanence of every moment and the surrender to God being always the best planner, did I begin to grasp the humility of the word we use 100x a day.
Beautifully written to feel your transformative understanding 💜
"it was what Muslims (and sometimes non-Muslims who were worldly and pretentious, like me) said about things that they hoped would happen" - relatable! As a Muslim, the only time I hear it from someone who is not a Muslim is when they are very worldly :)
Surrender to the chaos - I'm going to remember that one Samantha!
As an American expat in the ME for the better part of the last two decades, I've come to appreciate the open space around Insha’allah, even if it can be frustrating as hell! Well done.
Beautiful piece. I'm from Uruguay and for as long as I can remember, my grandma has accompanied her sentences regarding future commitments with 'Si Dios Quiere' (the Spanish equivalent to insha Allah, I guess). I have always been struck with an almost imperceptible ominous feeling whenever she (still) says it. It is marvellous to see this at play in other cultures as well!
Thank you so much, Victoria! "Si Dios Quiere" sounds very much like the same sentiment as insha'allah. Is that phrase widely used in Uruguay, or is it more a personal habit of your grandmother's than a cultural norm? (I ask because I grew up around Spanish speakers and speak a bit of Spanish, but have never really heard it used, so now I'm wondering if I just haven't been paying enough attention, lol!)
That’s a good question! I think it’s a fairly common phrase here although one tends to hear it being used by older people, mainly. I sometimes find myself using it - which never fails to surprise me whenever I catch myself doing it because I am not a religious person. However, I think it is the underlying idea of the unexpected, the randomness and uncertainty of life that the phrase carries that makes me use it.
Thanks for giving us a sense of one aspect of life in Cairo.
I've found myself using the phrase "god willing" lately when talking about the impending birth of our second grandchild in recognition that birth is a miracle not to be taken for granted.
This gave me all the feelings, David! Wishing your family the very best for the miracle that’s coming your way—may your new grandchild enter the world with ease and joy.
I remember this so well from being in Egypt! Insha’allah! It liked it while I was there and used it as much as possible, to remind myself how none of us know the future. Lovely essay.
Thank you, Claire ❤️
Surrendering to the possibility. I loved this and didn't realize Insha'allah was used so ubiquitously! Your acceptance of it reminded me of the Sanskrit 'Ishvara Pranidhana' that we use to surrender in certain yoga poses - it produces calm acceptance too. Necessary in Italy too. Thanks for sharing, Samantha!
Oh cool, I didn’t know there was something similar in Sanskrit—makes sense though, it’s a very universal theme!
Another lovely piece Samantha. I wrote a poem when I lived in Egypt about the word Khalas exploring related themes 🙂 So this was very interesting to read.
In Nicaragua they say - Si dios le quiere - if God wants - which is very similar to the Arabic - Inshallah. I lived in Nicaragua before Egypt so I was more used to adjusting to that frame of mind by the time I came to Cairo.
I agree that once you spend time living in places with systems which do not function in predictable ways this everyday expression starts to feel more understandable - even just as a helpful management of our own expectations about how the world might or might not function.
Thank you, Catriona! Khalas is another good one...so many uses for that word.
"Si dios (le) quiere" was new to me until another commenter, Victoria, mentioned it is also a thing in Uruguay! Others in the thread have noted that there are Irish and Sanskrit equivalents, too. The principle of surrendering to fate and chaos is fairly universal!
Woah, so I think there’s a version of this in Irish culture as well! My mum will follow up planning-related — even like next day things — with a, “Yes, so that’s the plan and we’ll be there. Please god and all them.” She’ll even do a little shorthand in WhatsApp “p.g.”. Reading this about Insha’allah, it gives me way more chill about my mum saying her own version of this.
So interesting!! I hadn't heard of "p.g." A couple people in this thread have pointed out that there's also a Spanish version ("si dios quiere")--seems there are many cultures that do this. I love learning from readers 🙂
OMG this is one of my favourites lol... I love that you delved into insha Allah for us. We could write BOOKS about this.
😂 I thought you might remember this one! I feel like I covered just one of nearly infinity uses of insha’allah here haha
LOL - I have a masha Allah post banging around my head about the evil eye, not sure when it’ll get written or how but I know it needs to.
oooh yes please! In Jordan you really, really cannot compliment anyone on anything without a masha Allah or they WILL give it to you, they will not take no for an answer, and it will be very awkward lol
Hahahaaaaa lol I had forgotten ALL about the bonkers over the top gifting I’m so glad you reminded me. In the Arab community here in Canada the hospitality side of things is still on steroids , so you go for a 3uzooma and the amount of food being served in insane but the crazy gifting seems to have mercifully been dropped or at least toned down
I thought of you and your piece on Inshallah and Masha Allah as I was reading this, Noha. ;)
I think we need an anthology because I had to cut stuff OUT of that essay to tighten it up bit there is so much left to say.
♥️ it!
As always, beautifully written! As someone who is in a particularly chaotic stage of life, I needed to read this. I guess for the foreseeable future, I will be adopting this mantra! Loved this so much.
Thank you, Alyssa! I’m so glad this resonated—and wishing you all the best for getting through this chaotic time with your sanity intact!
🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
For most of my life, I used insha’allah as ‘hopefully.’ That’s pretty much how my son hears it when asking if he can watch a certain movie on the upcoming weekend. He wants a black & white answer. Which probably suits the stage of human brain development..
It was as I matured and underwent life experiences that provided me the capacity to understand the impermanence of every moment and the surrender to God being always the best planner, did I begin to grasp the humility of the word we use 100x a day.
Beautifully written to feel your transformative understanding 💜
This is such a lovely comment, Shaista! Thank you for reading and sharing ❤️
Surrender to the chaos. The essence of survival.
"it was what Muslims (and sometimes non-Muslims who were worldly and pretentious, like me) said about things that they hoped would happen" - relatable! As a Muslim, the only time I hear it from someone who is not a Muslim is when they are very worldly :)
Surrender to the chaos - I'm going to remember that one Samantha!
surrendering to the chaos is the only way to live 😂
Yet another beautiful piece of writing. Thank you, Sam.
🤗 thank you for reading and sharing, Clarice!
My husband is from the Middle East and “Mashallah” gets thrown around our house A LOT. Kids eat their food with minimal mess? Mashallah!
Love that--gotta celebrate the small victories!
As an American expat in the ME for the better part of the last two decades, I've come to appreciate the open space around Insha’allah, even if it can be frustrating as hell! Well done.
Thanks, Lori! It can be frustrating and freeing all at once.
Graduate level insha’allah: IBM or Insha’llah Bukra Ma’lesh. I’ll leave it at that.
I once saw that on a fridge magnet and regret that I didn't buy it!!
It would be a treasure. Buy two next time and I will double your money!
Beautiful piece. I'm from Uruguay and for as long as I can remember, my grandma has accompanied her sentences regarding future commitments with 'Si Dios Quiere' (the Spanish equivalent to insha Allah, I guess). I have always been struck with an almost imperceptible ominous feeling whenever she (still) says it. It is marvellous to see this at play in other cultures as well!
Thank you so much, Victoria! "Si Dios Quiere" sounds very much like the same sentiment as insha'allah. Is that phrase widely used in Uruguay, or is it more a personal habit of your grandmother's than a cultural norm? (I ask because I grew up around Spanish speakers and speak a bit of Spanish, but have never really heard it used, so now I'm wondering if I just haven't been paying enough attention, lol!)
That’s a good question! I think it’s a fairly common phrase here although one tends to hear it being used by older people, mainly. I sometimes find myself using it - which never fails to surprise me whenever I catch myself doing it because I am not a religious person. However, I think it is the underlying idea of the unexpected, the randomness and uncertainty of life that the phrase carries that makes me use it.
Surrender to the chaos indeed! A mantra we first learned living in Buenos Aires, Samantha
I can see that! I've never been to Buenos Aires, but have heard many things 😂