The magic of ‘Inshallah’ – Note: This post is non-religious

My Omani friends (bless them) say ‘Inshallah’ from time to time. Inshallah literally means god willing. And it is typically used when talking hopefully about events in the future.

I’ve found this to be very practical. Here’s how.

Imagine you meet a relative/friend down the road. This is a relative/friend you don’t necessarily know very well but is generally nice and warm. It turns out that you are home only for a few days each time and somehow, the relative/friend is never high enough on the priority list for a special separate visit. (let’s face it.. we can’t be everywhere!) It gets VERY tough when they ask for a promise ‘Next time you make it, you will come home right?’

Now, if I made such a commitment and didn’t manage to live it up, it would eat me. So, my options in the old days were –

1. Smile – Wasn’t very effective but worked sometime..

2. Laugh loudly with an ‘I’ll try’ – Pretty effective with people who don’t persist

3. Give an excuse/Complain – I hated doing this but again, tended to work

All these worked with varying levels of successes – This trip however, I say ‘Inshallah’. And it is the perfect answer – God willing (God, being the excuse). The reason is that I don’t want to say ‘No’ but neither do I want to say ‘Yes’. Who know? Maybe I will be overcome with the urge to visit this friend/have coffee with the relative.

Somehow, it also feels less offensive. And to those who feel it is too religious for your taste, you can of course modify it to a version that suits you (Inshaganesha/Inshajesus?).

Thank you Oman. You’ve added a lot of happiness with this learning. And most importantly, now I choose which commitments I say ‘Yes’ to. After all, it’s important you don’t say ‘Yes’ when you want to say a ‘NO’.

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Once again, I would like to reiterate that this post is non-religious and is not intended to offend anyone. The spirit of the post is that ‘God willing’ is a nicer and more practical way not to dig holes in our lives by over-committing. Apologies if I have offended anyone.