ما شاء الله
Ma sha' Allah/maː ʃaː.ʔa aɫ.ɫaː(h)/word by word
The English phrase "God has willed it" is translated into Arabic as ما شاء الله (Ma sha' Allah).
ما شاء الله is used to show appreciation, praise or pleasure for something good that has happened. It is often used to show admiration or praise for something.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ما شاء الله is composed of ما (what or that which), شاء (willed or desired) and الله (God).
Which one should you use?
While ما شاء الله is used to express admiration for something good, the phrase Subhan Allah (Glory be to God) is more commonly used to express surprise or awe at something extraordinary.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, an informal way to say "God has willed it" is ربنا كاتبهالنا.
How do you pronounce it?
Ma sha' Allah (/maː ʃaː.ʔa aɫ.ɫaː(h)/). It has 3 syllables.
When do people say it?
In many Arabic-speaking cultures, saying ما شاء الله when seeing something impressive is believed to help protect the object of admiration from the 'evil eye'.
Did you know?
- The root of the word شاء, meaning 'to will', can be compared to the word so in Hausa, which means 'to want'.
Examples in context
- عندما يصل الإنسان إلى نقطة الإنجاز الكبير، يكون بإمكانه أن يقول: "قد أراد الله ذلك".When a person achieves a great milestone, they can say, "God has willed it."
- سأتوجه إلى الاجتماع مع العملاء غداً، إن شاء الله.I will attend the meeting with the clients tomorrow, God willing.
- ما شاء الله، هذا منزل جميل جداً.Ma sha' Allah, hadha manzil jamil jiddan.God has willed it, this is a very beautiful house.
Example conversation
Sarah visits Ahmed's new office.
- سارة Saraما شاء الله، مكتبك رائع يا أحمد!Ma sha Allah, maktabuka ra'i' ya Ahmed!God has willed it, your office is wonderful, Ahmed!
- أحمد Ahmedشكراً لكِ يا سارة.Shukran laki ya Sarah.Thank you, Sarah.
- سارة Saraهل بدأت العمل هنا منذ فترة طويلة؟Hal bada'ta al-amal huna mundhu fatra tawila?Have you been working here for a long time?
- أحمد Ahmedنعم، بدأت منذ شهر واحد.Na'am, bada'tu mundhu shahr wahid.Yes, I started one month ago.
