إن شاء الله
ʔin šāʔa llāhu/ʔin ʃaː.ʔa‿lˤ.lˤaːh/
The Arabic phrase for 'God willing' is إن شاء الله (ʔin šāʔa llāhu).
The phrase is used to express intention for future actions while acknowledging divine will.
Meaning: God willing (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The expression is composed of three distinct words: the first part means 'if', the second part is the past tense verb شاء meaning 'willed' or 'wished' and the final part is 'God'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase is composed of three distinct words: 'if', 'willed' and 'God'.
How do you pronounce it?
ʔin šāʔa llāhu
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid writing the phrase as إنشاء الله (one word), as that spelling changes the meaning to 'creation of God'.
Did you know?
- While it means 'God willing', إن شاء الله is often used in social contexts as a polite way to say 'no' or to express doubt about whether a task will actually be completed.
- The word شاء which means 'willed' is distant relative to the Hausa word 'so', which also means 'to want'.
- In many Arabic-speaking communities, it is customary to say إن شاء الله even when discussing mundane tasks like waking up early or finishing a meal.
Examples in context
- إن شاء الله …God willing…This example shows how to start a sentence with the phrase.Tatoeba #1573554 by Amastan, translation #408911 by FeuDRenais
- سَأَزُورُ أَقَارِبِي فِي مَدِينَةِ الرِّيَاضِ هَذَا الصَّيْفَ، إِنْ شَاءَ اللهُ.I will visit my relatives in Riyadh this summer, God willing.This sentence demonstrates using the phrase to express a plan to visit relatives in the summer.
- إن شاء الله.God willing.This example shows the phrase used as a standalone statement.Tatoeba #1597435 by atitarev, translation #12832906 by menaud
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nour and Ziad are discussing their plans for the weekend.
- نور Nourهل ستأتي إلى الحفلة غداً يا زياد؟Hal sata'ti ila al-hafla ghadan ya Ziyad?Will you come to the party tomorrow, Ziad?
- زياد Ziadنعم، سأكون هناك إن شاء الله.Na'am, sa-akuna hunaka in sha' Allah.Yes, I will be there, God willing.
- نور Nourأتمنى أن نراك هناك.Atamanna an naraka hunak.I hope to see you there.
- زياد Ziadإن شاء الله، نلتقي غداً.In sha' Allah, naltaqi ghadan.God willing, we will meet tomorrow.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry إن شاء الله, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries إن, الله, شاء, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
