Insha'allah

We human beings do not know what the future will bring, and yet we are constantly making plans that assume we actually do know what will happen. See: financial crisis, 2008.

Many Christians I know regularly append "Lord willing" or "God willing" to statements about the future in order to indicate their ultimate uncertainty about the future. My dad does it all the time. We may plan for the future, but we do not ultimately know what will come to pass. The unexpected financial crisis or accident may force a change in even the most firm of plans.

Christians, however, are not the only ones who use such a phrase to indicate their ultimate ignorance about the future and to recognize how our fortune depends upon the Divine. Muslims the world over regularly say "Insha'allah" (إن شاء الله - if God wills) to indicate the same thing.

Perhaps the biggest difference is that the statement is so much more widespread in Islamic culture. My dad usually uses it reference to big future plans, particularly those of the financial nature, but many Moroccans I know will use it after almost every statement about the future: "I'll see you tomorrow, Insha'allah", "we'll get coffee on Tuesday, Insha'allah", or "I'll do this for you, Insha'allah."

In the last case, the "Insha'allah" casts a bit of doubt on whether the person actually intends to do anything for you. Sometimes "Insha'allah" indicates nothing more than a way to slough off responsibility.

Earlier this week, the handyman at work invited my roommate and me for couscous on Friday afternoon. Every day since we've talked about the fact that we're going to have couscous, which is the traditional meal on Fridays, and every day when we discuss it he says "Insha'allah". It started to get me worried. I wondered if he really intended to cook the couscous for us. Perhaps he plans to withdraw the invitation at the last instance.

Today is Friday, and I saw the handyman once again after my Darija lesson this morning. Once again I mentioned couscous, and once again his response included an "Insha'allah".

Daniel and I have basically run out of groceries, and I have no other plans for lunch. I must trust that the handyman will carry through with his word and that we will in fact eat couscous at his house this afternoon. I do not know if it will happen, but I trust that it will. And I just have to accept that that's the way it is.

This afternoon I will eat couscous with a Moroccan family, Insha'allah.