mashallah
{{short description|Arabic phrase to express appreciation, joy, praise, or thankfulness}}
{{other uses}}
File:Mashallah Masjid an-Nabawi Calligraphy.svg
Mashallah or Ma Sha Allah or Masha Allah or Ma Shaa Allah ({{langx|ar|مَا شَاءَ ٱللَّٰهُ|mā shāʾa -llāhᵘ|lit= 'God has willed it' or 'As God has wished'}}){{NoteTag|also written Masha'Allah, Maşaallah (Turkey and Azerbaijan), Masya Allah (Malaysia and Indonesia) Mašala (Bosnia and Herzegovina), "Maşeła", "Maşella" (Kurdistan)}} is an Arabic phrase generally used to positively denote something of greatness or beauty and to express a feeling of awe. It is often used to convey a sense of respect and to protect against the evil eye, suggesting that the speaker is acknowledging something positive without invoking jealousy.
It is a common expression used throughout the Arabic-speaking and Muslim world, as well as among non-Muslim Arabic speakers, especially Arabic-speaking Christians and others who refer to God by the Arabic name Allah.
Etymology
The triconsonantal root of {{Transliteration|ar|ALA|shāʾ}} is šīn-yāʼ-hamza 'to will', a doubly weak root. The literal English translation of Mashallah is 'God has willed it',[https://islamic-dictionary.com/word/mashallah/ MashAllah meaning] Islamic-dictionary.com the present perfect of God's will accentuating the essential Islamic doctrine of predestination.
The literal meaning of Mashallah is "God has willed it", in the sense of "what God has willed has happened"; it is used to say something good has happened, used in the past tense. Inshallah, literally 'if God has willed', is used similarly but to refer to a future event.
Other uses
"Masha Allah" can be used to congratulate someone.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P8MuP_POzh0C&pg=PT1143 |title=Understanding Islamic Law |first=Raj |last=Bhala |author-link=Raj Bhala |publisher=LexisNexis |date=24 May 2011 |page=1143 |isbn=9781579110420}} It is a reminder that although the person is being congratulated, ultimately God willed it.{{cite news |url=https://www.thenational.ae/lifestyle/mashallah-what-it-means-when-to-say-it-and-why-you-should-1.264001 |title=Mashallah: what it means, when to say it and why you should |first=Thamer |last=Al Subaihi |date=22 May 2013 |access-date=19 July 2019 |work=Thenational.ae}} In some cultures, people may utter Masha Allah in the belief that it may help protect them from jealousy, the evil eye or a jinn. The phrase has also found its way into the colloquial language of many non-Arab languages with predominantly Muslim speakers, including Indonesians, Malaysians, Persians, Turks, Kurds, Bosniaks, Azerbaijanis, Somalis, Swahili, Chechens, Avars, Circassians, Bangladeshis, Tatars, Albanians, Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Turkmens, Tajiks, Afghans, Pakistanis.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}
It is also used by some Christians and others in areas which were ruled by the Ottoman Empire: Serbs, Christian Albanians, Bulgarians and Macedonians say "машала" ("mašala"), often in the sense of "a job well done,"{{cite book |last=Karadžić |first=Vuk |authorlink=Vuk Karadžić |title=Lexicon serbico-germanico-latinum |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uN0OAAAAYAAJ&pg=PT273 |year=1818 |publisher=Gedruckt bei den P.P. Armeniern}} along with some Georgians, Armenians, Bosnian Croats, Pontic Greeks (descendants of those that came from the Pontus region), Greek Cypriots{{webarchive|title=μάσιαλλα |url= https://web.archive.org/web/20221129003302/https://wikipriaka.com/en/word/%CE%BC%CE%AC%CF%83%CE%B9%CE%B1%CE%BB%CE%BB%CE%B1 |website=Wikipriaka.com |date=29 November 2022}} and Sephardi Jews.{{cite web|title=Sephardic Studies and the boundaries of Jewish Studies: A year in review|url=https://jewishstudies.washington.edu/sephardic-studies/sephardic-studies-mashallah-boundaries-of-jewish-studies/|first=Devin E.|last=Naar|website=jewishstudies.washington.edu|date=2019-01-31}}
See also
Notes
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