Mashallah (Arabic: مَا شَاءَ ٱللَّٰهُ, romanized mā shāʾa llāh) is an Arabic phrase meaning “God has willed it” or “as God has wished”. Wikipedia describes it as a phrase “generally used to positively denote something of greatness or beauty and to express a feeling of awe,” and Dictionary.com defines it as an interjection “used to express admiration, gratitude, or acknowledgment of God’s will.”
Origin
The wording appears in the Quran. In Surah Al-Kahf 18:39, in the parable of the two gardens, one man rebukes the other: “If only you had said, upon entering your property, ‘This is what Allah has willed! There is no power except with Allah!’” (The Clear Quran translation shown on quran.com). The verse ties admiration of one’s own good fortune to acknowledging that it came from God, which is the sense the phrase still carries.
How It’s Used
According to Wikipedia:
- Congratulation and praise. The phrase “can be used to congratulate someone”, while reminding the listener that “ultimately God willed it”: a new baby, a graduation, a beautiful home.
- Against envy. Speakers use it to protect against the evil eye, acknowledging something positive without invoking jealousy.
- Beyond Arabic. It has entered the colloquial language of many non-Arab languages and is used by non-Muslim Arabic speakers too. It is spelled Maşaallah in Turkey and Azerbaijan, and in the Balkans Serbs, Bulgarians and Macedonians say mašala, often in the sense of “a job well done.”
Turkish Maşallah and the Nazar
The Evil eye article records that, rather than directly praising, for example, a child’s beauty, it is customary among Muslims to say Masha’Allah, and that in Arab culture saying it alongside a compliment is believed to stop the compliment attracting the evil eye. The same article describes the nazar (Turkish nazar boncuğu or nazarlık), a blue glass talisman most frequently seen in Turkey, hung in houses and vehicles or worn as beads. See also #Maşallah.
Mashallah vs Inshallah vs Alhamdulillah vs SubhanAllah
These four phrases are often confused or used together. They are distinct expressions:
| Phrase | Arabic | Literal meaning | When it is said | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mashallah | ما شاء الله | ”God has willed it” | About something good that has happened or exists; admiration, congratulation, warding off envy | Wikipedia |
| Inshallah | إن شاء الله | ”If God wills” | About a future event or plan | Wikipedia |
| Alhamdulillah | الحمد لله | ”Praise be to God” | Thanks and praise; used frequently by Muslims of every background | Wikipedia |
| SubhanAllah | سبحان الله | ”Glory be to Allah” | Often recited in prayer (salat) and supplication (dua), and throughout the day | Wikipedia |
More on each: #Inshallah, #Alhamdulillah, #SubhanAllah.