Mashallah Arabic Phrase, Meaning and Origin

The Arabic phrase “Mashallah” also pronounced as “Masha Allah is believed to be coined in the early 19th century.

The term Mashallah is a good omen & indicates that all good times come from the grace and blessings of the almighty. The meaning of the phrase is “as God has wished” or “what Allah wanted has happened.”

This phrase used after the following Arabic phrase “Inshallah”, as different to the phrase, that symbolizes “if God wills”, about what might occur in the future.

Meaning and Origin

The Arabic Phrase Mashallah means that the “God has wished it” & is considered to be a good omen. The phrase is spelt in different ways like Masha Allah or Ma Sha Allah or Mash Allah and is pronounced as مَا شَاءَ ٱللَّٰهُ‎, mā shāʾ -llāhu.

Meaning and Origin
Meaning and Origin

The root word consists of a sequence of three consonants of shāʾ is šīn-yāʼ-hamza “to will”, a doubly-weak root.

The simple English meaning of the Arabic words come out to be “what Allah wanted has happened.”

This is also considered to be the present-day interpretation of God’s will, highlighting the essential Islamic principle of destiny, luck and purpose.

The phase has a lot of beliefs and traditional emotions attached to it and therefore is used by many to express the following thoughts or beliefs i.e.

  1. The feeling of joy and happiness.
  2. To appreciate others.
  3. To praise someone for their efforts, beauty or work.
  4. To be thankful to others for their help or efforts.

The term is common among the Muslims as they wish that God’s protection & care may always be bestowed on you & that may you be always protected against the evil and the bad.

The true meaning of Mashallah is “what God wanted has occurred” or “what god wanted has happened.”

This is used in the past tense and essentially means that something good had happened previously.

Another Arabic Phrase Insha’Allah is used in the same context i.e. “if God wills” but is referred to the future tense in the sense of upcoming events.

Mashallah for Festivity and Thankfulness

“Masha Allah” is generally used to express surprise, applause, recognition, thanks, or delight for an occasion that has already happened.

Mashallah for Festivity and Thankfulness
For Festivity and Thankfulness

In other words, it’s a way to accept that the almighty God or Allah has created all of us.

And also that Allah may always bestow his blessings, wisdom and love to all the followers and devotes.

Thus in the majority of the situations, mashallah is used to accept and thank God or almighty Allah for the desired ending.

Below are some of the use cases of the Arabic phrase in our day to day lives;

  1. You passed the entrance exam. Mash Allah!
  2. You are now the father of 2 kids. Masha Allah!
  3. It is the best Sunday to spend time with family and friends. Mash Allah!

Stop the Evil Eye

Masha Allah or Mashallah is not just the part of the Arabic Phrase it is the symbol of delight and bliss who has the power to stop the troubles of “the evil eye”.

Stop the Evil Eye via Mashallah
Stop the Evil Eye

It has the authority and divine powers to easily stop any trouble or distress situations that might occur to any individual and therefore is very popular in the Muslim culture and traditions.

Example, when a baby is born in good health then the family members might pronounce Mashallah as a symbol of the fact that the health of the baby must be retained.

Any trouble due to the evil eye will be taken care off and averted.

It is believed in the Muslims tradition and culture that the jinn (demon) also known as the evil eye’s jealousy could be averted by the phrase “Mashallah”.

In some Muslim families, the term has become the part of daily speech especially when they praise others.

Example:

  1. It is a beautiful evening today. Mash Allah!
  2. The greenery of the garden is peaceful and relaxing. Masha Allah!

Mashallah Usage among Non-Muslims 

The origin of the phrase “Mash Allah” dates back to the 19th century when Arabic Muslims started using it and later it raised its roots in many Muslim and Non-Muslim cultures as well.

Mashallah Usage among Non-Muslims
Usage among Non-Muslims

Outside the Muslim faith, the phrase means “Job Well Done” and is a symbol of praise, hard work and motivation.

The phrase is not very common in countries with very less Muslim population like;

  1. South-East Asia
  2. African continent
  3. Parts of Turkey
  4. Chechnya

Many Non-Muslim cultures have incorporated the phrase as a part of day-to-day speech like the following;

  1. Urdu-speaking South Asians
  2. Bosniaks
  3. Chechens
  4. Persians
  5. Malaysians
  6. Albanians
  7. Indonesians
  8. Bangladeshis
  9. Circassians
  10.  Azerbaijanis
  11.  Tatars
  12.  Avars
  13.  Kurds
  14.  Turks

The areas like Serbians, Bulgarians, Christian Albanians and Macedonians that were previously dominated by the Ottoman Empire have seen its usage predominantly by many Christians.

They pronounce the term as “машала” or “mašala”, that means the “a task well done” and therefore has become a symbol of appreciation and praise.

Conclusion

The religious phrase “Mashallah” also pronounced as “Masha Allah” is believed to be coined in the early 19th century.

The meaning of the phrase is “as Allah has wished” or “what God wanted has happened.”

It is the symbol of protection and well-being and his believed to save the devotees of the almighty from the wicked evil eye.

Let us know how you in the comments, how you use the phrase in your day to day lives and your experience with the same!

People Also Ask (FAQs)

What is the meaning of Mashallah?

The religious phrase “Mashallah” also pronounced as “Masha Allah” is believed to be coined in the early 19th century. The meaning of the phrase is “as Allah has wished” or “what God wanted has happened.”

How to write Mashallah in Arabic?

The phrase is spelt in different ways like Masha Allah or Ma Sha Allah or Mash Allah and is pronounced as مَا شَاءَ ٱللَّٰهُ‎, mā shāʾ -llāhu.

When to say Mashallah in Arabic?

The root word consists of a sequence of three consonants of shāʾ is šīn-yāʼ-hamza “to will”, a doubly-weak root. It is pronounced as مَا شَاءَ ٱللَّٰهُ‎, mā shāʾ -llāhu.