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A friend came to visit me
and we were talking about our children when she suddenly laughed as she remembered her small child who
got angry and was crying because she responded to his request of buying a toy by saying “when God wills”
or “In sha’a’ llah”. I did not see any point in laughing. Quite the contrary, I was frustrated.
In the Muslim world this phrase“In sha’a’ llah” is extensively used. The little child
could deduce that his mother will never buy him the toy. When will God will? No one can tell. He was
right when he came to the conclusion that his mother avoided the blunt refusal. He might have experienced
other similar situations as well.
What will this child do when he gets older? He will learn that when people mean what
they say they will never use “In sha’a’ llah”. How frustrating it is to see that a phrase that was
originally used to stress the intention of fulfilling promises, is now used to escape them. “In sha’a’
llah” has become a meaningless phrase.
“In sha’a’ llah” should not be said unless one takes things seriously and intends to
act accordingly. In that way, “In sha’a’ llah” will indicate his sincerity, not the opposite. If it is
used in the right context, “In sha’a’ llah” means that a person is aware of the unseen will that could
interrupt his procedure. In this sense, “In sha’a’ llah” assures others that he will do his best to
fulfill his promise.
This awareness of the unseen power protects a human being from becoming overly
confidant in controlling his destiny. Regardless of how much money one has, and how much power and
authority he wields, once he is aware that he can loose everything, and that he cannot control his fate
completely, he may then think a hundred times before he exploits others, dominates, oppresses, and
humiliates the poorer and weaker. This awareness will induce an internal balance between a strong will,
self confidence and self esteem on the one hand and modesty, self consciousness and feeling of God’s
presence on the other.
It is a common occurrence that the rich tries to get richer, while the powerful seeks
even more power, yet the awareness of God’s presence will protect man from manipulating others, and would
make him more conscious for his behavior.
Contrary to all stereotypes that depict believers and specially Muslims as people who
do not have sufficient will to progress in life, a true believer has a highly positive view towards life.
He can overcome his failures. He continuously searches for open doors, never looses hope, and does not
insist on entering a closed channel. In short, he is flexible, adaptive, and hard working. It is his
internal strength that gives him that power.
Imagine a person who thought that he was going to realize certain dreams, (marrying a
girl he loved, having the job he was looking for, taking the promotion that he expected … etc.) and
suddenly every thing changed and he could not achieve his goals. It is a painful experience for any human
being - a believer or not- but it may have a devastating impact on a non believer, he /she who believes
in the supreme wisdom, will heal from his/her pain and search for the good side in the bad experience.
Another friend of mine who is now in her seventies, was telling me about an experiment
that she wanted to make with God when she was a teenager. She was a happy girl from a religious Coptic
family. She pondered “what if I challenged God ? what would He be able to do to me. I am free today and I
can go out with my friends, how could God prevent me from realizing that.” She was very serious and
determined.
On her way to the cinema, she fell down and broke her ankle. She went to the hospital
instead. In retrospect, she says “ I know now how much God loves me, I could have gone to the cinema and
proved to myself that there was no such thing as an unseen power. God did not stop helping me and talking
to me through events. Whenever I feel disappointed, inhabited and depressed for things that do not come
as I wish them to. Soon, I realized that what I considered unlucky was a luck. “I was dismissed unfairly
from my school as a teacher. Every thing turned very dark at that moment. I lost my job so I searched for
another. In the new place I met my mate, my very beloved husband. New doors opened in my career, even I
would not have dreamed of. I learnt that I should never loose hope. When it is very dark, the dawn is
about to be born.. We should just be a little patient and ask ourselves what is required from us to do
now. I won’t see the sunrise if I imprison my self in a closed room. God loves us and He uncovers His
wisdom gradually if we really wanted to know it.”
My friend, at her seventies, works hard, never wastes her time, knows very well her
direction. She is a challenge for young people. My son visited her in her atelier - I forgot to tell you
that she is an artist- she explained to him the process of hand printing scarves. It requires great
effort and patience. He was struck. He went home with great enthusiasm, he started by cleaning and
arranging his room and desk. A task that he hated to do before, regardless of how much I nagged He told
me that whenever he remembers this lady, he feels very enthusiastic and wants to do a lot of things. Her
will, persistence, and positive attitude towards life are unbelievable.
“In sha’a’ llah” could open the closed door, empower man with a strong will.
Unexpected outcomes would never destroy his will, knowing that he is doing his best to accomplish his
tasks, and believing that there is nothing in vain.
If one uses “In sha’a’ llah” , focusing on its meaning, one may change his whole world
view and life may become wonderful journey.
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