i think we should all start using arabic words and phrases more often because its a beautiful language and also theres not really. english equivalents that have the same vibes
theres also the comedy potential of it. you guys dont know the joy of having your muslim friend text you “hopefully the racists in our city will all get sick and cant go to the protest” and you, as a pasty white guy, responding with “inshallah they get covid”
its a one hit KO every time. its fucking hilarious. theres no english word that has the same effect.
he also once texted me that he got over a mysterious illness he came down with (i think? i cant remember the exact context) and i responded with “subhanallah he is cured”
again, one hit KO. he lost his shit.
what im saying is we gotta normalise arabic. its just a language like any other, and it has some great words. its just like saying “thank god” or whatever, but theres so much variety and nuance. its beautiful
what do inshallah and subhanallah mean so I could potentially use em in the correct situations? And potential words I could use?
OK LETS DO THIS
disclaimer i am not arab or muslim and i dont speak arabic but @frogofalltime has explained these words to me and says im using them correctly lmao
inshallah - “if god wills it”. like an “i hope this happens” kind of thing. remember the finding nemo poster “inshallah they find him” meme if that helps. used in future tense.
mashallah - “god has willed it”, used when something good happened. can be used to denote awe about an event or person. used in past tense.
alhamdulillah - essentially “thank god” or “praise be to god”. like mashallah and inshallah but stronger, and can be used in any tense (i think). he will be baked soon alhamdullilah
subhanallah - “glory be to god”. like alhamdullilah but stronger. used for when something almost miraculous happens!
those are all the ones i remember off the top of my head im sure binya can add more (and also confirm whether ive got my translations right)
i think its important to note - in case anyone’s worried about cultural appropriation - “allah” in arabic is just a word that means god. it’s used in the same way as “god” in english where god caaan mean the christian god but can also refer to a norse god or greek god
so inshallah/mashallah/etc aren’t specific to the muslim god, christians who speak arabic will use these same phrases
^ this
i have already had a reply to this post about cultural appropriation lmao
it was literally an arab muslim guy who taught me these phrases and encouraged me to use them. every arab person reblogging this post is saying how much they love when people do this and some are offering additional words and phrases to use
if we shy away from using other languages because we are afraid of ‘appropriation’, we separate ourselves from that culture and dont actually allow ourselves to appreciate it!
i think its more important than ever to normalise arabic. i think a lot of white people (and possibly non arab poc) have this subconscious fear or aversion to it because of propaganda and fearmongering about arabs and muslims. and thats a real shame because arabic is such a beautiful language to read and to speak and to listen to! i love arabic script its so pretty!!
i had this friend in high school who spoke english, french and arabic at home (she was yemeni, i believe?), and listening to her on the phone to her mother was a transcendent moment for me lmao. the way she would switch between the three languages mid sentence, or thow in a filler word from one language while speaking in another, it was awesome
if you feel a knee jerk aversion to using arabic words, perhaps examine why that is, and unpack that. because i know i did at first! i had an unconscious bias that was taught to me by society and the media and possibly my family too. but i sat with that discomfort and i realised that it was completely unfounded. now i think arabic is one of my favourite languages! even tho i dont speak it lol (apart from these few words that i was taught)
speaking arabic in public should not get you dirty looks or verbal abuse, or even physical abuse. but often it does. islamophobia is on the rise. it breaks my heart to see groups of racists in my country attacking immigrants and refugees.
thats kinda why i made this post. because its such a simple thing you can do that normalises these words, and allows our cultures to connect and form understanding. if you know what these words mean, they’re not scary any more. and the people using them aren’t scary either.
idk im just a white guy who’s had a lot of arab and muslim friends over the years, but this is important to me.