Is there any truth to the claim that the specific spelling “Inshallah” means “create Allah” ?
Assalamu Alaikum Respected Mufti,
Q:Is there any truth to the claim that the specific spelling “Inshallah” means “create Allah” and therefore it is necessary to type “inshaa allah” or “in shaa allah”? Do intention, what the person meant to say, and how the text is actually read have roles to play?
Jazaakallah khair for your time.
Wa Alaikum Assalaam,
A: The word ‘inshallah’ does not mean Create Allah. It is not the correct way to spell the word, but to say that it means to ‘Create Allah’, is not understood from the spelling Inshallah. The proper way of spelling it in English is Inshaa’ Allah. In Arabic it is ان شاء الله. To conform to the way it is written in Arabic, one must write Inshaa’ Allah, and it is necessary to do so if one wants to get the benefit for using the phrase.
The manner in which the text is written do have a role to play since it is based on how a word is spelt, it shall be pronounced. Regardless of what the intention of the writer may be, if the word is pronounced in a wrong manner then the meaning will change.
In this regard, some people write certain ‘made-up’ letters to indicate to the Islamic greetings, but these do not represent the Islamic greeting which is established in Islam. Some people write ‘Slmz’, ‘Slm’, ‘Salaam’, ‘Asslm’ etc. to represent ‘As Salaamu Alaikum’, but these, in no way, represent the blessed greetings of peace.
Similarly, some Muslims write (S.A.S) as a means of Salaam or Darood to the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Was Sallam), but this is not a Darood or a form of sending Darood.
Therefore, Muslims must be careful while writing certain words. While the intention may be to convey the greeting of salaam, the saying of Inshaa Allah or sending Darood, the letters put together do not convey these.
And Allah Knows Best.
Mufti Waseem Khan.
19/10/15.