Thank you for this interesting request, @languagesandshootingstars!
Before
I begin I’ll start by explaining the word “Allah”. It doesn’t mean “God
of Muslims” as many people might think, it simply means “The God”,
which refers to the God in the Abrahamic, monotheist religions (Islam,
Christianity, and Judaism) which is why Arabic speakers of these religions say “Allah” when they are referring to “The one God”.
There
is a word for “deity” (a God among other Gods, whether it’s to refer to
polytheist regions or in mythology studies), and I believe that the
best word in that context is إله the female is : إلهة and the plural is آلهة.
So now,
this vocabulary list is to talk about the famous expressions that
contain the word “Allah” in them, which I’m sure you’ll encounter if
you’re speaking with Native Arabic speakers.
Literal meaning : (I swear) By God
Usage : when you’re swearing, for example : Wallah (I swear) I didn’t eat the cake you hid in the fridge, why won’t you believe me?
(There are other ways to say that you swear, for example : بالله (Billah), for example بالله عليك إنت إللي أكلت الكيكة؟ / billah ‘aleek inta elli akalt el keika?/ (Swear) by God, were you the one who ate my cake?)
Literal meaning : “What God Wills”
Usage : It’s used by people to express their happiness or how impressed they are about something. Also, people usually use this word to protect themselves or the person they are happy for from the evil eye (the bad eye, jealousy).
If someone is sharing a good piece of news to their friend, their friends would say “Ma Shaa Allah, I’m so happy for you”. Also, if a friend is complimenting your eyes or outfit, they would follow their compliment with “Ma Shaa Allah” with the intention of protecting you from accidentally being struck by the evil eye.
Literal meaning : Glorified is God
Usage : when you’re impressed about something or to show how amazed you are about something that exists or has happened. For example, if you’re talking to your friend about a very beautiful sunset that you’ve seen or describing the beautiful voice of a nightingale that you’ve heard, you can start by saying “Subhan Allah.”
It can also be used as a response to an impressive thing that you’ve heard someone say like how a person miraculously survives a dangerous or deadly situation.
Note : in MSA it’s سامحك الله [audio] / saamahaka Allah
Literal meaning : May God forgive you
Usage : when you’re upset with someone and ask that God will forgive them. Usually people say that when they’re really upset with someone but they’re implying that they don’t want to say anything else (which is a better alternative than insulting someone or saying rude things to them in response) for example:
- I purposely broke your favorite vase yesterday because you said that my outfit was ugly.
-What? How could you..?Y-you know what, May God forgive you.
Meaning : God is more knowledgeable
Usage :
as the meaning suggests, it’s used to say that God knows more than you
do with regards to a certain question, that is, you either don’t know
the answer or don’t have enough information about it. For example :
-Do you think there is are living beings in space?
-Allahu a’alam…
Literal meaning : may God multiply your good (deeds)
Usage : it can either be used as a thank you to someone who did something good or as being sarcastic to someone who has messed a situation up, it depends on the context but I usually hear it more as sarcasm than as a genuine thank you.
Literal meaning : If God wills
Usage : When you’re talking about future events that you’re uncertain about. There are also many people who use “in shaa allah” to show that although they are determined to do something, in the end, this thing will happen if God is willing.
[More expressions under the cut]
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