The Most Popular Phrase in Saudi?

“Inshallah” – aka every foreigner’s nightmare. 😅 The phrase “in shaa allah” means “if God wills” in Arabic and is used in reference to future events. Taken at face value, the phrase is a beautiful reminder that everything is in God’s hands and we really can’t plan anything with absolute certainty. But it’s most used here in a more cynical way, to mean “that’d be nice but probably not” or “yea, not gonna happen.” Hence my photo of a closed door, because when I hear this phrase I often feel like a door is being shut in my face. 😒
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The American equivalent might be when you run into an old friend or acquaintance at the store and you say, “Oh man we should get together for dinner sometime!” And the other person responds, “Oh for sure we must!” And you both walk away with a shared understanding that there’s a 95% chance that’s not gonna happen. The intention is good but neither of you will put forth the effort to actually see it through.
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The most frustrating time and place to hear this phrase is when we are trying to accomplish necessary paperwork that involves government offices. There are always multiple stamps and signatures to obtain in order to get a residence card, a license, passports for the kids, birth certificates, etc. We’ve learned to expect that it will take multiple days/weeks and several visits to various offices around town to accomplish one task. When we inquire about the status of the paperwork, we’re invariably met with, “Inshallah tomorrow.” Only to return the next day to hear the same thing. 😑 I’d rather have someone tell me it will definitely be here in two weeks, instead of “hopefully tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.”
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The concept of time is different here, more fluid. Maybe that’s why “inshallah” is used so often. It can be a way to save face and a cop-out, but also a constant reminder that Muslims believe everything (even our residence application papers being completed on time) is at the mercy of God’s will.