‘Insya Allah’, the cliche in Indonesia

Almost all people in the hard working country like Japan or New York think that they should have everything planned out before they do it. Because they think, doing something without planning it beforehand, can be disastrous, especially when it is a crucial plan for something big.

Planning before implementing

But in Indonesia, as you might have guessed, most Indonesian people do not plan. The idea of planning something beforehand is considered ridiculous. Why? Because they believe that even though everything is planned neatly, the implementation might go awry or that the result is different from what is expected in the plan.

So, when you are in a team of wedding organizers, for example, you might be surprised with the answer “Insya Allah” even though the question demands the answer only between ‘yes’ or ‘no’. “Do you really believe we can get this stuff done on time?”. The answer to that question is only ‘yes’ or ‘no’. But often, you will hear “Insya Allah”.

‘Insya Allah’ means ‘only by God’s permission’ or ‘only if God permits’. In other words, it basically means that you let everything decided by God or by nature or fate.
It has become a cliche as it has been used so much that it has lost its real meaning.

If you ask an Indonesian to meet you the day after somewhere, most of them will not directly answer “Yes, I will come” or “Sorry, I can’t come tomorrow”. Rather, they would answer “Insya Allah”. Thus, you cannot really blame them if they do not come the day after because it is raining hard.

If you ever got asked by someone whether you can come tomorrow or not, you can answer “Insya Allah” if you are not sure.

A little comic about ‘Insya Allah’

In the first box, the girl asks the green man whether he will go to a meeting or not, and the green man answers “Insya Allah”.
In the second one, the girl says “Okay, see you later then.”
After that, the girl is confused and want to ask again. In the last panel, she asks whether it is “Insya Allah yes I will come” or the opposite.

This habit of Indonesian people, let it be on purpose or not, does have a bad effect as it reflects that Indonesian people are not really people with planning. They let the nature of fate and adapt to the situation and condition. Maybe this is why Indonesian people are so panicky in most events.

(Credits go respectfully to the rightful owner)

What is that loud praying voice?

For those of you who live outside of Indonesia, especially in America or Europe, you will not know and realize how quiet your place is.

Sure, big city is not quiet. It is polluted with the horns and engines of the cars.
But for those who live in a small city like in the outskirt, you won’t hear cars honking or the engines often.
Just imagine hearing the serenity of the spring, wind chime and crickets in the summer, warm breeze in the autumn, and blissful calm in the winter.

Winter

Autumn

Spring

Summer

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as quiet and calm anywhere in Indonesia.
Because, for around 5 TIMES A DAY, you will hear the loud praying voice coming from the loudspeaker of the mosques.

(this video shows what you will hear 5 times a day)

This is Indonesia. So, don’t get angry because you can’t sleep or that it is too loud. Tolerance is important, and maybe a headset too.

(Credits go respectfully to the rightful owner)