Hadeel Abuhamda

March 10, 2019

English 1101

 

In the Muslim community, if you would like to know if someone is lying or telling the truth, all you have to do is ask them to say “wallah”. Wallah is an Arabic word and expression which is used to make a promise by god. It holds such great credibility in the Islamic religion. Whether you speak Arabic or not, if you are in an Arabic household, the word wallah will come up quite a bit in just one day. Arabic speakers most commonly use this phrase to swear by something. Arabic speaking Muslims consider it as the most divine way to confirm something without the need of actual proof. Despite this, Arab Muslims use it quite often, even if the matter is true or not. Non-Muslim Arabs also use it often, even though they lack the belief in Allah. Every Arab knows that feeling when a Muslim says “Wallah” after every sentence and the more they say “Wallah” the more you DONT trust them? Depending on the Arabic dialect you use in your daily life, it is also pronounced “wallahee”, but for the sake of this essay, I will be using “wallah”.

Despite it being considered disrespectful to use the word “wallah” and not be truthful, it is used quite a lot. This is where religion and culture come into play. In the Islamic religion the word “wallah” has such a strong powerful meaning behind it. Misuse of this expression will be considered profane. It is as if you are lying in the name of god. Religiously, this word is only used when it absolutely has to be used, to let the other person know that you are telling the truth. It is a way to make a point of yours, valid. It is a sin to use the phase and follow it up with a lie. Sometimes this word can be intensified by using it on yourself. For example, “wallah on my soul”.

Now, using the word culturally is a different story. The word “wallah” will be in almost every single sentence when speaking to another Arabic speaker. Even non-Arabic speakers use this word. Sometimes it could be used in the beginning of a sentence to start it off and also at the end of a sentence to end it. It can also be used in different ways depending on the tone you say it in. People nowadays can use wallah and mean, “I promise.” or “are you serious!?”  And of course, “I swear to god”.

When I was younger I took the word “wallah” seriously. Don’t get me wrong I still do but overtime I guess one could say that it lost its meaning a little.