Insya Allah

During a Jumaat Khutbah in a small town, an Imam talked about the significance of saying "Insya Allah" (which means if Allah wills) when planning to do something in the future. After a few days, a man who had also attended the Khutbah was going to buy a cow from the market. On the way, he met a friend who asked him where he was going. He told him about buying the cow but did not say Insya Allah in the end. His friend reminded him about the Khutbah and told him to say Insya Allah. However, this individual said that he had the money he needs and the energy to go to the market, thus, there is no point of saying Insya Allah as he will certainly buy the cow. He thought that saying Insya Allah will not make any difference.

When he reached the market, he found a cow that met his expectations. He bargained with the seller and came to a reasonable price. Finally, he decided to pay for the cow but was dumbfounded when he discovered that his money was missing. A thief had stolen the money while he was walking through the busy market. The cow seller asked him whether he was going to buy the cow or not. "Insya Allah, I will buy it next week," he said. When he reached home, his wife inquired about the cow. He told her about how he forgot to say Insya Allah, and also added, "Insya Allah, I wanted to buy the cow. But Insya Allah, my money was stolen. Insya Allah, I will buy it next week." His wife clarified to him that we should say Insya Allah for things that are yet to happen, not for those things that had already happened. He never forgot his "Insya Allah" again.