
The Spanish word «ojalá» — 'hopefully', 'if only' — comes from Andalusi Arabic «law šá lláh»: 'God willing'. Every time a Spaniard says it, even a card-carrying atheist, they are repeating a Muslim devotional formula that has been passed from mouth to mouth for over a thousand years.
It is no isolated case. Spanish is packed with Arabisms: almohada (pillow), aceite (oil), azúcar (sugar), alcalde (mayor), even the «fulano» of 'so-and-so', from fulān. Many give themselves away with that initial «al-», which is simply the fossilised Arabic article: saying «la almohada» is, deep down, saying 'the' twice.
Eight centuries of al-Andalus don't vanish with a Reconquista. They stayed behind in the language, tucked inside its most everyday words.
Next time you hear «ojalá llueva» — 'I hope it rains' — remember: that wish for rain is an Andalusi prayer.