Is it offensive to say inshallah?

[Loulou599]

I think it's a really beautiful sound and is more wistful than saying touch wood or god willing, but would it be offensive (if you're not muslim)?

I (personally) wouldn’t use it. But I don’t speak Arabic and wouldn’t even have a clue of what an appropriate use actually is (despite my sister, who does speak Arabic, using it all the time). It almost certainly would be (or risking being) offensive if I were to try to use it. And I wouldn’t be able to tell until I’d caused a problem.

It is a Muslim word though. Obviously it is just a direct translation of a phrase in Arabic but it's used almost exclusively by Muslims, because it's part of their faith and norms to invoke the name of god when hoping for blessings or hoping to avoid bad luck.
I know Arabic speaking Christians and Jews exist but they have different linguistic norms and they are tiny populations compared to Muslims.

Would be a bit odd to say inshallah rather than god willing, when one is more or less the same as the other but in a different language. Why not say Si Dieu le veut or some such if you just want to novelty of a non-English sound?

The Muslim expression that I feel a bit envious of is salam alaykum (and the response) because it is such a lovely form of greeting. Well, of course it isn't the expression as such that I feel envious of, because I could always just say 'peace be upon you'. It is the convention of greeting people with such a lovely sentiment.

Don't go around just dropping random words from other languages into your everyday conversation if you don't actually speak the language. It's weird.
Exactly! Imagine someone English with no ties randomly dropping like Slovakian or Hungarian words into sentences.

Btw not kosher is used and ha been used for centuries in many langauges where the country had strong jewish communities.

Fingers crossed (sign of the cross) and touching wood (a piece of the cross) are both originally religious (Christianity) derived sayings too.

Don't be silly. How many people invoke the Christian God who are not religious.

Err, not really, no.

@GoodOldEmmaNess
It's not about the novelty It's the sound and feeling I like. In English I really like the old word godspeed...maybe I should try bringing it back!

It's not really that it's offensive. It's that using words from other languages out of context in another language is generally odd. Some words make the jump and go into common usage as foreign loan words, but most do not.

It's not about being Muslim as such, but that you're speaking in English. It wouldn't be odd to use it as a phrase in Arabic and you hear it all the time on Turkish TV shows (where the characters are culturally Muslim but typically not actually practicing), but it sounds out of place in English, because you're just sticking a foreign word in.

"Don't go around just dropping random words from other languages into your everyday conversation if you don't actually speak the language. It's weird."

It's not weird, it's totally normal
Ojala in Spanish comes from 'oh allah'. The Spanish people who use the expression are probably 95% Christian.
English is literally FULL of words and expressions from other languages.

Ciao.

I'm actually really not bothered about whether it's weird or "odd", my question was about whether it's offensive which I do care about

Ooh, yes. Godspeed. Nice one. Let's make that happen.

See, my blood pressure is spiking just reading about your aunt. My mother’s endless pleasegoddery turned my siblings and me into the kind of teenagers who said ‘I’m going to town on Saturday to get my nose pierced WHETHER GOD LIKES IT OR NOT.’

Definitely not offensive in the context you’ve mentioned. You understand it means ‘God willing’. Allah is the Arabic word for God and as others pointed out the three Abrahamic faiths all believe in the same God anyway.
I always find it strange when people of any faith exclude or police others if the intent is good.

I like godspeed. I even managed to use it few times! Usually whem I sent someone to ask management something 😂

"I know Arabic speaking Christians and Jews exist but they have different linguistic norms and they are tiny populations compared to Muslims."

So they don't use it? And what about people from muslim families who don't practise themselves?
Can a non-Christian say good bye (God be with you)? Of couse they can.

I say it.
i do however have faith in God.

i can’t see why anyone would find it offensive.

Actually I also like yalla and walla.

Lol, with my friends I understand it’s a way of saying ‘Maybe’ instead of committing to a direct yes 😂

Maybe I should just learn Arabic 😅

"Imagine someone English with no ties randomly dropping like Slovakian or Hungarian words into sentences."

So if they're going to eat some ghoulash, do they have to say Hungarian stew?

I dont think you're getting all the connotations OP. 😆 loads of people mean it to effectively mean "no". Like "will the report be finished by Monday?" "Inshallah" (god might make that happen but I'm probably not going to do anything about it tbh). To the point people will say "don't inshallah me" to mean "I need an answer".

Yeah, see you in 20 years...

You want to routinely use a phrase in a language you don't understand about a god you don't believe in?
Of course it's offensive.

It's definitely not always used like that.