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 know what you mean but it troubles me a bit that people feel using any word that isn't indigenous to their language is fake or pretentious though. Where do you draw the line with this?

As others have pointed out modern English is riddled with phrases originating from other languages ("deja vu", "bon mot", "fiasco", "safari" "ad nauseam", "lingua franca", "kosher". "pizza"). Like most other languages, English has evolved from the mixing of a number of much older languages: it contains a lot of old English but also French, latin, German, some Celtic words etc. Some of that was imposed on the indigenous population deliberately by colonialisation (eg by the Romans or later the French). But a lot of it is just people introducing other words spontaneously because they have learned them. At some point someone starts the ball rolling with this and it becomes widely used.

The idea that people should police the boundaries of what is acceptable for a native speaker to introduce is unrealistic and a bit controlling.

I use it a lot (non Muslim) cos it's just so useful, as well as being such a pleasing word in how it sounds. Can't think of an English word or phrase that does the trick in the same way. It can be used in quite a tongue in cheek way or entirely seriously, just as it is in Arabic. Lots of my friends know and use it too - perhaps living in a very multicultural city there's just more cross-pollination of this sort. None of my Muslim friends have said when I asked that they found it appropriating or offensive, although no one person can speak for everyone of a given group of course. But yeah I love it, a great addition to the vocabulary.

I lived in the Middle East for four years and often say it without thinking. It was just a common thing when we were out there - almost like English people might say ‘touch wood’, but with naturally more religious overtones. I would sincerely hope no one has ever been offended by it…

Wallah has been greatly used on SM for a while because posters confused it with voilà 🙈 "and wallah, I have pink wall" oddly it made sense actually, just not the inteded one😂 Yeah we see you are not lying😂

Dh just got home so I asked him. He absolutely agreed that if you have friends who are arabs or muslims it's actually nice if you pick up few of these (just as pointed out remember how it is actually used😁) but if you just want to use it randomly with bunch of non arab or muslim people it will be odd.

My current fave is "hamar"-donkey. Use it greatly at certain drivers...

According to Tolkien: 'Most English-speaking people will admit that cellar-door is 'beautiful' especially if dissociated from its sense (and from its spelling). More beautiful than, say, 'sky' and far more beautiful than 'beautiful.' ...

Perhaps that would work for you as an inshallah alternative? Quite as mellifluous - no danger of causing offence - and wistful. Sighs, 'Ahhhh ... cellardoor ...' Might need a bit of practice before launching it in public!

Well yes, that is my point. If it would sound odd using any other language, then Arabic will sound odd too…

I’d find it really annoying! Can’t lie- it is appropriation esp as most things ‘Muslim’ are much maligned in the west

i also find it super annoying because y’all can’t even get the other words you do know like halal right and now you wanna have more

My ExH recently returned from the ME after 10 years. He says it all the time and he's an atheist.

It is a beautiful, comforting word @Loulou599.

Husbands saying it is not comforting 😂

(lighthearted before anyone starts)

My of my non related immediate family members is Arab. I’ve picked up various sayings.

I love Haywan rude word meaning animal. Mashallah, inshallah, Astaghfirullah. And habibi, hayati. Yarabbi.

fucking love them.

inshallah is basically mañana mañana.

These two are hilarious on instagram if anyone wants a giggle sometimes. Topical post

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CfoBKfIJYiT/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

No it’s fucking not!

it means if Allah wills it

and you’re not even writing them correctly! You’re literally changing the meaning!

its in sha Allah same with all the others.

do you even know what they mean? Ffs. Bastardise your own culture and religion

Yeah I fucking do.

I know it means if god wills it. But it’s used like mañana mañana a lot.

Only say it if your Muslim

Given the context you provided, it would make you sound like a bit of a poser.

And the others what do they mean?

and if you know what it means why not write it correctly?

you said it’s basically mañana but it’s not, it may be used in the common vernacular like that occasionally but it’s not. It’s used for any plan in the future (or should be) because we do not know what tomorrow holds only Allah (swt) does so we say what our plans are and then acknowledge that it is only if Allah wills it so. That’s actually the purpose of the term.

No. You can use it as non muslim. Non muslims arabs use it as well.
I am 5* infidel and use these. But I am married to muslim and have many arab and muslim friends and obviously family members. Many non muslims in our circles learned few of these words and use them when we are all together.

No, I don't want it to be said in the same way people say, Jesus Christ! Without any care to what they are actually saying.

They are saying if Allah wills and they don't even believe.

Dont appropriate.

What’s a 5* infidel?

i don’t understand why you would appeal to Allah if you don’t believe in him (Jews and Christians aren’t (disbelievers)

i feel like infidel is quite a weaponised term

I am non believer (we had jokes with DH about it hence the infidel).
It's a basic conversational arabic even for people speaking arabic who are not muslims.

Absolutely for Arabic speakers because it’s the language but when it’s not the language or faith then it’s weird especially as Muslim or Arab culture is much maligned in the west. So in your case your husband is arab is part of his everyday parlance but for a random white person who’s heard it and thinks it sounds cool and exotic, it’s weird

We agree here!

FGS (min 'ajl allah)
I watch a lot of Turkish telly in Arabic and in common parlance inshallah is used all the time along with other common things that incorporate ‘Allah’ in place of ‘god’. It’s not always used in the Islamic religious sense as most Muslim countries are as multicultural as we are in the U.K.

I wouldn’t go around just using it because you like the way it sounds. If it’s not your culture, language or religion you should learn and appreciate instead of just appropriating something because it sounds cool to you.

Allah is just the Arabic word for God, it's not a different God. Arab Christians use the same word.

That is absolutely not agreed by many Jews and Christians particularly. The fact Arab Christians use the same word has nothing to do with whether or not it's the same God.