Passage

Romans 1

• Glossary Term

  Apostle

  الرسول is Muhammad's own defining title in the shahada (Rasul Allah) - the single most claimed prophetic office in Islam.

  ROM.1.1

• Doctrine

  Apostleship

  Al-rasul is Muhammad's own defining title (Rasul Allah); applying it to Paul is linguistically correct and pre-Islamic in origin but requires explicit distinction from the Islamic prophetic office and its finality claim.

  ROM.1.1

• Glossary Term

  Called

  Context-sensitive: in 1:1 = called to apostleship; in 1:7 = called to be saints; in 8:28-30 = effectual calling to salvation.

  ROM.1.1, ROM.1.6-7

• Glossary Term

  Calling

  Da'wah is the standard Islamic term for human missionary invitation to Islam.

  ROM.1.1, ROM.1.6-7

• Doctrine

  Christian Fellowship

  Shared participation in Christ; note the uncomfortable root-resonance between al-sharikah and shirk (idolatrous partnership), even though the senses are unrelated.

  ROM.1.12

• Glossary Term

  Covenant

  'Ahd also covers generic pledges and treaties in everyday Arabic; retain the relational, unilaterally-initiated biblical covenant sense rather than a mutual contractual one.

  ROM.1.3

• Glossary Term

  David

  Shared Quranic figure (a prophet-king associated with the Zabur/Psalms), generally positively regarded, but the Quranic Dawud carries less of the covenant-king typology pointing forward to a messianic heir; supply that context explicitly.

  ROM.1.3

• Doctrine

  Davidic Covenant

  Dawud is a shared, positively-regarded Quranic prophet-king, but the Quranic portrayal carries none of the covenant-king typology pointing forward to a promised messianic heir; this background must be taught, not assumed.

  ROM.1.3

• Doctrine

  Deity of Christ

  CRITICAL: co-equal divine nature, the paradigm case of shirk from an Islamic standpoint.

  ROM.1.4

• Doctrine

  Divine Calling

  God's sovereign summons runs the opposite direction from da'wah, the Islamic term for human invitation of others to Islam; keep the direction of address explicit.

  ROM.1.1, ROM.1.6-7

• Glossary Term

  Exhort

  Context-sensitive: يعظ (to admonish/preach) for beseeching; يشجع (to encourage) for building up.

  ROM.1.12

• Doctrine

  Faith

  Islamic iman is primarily creedal assent to six articles of belief, paired with practice; Pauline faith is personal trust/reliance in Christ specifically.

  ROM.1.17

• Glossary Term

  Faith

  Iman is one of Islam's six articles of belief - primarily creedal assent paired with practice (islam) and excellence (ihsan).

  ROM.1.17

• Glossary Term

  Fellowship

  الشركة shares its ش-ر-ك root with shirk (associating partners with God, Islam's cardinal sin) - an uncomfortable resonance even though the senses are unrelated.

  ROM.1.12

• Doctrine

  Fulfillment of Prophecy

  Islamic naskh (abrogation) doctrine treats later revelation as superseding earlier revelation; Romans' claim that Christ fulfills rather than abrogates the OT promise needs deliberate framing against this default.

  ROM.1.2-4

• Glossary Term

  Glory

  God's radiant honor and presence.

  ROM.1.4

• Glossary Term

  God

  CRITICAL: Allah is simply the Arabic word for God, used by Arabic-speaking Christians (Copts, Maronites, Syriac Orthodox) for centuries before and after Islam - there is no viable alternative word and none should be sought.

  ROM.1.4

• Doctrine

  Gospel

  Must be taught as the NT record itself, not conceded as a corrupted successor to a lost original revelation, per mainstream Islamic tahrif doctrine.

  ROM.1.1, ROM.1.16

• Glossary Term

  Gospel

  Established term shared with Quranic usage (Injil = the revelation given to 'Isa).

  ROM.1.1, ROM.1.16

• Doctrine

  Humanity of Christ

  Real, physical human nature - not an illusion.

  ROM.1.3

• Doctrine

  Incarnation

  CRITICAL: Islamic tawhid holds God's transcendence (tanzih) makes assuming a body unthinkable.

  ROM.1.3

• Glossary Term

  Incarnation

  CRITICAL: established in pre-Islamic Arabic Christian literature.

  ROM.1.3

• Doctrine

  Inspiration of Scripture

  Islamic wahy denotes verbatim divine dictation (the Quran's own claimed mode of revelation); biblical inspiration is God moving human authors to write in their own voice exactly what He intended.

  ROM.1.2

• Glossary Term

  Jesus

  CRITICAL: established Eastern Christian Arabic form (predates Islam).

  ROM.1.4

• Glossary Term

  Justification

  CRITICAL: التزكية (tazkiyah) is a Quranic term for self-purification through deeds - a process, not a forensic declaration.

  ROM.1.16

• Glossary Term

  Law

  CRITICAL: established Arabic Bible tradition (Van Dyck) deliberately uses the Greek loanword الناموس for the Mosaic Law rather than الشريعة, because 'shari'a' today overwhelmingly denotes the total Islamic religious-legal-political system.

  ROM.1.2-4

• Glossary Term

  Lord

  CRITICAL: al-Rabb is a defining title of Allah (Rabb al-'Alamin, opening of the Quran).

  ROM.1.4

• Doctrine

  Lordship of Christ

  CRITICAL: al-Rabb is a defining title of Allah in the Quran's opening surah.

  ROM.1.4

• Glossary Term

  Messiah

  CRITICAL - inverse risk pattern from other terms: al-Masih is not an available-but-wrong word, it is the unavoidable and correct word, and it is also 'Isa al-Masih's own Quranic title (4:171) - already loaded with a specific, well-defined, competing narrative (honored prophet, virgin-born, but explicitly not divine, not crucified, not resurrected, not an atoning sacrifice).

  ROM.1.3-4

• Doctrine

  Messianic Promise

  CRITICAL: al-Masih is 'Isa al-Masih's own Quranic title, already loaded with a specific competing narrative - honored prophet, not divine, not crucified, not risen.

  ROM.1.3-4

• Glossary Term

  Mission

  الرسالة (risalah) is also the technical term for a prophet's own prophetic commission (Muhammad's risalah); prefer الإرسالية for the corporate sending/mission sense to avoid that comparison.

  ROM.1.5, ROM.1.13-14

• Doctrine

  Mission to the Nations

  Avoid risalah (prophetic-commission) vocabulary that invites comparison to Muhammad's own risalah; also note that open evangelism carries real legal and social risk under apostasy norms in some Arabic-speaking contexts.

  ROM.1.5, ROM.1.13-14

• Doctrine

  Mutual Edification

  Building one another up in faith; no significant doctrinal risk.

  ROM.1.12

• Doctrine

  Obedience of Faith

  CRITICAL: 'Islam' itself means submission - obedience is the religion's defining category, not a downstream fruit of belief.

  ROM.1.5

• Glossary Term

  Obedience Of Faith

  CRITICAL: 'Islam' itself means submission/obedience - it is the defining category of the entire religion, not a downstream fruit of belief.

  ROM.1.5

• Glossary Term

  Power Of God

  Al-Qawiyy (The Strong) is one of Allah's names; broadly compatible concept, low collision risk beyond standard care.

  ROM.1.16

• Doctrine

  Power of God for Salvation

  Quwwah is broadly compatible with Al-Qawiyy (The Strong); low independent collision risk beyond standard care.

  ROM.1.16

• Glossary Term

  Prophecy

  Shares root with nabi; low independent risk.

  ROM.1.2-4

• Glossary Term

  Prophet

  Correct and Quran-affirmed (Jesus is a nabi in Islam too), but risks readers stopping at 'prophet' the way Islam's khatam an-nabiyyin (seal of the prophets) doctrine treats Muhammad as superseding and finalizing all prior prophetic revelation.

  ROM.1.2

• Glossary Term

  Resurrection

  CRITICAL: al-qiyamah itself is safe, shared vocabulary (Yawm al-Qiyamah = the general Day of Resurrection Islam affirms for all people).

  ROM.1.4

• Doctrine

  Resurrection of Christ

  CRITICAL: mainstream Islamic doctrine (Quran 4:157) denies Jesus was crucified at all.

  ROM.1.4

• Glossary Term

  Righteousness

  CRITICAL: al-birr appears in the Quran (2:177) as a checklist of pious deeds - charity, prayer, honesty - i.e.

  ROM.1.16

• Doctrine

  Sainthood (Called to be Holy)

  All believers are saints; must not be rendered with vocabulary evoking awliya' (Sufi 'friends of God'), a venerated, shrine-intercession class distinct from ordinary believers.

  ROM.1.7

• Doctrine

  Salvation

  CRITICAL: mainstream Islamic soteriology weighs deeds on a scale (mizan) with no assured outcome, and the Quran explicitly denies substitutionary bearing of another's sin (6:164).

  ROM.1.16

• Glossary Term

  Salvation

  CRITICAL: mainstream Islamic soteriology has no assured salvation - a soul's fate rests on a deeds-weighing scale (mizan) judged at the end, and the Quran explicitly denies substitutionary bearing of sin ('no bearer of burdens shall bear another's burden,' 6:164).

  ROM.1.16

• Glossary Term

  Seed Of David

  Romans 1:3; conveys physical lineage and OT covenant fulfillment.

  ROM.1.3

• Doctrine

  Separation unto God's Service

  Must not be confused with Sufi zuhd (world-renunciation/asceticism) or with ritual purification rites; biblical separation is devoted engagement with the world, not withdrawal from it.

  ROM.1.1

• Glossary Term

  Sin

  Islamic anthropology holds each person is born in a state of natural purity (fitrah) and denies inherited sin - each soul bears only its own deeds on the scale (mizan), not Adam's.

  ROM.1.18

• Glossary Term

  Son Of God

  CRITICAL: the Quran twice states directly that Allah 'does not beget nor is He begotten' (112:3) and that it is not befitting for Allah to have a son (19:35).

  ROM.1.4

• Doctrine

  Sonship of Christ

  CRITICAL: the Quran states directly that Allah 'does not beget nor is He begotten' (112:3) and that a son is not befitting for Allah (19:35).

  ROM.1.4

• Doctrine

  Spiritual Gifts

  Must retain the 'spiritual' qualifier so mawhiba is not read as natural talent or artistic ability.

  ROM.1.11

• Glossary Term

  Spiritual Gifts

  Always pair with الروحية; المواهب alone reads as natural talent or artistic ability, not Spirit-given supernatural enablement.

  ROM.1.11

• Doctrine

  Thanksgiving

  Shukr is also a major Islamic virtue; broadly compatible, low risk.

  ROM.1.8, ROM.1.21

• Glossary Term

  Thanksgiving

  Shukr is also a major Islamic virtue (paired with sabr, patience).

  ROM.1.8, ROM.1.21

• Doctrine

  Universal Human Accountability

  Islamic fitrah doctrine holds each person is born in a state of natural purity; Romans' claim that all are guilty in Adam runs against this default and must be taught explicitly, not assumed as shared ground.

  ROM.1.18

• Doctrine

  Universal Scope of the Gospel

  Challenges tribal, clan, and sectarian (e.g.

  ROM.1.16