ARTICLE GUIDE
At a Glance
The essay compares Islamic fiṭra and repentance with biblical accounts of Adamic solidarity, moral rupture, and death. It argues that diagnosis precedes remedy: a comparison of salvation must examine what each tradition says has gone wrong before asking how it is repaired.
How do different diagnoses of sin shape accounts of redemption?
The essay compares Islamic fiṭra and repentance with biblical accounts of Adamic solidarity, moral rupture, and death. It argues that diagnosis precedes remedy: a comparison of salvation must examine what each tradition says has gone wrong before asking how it is repaired.
The study tests moral-ledger imagery, the diagnostic role of the Law, and objections to substitution. It places the sinless mediator within the promise-plan while distinguishing Qurʾānic grammatical observations from a demonstration of Pauline original sin.
Key Claims
- The essay distinguishes Islamic fiṭra from biblical accounts of Adamic solidarity.
- The plural address in Q 2:35–38 is treated as interpretive pressure rather than proof of original sin.
- The Law is read as exposing sin rather than independently curing it.
- The wāzirah axiom is examined in relation to guilt and substitution.
- Redemption is located within the promise-plan culminating in the sinless Messiah.
Interpretive Context
Tanagho's pastoral treatment is a conversation partner whose claims require exegetical qualification. The essay acknowledges that classical tafsīr can include Iblīs among the plural addressees in the Adam narrative.
The comparison distinguishes interpretive tampering from textual corruption and inlibration from incarnation. Its treatment of justice and mercy situates atonement within the larger canonical account rather than relying on a single analogy.
Selected Scholarship
- Tanagho, S. (2017). Glad news! God loves you, my Muslim friend! Moody Publishers.
- Kaiser, W. C., Jr. (2008). The promise-plan of God. Zondervan.
- Nickel, G. (2011). Narratives of tampering in the earliest commentaries on the Qurʾān. Brill.
- Stott, J. R. W. (1986). The cross of Christ. InterVarsity Press.
- Wolfson, H. A. (1976). The philosophy of the Kalam. Harvard University Press.
Scripture Connections
Genesis 2:17; 3:8–19; Romans 3:20; 5:12–19; Galatians 3:24; Ephesians 2:1–3; Romans 11. Qurʾānic connections: Q 2:35–38; 6:164; 19:19.
Related Guides
- The Rationality of Revelation
- The Sinless Christ: Exegetical Foundations, Islamic Polemics, and the Canonical Architecture of Promise-Plan Soteriology
- Between the Synagogue and the Church: The Historical Fracture of the Promise-Plan
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