And when it is said, it is implied to mention. It may also be derived from 'they said.' And the angels: it is the plural of malak in its original form, like the plural of shamāl from shamāl. The addition of the tā is for the feminine plural. And jā'il is from jāla, which has two objects, and it entered upon the subject and the predicate, which are His words: 'in the earth a vicegerent,' and they were its two objects.

And its meaning is making in the earth a vicegerent. The vicegerent is one who succeeds another. And the meaning is a vicegerent from among you, because they were the inhabitants of the earth, and Adam and his offspring succeeded them in it. If you say: why was it not said: vicegerents, or successors?

I say: the vicegerent intended is Adam, and mentioning him suffices for mentioning his children, just as mentioning the father of the tribe suffices in your saying: Mudar and Hashim. Or it is intended that one who succeeds you, or a successor who succeeds you, is mentioned in the singular for that reason. And it is read: khala'iq with a qāf, and it may be intended: a vicegerent of Mine, because Adam was the vicegerent of Allah in His earth, and likewise every prophet ('Indeed, We have made you a vicegerent in the earth'). If you say: for what purpose did He inform them of that? I say: so that they would ask that question and be answered as they were answered, to know His wisdom in making them vicegerents before their existence, to protect them from the objection of doubt at the time of their vicegerency. And it is said to make His servants aware of consulting in their affairs before they proceed with them, and presenting them to their trustworthy ones and their wise men, even though He, by His knowledge and His perfect wisdom, is in no need of consultation.

Do you find it strange that He would make in it the disobedient succeed the obedient ones, while He is the Wise who does nothing but good? If you say: how did they know that to be astonished by it, when it is nothing but the unseen? I say: they knew it by revelation from Allah, or from the tablet, or it was established in their knowledge that the angels alone are the infallible creation, and every other creation is not like them; or they compared one of the two weights to the other, as they inhabited the earth and caused corruption in it before the angels inhabited it. And it is read: yasfak, with the fā being pronounced. And yasfak, from asfak. And safak. And the wāw in 'and we' is for the state, as you say: do you do good to so-and-so while I am more deserving of good? And the glorification is distancing Allah from evil, and likewise His sanctification, from sabbaha in the earth and water. And He sanctified in the earth: if He went in it and distanced. And 'with Your praise' is in the state, meaning we glorify while praising You and being engaged in Your praise, for if it were not for Your grace upon us with guidance and kindness, we would not be able to worship You. 'I know what you do not know' means I know of the interests in that which is hidden from you.

If you say: Why did He not clarify those benefits to them? I say: It is enough for the servants to know that all of Allah's actions are good and wise, even if the aspect of goodness and wisdom is hidden from them. Moreover, He has clarified some of that in what follows His saying: 'And He taught Adam the names all of them.' The derivation of 'Adam' is from 'adamah,' and from the earth's surface, similar to the derivation of 'Yaqub' from 'aqb,' and 'Idris' from 'dars,' and 'Iblis' from 'iblis.' And Adam is nothing but a foreign name: and it is most likely to be on the pattern of 'fa'il,' like 'Azar,' 'Azer,' 'Abir,' and 'Shalkh.' And 'the names all of them' means the names of the named entities. [Mahamud, may Allah have mercy on him, said: 'That is, the names of the named entities... etc.' Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: 'He avoids the belief that the name is the named entity, for that is the belief of the people of the Sunnah. He employs a trick to distance it from the implication of the verse by saying: (Inform them of their names), and he overlooks the saying: (Then He presented them to the angels). For the pronoun therein returns to the named entities by consensus, and only the names have been mentioned, which indicates that they are the named entities. He also ignores the wisdom of teaching, and that linking it to the very words does not have a significant purpose; rather, the important aim is to teach the essences of the named entities and to inform them of their realities and what Allah, glorified and exalted is He, has deposited in them of properties and secrets, and also to name them. For the way of teaching distinguishes each reality by its name. Thus, these two points establish that what is meant by the names are the named entities. As for his argument with the saying: (Inform me of the names of these), its utmost is the addition of the names to the essences. They may say: If the names are the essences, it would necessitate the addition of a thing to itself, and this is not possible. For this addition is similar to your saying: the self of Zayd and his reality. Therefore, the intended meaning is: Inform me of the realities of these. There is no denial in this addition, for the names mean the named entities. The realities are broader than those referred to and added to, so the addition is valid for the distinction between the broader and the more specific in terms of difference. This is what validates the addition in the case of the self of Zayd and similar expressions.

This is a brief discussion on the issue of the name and the named, which pertains to this verse. In it, if Allah wills, there is enough to indicate that although the speakers consider it a part of rhetoric, the dominant view is that it is a verbal issue. The disagreement between the Ash'aris and the Mu'tazilites regarding it does not stem from much in terms of reality. The addition of the omitted part is removed because it is known and indicated by mentioning the names. This is because a name necessarily has a named entity. The 'lam' serves as a substitute, as in the saying: 'And the head became full of fire.' If you say: Why do you not claim that the addition was omitted and the added part was placed in its place, and that the original is: 'And Allah taught Adam the names of the named'? I say: Because teaching must be linked to the names, not to the named entities, due to His saying: 'Inform Me of the names of these.' 'Inform them of their names, and when he informed them of their names.' Just as the informing was linked to the names and not to the named entities, and He did not say: 'Inform me of these,' and 'Inform them of them,' it is necessary to link the teaching to the names. If you say: What is the meaning of teaching him the names of the named entities? I say: He showed him the kinds that He created, and taught him that this is called a horse, this is called a camel, this is called such-and-such, this is called such-and-such, and He taught him their states and what relates to them from religious and worldly benefits. Then He presented them, meaning He presented the named entities. They were mentioned because in the named entities there are rational beings, and they prevailed over them. He only asked them because He knew their inability to inform, as a means of reproach: 'If you are truthful,' meaning in your claim that I am appointing in the earth corruptors who shed blood, intending to refute them. And among those whom He appoints are the scientific benefits, which are the foundations of all benefits, that they deserve to be appointed for. He showed them through this and clarified to them some of what was summarized regarding the benefits in their appointment in His saying: 'Indeed, I know what you do not know.' And His saying: 'Did I not tell you that I know the unseen of the heavens and the earth?' is a reminder of His saying to them: 'Indeed, I know what you do not know,' except that it came in a simpler and clearer manner. It was read: 'And Adam was taught,' in the passive form. Abdullah read: 'He presented them.' Ubayy read: 'He presented it.' The meaning is the presentation of their named entities or their names, because presentation does not apply to names. It was read: 'Inform them,' with the hamza turned into a ya. And 'inform them,' with it omitted and the 'ha' in both cases is broken.