do not deny that you may slip and that your mind may stray. adam peace be upon him slipped and erred disobeyed his lord and went astray was deceived by his enemy and tricked by his opponent and was faulted by the weakness of his resolve and the stillness of his heart in opposition to his trust. yet allah created him with his hand and settled him in his house of security and made his angels prostrate to him and raised his rank above the worlds and taught him all the names with all the meanings. it is not permissible for him to teach him the name and leave the meaning and to teach him the indication and not give him the indicated. a name without meaning is meaningless like an empty container. names mean bodies and meanings mean souls. the word for the meaning is a body and the meaning for the word is a soul. if he gave him names without meanings it would be like someone who gave something inanimate that has no movement or something that has no sensation or something that has no benefit to it.
ولا تنكر لنفسك أن تزل، ولعقلك أن يهفو؛ فقد زل آدم عليه اللام وهفا، وعصى ربه وغوى، وغره عدوه وخدعه خصمه، وعيب باختلال عزمه وسكون قلبه إلى خلاف ثقته. هذا وقد خلقه الله بيده، وأسكنه في دار أمنه، وأسجد له ملائكته، ورفع فوق العالمين درجته، وعلمه جميع الأسماء بجميع المعاني. ولا يجوز أن يعلمه الاسم ويدع المعنى، ويعلمه الدلالة ولا يضع له المدلول عليه. والاسم بلا معنى لغو، كالظرف الخالي. والأسماء في معنى الأبدان والمعاني في معنى الأرواح. اللفظ للمعنى بدن، والمعنى للفظ روح. ولو أعطاه الأسماء بلا معان كمن وهب شيئا جامدا لا حركة له، وشيئا لا حس فيه، وشيئا لا منفعة عنده.