Selected Exegesis

This verse primarily addresses two points: first, the teaching of the names to Ādam, and second, the presentation of these names to the angels, highlighting their inability to comprehend them.

Teaching (taʿlīm) differs from instruction (tadrīs). Teaching, particularly when it occurs outside the realm of nature, is inseparable from the process of learning and the acquisition of knowledge. This is unlike instruction, which can occur even if the recipient remains ignorant and does not learn.

In the teaching of the names to Ādam, the angels did not serve as intermediaries, for mediation in grace requires complete awareness of what is being mediated. The teaching of the names was directly accomplished through God’s communication with man, meaning it was a revelation without any intermediary.

The “names” in this context refer to the unseen realities of the world, which are termed “names” because they signify and represent God. These realities are conscious and intelligent, hidden behind the veil of the unseen, and are treasured with God. At the same time, they are the treasuries of all things in the world, encompassing both the unseen and the visible. Consequently, becoming acquainted with these realities leads to an understanding of the mental concepts that correspond to these names, as well as the verbal names that signify these mental forms—essentially, the names of the names of the names of God.

The word “then” (thumma) in this verse signifies an existential order rather than a temporal delay. It indicates that first, Ādam received divine teaching concerning the names and gained direct access to these realities without any intermediary. In the subsequent stage, these realities were presented to the angels. This sequence pertains to the reality of the names, the manner of witnessing them, the presential teaching of them, and their presentation to the immaterial angels and other entities free from temporal constraints. However, in relation to the process of teaching the names to Ādam’s physical body, the sequence is temporal, and naturally, this process follows a temporal order.

The meaning of “presenting” in the phrase “then He presented them” refers to exposing or providing a summary awareness through inspiration or similar means—essentially, a cognitive presentation rather than a physical one. Similarly, the veil or obstacle that hindered comprehension and understanding after the presentation was a spiritual and luminous veil, representing the depth and loftiness of the divine names and their elevated status. It is also possible that presenting the names to the angels was synonymous with presenting the reality of the perfect human being, who is the manifestation of all the beautiful names of God.

The use of the term “truthfulness” in the phrase “if you are truthful” may indicate that the implicit message in the angels’ claim of glorification and sanctification was their assertion of being more worthy of vicegerency than Ādam. This assertion, which can be true or false, pertains to the vastness and perfection of existence. In this context, “truthfulness” and “falsehood” in a completely immaterial being are related to existence itself, rather than to notions of what should or should not be.