Al-Jawāb as-Sahīh li-man baddala dīn al-Masīh - Ibn Taimiya - (3/449)

Moreover, it is well-known that Adam never sought to become like God, nor like His attributes, such as His knowledge and life. Nor does the plain wording suggest that God was addressing His own attributes.

An attribute that inheres in its subject neither speaks nor is spoken to; only the subject itself can be addressed. At that moment God had not yet created the human nature (nāsūt) of Christ—or any other human being, for that matter—for Him to address. It is therefore clear that the Christians’ claim that God was speaking to an attribute they call “the Son” and “the Holy Spirit” is baseless. What He may do, rather, is address His angels.

As for Adam, peace be upon him, he merely desired what Satan had tempted him with: unending life and sovereign power, as the Exalted says,

“Then Satan whispered to him and said, ‘O Adam, shall I direct you to the tree of immortality and a kingdom that never fades?’” ⦗Ṭā Hā 20:120⦘.

وَأَيْضًا فَمِنَ الْمَعْلُومِ أَنَّ آدَمَ لَمْ يَطْلُبْ أَنْ يَصِيرَ مِثْلَ اللَّهِ وَلَا مِثْلَ صِفَاتِهِ كَعِلْمِهِ وَحَيَاتِهِ، وَأَيْضًا فَلَيْسَ فِي ظَاهِرِ اللَّفْظِ أَنَّ اللَّهَ خَاطَبَ صِفَاتِهُ بِتِلْكَ. وَأَيْضًا فَالصِّفَةُ الْقَائِمَةُ بِالْمَوْصُوفِ لَا تُخَاطِبُ وَلَا تُخَاطَبُ، وَإِنَّمَا يُخَاطَبُ الْمَوْصُوفُ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ قَدْ خَلَقَ آدَمَ نَاسُوتَ الْمَسِيحِ، وَلَا غَيْرَهُ مِنَ الْبَشَرِ حَتَّى يُخَاطِبَهُ، فَعُلِمَ أَنَّ دَعْوَاهُمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ خَاطَبَ صِفَتَهُ الَّتِي سَمَّوْهَا ابْنًا وَرُوحَ قُدُسٍ - كَلَامٌ بَاطِلٌ، بَلْ قَدْ يُخَاطِبُ مَلَائِكَتَهُ. وَآدَمُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ أَرَادَ مَا أَطْمَعَهُ الشَّيْطَانُ مِنَ الْخُلْدِ وَالْمُلْكِ، كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: {فَوَسْوَسَ إِلَيْهِ الشَّيْطَانُ قَالَ يَاآدَمُ هَلْ أَدُلُّكَ عَلَى شَجَرَةِ الْخُلْدِ وَمُلْكٍ لَا يَبْلَى} [طه: ١٢٠] .