slander against the language and its speakers. Moreover, saying that Adam was created in Adam’s form, meaning with Adam’s attributes, does not imply that he was created with attributes of perfection from the outset, even if “form” is understood to refer to something that arises after he comes into existence. For someone created with a particular attribute may be created with it either over a period of time or instantaneously.

This is illustrated by his making one of the two interpretations that Adam was created possessing knowledge, repentant, and accepted by Allah. Yet it is known that this state arose after his initial creation, since repentance came after the sin. If this is compatible with his having been created in that state, then it is likewise compatible with his having been created with the attributes of knowledge and power, even if these arose after he came into existence. If that is so, there is no distinction between him and others.

Furthermore, the meaning he ascribes to the report is false. Adam was not endowed with perfection from the outset. Rather, after Allah Most High created him, He taught him the names, which he had not known, just as He taught his descendants speech after creating them.