“He presented them,” using the feminine singular pronoun. For this reason, Abū al-‘Āliya said: “He taught him the names of the angels,” because at that time there were no rational beings other than the angels; Iblīs had not yet separated from the angels, nor did he have any descendants.

‘Abd al-Rahmān ibn Zayd ibn Aslam said: “He taught him the names of his descendants.” This accords with the hadith that al-Tirmidhī narrated from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and graded authentic:

“Adam asked his Lord to show him the forms of the prophets among his descendants. He saw them, and among them he saw someone shining. He said, ‘My Lord, who is this?’ He replied, ‘Your son David.’”

Thus, He would have shown him the forms of his descendants, or some of them, together with their names. These are proper names, not names of categories.

(The second): Allah taught him the names of everything. This is the view of the majority, including Ibn ‘Abbās and his companions. Ibn ‘Abbās said: “He even taught him the words for a fart and a little fart, a bowl and a little bowl.” He meant the names of phenomena and concrete objects, in both their ordinary and diminutive forms. The evidence for this is the established report in the two Sahīh collections in which the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said in the hadith of intercession:

“People will say, ‘O Adam, you are the father of mankind. Allah created you with His Hand, breathed into you of His spirit, and taught you the names of everything.’”

Moreover, His words, “all the names,” constitute an emphatically general expression; its scope cannot therefore be restricted by mere assertion. As for His words, “Then He presented them to the angels,” rational and non-rational beings were gathered together, so the pronoun for rational beings took precedence. This is like His saying:

“Some of them crawl on their bellies, some walk on two legs, and some walk on four.”

‘Ikrima said: “He taught him the names of general categories, not their subdivisions, such as human, jinn, angel, and bird.”

Muqātil, Ibn al-Sā’ib, and Ibn Qutayba said: “He taught him the names of the beasts, creeping creatures, and birds He had created on earth.”