presuming knowledge of what they do not know, and thus speaking without knowledge, or, when something is known to them, laboring to explain it with needless additions, padding, effort, and roundabout exposition. This is objectionable and blameworthy according to both revelation and reason. Allah Most High says:

“Say, ‘I ask you no reward for this, nor am I one of the pretentious.’”

In the Sahīh collection, it is reported that ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd said:

“O people, whoever knows something should speak on the basis of that knowledge, and whoever does not know should say, ‘I do not know.’ For it is part of knowledge that a person should say, concerning what he does not know, ‘I do not know.’”

Allah has condemned speaking without knowledge in His Book, as in His saying:

“Do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge.”

This applies especially to speaking about Allah, as in His saying:

“Say, ‘My Lord has only forbidden shameful deeds, whether committed openly or secretly, sin, unjust aggression, associating with Allah that for which He has sent down no authority, and saying about Allah what you do not know.’”

Likewise, He has condemned excessive speech that serves no purpose and commanded us to speak soundly and effectively. Most of these people’s discussion of definitions consists of such excessive, unprofitable speech. Their discussions of syllogisms and arguments may also be lengthy: much of this is likewise unprofitable, and much of it is false—speech without knowledge and contrary to the truth.

As for the first point: they claim that the definitions they present convey conceptions of the realities of things, and that this can only be accomplished by mentioning the essential attributes, both shared and distinguishing, so that the definition is composed of the shared genus and the distinguishing differentia.

They may also say that conceptions