Second point:

It may be argued that a definition cannot, under any circumstances, make known the essence of what it defines, unlike a demonstrative proof, which provides evidence for the conclusion sought. As regards the person giving the definition, this is because he knew the thing before defining it; otherwise, his definition could not be valid. A definition must correspond exactly to what it defines, being neither broader nor narrower in scope. Without knowing the thing beforehand, he could not know that this correspondence holds.

As regards the listener, if this is not self-evident to him and the person giving the definition offers no proof of it, he cannot acquire knowledge merely from that person’s assertion. Hence, you find the listener challenging a definition and producing counterexamples showing that it includes what it should exclude or excludes what it should include. Had he not conceived the thing independently of the definition, such challenges and counterexamples would have been impossible.

The benefit of a definition is only to distinguish what is defined from other things, not to furnish a conception of it. This accords with the linguistic meaning of hadd—a boundary separating one thing from another. A person may conceive the essence of something without qualification. For example, someone may conceive a command, a statement, or knowledge without qualification, rather than as a universal. A definition then distinguishes the universal concept encompassing every statement, every instance of knowledge, or every command.

From this, it becomes clear that what is conceived self-evidently of the things denoted by these names—the unqualified reality—is different from what is sought through definition—the universal reality. Furthermore, the distinction sometimes concerns names and sometimes attributes. A definition may therefore concern the name: this is a verbal definition, needed when reasoning from the Quran, the Sunnah, or the words of any scholar. Alternatively, it may concern the description: this conveys an understanding of a reality whose description is known, and can be achieved through a descriptive definition, distinctive properties, and other means.

Third point:

The distinction between an essential attribute and an accidental attribute inseparable from the essence, such that one claims