"Satan" is the second Adversary—may God curse him. He seduced the Informed One with a portion of his knowledge that was embellished and fair-seeming; so he inclined toward it and "ate" from it.
(359) "Eating" here is not food; rather, it is knowledge, following the saying of the Messenger—exalted be his glory: "When the soul attains its nourishment, it becomes tranquil."
Nourishment is Knowledge. When the Adversary seduced the Informed One and removed him from Paradise, the Name said to the Informed One and the Adversary: {We said, "Go down from it, all of you. And when guidance comes to you from Me, whoever follows My guidance—there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve."}1 This is because the High Call was stripped from the Informed One and the Adversary gloated over him. Then the Informed One returned to his Master, asking Him by His beautiful names until He relented toward him. This is His word: {Then Adam received from his Lord words, and He accepted his repentance. Indeed, He is the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful.}2
And His word: {So they both ate of it, and their private parts became apparent to them, and they began to fasten over themselves from the leaves of Paradise. And Adam disobeyed his Lord and erred. Then his Lord chose him and turned to him in forgiveness and guided [him].}3 "Error" (ghiwaya) is the saturation of disobedience—meaning it was more than the knowledge of the Adversary. It is regarding him that the accursed Adversary said: {[God] said, "What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you?" [Iblis] said, "I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay."}4