Explanation of the author's statement: "… which he wrote in response to a question that reached him in the year 698 AH (regarding the pronunciation of numbers starting from one hundred and above) and the grammatical parsing of the word: Hijri
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The reader: "… which he wrote in response to a question that reached him in the year six hundred and ninety-eight"
The Shaykh : … hundred
The reader: What?
The Shaykh : Six hundred? Year? Year?
The reader: Six hundred and ninety-eight
The Shaykh : And six-hundred or six-hundred?
The reader: And six-hundred
The Shaykh : And hundred or hundred?
The reader: And six-hundred
The Shaykh : What is read in Surat al-Kahf[Al-Kahf 18:25]? Here, read Surat al-Kahf and "and they remained in their cave"?
The reader:[Al-Kahf 18:25]
The Shaykh : Hundred or hundred?
The reader: Hundred
The Shaykh : What is the difference between them?
The reader: ...
The Shaykh : There is no answer. The word "hundred" has an alif that is written but not pronounced. Did you understand? This is one of the things that is written but not pronounced. So, it is merely a written convention, I mean a script or written convention, a written convention that is not pronounced. And this is something in which even students of knowledge err. You always find students of knowledge saying "six hundred," "eight hundred." This is strange, isn't it?
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : However, it is reported from Ibn Jinni that there are two opinions regarding it, isn't it? Yes.
The student: … and they add a dammah to the first letter. As for our Egyptian brothers, they say "khums-ma'ah" (five hundred) and "sub'-ma'ah" (seven hundred).
The Shaykh : Yes, that is why this error spread to our currency. This bill is for five hundred, but it is written as "khums ma'ah," meaning twenty riyals.
The questioner : His saying, Exalted is He:
The Shaykh : That is "hundred years," not "a hundred years."
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Here, here?
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : This is well known; it does not require clarification.
The questioner : Shaykh, the saying of Allah, Exalted is He:[Al-Kahf 18:25]
The Shaykh :
The questioner :[Al-Kahf 18:25] How do we say … that is …
The Shaykh : Ah, well done. This is written in what you have. As long as it is written, we follow what is written. But when we pronounce it without writing, there is no harm in starting with the lower number. Yes. Also, "three hundred" cannot be said this way. How do you want to say it? If you said "a hundred and three," that would be a great error.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Do you mean or three hundred?
The questioner : No, three hundred and they increased by nine.
The Shaykh : No, no, it has no connection to. This is an independent sentence. It did not say "three hundred and nine years." If it had said "three hundred and nine years," then there would be evidence for it. Yes.
The questioner :[Al-'Ankabut 29:14]
The Shaykh : That is, there is no evidence for it. Yes.
The reader: … "… which he wrote in response to a question that reached him in the year six hundred and ninety-eight"
The Shaykh : Well done.
The reader: "from Humayr"
The Shaykh : Humayr
The reader: "from Humayr, a town in the Levant, asking …"
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : No, it is "Humayr" without the taa marbutah when stopping.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : This is a description of what came before it. If you say "six hundred and ninety-eight Hijri," and if what came before it is in the accusative case, in "in the year" you say "in the year eight," "six hundred and ninety-eight." It appears that we make it accusative in any case, because it is a description of a deleted described noun, and the implied meaning is "a Hijri year." Yes?
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : What puts "in the year" in the accusative? If it is in the accusative, the cause is the tamyiz (specification), so it is in the accusative due to the tamyiz. But here we see whether it is in the accusative or the genitive? "Six hundred and ninety-eight Hijri" with a kasrah. But if you say "sixty years," you say "Hijri" with a fathah.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Nothing contradicts it; it is all permissible. That is, "Hijri" is a reference to the Hijrah (Migration). Yes.
The questioner : It is better to write the numbers in …, that is, write them in Arabic …
The Shaykh : It is pronounced, that is, not as a number, writing not as a number, writing not as a number, but this is better for brevity. Yes.
The Shaykh : … hundred
The reader: What?
The Shaykh : Six hundred? Year? Year?
The reader: Six hundred and ninety-eight
The Shaykh : And six-hundred or six-hundred?
The reader: And six-hundred
The Shaykh : And hundred or hundred?
The reader: And six-hundred
The Shaykh : What is read in Surat al-Kahf
And they remained in their cave
ولبثوا في كهفهمThe reader:
And they remained in their cave for three hundred years
ولبثوا في كهفهم ثلاث مئةٍ سنينThe Shaykh : Hundred or hundred?
The reader: Hundred
The Shaykh : What is the difference between them?
The reader: ...
The Shaykh : There is no answer. The word "hundred" has an alif that is written but not pronounced. Did you understand? This is one of the things that is written but not pronounced. So, it is merely a written convention, I mean a script or written convention, a written convention that is not pronounced. And this is something in which even students of knowledge err. You always find students of knowledge saying "six hundred," "eight hundred." This is strange, isn't it?
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : However, it is reported from Ibn Jinni that there are two opinions regarding it, isn't it? Yes.
The student: … and they add a dammah to the first letter. As for our Egyptian brothers, they say "khums-ma'ah" (five hundred) and "sub'-ma'ah" (seven hundred).
The Shaykh : Yes, that is why this error spread to our currency. This bill is for five hundred, but it is written as "khums ma'ah," meaning twenty riyals.
The questioner : His saying, Exalted is He:
so Allah caused him to die for a hundred years
فأماته الله مئة عامThe Shaykh : That is "hundred years," not "a hundred years."
so Allah caused him to die for a hundred years
فأماته الله مئة عامThe questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Here, here?
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh :
to a hundred thousand
إلى مئة ألفThe questioner : Shaykh, the saying of Allah, Exalted is He:
three hundred years and exceeded by nine.
ثلاث مئة سنين وازدادوا تسعاThe Shaykh :
three hundred
ثلاث مائةThe questioner :
three hundred years and exceeded by nine.
ثلاث مئة سنين وازدادوا تسعاThe Shaykh : Ah, well done. This is written in what you have. As long as it is written, we follow what is written. But when we pronounce it without writing, there is no harm in starting with the lower number. Yes. Also, "three hundred" cannot be said this way. How do you want to say it? If you said "a hundred and three," that would be a great error.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Do you mean
And they increased by nine
وازدادوا تسعاThe questioner : No, three hundred and they increased by nine.
The Shaykh : No, no, it has no connection to
And they increased by nine
وازدادوا تسعاThe questioner :
a thousand years minus fifty years
ألف سنة إلا خمسين عاماThe Shaykh : That is, there is no evidence for it. Yes.
The reader: … "… which he wrote in response to a question that reached him in the year six hundred and ninety-eight"
The Shaykh : Well done.
The reader: "from Humayr"
The Shaykh : Humayr
The reader: "from Humayr, a town in the Levant, asking …"
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : No, it is "Humayr" without the taa marbutah when stopping.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : This is a description of what came before it. If you say "six hundred and ninety-eight Hijri," and if what came before it is in the accusative case, in "in the year" you say "in the year eight," "six hundred and ninety-eight." It appears that we make it accusative in any case, because it is a description of a deleted described noun, and the implied meaning is "a Hijri year." Yes?
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : What puts "in the year" in the accusative? If it is in the accusative, the cause is the tamyiz (specification), so it is in the accusative due to the tamyiz. But here we see whether it is in the accusative or the genitive? "Six hundred and ninety-eight Hijri" with a kasrah. But if you say "sixty years," you say "Hijri" with a fathah.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Nothing contradicts it; it is all permissible. That is, "Hijri" is a reference to the Hijrah (Migration). Yes.
The questioner : It is better to write the numbers in …, that is, write them in Arabic …
The Shaykh : It is pronounced, that is, not as a number, writing not as a number, writing not as a number, but this is better for brevity. Yes.