Explanation of the author's (may Allah have mercy on him) statement: "… And as for the waw, it is a marker of the nominative case in two positions: in the sound masculine plural …"
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The Shaykh : The author said: "And as for the waw" Look, he brought the waw after the dammah. Why didn't he bring the alif after the dammah? He brought the waw because when the dammah is fully pronounced, a waw emerges from it, isn't that so? If you say "al-rijaluwwww" (the men), what appears with it? A waw. Therefore, he placed the waw after the dammah because when the dammah is fully pronounced, a waw emerges from it. So the waw is the closest thing to the dammah, which is why the author made it follow it.
So he said: "And as for the waw, it is a marker of the nominative case in two positions" May Allah reward him. This author divides and limits it, saying it is a marker of the nominative case in two positions. But what is the evidence for that?
The student: Tracking and induction.
The Shaykh : Tracking and induction. The linguists (may Allah have mercy on them) tracked the speech of the Arabs and found that what is raised with the waw does not exceed two things. The first is: in the sound masculine plural. In the sound masculine plural, pay attention: the sound masculine plural is what indicates three or more with the soundness of the singular's construction. What indicates three or more with the soundness of the singular's construction. Or if you wish, say: what is pluralized with a waw and noon or a ya and noon added. What is pluralized with a waw and noon or a ya and noon added. Do you understand, everyone? What is pluralized with what? With a waw and noon or a ya and noon added. But you add a waw and noon or a ya and noon, and the rest remains as it is. Or if you wish, say: what in which the singular's construction is sound. Sound. Add a waw and noon.
The student: Muslims.
The Shaykh : Muslims. This is a sound masculine plural.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes, but… every sound one, meaning the sound masculine plural and the sound feminine plural, all have a sound singular construction. But in the feminine, you add an alif and a taa, and here you add a waw and noon or a ya and noon. Okay. Muslims is a sound masculine plural because you added a waw and noon to the singular and the singular remained as it was. Or if you wish, say: because you pluralized it with the soundness of the singular's construction. Muslim did not change. We said we added a waw and noon, and it became Muslims. So this is a sound masculine plural, right? Ibn, its plural is with a noon.[Ash-Shu'ara 26:88] Is banun a sound masculine plural? No, it is not a sound masculine plural because the singular changed. Yes, if we said ibnun, if this were permissible in the language, if we said ibnun, it would become a sound masculine plural. But ibnun is not said; in the language, banun is said. And banun is not a sound masculine plural. Okay, how is it not a sound masculine plural? Yes, we say: because the singular's construction changed in it. But the grammarians (may Allah have mercy on them) have, praise be to Allah, keenness. They said: if it is not a sound masculine plural, let it be annexed to it. Let it be annexed to it. And they made something like this annexed to the sound masculine plural. They made it annexed to it. Okay, we will leave the annexed one for later. What is the sound masculine plural?
The student: What indicates three or more.
The Shaykh : What indicates three or more with the soundness of the singular's construction. Or if you wish, say: what is pluralized with a waw and noon or a ya and noon added. This is the sound masculine plural. Did you understand, Hasan? Or are you going?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Okay, if someone says: "The Muslims stood up with a praiseworthy effort in helping the poor." The Muslims stood up with a praiseworthy effort in helping the poor. Is the phrase correct? Did the Muslims stand up correctly or not? Okay. "Qama al-Muslimun" (The Muslims stood up). Do we raise it with the dammah? "Qama al-Muslimun" with a praiseworthy effort. It wants to be raised with the dammah. It is not correct. It is an error. With what do you raise it? With the waw. You raise it with the waw. Clear? Okay. "Qama al-Muslimin."
The student: An error.
The Shaykh : It is an error because it is raised
The student: With the waw.
The Shaykh : With the waw. So we know that the sound masculine plural must be raised with the waw, and it cannot be raised with anything other than the waw, right? This is one.
So he said: "And as for the waw, it is a marker of the nominative case in two positions" May Allah reward him. This author divides and limits it, saying it is a marker of the nominative case in two positions. But what is the evidence for that?
The student: Tracking and induction.
The Shaykh : Tracking and induction. The linguists (may Allah have mercy on them) tracked the speech of the Arabs and found that what is raised with the waw does not exceed two things. The first is: in the sound masculine plural. In the sound masculine plural, pay attention: the sound masculine plural is what indicates three or more with the soundness of the singular's construction. What indicates three or more with the soundness of the singular's construction. Or if you wish, say: what is pluralized with a waw and noon or a ya and noon added. What is pluralized with a waw and noon or a ya and noon added. Do you understand, everyone? What is pluralized with what? With a waw and noon or a ya and noon added. But you add a waw and noon or a ya and noon, and the rest remains as it is. Or if you wish, say: what in which the singular's construction is sound. Sound. Add a waw and noon.
The student: Muslims.
The Shaykh : Muslims. This is a sound masculine plural.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes, but… every sound one, meaning the sound masculine plural and the sound feminine plural, all have a sound singular construction. But in the feminine, you add an alif and a taa, and here you add a waw and noon or a ya and noon. Okay. Muslims is a sound masculine plural because you added a waw and noon to the singular and the singular remained as it was. Or if you wish, say: because you pluralized it with the soundness of the singular's construction. Muslim did not change. We said we added a waw and noon, and it became Muslims. So this is a sound masculine plural, right? Ibn, its plural is with a noon.
The Day when there will not benefit [anyone] wealth or children
يوم لا ينفع مال ولا بنونThe student: What indicates three or more.
The Shaykh : What indicates three or more with the soundness of the singular's construction. Or if you wish, say: what is pluralized with a waw and noon or a ya and noon added. This is the sound masculine plural. Did you understand, Hasan? Or are you going?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Okay, if someone says: "The Muslims stood up with a praiseworthy effort in helping the poor." The Muslims stood up with a praiseworthy effort in helping the poor. Is the phrase correct? Did the Muslims stand up correctly or not? Okay. "Qama al-Muslimun" (The Muslims stood up). Do we raise it with the dammah? "Qama al-Muslimun" with a praiseworthy effort. It wants to be raised with the dammah. It is not correct. It is an error. With what do you raise it? With the waw. You raise it with the waw. Clear? Okay. "Qama al-Muslimin."
The student: An error.
The Shaykh : It is an error because it is raised
The student: With the waw.
The Shaykh : With the waw. So we know that the sound masculine plural must be raised with the waw, and it cannot be raised with anything other than the waw, right? This is one.