Continuation of the explanation of Ibn Malik’s (may Allah have mercy on him) saying: “And join them with *af‘al* if they follow *** what is not singular, so that you may be a follower.”
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The Shaykh : So we say: When the dual is emphasized by *nafs* (self) or *ayn* (very), three options are permissible. We begin with the most eloquent: the most eloquent is the plural, then the singular, then the dual.
The student: This is only for the dual.
The Shaykh : Did you understand? The most eloquent is the plural, then the singular, then the dual. You say: “The two men came, their very selves.” Second?
The student: “The two men came, their very self.”
The Shaykh : “Their very self.” Third: “Their two selves.” Yes. Now, if someone asks: How is it correct to say “their two selves” when they are two? Is the self singular?! We say: Because it is a singular noun in the genitive case, and a singular noun in the genitive case indicates generality. He said:
“And join them with *af‘al* if they follow *** what is not singular”,
Yes: “If you are a follower”:
The option of the plural is that the dual conveys plurality, is that not so?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : If we say that the minimum number for the plural is two, that the minimum number for the plural is two, then there is no problem.
And if we say that the minimum number for the plural is three, then it is pluralized, so that the two markers of the dual do not come together in what is like a single word, so that the two markers of the dual do not come together in what is like a single word. For this reason, right now, if I say: “The two men came, their very selves,” which is lighter on the tongue: “The two men came, their very selves,” or “The two men came, their two selves”?!
The student: “Their very self.”
The Shaykh : The first is lighter on the tongue, yes, the plural.
“If they follow *** what is not singular, so that you may be a follower”:
A follower of whom? Of the Arabs. You may be a follower of the Arabs, and it is permissible to be a follower of the grammarians who issued these rulings based on the rules of the Arabic language, yes.
The student: This is only for the dual.
The Shaykh : Did you understand? The most eloquent is the plural, then the singular, then the dual. You say: “The two men came, their very selves.” Second?
The student: “The two men came, their very self.”
The Shaykh : “Their very self.” Third: “Their two selves.” Yes. Now, if someone asks: How is it correct to say “their two selves” when they are two? Is the self singular?! We say: Because it is a singular noun in the genitive case, and a singular noun in the genitive case indicates generality. He said:
“And join them with *af‘al* if they follow *** what is not singular”,
Yes: “If you are a follower”:
The option of the plural is that the dual conveys plurality, is that not so?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : If we say that the minimum number for the plural is two, that the minimum number for the plural is two, then there is no problem.
And if we say that the minimum number for the plural is three, then it is pluralized, so that the two markers of the dual do not come together in what is like a single word, so that the two markers of the dual do not come together in what is like a single word. For this reason, right now, if I say: “The two men came, their very selves,” which is lighter on the tongue: “The two men came, their very selves,” or “The two men came, their two selves”?!
The student: “Their very self.”
The Shaykh : The first is lighter on the tongue, yes, the plural.
“If they follow *** what is not singular, so that you may be a follower”:
A follower of whom? Of the Arabs. You may be a follower of the Arabs, and it is permissible to be a follower of the grammarians who issued these rulings based on the rules of the Arabic language, yes.