Sharh Qatr an-Nada by Ibn Hisham (شرح قطر الندى وبل الصدى) — Page 516

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

بَابٌ : العَدَدُ مِنْ ثَلَاثَةٍ إِلَى تِسْعَةٍ يُؤَنِّثُ مَعَ المُذَكَّرِ وَيُذَكِّرُ مَعَ المُؤَنَّثِ دَائِماً ، نَحْوُ : ﴿ سَبْعَ لَيَالٍ وَثَمَانِيَةَ أَيَّامٍ ﴾ ، وَكَذَلِكَ العَشَرَةُ إِنْ لَمْ تُرَكَّبْ ، وَمَا دُونَ الثَّلَاثَةِ وَفَاعِلٌ كَثَالِثٍ وَرَابِعٍ عَلَى القِيَاسِ دَائِماً ، وَيُفْرَدُ فَاعِلٌ ، أَوْ يُضَافُ لِمَا اشْتُقَّ مِنْهُ ، أَوْ لِمَا دُونَهُ ، أَوْ يَنْصِبُ مَا دُونَهُ

Chapter: Numbers from three to nine always take the feminine form with masculine nouns and the masculine form with feminine nouns, as in: 'Seven nights and eight days.' The number ten follows this same rule when not compounded. Numbers less than three and the ordinal form—such as 'third' or 'fourth'—always follow the standard rule. The ordinal form may stand alone, be added to the noun it is derived from, be added to a noun preceding it, or take a preceding noun as its object.

ش - اعْلَمْ أَنَّ أَلْفَاظَ العَدَدِ عَلَى ثَلَاثَةِ أَقْسَامٍ : أَحَدُهَا : مَا يَجْرِي دَائِماً عَلَى القِيَاسِ فِي التَّذْكِيرِ وَالتَّأْنِيثِ ، فَيُذَكَّرُ مَعَ المُذَكَّرِ ، وَيُؤَنَّثُ مَعَ المُؤَنَّثِ ، وَهُوَ الوَاحِدُ ، وَالاثْنَانِ ، وَمَا كَانَ عَلَى صِيغَةِ فَاعِلٍ ؛ تَقُولُ فِي المُذَكَّرِ : وَاحِدٌ ، وَاثْنَانِ ، وَثَانٍ ، وَثَالِثٌ وَرَابِعٌ - إِلَى عَاشِرٍ ، وَفِي المُؤَنَّثِ : وَاحِدَةٌ ، وَاثْنَتَانِ ، وَثَانِيَةٌ ، وَثَالِثَةٌ ، وَرَابِعَةٌ - إِلَى عَاشِرَةٍ

Explanation: Note that numerals fall into three categories. The first category always follows the standard rule for gender: masculine with masculine and feminine with feminine. This includes one, two, and the ordinal forms. For the masculine, you say: wahid, ithnan, thanin, thalith, rabi', up to 'ashir. For the feminine, you say: wahidah, ithnatan, thaniyah, thalithah, rabi'ah, up to 'ashirah.

وَالثَّانِي : مَا يَجْرِي عَلَى عَكْسِ القِيَاسِ دَائِماً ، فَيُؤَنَّثُ مَعَ المُذَكَّرِ وَيُذَكَّرُ مَعَ المُؤَنَّثِ ، وَهُوَ الثَّلَاثَةُ وَالتِّسْعَةُ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا ؛ تَقُولُ : ثَلَاثَةُ رِجَالٍ وَثَلَاثُ نِسْوَةٍ ، قَالَ تَعَالَى : ﴿ سَخَّرَهَا عَلَيْهِمْ سَبْعَ لَيَالٍ وَثَمَانِيَةَ أَيَّامٍ حُسُوماً

The second category always reverses the standard rule: it uses the feminine form with masculine nouns and the masculine form with feminine nouns. This applies to the numbers three through nine. You say: thalathatu rijalin (three men) and thalathu niswatin (three women). God Almighty said: 'He subjected them upon them for seven nights and eight days in succession.'

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Vocabulary · المفردات (19 verbs · 41 nouns)

• أَنَّثَ — to feminize
• ذَكَّرَ — to masculinize
• رَكَّبَ — to compound
• بَابٌ — chapter
• عَدَدٌ — number
• ثَلَاثَةٌ — three