I am confused - ismu jinsin jam"iyyun

[irf2k]

Assalamu Alaikum

This is the answer from Shaykh:

The ismu jinsin jam"iyyun is used both as feminine singular and as masculine singular. See the use of the word nakhl (نَخْل) meaning date palms in the Quran. In suurat al-Qamar (54:20) it is treated as masculine singular: a"jaazu nakhlin munqa"ir.

تَنزِعُ النَّاسَ كَأَنَّهُمْ أَعْجَازُ نَخْلٍ مُّنقَعِرٍ

And in suurat al-Haaqqah (69:7) it is treated as feminine singular: a"jaazu nakhlin khaawiyah.

سَخَّرَهَا عَلَيْهِمْ سَبْعَ لَيَالٍ وَثَمَانِيَةَ أَيَّامٍ حُسُومًا فَتَرَى الْقَوْمَ فِيهَا صَرْعَى كَأَنَّهُمْ أَعْجَازُ نَخْلٍ خَاوِيَةٍ

The word for apples is tuffaaH. You may say: haadhihii tuffaaH, or haadhaa tuffaaH. The second is the more common.
'Three apples' is 'thalaathu tuffaaHaatin' just as we say: 'thalaathu tamaraatin.'

Wassalam,
VAR