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What is the reason for using the singular forms "your paternal uncle" and "your maternal uncle" in Surah Al-Ahzab instead of the plural forms "your paternal uncles" and "your maternal uncles"?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The words "paternal aunts" (عَمَّات) and "maternal aunts" (خَالَات) are used in the plural, while "paternal uncle" (عَمّ) and "maternal uncle" (خَال) are used in the singular in the verse. This is because the terms "paternal uncle" and "maternal uncle" in Arabic usage refer to the brother of the father or grandfather. As for "paternal aunt" and "maternal aunt," they do not refer to the gender in general, but rather to a specific paternal aunt or maternal aunt. Therefore, the words "paternal aunts" and "maternal aunts" were pluralized so that it would not be understood to mean the daughters of a specific paternal or maternal aunt. Another reason is that the male was singularized due to his honor, while the females were pluralized due to their deficiency.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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