Tamyiz
Summary: Tamyiz (تمييز) is a specifying noun used to clarify what is being counted or measured.
What is Tamyiz?
A tamyiz (تمييز) is a noun that removes ambiguity by specifying the meaning of what comes before it. In simple terms, it answers the question: "of what?"
Two Fixed Properties
A tamyīz is always:
- Singular (مُفرَد) — never plural in form
- Manṣūb (نَكِرَة مَنصُوبَة) — an indefinite noun in the accusative
It can occur after numbers, but also after comparatives and other constructions where ambiguity needs resolving — e.g. "I am bigger than you" is ambiguous until a tamyīz specifies in what way ("in age," "in height," etc.).
Tamyiz Across All Number Ranges (Complete — Surah Yusuf Session 6)
The form of the tamyīz word itself is always singular and manṣūb — but what counts as the maʿdūd's plurality and case shifts by number range:
| Number Range | Maʿdūd Form | Maʿdūd Case | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | No separate tamyīz — the number is a صِفَة describing the maʿdūd | — | كِتَابٌ وَاحِدٌ |
| 3–10 | Plural | Majrūr | سَبْعَ لَيَالٍ وَثَمَانِيَةَ أَيَّامٍ — seven nights and eight days |
| 11–19 (compound numbers) | Singular | Manṣūb | أَحَدَ عَشَرَ كَوكَبًا — eleven heavenly bodies |
| 20–90 (العُقُود) | Singular | Manṣūb | تِسْعَةً وَتِسعِينَ نَعجَةً — ninety-nine ewes |
| 100, 1000 | Singular | Majrūr | مِائَةَ شَاةٍ — a hundred ewes |
99 Ewes — A Subtle Trap
In تِسْعَةً وَتِسعِينَ نَعجَةً, نَعجَةً is manṣūb because it is tamyīz of تِسعِينَ (the tens/ʿuqūd part) — not of تِسْعَةً (which alone, per the 3–10 rule, would call for a plural majrūr tamyīz). When units and tens are joined by وَ, the tens govern the tamyīz.
Singular Tamyīz, Plural English Translation
اثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا — "twelve months" — شَهْرًا is singular in Arabic though the English gloss uses a plural; this is the regular behaviour for compound numbers 11–19.
For 1 and 2, see Arabic Numbers — the number itself functions as an adjective (صِفَة) describing the counted noun, with no separate tamyīz word required.
From Surah Yusuf Session 11 — Tamyīz After اِسم التَّفضِيل
Better — In What?
You are better than me leaves open in what. The tamyīz after اِسم التَّفضِيل specifies it.
إِنَّ مِنْ أَحَبِّكُمْ إِلَيَّ وَأَقْرَبِكُمْ مِنِّي مَجْلِسًا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَحَاسِنَكُمْ أَخْلَاقًا
مَجْلِسًا — nearest in sitting; أَخْلَاقًا — best in character. Both are tamyīz.
Not Ḥāl
The teacher first labelled مَجْلِسًا a ḥāl, then corrected herself: after the ism al-tafḍīl it is tamyīz. The meaning is similar, but the analysis is different. See Ism al-Tafdhil.
Related Pages
Session References
- Surah Yusuf Session 11: Tamyīz after ism al-tafḍīl — مَجْلِسًا and أَخْلَاقًا in the ḥadīth أَحَاسِنَكُمْ أَخْلَاقًا; the teacher's ḥāl → tamyīz correction.