eight sheep. Accordingly, we say that thamānin (eight) is in the nominative case with an implied dammah on the omitted ya, omitted because of the meeting of two sukuns; and its tanwin is compensatory tanwin. This applies when it is not compounded with ten. There is also a poor and uncommon usage in which it is declined with case-endings on the nun. Thus one says: “I bought eight sheep”; “I have eight sheep”; and “I looked at eight sheep.”

Thus, when it is not compounded, there are two possible ways of parsing it.

But when it is compounded with ten, there are two possibilities: it may be built on the fathah, such that one says, “eighteen women”; and it is also permissible to render the ya silent, saying, “eighteen.”

Its time is from the end of the prohibited time until shortly before noon.

His statement, “Its time is from the end of the prohibited time until shortly before noon,” means that the time for the Duha prayer begins when the prohibited time ends. The author, may Allah have mercy on him, has not explained the prohibited time here, but he will explain it, Allah willing, at the end of the chapter (1).

The prohibited time extends from sunrise until the sun has risen the height of a spear—that is, as it appears to the observer. In reality, this rise by the height of a spear is hundreds of times greater than the dimensions of the earth; however, to us it appears on the horizon to be the height of a spear, meaning approximately one metre.

In terms of the familiar measure of minutes, it is about twelve minutes. Let us take it as a quarter of an hour—fifteen minutes—for that is more cautious. Once fifteen minutes have passed from sunrise, the prohibited time ends and the time for the Duha prayer begins.