Arabic (Original)
وَأَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو سَعِيدٍ أنا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ ثنا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ نَصْرٍ ثنا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ الْحُلْوَانِيُّ ثنا يَحْيَى بْنُ آدَمَ ثنا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ خَارِجَةَ بْنِ زَيْدٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَحْجُبُ الْأُمَّ بِالْأَخَوَيْنِ فَقَالُوا لَهُ يَا أَبَا سَعِيدٍ فَإِنَّ اللهَ يَقُولُ {فَإِنْ كَانَ لَهُ إِخْوَةٌ فَلِأُمِّهِ السُّدُسُ} [النساء 11] وَأَنْتَ تَحْجُبُهَا بِأَخَوَيْنِ؟ فَقَالَ إِنَّ الْعَرَبَ تُسَمِّي الْأَخَوَيْنِ إِخْوَةً فَقَالُوا لَهُ يَا أَبَا سَعِيدٍ أَوَهِمْتَ؛ إِنَّمَا هِيَ ثَمَانِيَةُ أَزْوَاجٍ مِنَ الضَّأْنِ اثْنَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ وَمِنَ الْمَعْزِ اثْنَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ وَمِنَ الْإِبِلِ اثْنَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ وَمِنَ الْبَقَرِ اثْنَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ فَقَالَ لَا إِنَّ اللهَ يَقُولُ {فَجَعَلَ مِنْهُ الزَّوْجَيْنِ الذَّكَرَ وَالْأُنْثَى} [القيامة 39] فَهُمَا زَوْجَانِ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا زَوْجٌ يَقُولُ الذَّكَرُ زَوْجٌ وَالْأُنْثَى زَوْجٌ
English Translation
Abu Sa'id informed us: Abu Abdullah ibn Ya'qub narrated to us: Muhammad ibn Nasr narrated to us: al-Hasan ibn Ali al-Hulwani narrated to us: Yahya ibn Adam narrated to us: Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi al-Zinad narrated from his father from Kharijah ibn Zayd from his father: He used to block the mother's share with two brothers. They said to him: O Abu Sa'id, Allah says: 'If he had brothers, then his mother gets one-sixth' [4:11], and you block her with just two brothers? He said: Indeed, the Arabs call two brothers 'brothers' (using the plural). They said: O Abu Sa'id, you are mistaken. There are eight pairs: from sheep two, from goats two, from camels two, and from cattle two. He said: No. Indeed Allah says: 'And He made from it the pair, male and female' [75:39]. So they are a pair; each one of them is a pair - meaning the male is one pair and the female is one pair.