مَتَى opens a condition about time. أَيٌّ selects one member from a known or mentioned set.
مَتَى تَذْهَبْ أَذْهَبْ
Whenever you go, I will go.
أَيُّهُمْ يَضْرِبْنِي أَضْرِبْهُ
Whichever of them strikes me, I will strike him.
Here هُمْ supplies the set: “of them.” In أَيُّ طَالِبٍ, the following noun supplies the set instead.
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مَتَى opens a condition about time. أَيٌّ selects one member from a known or mentioned set.
مَتَى تَذْهَبْ أَذْهَبْ
Whenever you go, I will go.
أَيُّهُمْ يَضْرِبْنِي أَضْرِبْهُ
Whichever of them strikes me, I will strike him.
Here هُمْ supplies the set: “of them.” In أَيُّ طَالِبٍ, the following noun supplies the set instead.