This letter gives an account of praising and glorifying Allah...

This letter gives an account of praising and glorifying Allah, the Exalted, and mentioning some of His attributes as well as it is full of praising the greatest Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, who was the first to inspire man with good and virtue, whom Allah, the Most High, chose for His message and saving His servants from ignorance, whom Allah endowed with the immortal miracle, which is the Holy Qurān falsehood shall not come to it from before it nor from behind it , which is the constitution for putting man right and solving all his matters and problems.

Moreover, Imām al-Ridā, peace be on him, presented the pioneer of the truth and justice in Islam, the testamentary trustee of the Apostle, and his successor after him, Imām Ali, the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, the Imām of the Allah-fearing, the best of the testamentary trustees, and he, peace be on him, praised the pure Imāms, who guided this community to the ways to the Garden, spoke on behalf of the Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family, expressed the Qurān, delivered the message of Allah, and explained its precepts.

After this presentation, Imām al-Ridā, peace be on him, began explaining the rules of comprehensive, Islamic law, saying: As for wudū (the minor ablution), as Allah has ordered in His Book, it is washing the face and hands, rubbing the head and feet. One is a religious duty and two are recommended. He who increases (wudū) is sinful and is not rewarded. Nothing invalidates wudū except flatus, urine, feces, sleep, and janāba (sexual intercourse or just discharge of semen).

He who rubs over the shoes opposes Allah, His Apostle, and His Book, and his wudū is invalid. That is because Ali, peace be on him, opposed rubbing over shoes and Umar said to him: I saw the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, rub (over shoes). Before or after the revelation of Sūrat al-Māida? asked Ali. I do not know, replied Umar. But I know, explained Ali, that Allahs Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, had not rubbed (over shoes) since the revelation of Sūrat al-Māida.

The first act of Islamic law which Imām al-Ridā, peace be on him, presented was wudū , which is light and purity for man, and which is the most brilliant of the prerequisites of prayer through which man is exalted and have the honor of communicating with his Almighty Creator. In his presentation of wudū , the Imām dealt with the following: 1.