قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع لَا تَدَعْ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ- وَ إِنْ كَانَ بَعْدَهُ شِعْرٌ.
‘Do not ignore the expression, “(I begin) in the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful,” even if it is followed by a poem.’”
قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع اكْتُبْ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ- مِنْ أَجْوَدِ كِتَابِكَ وَ لَا تَمُدَّ الْبَاءَ حَتَّى تَرْفَعَ السِّينَ[2].
“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘Write “(I begin) in the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful,” with the best of your handwriting. Do not extend the letter ‘B’ more than the letter ‘S’.’” [Note: this may apply to kufi handwriting only].
قَالَ: لَا تَكْتُبْ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ- لِفُلَانٍ وَ لَا بَأْسَ أَنْ تَكْتُبَ عَلَى ظَهْرِ الْكِتَابِ لِفُلَانٍ
“Do not write, ‘(I begin) in the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful,’ ‘for so and so’ (in a letter), but it is not an offense to write at the back of the letter, ‘for so and so’.’”
لَا تَكْتُبْ دَاخِلَ الْكِتَابِ لِأَبِي فُلَانٍ وَ اكْتُبْ إِلَى أَبِي فُلَانٍ وَ اكْتُبْ عَلَى الْعُنْوَانِ لِأَبِي فُلَانٍ.
“Do not write in the letter: ‘For abu so and so’ but write ‘To abu so and so’. In the address area one should write, ‘For abu so and so’.”
سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يَبْدَأُ بِالرَّجُلِ فِي الْكِتَابِ قَالَ لَا بَأْسَ بِهِ ذَلِكَ مِنَ الْفَضْلِ يَبْدَأُ الرَّجُلُ بِأَخِيهِ يُكْرِمُهُ.
“Once I asked Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) about a man who initiates writing to another man. The Imam said, ‘It is not an offense. It is an excellent act when a man initiates honoring his brother (in belief).”’
لَا بَأْسَ بِأَنْ يَبْدَأَ الرَّجُلُ بِاسْمِ صَاحِبِهِ فِي الصَّحِيفَةِ قَبْلَ اسْمِهِ.
“It is not an offense for a man to begin with the name of his friend in a letter instead of his own name.”
أَمَرَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع بِكِتَابٍ فِي حَاجَةٍ فَكُتِبَ ثُمَّ عُرِضَ عَلَيْهِ وَ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِيهِ اسْتِثْنَاءٌ فَقَالَ كَيْفَ رَجَوْتُمْ أَنْ يَتِمَّ هَذَا وَ لَيْسَ فِيهِ اسْتِثْنَاءٌ[1] انْظُرُوا كُلَّ مَوْضِعٍ لَا يَكُونُ فِيهِ اسْتِثْنَاءٌ فَاسْتَثْنُوا فِيهِ.
“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) ordered to write a letter about an issue. The letter was written and was shown to him and there was no exception in it. The Imam said, ‘How can you expect that this may be completed without exception (that is, if Allah so wills)? Look into it and write down exceptions whenever needed.”’
أَنَّهُ كَانَ يُتَرِّبُ الْكِتَابَ وَ قَالَ لَا بَأْسَ بِهِ[2].
“Abu al-Hassan al-Rida (a.s.) would dry up the ink on a newlywritten letter by means of placing soil on it and would say that doing so is not an offense.”
أَنَّهُ رَأَى كُتُباً لِأَبِي الْحَسَنِ ع مُتَرَّبَةً.
“He had seen a soiled letter of abu al-Hassan al-Rida (a.s.).”