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“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘Do not ignore the expression, “(I begin) in the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful,” even if it is followed by a poem.’”

“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…

“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’.’”

“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’.”

“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).”’

“It is not an offense for a man to begin with the name of his friend in a letter instead of his own name.”

“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…

“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.”

“He had seen a soiled letter of abu al-Hassan al-Rida (a.s.).”