“Mu'āwiya, we are human, so be gentle—
we are neither mountains nor iron.”

Here, the particle bā’ serves to reinforce the meaning; removing it would not alter the sense. In the verse concerning purification, however, removing bā’ would alter the meaning. Coordination therefore cannot be with the syntactic position of the noun governed by it, but must instead follow that noun’s explicit inflection or refer back to an earlier noun.

Third: If coordination were with the syntactic position, the verse concerning dry ablution would have been read: “Wipe over your faces, and wipe your hands.” Thus, the verse contains what demonstrates the error of the commentator’s contention that his position is indicated by “Then wipe over your faces and your hands with it,” with “hands” in the accusative, since the two expressions are identical. Given their agreement on the genitive reading in the verse concerning dry ablution—although coordination with the syntactic position would have been possible had it been correct—it is clear that coordination follows the explicit inflection. Moreover, the verse concerning dry ablution contains no accusative noun with whose explicit inflection another noun could be coordinated, unlike the verse concerning ablution.

Fourth: He said:

“And your feet up to the two ankles.”

He did not say “up to the ankles,” using the plural. If it were supposed that coordination was with the syntactic position, as the other view maintains, and that the intended meaning was that each pair of feet has two ankles, with one ankle on each foot, the wording would have been “up to the ankle,” just as He said “up to the elbows,” since each arm has one elbow. Accordingly, the two ankles are the two bones projecting on either side of the lower leg, not the point where the sandal strap is fastened, at the junction of the leg and foot, as those who advocate wiping over the feet maintain. Thus, if Allah, blessed and exalted be He, commanded the feet to be purified only as far as the two projecting ankle bones,