for it is the intimate bond between the Lord and His servant and the avenue by which the servant converses with Him. Hence He commanded him to make wudu (ablution) and attain purity for it, and He declared that the prayer is rejected and not accepted without this state.

Points derived from the hadith:
1- The prayer of a person in a state of ritual impurity is not accepted until he purifies himself from both major and minor impurities.
2- Ḥadath (a state of impurity) nullifies wudu and, if it occurs during the prayer, renders the prayer invalid.
3- “Non-acceptance” here means that the prayer is legally invalid and does not discharge the obligation.
4- The hadith indicates that purification is a pre-condition for the validity of the prayer.

Hadith 2
ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ, Abū Hurayrah, and ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with them) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Woe to the heels from the Fire.”(1)

Glossary of hadith terms:
• “Wayl” (woe) denotes torment and destruction; it is a verbal noun with no conjugated verb form.
• “Aʿqāb” (heels) is the plural of “ʿaqib,” the back part of the foot, and by implication refers to those whose heels are being described.
• The definite article in al-aʿqāb (“the heels”) is anaphoric, pointing to the specific heels that the water fails to reach; only then does the threat make full sense.

Overall meaning:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) warns against negligence in ablution and urges that it be performed thoroughly. Because the back of the foot is often the part that the water does not reach—leading to a defect in purification and thus in the prayer—he declared that punishment will strike that spot and anyone who is careless about his prescribed purification.

Lessons derived from the hadith:
1- One must give full attention to every limb required in wudu and leave nothing unwashed. Although the hadith names the feet, the remaining limbs are included by analogy and by other textual proofs.
2- A severe warning is issued against anyone who is negligent in his ablution.