Lesson 17: Dry Ablution (Tayammum) (Ablution with Dust or Sand)

Tayammum is obligatory when a person cannot perform ablution and Ghusl.

One: Cases of Tayammum

Tayammum must be performed instead of Wuḍūʾ and Ghusl in the following seven situations:

1. It is impossible to provide enough water for performing Wuḍūʾ and Ghusl (Issue 684).
2. The access to water is not possible (Issue 710).
3. The use of water is harmful (Issue 715).
4. To save the life, someone requires water (Issue 720).
5. He needs water to purify his body or clothes (Issue 722).
6. Water or its container has been usurped (Issue 723).
7. The time for Wuḍūʾ and Ghusl is running out

(Issue 724).

Two: The Conditions of Tayammum

1. Tayammum must be performed with the intention of proximity to Allāh and performing God’s command;
2. The tayammum must be performed in the sequence (tartib);
3. The members of Tayammum must be wiped from top to bottom;
4. During wiping, the part that is to be wiped must be fixed (does not move);
5. The Tiyammum must be Performed consecutively (Muwālāh);
6. The individual himself must perform tayammum acts;
7. There should be no obstacles in The members of Tayammum;
8. The members of Tiyammum must be free of contagious impurity.

Three: Things with Which Performing Tayammum Is Valid (Ṣaḥīḥ)

1. Performing tayammum on soil, pebbles, a clod of earth, and all kinds of stones (such as gypsum or limestone, marble, and others) is valid (Issue 731).
2. If soil, pebbles, clods of earth, and the kinds of stones are not found, he should perform tayammum on the dust on the carpets, clothes, etc., and if it is not found either, he must perform prayer without tayammum, and later on must perform the prayer as qaḍā (Issue 732).

Four: The Obligatory acts of Tayammum

Four acts are obligatory in the tayammum that is performed instead of Ghusl or Wuḍūʾ:

1. Intention;
2. Striking both of the entire palms together on something with which tayammum is valid;
3. Wiping the forehead with the palms of both hands;
4. Wiping the palm of the left hand over the back of the right hand and the palm of the right hand over the back of the left hand (Issue 747 & 746).

Five: The Method of Performing Tayammum

Tayammum must be performed in the following order:

1. Tayammum is performed by striking both entire palms together on the things on which it is valid.
2. The palms of both hands should be wiped over the entire forehead and its two sides, starting from the spot where the hairs of one’s head grow up and ending at the eyebrows and upper part of the nose.
3. Wiping the left palm over the entire back of the right hand and then wiping the right palm over the entire back of the left hand (Issue 747 & 746).

Six: Rules of Tayammum

1. If a person does not wipe even a small part of his forehead or the back of his hands, his tayammum will be invalid (Issue 748).
2. The forehead and back of the hands must be wiped from top to bottom, one after another, consecutively (Issue 750).
3. At the time of intention (Nīyyat), the person must be concerned whether his tayammum is instead of Ghusl or Wuḍūʾ (Issue 751).
4. The members of Tiyammum must be free of obstacles such as rings and glue (Issue 753).
5. As a precaution, someone who cannot perform a Ghusl but is required to perform several Ghusls must perform tayammum instead of each Ghusl (Issue 767).

Seven: Jabīrah Tayammum

If there is a wound in one of the members of Tayammum, such as the forehead or the back of the hands that is closed with a cloth and cannot be opened, one must perform the tayammum like the method of jabīrah Wuḍūʾ, that is, he must wipe his hand over the wound (Issue 754).

Eight: The Things That Invalidate the Tayammum

Things that invalidate Wuḍūʾ also invalidate tayammum instead of Wuḍūʾ, and things that invalidate Ghusl also invalidate tayammum instead of Ghusl (Issue 766).

Note: When a person performs tayammum instead of Janābat Ghusl, he does not need to perform Wuḍūʾ for prayer. If he performs tayammum instead of other Ghusls, it is insufficient, and he must perform Wuḍūʾ. If he cannot perform Wuḍūʾ, he should perform tayammum instead of Wuḍūʾ (Issue 769).

Question:

A place where there is no water and the ground is so wet from rain that it cannot be done Tayammum on the soil, and the prayer time is also limited. What is the duty of man?

Answer:

Performing tayammum on dust on the carpets or clothes is permissible, but if it is impossible, it is performed on the wet earth; the prayer is valid.

Exercises:

1. What are the cases of Tayammum?
2. What are the things with which performing Tayammum is valid?
3. How is Tayammum performed?
4. What are the conditions of Tayammum?