Dry Ablution

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) led his Companions in the Fajr prayer. When he finished the prayer, he noticed a man that had not prayed with them. Out of his remarkable gentleness and good call to Allah, the Almighty, he did not rebuke the man for having failed to attend the congregational prayer until he could know the reason behind this. So, he asked the man: “O so-and-so, what prevented you from praying with the congregation?” The man clarified his excuse, according to his reasoning. He said that he was in a state of ritual impurity and had no water; that is why he delayed the prayer until he could find water and purify himself therewith. Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed him that Allah, the Almighty, out of His kindness, provided a replacement for water when it comes to purification; and that is clean earth. He told him to use it instead of water, which was unavailable.

الإلمام بشرح عمدة الأحكام لإسماعيل الأنصاري، ط1، دار الفكر، دمشق، 1381هـ. تيسير العلام شرح عمدة الأحكام للبسام، حققه وعلق عليه وخرج أحاديثه وصنع فهارسه: محمد صبحي بن حسن حلاق، ط10، مكتبة الصحابة، الأمارات - مكتبة التابعين، القاهرة، 1426هـ. تنبيه الأفهام شرح عمدة لأحكام لابن عثيمين، ط1، مكتبة الصحابة، الإمارات، 1426هـ. عمدة الأحكام من كلام خير الأنام صلى الله عليه وسلم لعبد الغني المقدسي، دراسة وتحقيق: محمود الأرناؤوط، مراجعة وتقديم: عبد القادر الأرناؤوط، ط2، دار الثقافة العربية، دمشق ، بيروت، مؤسسة قرطبة، 1408هـ. صحيح البخاري، تحقيق: محمد زهير بن ناصر الناصر، ط1، دار طوق النجاة (مصورة عن السلطانية بإضافة ترقيم: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي)، 1422هـ. صحيح مسلم، تحقيق: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، دار إحياء التراث العربي، بيروت، 1423هـ.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sent 'Ammār ibn Yāsir (may Allah be pleased with him) on an errand. 'Ammār became in a state of Janābah (major ritual impurity), either because of sexual intercourse or the discharge of semen upon sexual arousal, and could not find water to take a ritual bath. He did not know the ruling on performing Tayammum (dry ablution) for Janābah; however, he knew its ruling for minor Hadath (ritual impurity). Based on his Ijtihād (personal reasoning), he thought that just as dirt on the surface of the earth is used to wipe some of the body parts of ablution in case of minor Hadath, then performing Tayammum from Janābah must be done by comprehending the entire body with dirt, in analogy to water. So, he rolled in dirt until it reached his whole body and then prayed. On coming to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), he mentioned it to see whether his actions were right. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) clarified to him the manner of attaining purity from minor Hadath like urine and from major Hadath like Janābah, namely by striking dirt with his hands once, then wiping the right hand with the left one, as well as the back side of his hands and face.

1. It is obligatory to seek water before making Tayammum.
2. It is permissible for the one in the state of Janābah to make Tayammum in case he could not find water.
3. Tayammum for major Hadath is like Tayammum for minor Hadath.

صحيح البخاري (1/ 77) (347). صحيح مسلم (1/ 280) (368). الإلمام بشرح عمدة الأحكام، لإسماعيل الأنصاري (1/ 60). تيسير العلام شرح عمدة الأحكام، لعبد الله البسام (ص72). تنبيه الأفهام شرح عمدة الأحكام، لابن عثيمين (1/ 92).

The noble Companion Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) relates: “Two men set out on a journey, and prayer became due”, meaning: its time came. “While they had no water. They performed dry ablution, using clean earth”, meaning: they turned to the earth and used it in the way specified for dry ablution. “Later on, they found water while still within the time of the prayer. One of them repeated his prayer with ablution”, meaning: either because he thought his first prayer was rendered invalid or he simply wanted to err on the side of caution. “And the other did not”, meaning: based on the thought that his first prayer remained valid. They then went to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and mentioned what happened to him. To the man who did not repeat the prayer, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: “You have followed the Sunnah”, meaning: your act accorded with the established teachings of the Sunnah. “He then said to the one who performed ablution and repeated his prayer: ‘For you there is a double reward”, meaning: you will have a double reward for your prayers, for both are valid and each entails a reward, and indeed Allah does not cause the good deeds of His slaves to go to waste. This indicates that it is better to do what is safer and more cautious. In another Hadīth, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Leave what is doubtful for what is not doubtful.”

سنن أبي داود، سليمان بن الأشعث أبوداود، تحقيق: محمد محيي الدين عبد الحميد، المكتبة العصرية، صيدا، بيروت. المجتبى من السنن (السنن الصغرى)، أحمد بن شعيب النسائي، تحقيق: عبد الفتاح أبو غدة، مكتب المطبوعات الإسلامية، حلب، الطبعة: الثانية 1406هـ، 1986م. سنن الدارمي، تحقيق: حسين سليم أسد الداراني، دار المغني للنشر والتوزيع، المملكة العربية السعودية، الطبعة: الأولى 1412هـ، 2000م. توضيح الأحكام شرح بلوغ المرام، عبد الله بن عبد الرحمن البسام، مكتبة الأسدي، مكة المكرمة، الطبعة الخامِسَة، 1423هـ، 2003 م. منحة العلام في شرح بلوغ المرام، عبد الله صالح الفوزان، دار ابن الجوزي، الطبعة: الأولى 1428هـ، 1432هـ. تسهيل الإلمام بفقه الأحاديث من بلوغ المرام، صالح بن فوزان بن عبد الله الفوزان، اعتنى بإخراجه عبدالسلام بن عبد الله السليمان، الرسالة، بيروت، الطبعة: الأولى 1427هـ، 2006م.

This Hadīth sheds light on one of the aspects of facilitation that Islamic Shariah brings to people, which is making Tayammum when water is not available. Clean dust serves in place of water, which is used in regular ablution. The exact number of years mentioned in the Hadīth is not intended per se; rather, it means that Tayammum is valid so long as water is unavailable, regardless of the time interval whether it is ten or twenty or thirty or more. This is also true when water is available but it cannot be used for religious or medical reasons. Although purification by Tayammum is weaker, it substitutes ablution with water as a necessity to perform prayer before the time of prayer ends. The concession to make Tayammum expires the moment water becomes available and one is able to use it. Therefore, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) guided Abu Dharr to go back to the original option – which is using water – when it is available. One has then to let water touch his skin; i.e. make water run over his skin in ablution or take a ritual bath. Tayammum expires when one sees water and is able to use it. The ability to use water is what is intended by the 'availability' of water.

توضيح الأحكام للشيخ البسام، ط5، مكتبة الأسدي، مكة المكرمة، 1423هـ. تسهيل الإلمام للشيخ صالح الفوزان، بعناية: عبدالسلام السليمان، ط1، 1427هـ. جامع الترمذي، تحقيق وتعليق:أحمد محمد شاكر، وآخرون، مكتبة ومطبعة مصطفى البابي الحلبي، ط2، مصر، 1395 هـ. سنن ابن ماجه، تحقيق: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، دار إحياء الكتب العربية - فيصل عيسى البابي الحلبي. سنن أبي داود، تحقيق: محمد محيي الدين عبد الحميد، المكتبة العصرية، بيروت. السنن الصغرى للنسائي، تحقيق: عبد الفتاح أبو غدة، ط2، مكتب المطبوعات الإسلامية، حلب، 1406هـ. فيض القدير شرح الجامع الصغير للمناوي ، ط1، المكتبة التجارية الكبرى، مصر، 1356هـ. مسند الإمام أحمد بن حنبل، تحقيق: شعيب الأرنؤوط - عادل مرشد، وآخرون، إشراف: د عبد الله بن عبد المحسن التركي، ط1، مؤسسة الرسالة، 1421هـ. مشكاة المصابيح للتبريزي، ، تحقيق: محمد ناصر الدين الألباني، ط3، المكتب الإسلامي، بيروت، 1985هـ. النهاية في غريب الحديث والأثر لابن الأثير، تحقيق: طاهر أحمد الزاوى - محمود محمد الطناحي، ط 1399هـ، المكتبة العلمية، بيروت. عون المعبود شرح سنن أبي داود، ومعه حاشية ابن القيم: تهذيب سنن أبي داود وإيضاح علله ومشكلاته- محمد أشرف بن أمير بن علي بن حيدر، أبو عبد الرحمن، شرف الحق، الصديقي، العظيم آبادي - دار الكتب العلمية – بيروت الطبعة: الثانية، 1415 هـ.

The apparent meaning of his statement "I have been given what no other prophet before me was given", is that none of those things were given to anyone before him. "I have been granted victory by means of awe", meaning: my enemies fear me. It was an awe that struck the hearts of his enemies, extinguished their power, and caused their multitudes to disperse. His statement "I have been given the keys of the earth", means: the keys originally stands for anything that is used in extracting and finding access to far off things. His saying: "the earth", is a metaphor for Allah's promise to him to conquer the lands. He said: "I have been named Ahmad". In fact, no one before him was given that name, as a preventative measure from Allah, the Almighty, so the weak-hearted would not be affected by any doubt or illusion that he was the one given the name Ahmad in the previous scriptures. His saying: "The earth was made for me a means of purification", means: it is a purifying substance that can be used in the absence of water.

تسهيل الإلمام بفقه الأحاديث من بلوغ المرام لصالح بن فوزان بن عبد الله الفوزان، ط1، الرسالة، بيروت، 1427 هـ. توضيح الأحكام مِن بلوغ المرام لعبد الله بن عبد الرحمن بن صالح البسام، ط5، مكتبة الأسدي، مكة المكرّمة ، 1423 هـ. سبل السلام شرح بلوغ المرام لمحمد بن إسماعيل بن صلاح الصنعاني، دار الحديث. سلسلة الأحاديث الضعيفة والموضوعة وأثرها السيئ في الأمة للألباني، ط1، دار المعارف، الرياض، 1412 هـ. فتح ذي الجلال والإكرام شرح بلوغ المرام لمحمد بن صالح بن محمد العثيمين، تحقيق: صبحي بن محمد رمضان، وأُم إسراء بنت عرفة، ط1، المكتبة الإسلامية، مصر، 1427هـ. فيض القدير شرح الجامع الصغير للمناوي، ط1، المكتبة التجارية الكبرى، مصر، 1356هـ. مسند الإمام أحمد بن حنبل، تحقيق: شعيب الأرنؤوط و عادل مرشد، وآخرون، تحت إشراف: د عبد الله بن عبد المحسن التركي، ط1، مؤسسة الرسالة، 1421 هـ. منحة العلام في شرح بلوغ المرام لعبد الله بن صالح الفوزان، ط1، دار ابن الجوزي، 1432 هـ.

This Hadīth indicates the honor of the Muslim nation through the divine favors that it has received apart from other nations. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) states that Allah, the Exalted, bestowed upon Muslims three special privileges. This, however, does not mean that Muslims were favored with only three privileges, because the Prophet was informed of the characteristics of his nation at intervals, so he would communicate the revelation that he received as occasion arose. The first of these privileges is that Muslims stand in prayer in rows in the same way the angels stand before Allah. They complete the front row first then the one behind it and so on, as explicitly stated in the following Hadīth cited in Sunan Abu Dawūd and other compilations: ''Would you not make rows as the angels make rows before their Lord?'' We (the Companions) asked: ''O Messenger of Allah, how do the angels make rows before their Lord?'' He said: ''They complete the first rows first and they stand close to each other in each row.'' This is different from the practice of previous nations who used to stand in prayer randomly. The second of these privileges is that the whole earth is made a place for Muslims to prostrate on and its soil is good to use for purification. Hence, a Muslim may pray anywhere when the prayer time is due. This is a facilitation and alleviation from Allah to Muslims, contrary to previous nations who had to pray at houses of worship like churches and synagogues. In one of the versions of the present Hadīth, as narrated by Ahmad, the Prophet says: ''and those who were before me would only pray in their churches.'' Another narration says: ''and none of the prophets would pray until he reached his prayer niche.'' Excluded from the broad indication of this Hadīth are certain places which are forbidden to pray in, such as toilets, cemeteries, the resting places of camels, and impure spots. Part of this second privilege is that the soil is made for Muslims a means to purify themselves with. This is a reference to dry ablution, an option that is valid only when water is unavailable. Proof of this is in the Qur'anic verse: {And if you find no water, then seek clean earth} [Sūrat An-Nisā': 43]. Muslim scholars unanimously agreed upon the permissibility of performing dry ablution when water is unavailable or when a person fears he would be harmed by the use of water. The third privilege is not mentioned in this Hadīth; however, it is mentioned in the narration of An-Nasā'i from Abu Mālik who is one of the narrators of Muslim's version of this Hadīth. He says: ''And I was given these verses at the end of Sūrat al-Baqarah from a treasure under the Throne, from which no one before me was given nor anyone after me will be given.''

صحيح مسلم، تأليف: مسلم بن الحجاج النيسابوري، تحقيق: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي الناشر: دار إحياء التراث العربي – بيروت. زاد المعاد في هدي خير العباد، تأليف: محمد بن أبي بكر ابن قيم الجوزية، الناشر: مؤسسة الرسالة، بيروت - مكتبة المنار الإسلامية، الكويت، الطبعة: السابعة والعشرون , 1415هـ /1994م. نيل الأوطار شرح منتقى الأخبار، تأليف: محمد بن علي الشوكاني، تحقيق: عصام الدين الصبابطي، الناشر: دار الحديث، الطبعة: الأولى، 1413هـ. مرقاة المفاتيح شرح مشكاة المصابيح، تأليف: علي بن سلطان القاري، الناشر: دار الفكر، الطبعة: الأولى، 1422هـ. مرعاة المفاتيح شرح مشكاة المصابيح، تأليف: عبيد الله بن محمد المباركفوري، الناشر: إدارة البحوث العلمية والدعوة والإفتاء، الطبعة: الثالثة - 1404 هـ. توضيح الأحكام مِن بلوغ المرام، تأليف: عبد الله بن عبد الرحمن بن صالح البسام، الناشر: مكتبة الأسدي، مكة المكرّمة الطبعة: الخامِسَة، 1423 هـ - 2003 م. فتح ذي الجلال والإكرام، شرح بلوغ المرام، تأليف: محمد بن صالح بن محمد العثيمين، الناشر: المكتبة الإسلامية، تحقيق: صبحي بن محمد رمضان، وأُم إسراء بنت عرفة. منحة العلام في شرح بلوغ المرام، تأليف: عبد الله بن صالح الفوزان، الناشر: دار ابن الجوزي الطبعة: الأولى ، 1427 هـ 1431هـ.