I was in a state of major ritual impurity on a very cold day, so I feared for my health and did not perform a complete ritual bath; instead, I washed from the navel downward, performed the ablution for prayer, and prayed with this washing.

The questioner : I was in a state of major ritual impurity on a very cold day, so I feared for my health and did not perform a complete ritual bath for my entire body with water; instead, I washed the lower part of my body from the navel downward, performed the ablution for prayer, and prayed with this washing for all the prayer times for about a week. Is my prayer valid, or do I have to repeat it? I ask for your guidance, O honorable Shaykh.

The Shaykh : This washing that he performed does not suffice him, because the ritual bath must cover the entire body, and this man did not wash anything but the lower part of his body. Furthermore, it appears from his question that he did not perform dry ablution with clean earth. Consequently, he prayed without ritual purity, neither the purity of dry ablution nor the purity of water. Therefore, he is obligated to repeat the prayers he performed, because he was negligent in not asking. He should have asked about this action on the day it happened.
I also say that if a person is in a state of major ritual impurity on a very cold day and fears for his health, and he does not find a way to warm the water, he should perform dry ablution with clean earth, and there is no need for him to wash the lower part of his body. He performs dry ablution for the major ritual impurity, and if it is later made possible for him to perform the ritual bath, it is obligatory for him to perform the ritual bath.

The questioner : May Allah bless you.