He says in his letter: How does one perform tayammum (dry ablution with clean earth) when there is no water? I went out with a group of students, and each group had its own method. Some of them struck the ground four times: once for the face, once for the hands up to the elbows, once for the head and ears, and once for the legs.
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The questioner : He says in his letter: How does one perform tayammum (dry ablution with clean earth) when there is no water? I went out with a group of students, and each group had its own method. Some of them struck the ground four times: once for the face, once for the hands up to the elbows, once for the head and ears, and once for the legs. Some struck it twice: once for the face and the second time for the hands only. As for me, they disapproved of my action because I struck it only once for the face and hands. They asked, "Who taught you this tayammum (dry ablution with clean earth)?" I said, "I heard it from a hadith scholar in the mosque." They said, "Is everything you hear in the mosque correct?" This is what prompted me to ask via your program. May Allah guide you.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets, and upon his family and all his Companions. The brother in the question mentioned that a group differed in the method of tayammum (dry ablution with clean earth) in three ways.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : The most correct of these methods is what the questioner brother did, where he struck the ground with his hands once, then wiped his face and his palms with them. This is the correct method indicated by the hadith of 'Amir ibn Yasir (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) teaching him how to perform tayammum (dry ablution with clean earth). 'Amir ibn Yasir (may Allah be pleased with him) was sent by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) on an errand, but he became in a state of major ritual impurity and could not find water. So he rolled in the dust as a beast rolls, then he came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and mentioned this to him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explained to him that it is sufficient for him to say with his hands like this, and he struck the ground with his hands once, then wiped the left hand over the right hand, the backs of his palms, and his face. This is the prescribed and recommended method.
As for striking the ground twice, once for the face and the second time for the palms, this is the method held by some scholars based on a weak hadith on the matter. However, the correct view is what we mentioned earlier. As for those who struck it four times, assigning one for the face, one for the hands, one for the head, and one for the legs, their ijtihad (independent legal reasoning) resembles the ijtihad of 'Amir ibn Yasir (may Allah be pleased with him) that we referred to.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : They assumed that the purity of tayammum (dry ablution with clean earth) is like the purity of water, covering the four limbs. But the correct view is with you, O questioner.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Because you struck it only once.
As for their saying, "Is everything you hear correct and right?" We say, as they said: Not everything that is heard is correct. Rather, the correct is what agrees with the Book and the Sunnah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : No, not everything that is read. We often hear things that are said, especially in the way of admonition, warning, and encouragement, which are not authentic. Therefore, one should be cautious in such matters regarding what is heard or written.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : But you said, Shaykh Muhammad, that he strikes the ground with his hands, then wipes the right hand over the left hand, then wipes his face and the backs of his palms.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But if he strikes the ground and immediately wipes his face?
The Shaykh : There is no harm in that. He starts with the face first.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : He starts with the face first, then the hands second, because Allah says:[Al-Ma'idah 5:6].
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So the face is given priority.
The questioner : But if he rubs or wipes one hand with the other, does that remove the dust from the hands?
The Shaykh : That does no harm. Removing the dust is not obligatory. In fact, in "Sahih al-Bukhari", it is reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) blew on his palms when he intended to, when he struck them on the ground, he blew on them and then wiped. This indicates that removing the dust is not necessary.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Therefore, it is permissible, according to the stronger opinion, to perform tayammum (dry ablution with clean earth) on ground that has no dust, such as sand, ground wet with water or rain, and the like.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets, and upon his family and all his Companions. The brother in the question mentioned that a group differed in the method of tayammum (dry ablution with clean earth) in three ways.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : The most correct of these methods is what the questioner brother did, where he struck the ground with his hands once, then wiped his face and his palms with them. This is the correct method indicated by the hadith of 'Amir ibn Yasir (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) teaching him how to perform tayammum (dry ablution with clean earth). 'Amir ibn Yasir (may Allah be pleased with him) was sent by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) on an errand, but he became in a state of major ritual impurity and could not find water. So he rolled in the dust as a beast rolls, then he came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and mentioned this to him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explained to him that it is sufficient for him to say with his hands like this, and he struck the ground with his hands once, then wiped the left hand over the right hand, the backs of his palms, and his face. This is the prescribed and recommended method.
As for striking the ground twice, once for the face and the second time for the palms, this is the method held by some scholars based on a weak hadith on the matter. However, the correct view is what we mentioned earlier. As for those who struck it four times, assigning one for the face, one for the hands, one for the head, and one for the legs, their ijtihad (independent legal reasoning) resembles the ijtihad of 'Amir ibn Yasir (may Allah be pleased with him) that we referred to.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : They assumed that the purity of tayammum (dry ablution with clean earth) is like the purity of water, covering the four limbs. But the correct view is with you, O questioner.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Because you struck it only once.
As for their saying, "Is everything you hear correct and right?" We say, as they said: Not everything that is heard is correct. Rather, the correct is what agrees with the Book and the Sunnah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : No, not everything that is read. We often hear things that are said, especially in the way of admonition, warning, and encouragement, which are not authentic. Therefore, one should be cautious in such matters regarding what is heard or written.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : But you said, Shaykh Muhammad, that he strikes the ground with his hands, then wipes the right hand over the left hand, then wipes his face and the backs of his palms.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But if he strikes the ground and immediately wipes his face?
The Shaykh : There is no harm in that. He starts with the face first.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : He starts with the face first, then the hands second, because Allah says:
and wipe over your faces and hands with it
فَامْسَحُوا بِوُجُوهِكُمْ وَأَيْدِيكُمْ مِنْهُThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So the face is given priority.
The questioner : But if he rubs or wipes one hand with the other, does that remove the dust from the hands?
The Shaykh : That does no harm. Removing the dust is not obligatory. In fact, in "Sahih al-Bukhari", it is reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) blew on his palms when he intended to, when he struck them on the ground, he blew on them and then wiped. This indicates that removing the dust is not necessary.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Therefore, it is permissible, according to the stronger opinion, to perform tayammum (dry ablution with clean earth) on ground that has no dust, such as sand, ground wet with water or rain, and the like.