Tayammum: Dry Ablution When Water Is Unavailable

Tayammum is the Islamic alternative to wudu (ablution) and ghusl (full body wash) when water is unavailable or its use would cause harm. Allah says: "And if you are ill or on a journey or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself or you have contacted women and do not find water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and hands" (Quran 4:43). This concession demonstrates Islam's principle of ease: "Allah does not intend to make difficulty for you" (Quran 5:6). Tayammum allows a Muslim to pray on time regardless of circumstances.

When Tayammum Is Permitted

Tayammum is permitted in several situations: complete absence of water after a reasonable search (the scholars generally say one should search within a reasonable distance); illness where water use would worsen the condition or delay recovery (based on medical knowledge or reasonable personal assessment); extreme cold where using water risks serious harm and no means of heating it exists; water available only in a quantity needed for drinking or cooking for survival; and water present but inaccessible (e.g., near a well but no means to draw from it). The key principle is genuine inability or genuine harm, not mere inconvenience.

Method of Tayammum

The method is simple. The person strikes the clean earth (or any natural surface such as sand, stone, or dust) with both palms once, blows off excess dust, then wipes the face completely with both hands, then wipes the back of the right hand with the left palm and the back of the left hand with the right palm. This is the position of the Hanbali school and many hadith scholars based on the hadith of Ammar ibn Yasir in Sahih al-Bukhari. The Hanafi and Shafi'i schools require two strikes: one for the face and one for the arms up to the elbows. The Maliki school requires striking once and wiping the face and hands up to the wrists.

What Invalidates Tayammum

Tayammum is invalidated by everything that invalidates regular wudu (passing wind, using the restroom, etc.) and additionally by the availability of water or the removal of the excuse that permitted tayammum. If water becomes available during prayer, the majority of scholars hold that the prayer is not invalidated and should be completed. The Hanafi school holds that the prayer is broken by the availability of water. Tayammum is valid for one obligatory prayer according to the Hanafi and Maliki schools (meaning a new tayammum is required for each fard prayer), while the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools allow tayammum to remain valid until it is broken by a hadath (nullifier) or the availability of water.