or to his companion, his wife, or his property, through thirst, illness, death, or the like …

His statement, “or to his companion,” means that he fears that using or seeking water will harm his companion.

An example is where he has only a small amount of water along with a group of companions: if he uses the water, the group will become thirsty and suffer harm. We therefore say to him: Perform dry ablution and leave the water for the group …

The apparent meaning of his statement, “or to his companion,” is that it includes both a disbeliever and a Muslim, on condition that the disbeliever is protected by a covenant—namely, a dhimmi, a person under treaty, or one granted safe-conduct.

His statement, “or his wife,” means that he fears that using or seeking water will harm his wife, or a woman under his guardianship.

His statement, “or his property,” means that he fears that using or seeking water will cause harm to his property, such as when he has an animal with him which would be harmed or perish if he used the water.

His statement, “through thirst,” is connected to “harm”; that is, harm to these persons through thirst.

His statement, “or illness,” is exemplified by a person who has wounds on his skin that would be harmed by using water.

His statement, “or death,” refers to such a case as fearing that one will die of thirst.

His statement, “or the like,” means other forms of harm.

Thus, the governing principle may be stated as follows: the second condition is the inability to use water, either because it is unavailable or because using or seeking it would cause harm. This is broader and clearer than the author’s wording.