1. Allah’s saying, Exalted is He: “and your hands with it” [Quran 5:6]. When the word “hand” is used without qualification, it refers to the palm, as indicated by Allah’s saying, Exalted is He: “As for the male thief and the female thief, cut off their hands” [Quran 5:38]. The cutting is only at the wrist joint.

2. The hadith of Ammar ibn Yasir, in which the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “It is sufficient for you to do this with your hands.” Then he struck the ground once with his hands, then wiped his left hand over his right, and wiped the outer sides of his palms and his face. (1) He did not wipe the forearm.

Some scholars held that tayammum extends to the elbows (2). They cited the following evidence:

1. What has been narrated from him, peace and blessings be upon him, that he said: “Tayammum consists of two strikes: one strike for the face and one strike for the hands up to the elbows.” (3) This was answered by noting that the hadith is weak and singular, and contradicts the authentic hadiths concerning the manner of tayammum: namely, that it consists of a single strike, and that the wiping extends only to the wrists.

2. Analogy of tayammum to wudu. This analogy was answered in two ways: