water reaches beneath thin hair. Furthermore, dry ablution involves neither rinsing the mouth nor rinsing the nose, and the soil does not have to reach the folds and creases of the forehead, unlike water.

The correct view, then, is that we should confine ourselves to the outward sense of what has been reported from the Prophet ﷺ on this matter. Adhering to the apparent meaning in legal rulings is like adhering to it in matters of creed, except where evidence indicates otherwise.

Yet adherence to the apparent meaning in matters of creed is more emphatic, because they are matters of the unseen, in which reason has no scope; unlike legal rulings, in which reason may sometimes have a role. Nevertheless, the basic principle is that we are bound by the apparent meaning.

In my view, the manner that accords with the apparent meaning of the sunnah is to strike the ground once with both hands, without spreading the fingers apart; then wipe the face with the palms, and wipe one palm with the other. In this way, dry ablution is complete.

It is recommended to blow on the hands, because this was reported from the Prophet ﷺ (1), although some scholars restricted this to the case where a large amount of soil has adhered to his hands (2).