Linguistically, tayammum means “to intend.” Juridically, it consists of wiping the face and hands with clean earth in a prescribed manner.

As it is affirmed in the Noble Qur’an, it is likewise affirmed by the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and by the consensus of the Muslim community. It is a special favor granted to this Muhammadan nation; Allah singled it out for them and did not make it a means of purification for any community before, thereby expanding His mercy and kindness toward them.

In the two Ṣaḥīḥs and other collections the Prophet ﷺ said, “I have been given five things no one before me was given: I have been aided with awe for the distance of a month’s travel; the earth has been made for me a mosque and a purifier, so wherever a man of my nation is overtaken by the time of prayer, let him pray.” In another wording: “There, he has his place of prayer and his purification.”

Tayammum, then, replaces water purification whenever a person is, in law, unable to use water. With it one may do everything that requires ablution or ritual bath—prayer, circumambulation of the Kaʿbah, recitation of the Qur’an, and so on—for Allah has made tayammum a purifier just as He has made water a purifier. The Prophet ﷺ said, “Its soil—that is, the earth—has been made a purification for us … .”

Tayammum stands in place of water in the following circumstances:

First: when water is unavailable, as in His words, “ … and if you cannot find water, then perform tayammum … ” (Q 4:43). This applies whether the shortage occurs in town or while traveling, provided the person has searched for water and not found it.