Chapter on Dry Ablution (tayammum)
Introduction
The lexical root of the word tayammum is taʾammum; the hamzah has been replaced by a yāʾ.
Linguistically, tayammum means “to intend” or “to aim for something.”
In the legal sense, it is the act of wiping the face and hands with clean earth in a specific manner.
Tayammum is established by the Quran, the Sunnah, scholarly consensus, and sound analogy:
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The Quran: “If you cannot find water, then perform tayammum with clean earth and wipe over your faces and your hands with it” (al-Māʾidah 6).
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The Sunnah: Numerous authentic hadiths attest to it, among them the report in Muslim (522) from Hudhayfah: “Its soil has been made a means of purification for us when we do not find water.”
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Consensus: The scholars are unanimous on its validity.
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Analogy: Shaykh al-Islam remarks, “In truth, tayammum conforms to sound analogy. Our origin and physical strength derive from two elements: water and earth. Earth is the origin of humankind, and water is the life of every living thing and the fundamental component of all natures. Water is the best substance for removing impurities; yet when it is absent, or its use is impeded, its brother and twin—earth—takes its place, and that is most fitting.”
Ustadh Sayyid Qutb further observes: “We stand before the Divine method’s zeal for prayer and its establishment in the face of every excuse and obstacle—whether water is unavailable or harmful to use. All this points to the Divine method’s concern for prayer, so that the Muslim will never be cut off…"