between you and the earth is part of it.” Reports from Mālik differ concerning tayammum on snow when it covers the ground: he permitted it in the narration of ‘Alī ibn Ziyād, but prohibited it in that of Ashhab and others. Al-Shāfi‘ī held that tayammum is permissible only with soil, citing the report that the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—said: “The earth has been made for me a place of prayer, and its soil has been made for me a means of purification.” There is therefore consensus that tayammum with soil is permissible, while disagreement concerns other materials akin to the earth. The preferred course is thus not to perform tayammum with pebbles and similar materials unless soil is unavailable. If someone nevertheless uses them while soil is available, the apparent meaning of al-Mudawwanah is that he need not repeat the prayer, whereas Ibn Habīb said that he should repeat it within its prescribed time.
As for snow, if someone performs tayammum with it while able to reach the earth beneath it, he must repeat the prayer even after its prescribed time has elapsed. This was stated by Ibn Habīb and is the implication of what appears in al-Mudawwanah. If he performs tayammum with snow when unable to reach the earth, the apparent meaning of al-Mudawwanah is that he need not repeat the prayer, whereas Ibn Habīb said that he should repeat it within its prescribed time. All of this follows ‘Alī ibn Ziyād’s narration from Mālik. According to Ashhab’s narration from him, however, anyone who performs tayammum with snow must repeat the prayer even after its prescribed time has elapsed, whether he could reach the earth or not.
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Mālik—may Allah Most High have mercy on him—held that tayammum may be performed with soil that is no longer on the earth’s surface: for example, soil brought to a sick person on a tray or to a rider in a litter. A sick person may likewise perform tayammum using a wall beside him if it is made of unbaked bricks. Ibn Bukayr, however, held that this act of worship consists specifically in making for the earth’s surface, and therefore permitted none of these practices.
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Allah Almighty mentioned the hands without specifying a limit for tayammum, unlike ablution, for which He specified the elbows as the limit. Reports from the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—differ on this matter. He is reported to have instructed that tayammum be performed up to the elbows or up to the wrists, with one strike or two. “It is reported from ‘Ammār