ibn Yāsir that he said: ‘When the verse concerning tayammum was revealed, the Muslims, together with the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—performed tayammum up to their shoulders and armpits.’” They may have done this in accordance with the apparent meaning of the Quran, covering everything that the Arabs call a “hand,” before the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—had given them any instruction concerning it, since nothing of this kind is reported concerning the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—outside this hadith.

Accordingly, the scholars differed over how far tayammum must extend. Some held that it must extend to the shoulders. This was the view of Ibn Shihāb and of Muhammad ibn Maslamah, one of our scholars. Others held that it need extend only to the elbows, based on what is reported from the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—and by analogy with ablution. This is the position of al-Shāfi‘ī and most scholars; among our scholars, Ibn Nāfi‘ and Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Hakam adopted it. Others held that tayammum need extend only to the wrists, by analogy with the amputation prescribed for theft. Each of these positions has been held with either one strike or two—one for the face and one for the hands—making six opinions in all. Al-Hasan and Ibn Abī Laylā held that one should strike twice, wiping the face and hands after each strike. In al-Muntakhab, Ibn Lubābah related an eighth opinion: a person in a state of major ritual impurity performs tayammum up to the wrists on the authority of the Sunnah, not the Quran, whereas one not in that state performs it up to the shoulders, according to the Quran’s apparent meaning. He supported this with arguments that anyone who examines the relevant passage in his book will find.

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Mālik—may Allah have mercy on him—held that a person in a state of major ritual impurity performs tayammum on the basis of the Quran’s apparent meaning. Allah—exalted is He—commanded ablution for minor ritual impurity and full washing for major ritual impurity before prayer. He then commanded tayammum explicitly when water is unavailable and, by the text’s apparent implication, when one is unable to use it. This must therefore be understood as applying both to ablution and to washing for major ritual impurity. It cannot be restricted to one rather than the other without evidence, and there is no such evidence. Indeed, the reports transmitted from the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—concerning tayammum for a person in a state of major ritual impurity establish the contrary.

He also held—meaning Mālik—that tayammum is the same whether performed for major ritual impurity or for the minor ritual impurity that invalidates ablution. In either case, the obligatory tayammum consists of a single strike for wiping the face and hands up to the wrists. He nevertheless recommended two strikes: one for the face and one for the hands