up to the elbows. If he performs tayammum only up to the wrists, he should repeat the prayer within its prescribed time; if he performs tayammum with a single strike for his face and hands up to the elbows, he need not repeat it.
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Some scholars held that a person in a state of major ritual impurity has no concession permitting tayammum. This was the position of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb. ‘Abd Allāh ibn Mas‘ūd also held this view but later retracted it. It is reported:
“A man asked ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb, saying, ‘I entered a state of major ritual impurity and could find no water.’ He instructed him not to pray. ‘Ammār then said to him, ‘Do you not remember when we were on a military expedition during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—and both you and I entered a state of major ritual impurity? You did not pray, whereas I rolled in the dust and prayed. I then went to the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—and told him about it. He said, “It would have been enough for you to do this.” He struck the ground with his palms, blew on them, and wiped his face and hands.’”
‘Umar was not persuaded by ‘Ammār’s account. He feared that ‘Ammār might have been mistaken or suffered a lapse of memory in what he related, since he himself remembered none of it.
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Some who profess adherence to hadith held that a person in a state of major ritual impurity should perform tayammum when water is unavailable, but should perform ablution when water is available yet he is unable to tolerate contact with it. They based this on the following report:
“‘Amr ibn al-‘Ās related that the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—appointed him to command the army of Dhāt al-Salāsil. The army included a number of the Emigrants and the Helpers, among them ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb. ‘Amr ibn al-‘Ās had a wet dream on a bitterly cold night. Fearing that he would die if he bathed, he performed ablution and then led his companions in prayer. When he—peace and blessings be upon him—returned, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb came forward and complained about ‘Amr ibn al-‘Ās, even saying, ‘And he led all of us in prayer!’ The Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—turned away from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb. When ‘Amr returned, he entered upon the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—and began telling him what he had done during his campaign. The Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—asked him, ‘Did you pray while in a state of major ritual impurity, ‘Amr?’ He replied, ‘Yes, Messenger of Allah. I had a wet dream on a night colder than any I had ever experienced. I gave myself the choice between bathing and dying, or accepting the concession granted by Allah—Mighty and Majestic. So I accepted the concession granted by Allah—exalted is He—and knew that Allah