that he should perform tayammum if he cannot find water while traveling, until he finds water; once he finds it, he must use it. It has been reported that ‘Umar and Ibn Mas‘ūd rejected tayammum for someone in a state of major ritual impurity, and it has also been reported that they retracted that view. Permitting it is the position of most of the Companions, including ‘Alī, ‘Ammār, Ibn ‘Abbās, Abū Dharr, and others. It is supported by verses from the Book of Allah and five hadiths from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

These include the hadiths of ‘Ammār ibn Yāsir and ‘Imrān ibn Husayn, both recorded in the two Sahīhs; the hadith of Abū Dharr, which al-Tirmidhī graded authentic; the hadith of ‘Amr ibn al-‘Ās; and the hadith concerning the man who suffered a head wound and was given a legal ruling, about whom the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“They killed him—may Allah kill them! Why did they not ask when they did not know? The only cure for ignorance is to ask.”

An authentic report relates that ‘Umar said:

“We were with the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He asked for water for ablution and performed ablution. The call to prayer was made, and he led the people in prayer. When he finished praying, he noticed a man sitting apart who had not prayed with the others. He said, ‘What prevented you, so-and-so, from praying with the others?’ He replied, ‘I am in a state of major ritual impurity, and there is no water.’ He said, ‘Use clean earth, for it is sufficient for you.’”

Reported by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.

In the two Sahīhs, ‘Ammār ibn Yāsir said:

“The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sent me on an errand. I entered a state of major ritual impurity but could find no water, so I rolled in the earth as an animal rolls. Then I came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and told him what had happened. He said, ‘It would have sufficed for you to do this with your hands.’ Then he struck the ground with both hands