once, then wiped his left hand over his right, the backs of both hands, and his face.” This is Muslim’s wording.

Section

The scholars have differed concerning tayammum: does it temporarily remove ritual impurity until one is able to use water? Or does ritual impurity remain, while prayer is nevertheless valid despite the presence of the impurity that would otherwise prevent it? This is a theoretical question.

They have also differed over whether tayammum takes the place of purification with water: may one perform it before the prayer time begins, just as one may perform ablution beforehand, and pray as many obligatory and voluntary prayers with it as one wishes, just as with purification using water? Does it remain valid when the prayer time ends, just as ablution remains valid? There are two well-known views on this, and this disagreement has practical consequences.

Abū Hanīfa’s position is that one may perform tayammum before the prayer time begins, that it remains valid after that time ends, and that one may pray with it as much as one wishes, just as with purification using water. This is also the view of Sa‘īd ibn al-Musayyib, al-Hasan al-Basrī, al-Zuhrī, al-Thawrī, and others. It is also one of the two positions reported from Ahmad ibn Hanbal.

The second view is that one may not perform tayammum before the prayer time begins, and that it does not remain valid after that time ends.