Mālik, al-Shāfi‘ī, and Ahmad. It also indicates that the view that it means washing the private parts, as Dāwūd held, is weak.
Section
Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says:
“If you are ill, on a journey, have relieved yourselves, or have touched women, and cannot find water, then perform dry ablution with clean earth.”
His words, “and cannot find water,” relate to His words, “on a journey,” not to illness. A sick person may perform dry ablution even when water is available, whereas a traveller may do so only when unable to find water.
He, glorified and exalted, mentions the two usual categories: those who would be harmed by using water and those who cannot find it. His words, “on a journey,” encompass both long and short journeys, as the majority hold.
His words, “If you are ill,” are like His words in the verse concerning fear:
“There is no blame upon you for laying aside your weapons if you are troubled by rain or are ill,”
and His words concerning ritual consecration:
“Whoever among you is ill or has an ailment of the scalp”