because of it. Rather, it mentions only tayammum (dry purification), after commanding a person in a state of minor ritual impurity who rises for prayer to perform ablution, and commanding a person in a state of major ritual impurity to bathe. It then mentions purification with clean earth, necessarily explaining both cases.

His words,

“Or one of you comes from relieving himself,”

explain tayammum in the former case. As for His words,

“Or have touched women,”

neither this nor the preceding expression was mentioned to explain purification with water, since the basic ruling on this was already known from His words, “When you rise for prayer, wash,” and His words, “If you are in a state of major ritual impurity, purify yourselves.”

Thus, the verse states only that the person who has touched a woman should perform tayammum if he cannot find water. How, then, could this be a case of minor ritual impurity? Would He command someone who has touched a woman to perform tayammum when He has not commanded him to perform ablution? How could He command tayammum for someone whom He has not commanded to perform ablution? He commanded tayammum only for those whom He commanded to perform ablution or ritual bathing. Discussing comparable examples would take too long. Whoever reflects upon the verse will be certain that this is its intended meaning.

Section

The verse also indicates that a traveller may have intercourse with his wife even if he cannot find water, and that doing so is not disliked, as Allah has stated in the verse and as the hadiths indicate—the hadith of Abū Dharr and others.