may he recite the Quran outside prayer and offer his customary night prayers? May a woman who is in a state of major ritual impurity or menstruating recite over her young child? If someone cannot find earth, may he perform dry ablution using a carpet or mat if there is dust on it?

He answered:

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all worlds.

Anyone who enters a state of major ritual impurity through a wet dream or intercourse, whether lawful or unlawful, must perform the ritual bath and pray. If bathing is impossible because water is unavailable or using it would cause harm—for example, he is ill and bathing would aggravate his illness, or the weather is cold and he fears that bathing would cause a headache, a cold, or catarrh—then he should perform dry ablution and pray. This applies to men and women alike. One must not delay prayer beyond its prescribed time.

A woman may not refuse her husband intercourse; rather, he may have intercourse with her. If she can perform the ritual bath, she must do so; otherwise, she should perform dry ablution. The same applies to the man: if he can perform the ritual bath, he must do so; otherwise, he should perform dry ablution. He may have intercourse with her before entering the bathhouse. If she can bathe and pray outside the bathhouse, she should do so. If she fears missing the prayer, she should screen herself from view in the bathhouse and pray, without letting the prayer time elapse.

Combining two prayers with complete purification using water is better than offering them separately with dry ablution. Likewise, the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—instructed the woman experiencing non-menstrual bleeding to combine two prayers with a single ritual bath, and this was deemed better than offering them separately with ablution.