The manner of dry ablution and its conditions

Question: What is the correct way to perform dry ablution (tayammum) and what are its conditions?

Answer: The prescribed way to perform dry ablution is to strike the ground once with both hands, fingers spread apart, then with the inner sides of the fingers wipe the face, and with the palms wipe both hands. Should he strike twice—once for the face and once for the hands—there is no harm; both methods are authentically reported from the Prophet ﷺ. Nevertheless, performing one strike and dividing it between the face and the hands is the sounder and better practice.

As for the conditions of dry ablution: its validity depends on the absence of water or the inability to use it, as indicated by the verse, “O you who believe, when you rise for prayer, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows… and if you find no water, then perform dry ablution with clean earth and wipe your faces and your hands with it” (al-Māʾidah 5:6).

Therefore, a valid dry ablution requires that water be unavailable or that one be unable to use it due to illness or similar causes, or because he fears thirst or harm if he were to use the water he has, since what he possesses is insufficient for drinking, cooking, and purification.

It is also stipulated that the dry ablution be performed on a clean, pure surface of earth, for the Most High says, “clean earth,” meaning: purifying soil. These are the requirements for dry ablution, and Allah knows best.

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Situations in which dry ablution is permitted

Question: When is dry ablution permitted, and what is the ruling if a person is near water?

Answer: Dry ablution is permitted in two situations:

The first: when one has no water, or possesses water that is insufficient for some of his