drinking, cooking, performing minor ablution, major ablution, and other essential needs. In such a case he is regarded as one who has no water at all.
The second situation is illness: if a person is sick and cannot use water for purification—or using it would worsen his condition or cause another ailment—then in both circumstances, the absence of water or the inability to use it because of illness, dry ablution is permissible. Allah, Exalted is He, says:
“O you who believe, when you rise for prayer, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, wipe over your heads and (wash) your feet up to the ankles. If you are in a state of major impurity, then purify yourselves. But if you are ill or on a journey, or one of you comes from relieving himself, or you have touched women, and you do not find water, then perform dry ablution with clean earth and wipe your faces and your hands with it.” (al-Māʾidah 5:6)
He also says:
“O you who believe, do not approach prayer while you are intoxicated until you understand what you are saying, nor in a state of major impurity—unless you are traveling—until you bathe. But if you are ill or on a journey, or one of you comes from relieving himself, or you have touched women, and you do not find water, then perform dry ablution with clean earth and wipe your faces and your hands. Truly Allah is Ever-Pardoning, Ever-Forgiving.” (an-Nisāʾ 4:43)
Both noble verses indicate that whoever cannot find water, or finds it but cannot use it because of illness or the need to preserve the water, is allowed to perform dry ablution with earth, which then stands in place of purification with water. This is part of Allah’s ease and mercy toward this community.
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Dry ablution for the Fajr prayer in severe cold
Question: We live in an extremely cold country, and when we rise for the Fajr prayer we are unable to perform minor ablution because the water is so cold. At times we resort to dry ablution and then pray. Is this sufficient, or is minor ablution still required? If minor ablution is required, must we make up the prayers we performed with dry ablution only?