- Purifying the body
It is rigorously authenticated in the two Ṣaḥīḥ collections, in the narration of ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with them both), that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, once passed by two graves and said, “They are being punished, yet they are not being punished for something people regard as great. One of them did not safeguard himself from his urine”—in another wording: “did not cleanse himself from urine”—“and the other went about spreading tale-bearing.” We seek refuge with Allah. This ḥadith proves that one must keep completely clear of urine, and by extension of every other impurity.
Now, imagine a person out in the open country whose garment becomes soiled and he has nothing with which to wash it. May he perform tayammum (dry ablution) so that he can pray in that garment? He may not. The same ruling applies if some impurity reaches his body—his foot, hand, shin, or forearm—while he is in the wilderness with no water available: he does not perform tayammum. Tayammum is legislated only for lifting the state of ritual impurity (ḥadath); it is not prescribed for removing tangible filth. Such filth is cleansed by actually removing it; if removal is possible, it must be done, and if not, the impurity remains until it can be washed away. Allah knows best.
Rulings on wiping over leather socks and splints
We have already noted that purification concerns four bodily limbs: the face, the hands, the head, and the feet. The face must be washed, the hands washed, the head wiped, and the feet either washed or wiped. Thus two limbs are washed, one is wiped, and one may be either washed or wiped.