(1) “Masjidan” (a place of prostration) means any spot on the ground where one may bow down; the act of prostration is not limited to a particular part of it. “Tahuran” (a purifying substance), with an open t-sound at the beginning. Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar explains: “This wording shows that tahur is something that purifies other things. Had the term meant merely ‘pure,’ no special virtue would be implied, whereas the purpose of the hadith is precisely to affirm such a virtue. Ibn al-Munzir and Ibn al-Jarud transmit an authentic marfu narration from Anas: ‘Every wholesome land has been made for me a masjid and a tahur.’ The adjective tayyiba (wholesome) here means ‘clean.’ If tahur also meant ‘clean,’ the statement would be redundant. The text also proves that tayammum (dry ablution) is permissible with every part of the earth, a point the Prophet underscores by saying, ‘all of it.’” Al-Sindi adds: “The hadith applies so long as the ground remains in its original state; if it becomes impure, it is excluded, and the hadith does not deny this. The report supports the view that tayammum may be performed on the entire surface of the earth and is not confined to dust alone. This universality is reinforced by his words ‘wherever a man is overtaken by the prayer,’ with ‘man’ in the accusative and ‘prayer’ in the nominative. This is especially evident in the Hijaz, which is mostly mountains and rocks; how could the hadith’s general wording make sense if we claimed that tayammum there is valid only in a few specific spots? One should reflect on this.” The same universality is confirmed by the Prophet’s ﷺ performing tayammum from a wall, a report found in both Sahih collections. Hence Ibn Daqiq al-Id remarks: “Anyone who restricts tayammum to soil must produce evidence that limits this general ruling, or …” (continues).