Chapter on Tayammum and Its Rules

This narration indicates that if a person does not fear danger from a thief or a wild animal, it becomes obligatory for him to seek water, even if it is at a distance of two arrow flights.

The Shaykh (Al-Mufid), may Allah سبحانه وتعالى support him, commented: "The term sa’eed refers to soil. It is called sa’eed because it ascends to the surface of the earth. Tayyib refers to soil free of any known impurity." This is supported by what Ibn Duraid mentioned in his book Al-Jamhara, quoting Abu Ubaidah Ma’mar ibn Al-Muthanna, that sa’eed refers to pure soil, free from impurities such as stones or sand. His statement holds weight in linguistic matters. If sa’eed means soil, then our interpretation is correct. If it means the earth itself or what rises to its surface, then it does not support the interpretation of our opponents, such as the followers of Abu Hanifa, who argue that substances like antimony or arsenic qualify as earth. These are not referred to as "earth" in common language, just as minerals like silver, gold, or iron are not called "earth." For example, one does not say, "I have a piece of the earth," when referring to antimony or arsenic. Hence, these do not qualify as sa’eed. If sa’eed refers to what rises on the surface of the earth, it must either belong to the same category as the earth or be of a different kind. If it is of the same kind, then our interpretation is correct. If it is of a different kind, this is invalid, as substances such as fruits or minerals that rise on the earth are not referred to as sa’eed. The Shaykh (Al-Mufid) also added: "It is recommended to perform tayammum from elevated areas of land and the upper portions of the earth, from which water flows downward, as they are purer than lower-lying areas." This recommendation is based on the idea that elevated areas are less likely to be contaminated and are thus more suitable for tayammum.

These two narrations indicate the dislike (karahah) of performing tayammum using dust from pathways or frequently trodden areas. Therefore, what remains as suitable for tayammum are elevated and untouched lands, such as ruba (hilltops) and awali (uplands), where water flows down from them, making them preferred for tayammum. The Shaykh (Al-Mufid), may Allah سبحانه وتعالى support him, then said: "It is not permissible to perform tayammum with substances other than earth, even if they resemble soil in their softness and powdery nature, such as crushed soapwort (ashnan), aloe (sa'd), or lotus leaves (sidr), and similar materials. It is also not permissible to perform tayammum with ash. However, there is no harm in performing tayammum with chalky white soil (jissiyah) or gypsum soil." Thus, it is established from what has been mentioned that tayammum must be performed using soil, earth, or anything explicitly called soil or earth. These materials that do not fall under the definition of soil or earth are not valid for tayammum. This ruling is further supported by additional evidence.

This negates the permissibility of using anything other than water and earth for ablution.

Its meaning is that it is permissible to use it for wiping (tamsuh) and for wudu in the sense of cleaning and improving appearance, not wudu for prayer. This is clarified by further context.

The Shaykh (Al-Mufid), may Allah سبحانه وتعالى support him, further said: "And one should not perform tayammum with zarnikh (arsenic) because it is a mineral and not considered earth with soil on its surface." This is consistent with the earlier principle: if tayammum is obligatory with something called "soil," anything not referred to as soil cannot be used for tayammum. The Shaykh (Al-Mufid), may Allah سبحانه وتعالى support him, also said: "If a person is in muddy terrain and needs to perform tayammum but cannot find soil, they should shake off dust from their clothes, the back of their animal, the saddle, or their luggage. If some dust is released, they should use it for tayammum. If no dust comes out, they should place their hands on the mud, then lift them, rub them together until no moisture remains, and use them to wipe their face and the backs of their hands."

The Shaykh (Al-Mufid), may Allah سبحانه وتعالى support him, then added: If a person is in a land covered with snow and cannot access soil, they should break the snow and perform wudu with its water. If they fear for their safety, they should press the palm of their right hand onto the snow and move it with pressure, lifting it with the moisture it contains to wipe their face. Then they should place their left palm on the snow, repeating the process, and wipe their right hand from the elbow to the fingertips as if anointing it. Next, they place their right hand again on the snow as they did before and wipe their left hand from the elbow to the fingertips. They should then lift their hand to wipe their forehead and use the moisture on their hands from the snow to wipe their feet. Then they may pray, Allah سبحانه وتعالى willing. If they require purification by ghusl, they should treat the snow as described for wudu, wiping their head, face, and hands as if anointing, until they have covered all parts of the body. If they fear for their safety in doing so, they should delay the prayer until they can purify themselves with water or find soil for tayammum and make up the missed prayers, Allah سبحانه وتعالى willing.

The implication of this narration is that if he is unable to use the frozen water due to cold or other reasons, this ruling applies. This is further clarified by another narration.

Then he, (Shaykh (Al-Mufid), may Allah سبحانه وتعالى support him), said: "If someone is in a rocky or stony area without any soil, he should place his hands on the stones and wipe his face and hands as described in the tayammum of soil. There is no harm in praying with this due to the situation of necessity, and there is no obligation to repeat the prayer." The reasoning behind this ruling is that stones are referred to as part of the earth (ard). Since this term applies to them, they fall under the general ruling previously mentioned. He, (Shaykh (Al-Mufid), may Allah سبحانه وتعالى support him), also stated: "If the one performing tayammum finds water and is able to use it without fear for himself, then his prayer is not valid without performing ablution or ghusl with the water. However, there is no need to repeat the prayers performed with tayammum prior to finding water."

Its meaning is that if he had prayed at the beginning of the time, repeating the prayer is obligatory. However, if he had prayed at the end of the time, there is no obligation to repeat the prayer. What indicates this is (following hadith):

The meaning here is that when he prayed with tayammum, it was within the time of the prayer. It does not mean that he found water while still within the time [of the prayer]. If he had found water while the time for prayer remained, it would have been obligatory for him to repeat the prayer, as previously explained. Similarly, the same applies to the other narrations on this matter.

This narration can be interpreted as follows: when the man performed tayammum and prayed, it was during the time (for the prayer), not that he found the water while the time was still remaining. It is also possible that the meaning is that he found water within the time, but he had not completed his prayer in full, having only prayed one or two units (rak‘ahs). Therefore, the phrase "His prayer is valid" refers to the portion of the prayer he completed. As for the statement "and let him purify himself," it may be understood to mean that he should purify himself for another prayer he intends to perform.

The interpretation of this narration is that the phrase "then prays" refers to him having entered the prayer but not yet completed it. In such a case, he is not required to interrupt the prayer; rather, he should continue with it. However, if he had already completed the prayer and the time for the prayer was still remaining, he would be obligated to repeat it, as mentioned earlier.

The interpretation of this narration aligns with what was previously mentioned in the earlier narrations, following the same reasoning. Then, the Shaykh (Al-Mufid), said: "If someone has a nocturnal emission and fears performing ghusl due to severe cold or an illness that makes using water harmful or life-threatening, they should perform tayammum and pray. When they are later able to perform ghusl, they should do so for the subsequent prayers."

This narration has also been transmitted (following hadith):

Regarding this narration, the following points are notable: 1. It is a mursal (interrupted) and disconnected narration because, in the first transmission, Ja‘far ibn Bashir states, “from the one who narrated it,” which is an unknown source, rendering the narration unreliable and subject to dismissal. 2. In the second transmission, Ja‘far ibn Bashir mentions, “from ‘Abdullah ibn Sinan or someone else,” showing uncertainty in the chain of narration, which further weakens its reliability. For narrations of this nature, which contain ambiguity or interruption in the chain, they are not considered binding evidence. However, if the narration were deemed reliable despite its weaknesses, it would be interpreted to apply to someone who deliberately caused themselves to be in a state of janabah and subsequently feared for their life due to cold conditions. In such cases, they would perform tayammum, offer their prayer, and then repeat it later when the conditions are favorable. However, the better course of action for them would still be to perform ghusl if possible, as will be elaborated upon later. Evidence further supports that someone who performs tayammum due to janabah and prays is not obligated to repeat the prayer.

The narration is the same as the one previously mentioned.

He (may Allah سبحانه وتعالى support him) said: "If one deliberately causes himself to become junub, then ghusl is obligatory upon him, and if he fears harm from it, tayammum will not suffice for him."

The Shaykh (Al-Mufid), may Allah سبحانه وتعالى support him, said: "The one who performs tayammum can pray with that tayammum all the obligatory and recommended prayers of the day and night, as long as he does not do anything that invalidates the state of purity or gains access to water. If he gains access to water, his tayammum is nullified, and he must perform purification with water for prayer. If he neglects this until the water becomes unavailable again or using water becomes harmful to him, he must repeat the tayammum." This is supported by Allah سبحانه وتعالى, the Almighty's statement in the verse of purification, where Allah سبحانه وتعالى obligates purification upon one who stands for prayer if water is available and then allows tayammum when water is unavailable. Prayer here is a generic term, implying that purification suffices for all prayers when water is available, just as tayammum suffices for all prayers when water is unavailable. Just as purification with water is not limited to single prayer, tayammum also is not restricted. If it is argued that Allah’s سبحانه وتعالى statement "If you rise for prayer" (Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:6) implies the necessity of purification or tayammum for every prayer, we respond that the apparent command does not indicate repetition. It only implies the act being performed once and does not necessitate repeated purification or tayammum for each instance of standing for prayer. Consider the example of someone saying to his wife, "You are divorced if you enter the house," which implies a single occurrence of divorce upon her first entry and does not repeat with each subsequent entry.

This narration is general in its wording, as it does not specify any particular time but rather states that it suffices until water is found.

These two narrations differ in wording, though the narrator (Abu Hammam) is the same. In one narration, Abu Hammam reports from Imam al-Ridha عليه السلام, as recorded by Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Mahbub, while in the other narration, recorded by Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Yahya, it is attributed to Muhammad ibn Sa‘id ibn Ghazwan. This variation weakens the reliability of the report. If the narration were authentic, it could be interpreted as recommending tayammum for each prayer out of desirability, akin to the recommendation for renewing wudu, even though performing multiple prayers with a single wudu is permissible by consensus. Another possibility is that the statement refers to a situation where water becomes available between prayers, in which case tayammum would no longer suffice, and wudu would become obligatory. Moreover, Abu Hammam has also narrated reports that contradict this narration and align with the interpretation that multiple prayers can be performed with one tayammum, supporting the position we have adopted.

Then the Shaykh (Al-Mufid), may Allah سبحانه وتعالى support him, said: "Whoever lacks water should not perform tayammum until the time of prayer enters. Then he should search for it ahead, to his right, and to his left up to the distance of two arrow shots in each direction if the land is flat. If the terrain is rugged, he should search in every direction up to one arrow shot. If he does not find water, he should perform tayammum at the last moments of the prayer's time, when he has lost hope of finding water, and then pray with the tayammum as explained." This aligns with what has been previously mentioned, regarding the obligation of seeking water up to the extent of two arrow shots if there is no fear. If fear is present, searching is not required. This is further supported by related evidence.

This does not contradict what has been narrated elsewhere.

The context of this narration relates to a state of fear or necessity. Moreover, it indicates that tayammum is only obligatory at the end of the prayer's prescribed time, which is clarified through other supporting evidences.

The Shaykh (Al-Mufid), may Allah سبحانه وتعالى support him, then said: "If one begins a prayer with tayammum due to the absence of water, and then finds water after starting the prayer, if he has already recited the opening takbir of the prayer, he should not leave the prayer. However, if he has not yet recited the opening takbir, he should leave, perform wudu’, and restart the prayer, if Allah سبحانه وتعالى wills." The strongest evidence supporting this is that tayammum provides a legitimate excuse for entering prayer. Once the prayer has been started with tayammum, there is no obligation to leave it unless there is definitive evidence to invalidate the excuse. There is no such evidence here requiring one to leave a prayer initiated with tayammum after finding water.

Regarding other narrations that suggest he should leave the prayer unless he has bowed (rukuʿ), their meaning is that this applies if the time still allows him to leave, perform ablution (wudu’), and offer the prayer within its permissible time. In such cases, leaving the prayer is required because he entered it outside its preferred time. The preferred time for prayer is at the end of the permissible period, when time becomes constrained, and missing the prayer becomes a risk. When the time remains sufficient, he must leave the prayer and perform wudu’, as indicated in the narrations. This understanding is supported by al-Bazanti’s narration, emphasizing that tayammum should not be performed except at the end of the time. This principle has also been clarified in previous narrations, such as those by Muhammad ibn Muslim and Zurara, which confirm that tayammum is only valid at the end of the prayer time. Additional supporting narrations reinforce this view.

Then, Shaykh (Al-Mufid), may Allah سبحانه وتعالى support him, stated: If a person in a state of tayammum entered the prayer and invalidated their state of purification without deliberate intent, and subsequently found water, they should perform purification (ablution) and continue their prayer from where they left off, provided they did not turn their back on the qibla or intentionally speak words unrelated to the prayer.

This ruling does not apply in the same way to one who performed ablution, prayed, and then invalidated his ablution during prayer, as the shariah prevents continuing the prayer in this case. There is no disagreement among our companions that if a person invalidates their prayer through an action that nullifies it, they must restart the prayer. This is further substantiated by evidence.

The Shaykh (Al-Mufid), may Allah سبحانه وتعالى support him, further stated: "If this happens deliberately, then he is required to purify himself and start the prayer again from its beginning." This establishes that intentional actions such as speaking deliberately, turning away from the qibla intentionally, or invalidating the state of purity (hadath) during prayer necessitate starting the prayer anew. Further clarification on this matter, with sufficient evidence, will be mentioned later, if Allah سبحانه وتعالى willing.