When Water Isn't Available: The True Meaning of Tayammum
Understanding Tayammum: Islamic Dry Ablution Rules and Misconceptions
Summary
Sh. Ali Mashhour discusses the Islamic jurisprudence of tayammum (dry ablution) as an alternative to water for ritual purification before prayer. He explains the three instances that permit tayammum: lack of water, inability to use water due to physical illness, and environmental conditions preventing water access. Sh. Ali Mashhour clarifies common misconceptions about tayammum, emphasizing that it can be performed using any naturally occurring dust, dirt, sand, or particles on surfaces—not exclusively dirt—and that the Prophet Muhammad and his companions frequently used tayammum during their travels through the desert without carrying dirt with them. He provides evidence from hadith collections and scholarly sources showing that tayammum is permissible using various surfaces like walls, rocks, and even dust in modern environments like airplanes and hospitals.
Note: This transcript was generated using YouTube's automatic captioning, with AI-assisted cleanup for readability. It may contain inaccuracies due to background noise, audio quality, or limitations of the transcription software — particularly during Arabic recitation. Listener discretion is advised; please refer to the original video for precise wording.
Father passed away. I'm so sorry to hear that, man. To either reward you and our deepest of condolences. He was in America or overseas. Overseas. Our brother was here, his father just passed away. Make a brief dua for him. Inshallah.
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For Allah. Allah Fore!
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Foreign! Foreign! Jenn.
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Saychech. Allham, our deepest condolences. May Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala forgive his sins and raise his levels. Alhamdulillah.
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So in the previous chapter here in the book of purification regarding aum we just discussed a few narrations that the author narrates to us here regarding the instances and excuses that would allow or give way to an allowance of making in place of using water to make or he mentions to us an irration about a person who doesn't have enough water. He mentions to us an irration about someone who is mortally ill and was affected adversely by this water which actually killed him. And he mentions to us an irration of bitter cold. So let's look at these three instances. We have a person who doesn't have water. Number two, we have a person who is unable to use the water because of a problem in himself in his body. And then we have a person who's unable to use the water because a problem in the in the environment. Right? All of these warrant usage of aum in place of water. Right? You would be surprised or maybe you wouldn't how many urgent urban legends and myths are found amongst people with respect to. You have some people that never used and never will because they find it to be you know too easy. And then you have the other extreme of people who use if they have to walk to their car for five minutes, right? There is a middle ground to be had. You'd be amazed how many people have asked me or confirmed to me that they're here and maybe like for instance they go on a hike or they go to Mount Lemon or something that and then they make it to Yum. Why? because there's no water in the car and you know you have to prioritize your salah. If there's no water in the car, you get in your car and you drive down the road to get the water, right? The instance in which you would not have access to water is there's no way to get where I'm going and make and catch the salah in time. In that situation, you make a however if you're able to go somewhere to get water and you will catch the salah in its rightful time, that is what is obligatory upon you. he says here to us next chapter is what is because Allah tells us that He says you do not have water then use because in the Arabic language is to take something and use it something that sticks to something else that's why it's called Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions it in its linguistic sense This is in a linguistic sense and it's referred to as aum because a person is utilizing whatever of the dirt or dust or what have you sticks to their hands that which is left over. This is why it's called but Allah tells us to use a he gives us two parameters for what is used for a number one that it has to be number two it has to be it has to be and it has to be which means pure So the two descriptions are and pure. What is comes from the root word which means to climb or to ra rise above something. You say meaning rose and climbed upon the member until he settled on top of the member. So as a verb means that something rises over something else and and settles there. So what is a in the Arabic language? It is anything that naturally settles on top of the surface of the earth. What what is that? Dirt. Does it fit that description? Dirt. Dust. Does it fit that description? Sand. Does it fit that description? Yes. All of these things you can make with because the point is that it is settles on top of surfaces of the earth. You know the this podium right here. Does it have dust on it right now? Yes. Could you make the yum from this podium? Yes. The wall, especially in Arizona with all this sand and dirt flying around in the air, could you make demum from it? Yes. the dashboard in your car if you're not, you know, obsessively cleaning your car every every couple days. That layer of dust that settles, can you make with that? Is it pure? Yes. Did it settle naturally on top of on top of the surface? Yes. Therefore, you can make a teum with it. Some say no. It has to be dirt. And we say there's no evidence for that. Dirt is part of it, but it's to make it exclusively have to be dirt. Not correct. I want you to imagine something with me. The companions madeum far more than we do because of the nature of their travel, because of the nature of their environment. They made tyum often when they would set out to travel often times when they are between wells they have to conserve their water and it's a matter of life and death. So they would often make and in all this desert if any of you have ever been to the desert right the desert of the Arab peninsula it's a different kind of desert than this desert that we're here in Arizona. This is a desert that is sand. It doesn't have dirt. doesn't have you know places where you can grow fruits and vegetables. It's extremely desolate. So it'd be very hardressed to find dirt out there in these sands. If they're constantly making tom, we should have multiple narrations and accounts of them carrying dirt with them on their travels. But they never did. Never once never once did the prophet sallall.aii alaihi wasallam tell them to never once was any companion ever narrated to have carried his own dirt with him in order to make right rather aum is not necessarily dirt it is anything that settles naturally on top of the earth or surfaces and is pure in an airplane it's not possible to make wudoo. It is possible to make woudoo in the airplane obviously, but let's say an instance where it's not. If you reach over on top of the, you know, where you put your carry-on baggage, there's dust up there. Can you make with that? Yes. The prophet sallall.aii wasallam was narrated to have made off of a wall. He was narrated to have made off of a rock. from many different places. The narration of the prophet Sam that we mention in Bkari Muslim tells us that the prophet sallall.aii wasallam said he said I have been given five things that no other prophet before me has been given. And one of those five things,.
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One of those things is that the entire earth has been made a place for prayer and a place that you can purify yourself for salah from meaning. And in another wording he says any man amongst my ummah whom the time of salah enters upon him he has wherever he stands his purification and his place of prayer meaning right. So the parameters of what you use forum there are two two descriptions. Number one meaning anything that settles naturally on surfaces. Number two that it is pure. Right? Here he mentions something that Mandur collected in his book is a major it's a very big lexicon in Arabic language. He says day. He was for.
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So here ib mur tells us that a is the face of the earth or it is all that settles upon the face of the earth and it does not need to be of any particular thing dirt or sand or dust. He said a person makes off of the surface of anything that is present to him. So for instance, Ibn Mur says hence for instance if a person happens to be in a granite place a place where it's all rock it's all stone and he put his hands on the face of that stone to make he has done what Allah has commanded even if to the naked eye it doesn't appear that there's anything on his hands because is the face of the earth or anything which resides on the face of the earth and settles. And so when a person puts his hands on it this, right? Tomorrow we'll discuss the description of how to make super easy. You can learn it in about 10 seconds. Is anything on the face of the earth? Anything. If a person's in a hospital room, do they need you to go outside and get a rock for them and not a slippery rock? It has to be a porous rock. It has to be a rock that is dusty. It has to be a rock that is, you know, , rough. And that's the only way to make the absolutely not. The wall right next to him is the ammo. That's the piece of plastic at the top of the hospital bed where there's dust. That's anything like that is remember this is not a physical purification. It's not a physical thing. When I do this and I wipe my face and my hands this, what did I just clean? What did I clean? What is that? It's figurative. It is ceremonious. It is it is a routine a you know a physical act that represents purification for prayer. It represents that I'm preparing myself to make salah. That's it. It's not physically cleaning anything. Whether it's dirt or not, whether it's visible to the naked eye or.
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Work. Hey.
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You're there, I want you to remember that I'm going home to go to sleep right now. Okay? So, while you're at work, imagine me sleeping on. Okay? And your heart out.