Purifying Before Prayer When Water Is Not Held

LESSON # 507 FROM HOLY QUR’AN

Purifying Before Prayer When Water Is Not Held

Surah NISAAA’  (WOMEN) - Chapter - 4)

Verses –43b of 176, Section –7/24 (Part – 5)

And if ye be ill, or on a journey, or one of you cometh from the closet, or ye have touched women, and ye find not water, then go to high clean soil and rub your faces and your hands (therewith). Lo! Allah is Benign, Forgiving.

Wa  ‘in-  kuntum-marzaaa  ‘aw  ‘alaa  safarin  ‘aw  ‘ahadum-minkum-minal-gaaa-‘iti  ‘aw  laamas-tumun-nisaaa-‘afalam  tajiduu  maaa-‘an   fata-yamma-muu  sa-‘iidan-tayyiban  fam-sahuu  bi-wujuuhikum  wa  ‘ay-diikum.  ‘Innallaaha  kaana  ‘A-fuwwan  Gafuuraa.

 

Lesson

It was described in the previous lesson that the prayer cannot be offered if the body of man or woman is polluted/unclean and until he/she does not take bath. But if someone is either ill or on a journey or has come from the privy, or he has touched the woman, and does not find water for cleanliness, then it has been uttered in this verse that they should purify with sand or dust. That purification is called tayammum.

Three forms of excuse from bathing have been discussed in this lesson:

1. Illness     While the water harms and there is a danger of increasing the illness due to its use.

2. Journey    If any person is on a journey and either does not have so much water to do ablution, or quantity of the available water is too less that, if he does ablution then the water will not remain for his drinking and there is no hope to get it at a very distant from his location. And he may die due to thirst.

3. Nonexistence of Water    It is also possible that the water will entirely be unreachable.   

In this verse, two kinds of cleanliness have been mentioned:

·       Someone has come back (from the latrine) after disposing of his/her stool or urine and needs to do ablution.

·       He/she has copulated and now requires taking bath.

Method of Tayammum (purifying before prayer with sand or dust when water cannot be had) is that they should beat their both hands on the pure earth (soil or dust) and rub on entire face. Then bring hands to high clean soil again and now rub both hands up to their elbows. Soil has been set as locum-tenens of water at the time of any proper motive because it is pure and can be obtained more easily than water.

In addition, the earth is root of the humanity, and turning towards one’s root, there is safety from the sins and depravities.

Allah Almighty permitted to do Tayammum in place of ablution when it is necessary and set the soil as substitute of water because He is Forgiving and Producer of ease. He likes advantages and facilities for His servants. Apparently, these instructions seem difficult to the mankind, but the aim from it all is that the human beings may become pious and pure, and achieve success in this world and the Hereafter.  

Transliterated Holy Qur’an in Roman Script & Translated from Arabic to English by Marmaduke Pickthall, Published by Paak Company, 17-Urdu Bazar, Lahore, Lesson collected from Dars e Qur’an published By Idara Islaah wa Tableegh, Lahore (translated Urdu to English  by Muhammad Sharif).