Purifying Before Prayer When Water Is Not Held

 

Tayammum - Way of purifying in place of Water (L-546) 

ا۟وَإِن كُنتُم مَّرْضَىٰٓ أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ أَوْ جَآءَ أَحَدٌ مِّنكُم مِّنَ ٱلْغَآئِطِ أَوْ لَٰمَسْتُمُ ٱلنِّسَآءَ فَلَمْ تَجِدُوا۟ مَآءً فَتَيَمَّمُوا۟ صَعِيدًا طَيِّبًا فَٱمْسَحُوا۟ بِوُجُوهِكُمْ وَأَيْدِيكُمْ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَفُوًّا غَفُورًا 43b.

43b.  Wa  ‘in-  kuntum-marzaaa  ‘aw  ‘alaa  safarin  ‘aw  ‘ahadum-minkum-minal-gaaa-‘iti  ‘aw  laamas-tumun-nisaaa-‘a  falam  tajiduu  maaa-‘an   fata-yamma-muu  sa-‘iidan-tayyiban  fam-sahuu  bi-wujuuhikum  wa  ‘ay-diikum.  ‘InnAllaaha  kaana  ‘A-fuwwan  Gafuuraa.

43b.  If you are sick, or traveling, or one of you comes from the toilet, or you have had intercourse with women, and cannot find water, find clean sand and wipe your faces and your hands with it. God is Pardoning and Forgiving.

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 takes 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 themselves with sand or dust. That purification is called tayammum.

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

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

2.   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 so much 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.   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 discharging his/her stool or urine and needs to do ablution.

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

Method of Tayammum (purifying before prayer with sand or dust when water cannot be had) is that they should beat their both hands’ palms 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 particular occasion because it is pure and can be obtained more easily than water.

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

God 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 in the Hereafter. https://youtu.be/a-ViaE4-Fd0