How Do I Perform Tayammum, and When Is It Allowed?
When water is unavailable or its use would cause harm: strike clean earth with both palms once, wipe the face, then wipe the hands. It replaces both wudu and ghusl.
The short answer is above. What follows is the reasoning behind it, including where scholars differed.
The evidence
The Quran establishes it: if you find no water, then take clean earth and wipe your faces and hands with it (5:6).
‘Ammar was taught the method: the Prophet ﷺ struck the earth with his hands, blew on them, and wiped his face and hands (Sahih al-Bukhari 347).
Valid causes include absence of water, insufficient water for both drinking and purification, illness where water would cause harm, and severe cold without means to warm water.
In practice
- Tayammum is invalidated by the same things that invalidate wudu, and by finding water.
- A wound may be wiped over a dressing rather than requiring full tayammum, depending on the case.
- Do not delay the prayer past its time searching for water.
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What Nullifies Wudu?
Anything exiting the two passages, deep sleep, loss of consciousness, and — on the view of some schools — touching the private parts directly and eating camel meat.
Do I Have to Repeat a Prayer I Prayed Without Wudu by Mistake?
Yes. Purity is a condition for the validity of the prayer, so a prayer performed without wudu is repeated once you realise — but there is no sin for the honest mistake.
Do I Need to Repeat Ghusl if I Missed a Spot?
Water must reach the entire body. If an area was genuinely missed, washing that area suffices on the view of many scholars, though some require repeating the ghusl if the sequence is deemed obligatory.
Is It Permissible to Combine Prayers While Travelling?
Yes — the majority of scholars permit combining Dhuhr with ‘Asr and Maghrib with ‘Isha while travelling, and it is authentically established from the Sunnah.