Allah has ordered us to purify ourselves by praying from the states of impurities using water. Muslim purify themselves with the help of water, which is necessary for their religion.
But there are sometimes when wot is available or you can’t use it because of illegality issues in such Allah has given us a substitute for water.
The substitute of water is called tayammum with earth. If water is not available, you can purify yourselves with earth, no wonder Allah has made things easy for us, so there is no choice of an excuse.
Tayammum means Intention, and according to Islam, it is called wiping clean earth all over the face and hands in a specific manner. It is the certified manner of purification, also narrated by our Prophet PBUH.
Tayammum is the gift of Allah to the nation of Prophet PBUH so that Muslims can purify themselves and seek their prayers on time.
If you have done tayammum, you can be able to do all the acts of worship like praying, reading Quran, tawaf-e-Ka’bah, etc., because purification with the earth is a legal substitute for water. Now let us have a detailed discussion on how to perform tayammum.
Choosing Tayammum
If you think you need to purify yourself before praying or reading the Quran and there is no water available, then you have the privilege to perform tayammum with clean earth\ dust.
Items that you can choose to perform tayammum upon:
- Clean Earth
- Stone
- Limestone
- Sand
- Baked earthen pots
- Walls of mud, stone, or brick
- Clay
- Items covered with dust
The priority is clean earth, but if it is unavailable, you can perform tayammum from any of the above-mentioned things.
The things that you can't use to perform tayammum are:
- Metal
- Glass
- Food items
- Wood
- Things that can be turned to ashes or melted down.
How To Perform Tayammum?
1. Locate A Clean Place
You need to find a clean place for doing tayammum. The lace can be anything natural, like rock, sand, or grass. If you think the place is dirty, you should purify it first with the help of water.
If water is unavailable, you can use the above items to perform tayammum. You need to ensure that you’re purifying yourself by performing tayammum, so the place from where you’re performing it should also be clean and purified.
2. Remove Accessories
Before performing tayammum, you should remove all the accessories and clean your body thoroughly: this is called Tahir. The accessories are nail polish, rings, watches, bracelets, anklets, etc., and you should remove all of these before performing tayammum.
3. See If Feet Ablution Is Required
If you are wearing your shoes and socks, maybe at work or school, and you have a valid wudu, then you don't have to renew it by taking off your shoes and socks to renew it.
You can just wet your hands and wipe them over your socks or shoes without taking them off and washing the whole foot.
If water is not available to wet your hands, you can use the listed tayammum items and wipe your hand all over your feet. This technique can be applied for a whole day; in traveling conditions, you can do this for 3 days.
4. Do The Niyyah
Like normal wudu you do with water, you start by reciting “Bismillah AIrahman Nirrahiim.” This Ayah means that you are performing tayammum in the name of Allah.
After that, you need to clear your intentions by saying, “I am performing tayammum instead of wudu, in the name of Allah for his pleasure and closure.”
It is necessary to do niyyah before tayammum to define your intentions towards the act and how you respect it. You don't have to say it aloud; you can do it in your heart.
5. Put Your Hands On The Ground
After making niyyah, you should put your hands on the ground simultaneously. There is no need to cover your hands in sand\ earth; you need to touch it.
6. Wipe Your Face With Your Hands
Your face is the space between the right and left ear. Use your alms and wipe your palms from your hairline to your nose bridge. Don't use your fingers; use your hands during this process.
7. Wipe Your Hands
After wiping your face, move to your hands. Use your left hand to wipe the right hand and your right hand to wipe the left one. Wipe it to the wrist bone to the fingertips.
8. Repeat
Repeat the process of putting your hands on the ground, touching the ground and wiping it all over your face, and then wiping your hands.
Conditions In Which You Can Perform Tayammum
Following are certain conditions when you can perform tayammum:
- When water is unavailable, whether at home or in the office, if you can not find water, then you can perform tayammum.
- When water is available but limited, if there's little water available, just enough for cooking and drinking, and you can not use it for purification, you can perform tayammum in such conditions.
- When purification with water can be harmful, like if it can worsen the illness.
- When you’re unable to reach water due to the inability to move due to some illness, there is no one to help in such a case; you can perform tayammum.
- If the water is cold and you fear catching a cold after purification with water.
Things That Nullify Tayammum
Things that nullify tayammum are:
- Little rituals are impure, like stool urination, wind, etc.
- Major rituals impurity like menstruation, janabah, and postnatal bleeding.
- When water is available
Conclusion: How To Perform Tayammum?
Tayammum is God's way of making everything easy for us. It is his mercy that he thinks of every possible situation and gives us a solution. He has made everything easy for us.
Tayammum is the way of purification when water is not available. There are certain conditions when tayammum is allowed, and only certain things from which you can perform tayammum. You must ensure that you’re doing it right; otherwise, your prayer won’t be accepted.
References:
https://raiyanfoundation.com/act-of-worship/purification-in-islam/perform-tayammum-dry-ablution/
https://www.wikihow.com/Perform-Tayammum#/Image:Perform-Tayammum-Step-7-Version-2.jpg
https://www.al-islam.org/articles/laws-and-practices-how-perform-wudhu-and-tayammum