On What Materials Tayammum Is Valid
Question:
What is the ruling on performing tayammum using things that are attached to the earth, such as stones, iron, copper, trees, grass, and similar materials? May Allah reward you.
Answer (forwarded):
The scholars agree that tayammum is valid with clean, pure soil (earth/dust). They differed, however, about other materials that come from or are part of the earth.
This difference of opinion is based on Allah's statement: "If you cannot find water, then perform tayammum with clean earth." [5:6]
and the Prophet's ﷺ statement: "The whole earth has been made a place of prayer for us, and its soil has been made a means of purification for us."
The Different Views
▪️The first view (the Maliki and Hanafi schools):
Some scholars understood the Arabic word ṣaʿīd ("earth") in a broad sense. They said it includes everything that rises above the surface of the earth and belongs to it, such as stones and similar natural materials.
▪️The second view (the Shafi'i school and others):
Other scholars held that ṣaʿīd refers specifically to soil or dust. They cited the Prophet's ﷺ words: "Its soil has been made a means of purification for us."
They also argued that Allah described it as "ṭayyib" (good/pure), which they interpreted as soil that produces vegetation, based on the Ayah: "As for the good land, its vegetation comes forth by the permission of its Lord..." [7:58]
Other scholars disagreed with interpreting "ṭayyib" as "land that produces plants."
They argued that, in the context of purification, "ṭayyib" simply means "pure," not fertile.
They also cited a hadith in which the Prophet ﷺ described the land of Madinah before the migration as salty land with palm trees, and yet he called Madinah "Ṭaybah" (the Pure/Good City). Since salty land often produces little or no vegetation, this shows that land can still be considered "ṭayyib" (pure) even if it is not fertile.
They also argued that if ṣaʿīd meant exactly the same thing as soil (turāb), then using two different words would be unnecessary. The basic rule is that different words usually have different meanings, even if one includes the other.
▪️Is Dust Required?
Another difference among the scholars concerns whether the material used for tayammum must leave dust on the hands.
This is based on Allah's words: "...wipe your faces and your hands with it." [5:6]
Some scholars understood "with it" to mean that some of the material must transfer onto the hands, so they required dust.
Others understood the phrase differently and therefore did not require dust.
▪️The strongest approach is as follows:
1. First choice: Perform tayammum with clean soil or earth, since this is the view agreed upon by all scholars.
2. If that is not available: Perform tayammum with anything from the earth that has dust which sticks to the hands. This was one narration from Imam Ahmad and was the opinion preferred by Sheikh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah.
3. If even that is unavailable: It is permissible to perform tayammum with anything that is part of the earth's surface, even if it has no dust that sticks to the hands, as was the view of Sheikh Albani, Sheikh Ibn Baz and Sheikh Uthaymin.
Source: https://t.me/khawaaaaatir/345
