Conditions for at-Tayammum: First Condition - It Must be Earth (Part 12)

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Conditions for at-Tayammum

1-At-Tayammum can only be done with grains earth. Al-Uthaymeen explains that at-Tayammum as certain conditions and this is one of them based on the opinion of the Hanbalee Madhab. They are of the opinion that is must be grains of earth (such as soil etc.) and if one doesn’t find this then there is no at-Tayammum. 

Grains of earth includes anything which is granular but not sand. So, if a person is in a desert and finds only sand or mud due to mixed sand and water, then he prays without Tayammum, according to the Hanbalee Madhab, because they view that at-Tayammum cant be preformed with sand.  

Their evidence is as follows:

-The Hadeeth, “The earth and its grains has been made as a purification.” [Muslim (522)]

-The Hadeeth, “The earth and its grains have been made as a purification.” [Reported by Ahmad (1/98) and classes as Hasan by al-Haythamee in Majma’ (1/261)]

Al-Uthaymeen explains that there is another Hadeeth which doesn’t mention “grains”:

-“The earth has been made as a place of praying and purification.” [Reported by al-Bukhaaree (307) and Muslim (291)]

PRINCIPLE: if we have two different wording then one general (the earth) and one specific (the grains of the earth) then if one accomplishes something based on the general wording then the specific one is not binding.

Based on this, the specific wording of “grains” doesn’t necessarily mean that it has specified the Hadeeth which mention “earth” alone.

Another example, if a person says, “Feed the students of such and such school.” The command here is general, i.e. to feed all the students of that school. However, if the same person thereafter says, “Feed Zayd” and he is part of the group of students – then the second wording doesn’t specify his previous command.

PRINCIPLE: The Hanbalees use a principle that states that if the ruling of two separate texts are the same then we take the wording which is more specific.

However, al-‘Uthaymeen says that this is to with characteristics and not nouns. For example, if a person says, “Feed the students of such and such school” but then says, “Feed the hard-working students” then this means that the previous command has been specified by the characteristics given in the latter command. This is known as Haml al-Mutlaq ala al-Muqayyad.

So Uthaymeen summarises that the correct opinion that at-Tayammum made from anything that is from the earth sufficies and it doesn’t have to be grains of earth.

The proof for this opinion includes the following:

                -“and you find no water, then perform Tayammum with clean earth and rub therewith your faces and hands” [5:6]

Uthaymeen explains that the word Saeed has been used to mean anything (stone, dust, sand, mud etc.) on the face of this earth.

-The Prophet [Peace and Blessings of Allaah be upon him] never specified at-Tayammum to be from grains or that granular earth be collected in order to make at-Tayammum. 

And Allaah Knows Best.