Islamic Manual

What tayammum may be done with, and when it is allowed

Which materials tayammum can and cannot be performed on, and the situations that make tayammum permissible instead of water.

Tayammum is done with pure soil or dust, or things like soil. It cannot be done with things like metal, wood, cloth or grain, unless they have a layer of dust sitting on them.

What can and cannot be used for tayammum
Can be used Cannot be used
Sand, soil, stones, salt-rock, and other earthy things Gold, silver, iron, wood, or cloth, unless dust is sitting on them
Baked bricks, plaster, lime, wet clay, and plain clay pots A clay pot painted or oiled with something not made from earth
Just dust on its own, even with nothing else Ground that used to be impure and then dried out; you can pray on it, but you cannot use it for tayammum

When you are allowed to do tayammum instead of using water

  1. There is no water within about a mile of you.
  2. Using water would make you more sick, or your illness worse.
  3. It is so cold that ghusl could seriously harm you, and you have no warm water.
  4. You are scared of an enemy, a wild animal, or getting hurt on the way to the water.
  5. The water you have is only enough to drink, and you or your animals would go thirsty otherwise.
  6. There is a well, but no bucket or rope to get the water out.
  7. Water is only sold at an unfairly high price, or you cannot afford it.
  8. You would miss a prayer that cannot be made up later, like Eid or a funeral prayer.

Tayammum is permissible with soil or a substance similar to soil, even without visible dust on it; items that are not soil or soil-like cannot be used for it.

What may and may not be used for tayammum
May be used May not be used
Sand, stones (such as agate, turquoise, marble), and minerals such as sulfur, antimony, ochre, or rock salt: anything that does not soften or turn to ash when burned Metals such as gold, silver or copper, wood, fabric, or grain: anything that softens or turns to ash when burned, unless it carries a layer of dust
Baked plaster, bricks, lime, wet clay, and clay pots without paint or oil unless the paint or oil is itself earth-based A clay pot with paint or oil that is not earth-based
Dust alone, with nothing else present Ground that was impure and has since dried and lost the visible effect of the impurity; this may be prayed on, but tayammum on it is not permitted
Soil mixed with a non-soil substance, provided soil is the majority component Soil mixed with a non-soil substance where the non-soil substance is the majority

The situations in which tayammum becomes permissible

  1. Water is unavailable within a distance of about a mile, or, at least, enough of it to perform wudu or ghusl.
  2. Water is available, but using it might worsen an illness or delay recovery; this also covers cold severe enough that ghusl risks serious harm to a body part or illness, where warm water cannot be had.
  3. There is fear of an enemy, a wild animal, or some other harm on the way to the water.
  4. Water is present but only enough to drink, with a real risk that using it for wudu or ghusl would leave the person, their companions, or their animals thirsty.
  5. There is a well, but no bucket, rope or other means of drawing the water.
  6. Water is available only at an unreasonably high price, such as twice its normal cost, or cannot be afforded.
  7. There is a risk of missing a prayer that cannot be made up or substituted, such as the Eid prayer or a funeral prayer, provided the person is not the deceased's guardian.
Ḥarāmmust not do

Tayammum may not be used for prayers that can be made up later, such as the five daily prayers or Jumu'ah, merely out of fear of missing their time for lack of water.

Tayammum is permissible with soil or a substance similar to it, even where no visible dust is present on it; matter that is neither soil nor soil-like cannot be used.

What is and is not soil-like for the purposes of tayammum
May be used May not be used
Sand; stones of various kinds: agate, turquoise, marble; minerals such as sulfur, antimony, ochre, rock salt, in short, anything that neither softens nor turns to ash under fire Metals (gold, silver, copper), wood, fabric or grain, anything that softens or turns to ash under fire, unless a layer of dust rests on it
Baked plaster, bricks, lime, wet clay, and clay vessels, so long as any paint or oil on the vessel is itself earth-derived A clay vessel bearing paint or oil that is not earth-derived
Dust alone suffices, with no other substance present Ground that was impure and has since dried, the effect of the impurity having vanished; valid to pray upon, but tayammum upon it remains impermissible
A mixture of soil and a non-soil substance, where soil forms the majority A mixture of soil and a non-soil substance where the non-soil substance forms the majority

The situations that make tayammum permissible (explanation of the sixth condition)

  1. Water is unavailable within roughly a mile, or, more precisely, in a quantity sufficient for wuḍūʾ or ghusl.
  2. Water is available, but its use might worsen an illness or delay recovery; this extends to cold severe enough that ghusl risks serious harm to a limb or organ, where warm water cannot be obtained.
  3. There is fear of an enemy, a wild animal, or other harm on the way to the water.
  4. Water is present but only sufficient for drinking, with a genuine risk that its use for wuḍūʾ or ghusl would leave the person, companions, or animals thirsty.
  5. A well exists, but no bucket, rope, or other means to draw from it is available.
  6. Water is obtainable only at an unreasonably inflated price (twice the ordinary cost, say), or cannot be afforded at all.
  7. There is a risk of missing a prayer with no substitute or make-up, the Eid prayer or a funeral prayer, provided the person is not the guardian of the deceased.
Ḥarāmmust not do

Tayammum is not permitted for a prayer that admits of qaḍāʾ (being made up later), the five daily prayers or Jumuʿah, on the ground of fearing to miss its time for want of water.

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