Rules of Tayammum Part 3

Orders regarding Tayammum

- If a person leaves out even a small part of his forehead or the back of his hands in tayammum, forgetfully or intentionally, or even due to ignorance, his tayammum will be void. However, it is not necessary to be very particular; if it can be ordinarily assumed that the forehead and the backs of the hands have been wiped, it would be sufficient. 

- In order to be sure that the backs of the hands have been wiped, wiping should be done from slightly above the wrist, but wiping in between the fingers is not necessary. 

- As a precaution, the forehead and the backs of the hands should be wiped downwards from above, and their acts should be performed one after the other without undue interruption. If someone interrupts the sequence so much that it could not be said that he is doing tayammum, then the tayammum will be void. 

- It is not necessary to determine while making Niyyat that a particular tayammum is instead of Wudhu or Ghusl. However, if he has to perform two tayammums, then he must clearly specify which is perform instead of Wudhu and which for Ghusl. And even if he fails to determine correctly the purpose of one tayammum which is obligatory upon him, due to some error, it will be deemed correct as long as he is aware that he is discharging his religious obligation. 

- As a recommended precaution the forehead, the palm of the hands and the backs of the hands of a person wishing to do tayammum should be clean. 

- While performing tayammum one should remove the ring one is wearing and also remove any obstruction which may be on his forehead or on the palms or back of his hands (e.g. if anything is stuck on them). 

- If a person has a wound on his forehead or on the back of his hands and if it is tied with a bandage or something else, which cannot be removed, he should wipe his hands over it. And if the palm of his hand is wounded and bandaged in a way that it cannot be removed, he should strike his bandaged hands on a thing with which it is permissible to perform tayammum and then wipe his forehead and the back of his hands. 

- There is no harm if there is hair on the forehead or on the back of hands. However, if the hair of his head fall on his forehead then it should be pushed back. 

- If one feels that one has some obstruction on his forehead or on the palm or back of his hands, an obstruction commonly known to be so, then one should verify and ensure that the obstruction is removed. 

- If the obligation of a person is tayammum but he cannot perform it himself he should solicit assistance. And the one who assists should make him perform tayammum with his own hands. However, if this is not possible the assistant should strike his hands on a thing on which it is lawful to perform tayammum and then wipe it on the person's forehead and hands.

In the first instance, the Niyyat for tayammum by the person himself will be sufficient, but, as an obligatory precaution, both he and his assistant should make the Niyyat in both the cases. 

- If a man doubts while performing tayammum whether or not he has forgotten a certain part of it, after he has passed that stage, he should ignore his doubt, and if that stage has not yet passed, he should perform that part. 

- If, after wiping the left hand, a man doubts whether or not he has performed his tayammum correctly his tayammum is valid. But if his doubt is about the wiping of the left hand and if it cannot be said that he has passed that stage, he should wipe the left hand. 

- A person whose obligation is tayammum and if he does not hope to be relieved of his excuse during the entire time of Prayer, he can do tayammum. However, if he performs tayammum for some other obligatory or Mustahab act and his excuse (on account of which his religious obligation is tayammum) continues till the time for prayers sets in, he can offer his prayers with that tayammum. 

- If a person whose obligation is tayammum knows that his excuse will continue till the end of the time of Prayer, and has no hope for its removal, he can offer prayers with tayammum even during the early hour of the time. But, if he knows that his excuse will cease to exist by the end of the time he should wait to offer the prayers with Wudhu or Ghusl as the case may be. 

In fact, if he has a glimmer of hope that his excuse might be removed close to the end of Prayer time, it will not be permissible for him to do tayammum for his or her prayer, until he loses hope altogether. 

- If a person, who cannot perform Wudhu or Ghusl, is sure, or considers it probable, that his excuse will not be removed, he can offer the Qadha of his past prayers with tayammum. However, if his excuse is removed afterwards, as a recommended precaution, he should offer those prayers again with Wudhu or Ghusl. And if he does not lose all hope about the removal of the excuse, he cannot do tayammum to give Qadha prayers. 

- It is permissible for a person who cannot do Ghusl or Wudhu, to do tayammum for the daily Mustahab prayers for which its time is fixed. However, if he has hope that his excuse may cease to exist before the time for prayers is over, then as an obligatory precaution, he should not offer the Mustahab prayers during the earlier hour of their time. 

- If a person does Ghusl in a state of Jabira, and performs tayammum as a measure of precaution, and after having prayed he experiences a minor hadath (an act which breaks Wudhu, like passing wind or urinating), he should do Wudhu for subsequent prayers. And if that hadath had occurred before he had prayed, he should do Wudhu for that also. 

- If a person performs tayammum on account of non-availability of water or because of some other excuse his tayammum becomes void as soon as that excuse ceases to exist. 

- The things which invalidate Wudhu invalidate the tayammum performed instead of Wudhu also. Similarly, the things which invalidate Ghusl invalidate the tayammum performed instead of Ghusl also. 

- If one has upon him several wajib Ghusls, but he cannot do them, it is permissible for him to perform one tayammum instead of all those Ghusls, but the recommended precaution is that for each of those Ghusls he should perform a separate tayammum for it. 

- If a person who cannot do Ghusl wishes to perform an act for which Ghusl is obligatory, he should perform tayammum for Ghusl. And a person who cannot perform Wudhu wishes to perform an act for which Wudhu is obligatory, he should perform tayammum instead of Wudhu. 

- If a person performs tayammum instead of Ghusl of Janabat it is not necessary for him to perform Wudhu for offering prayers. However, if he performs tayammum instead of other Ghusls, then as recommended precaution, he should do Wudhu also. And if he cannot do Wudhu, he should do another tayammum instead of Wudhu. 

- If a person performs tayammum instead of Ghusl of Janabat and later he commits acts which makes Wudhu void, and if he still cannot do Ghusl for later prayers, he should do Wudhu, and as per recommended precaution, perform tayammum also. And if he cannot do Wudhu, then as a recommended precaution, he should do tayammum with a hope that his responsibility is discharged. 

- If a person whose obligation is to perform tayammum instead of Wudhu or Ghusl so as to fulfil, for example, an act like offering prayers, and if in the first tayammum he makes a Niyyat to perform it instead of Wudhu, or instead of Ghusl and performs the second tayammum with the Niyyat of carrying out his religious obligation, it is sufficient. 

- If a person whose obligation is tayammum performs tayammum for an act, he can perform all those acts which should be done with Wudhu or Ghusl, as long as his tayammum and the excuse remain. However, if his excuse was shortage of Prayer time, or if he performed tayammum for Prayer-e-Mayyit or to go to sleep in spite of water being available, then his tayammum is valid for its intention and purpose only. 

- In some cases it is better that a person should give Qadha for the prayers which he offered with tayammum:

* When he was afraid of harm caused by using water and yet intentionally entered the state of Janabat and offered prayers with tayammum. 

* When he knew or suspected that he would not be able to procure water and yet entered the state of Janabat intentionally and offered prayers with tayammum. 

* When he did not go in search of water intentionally till the time for prayers became short and he offered the prayers with tayammum and learnt later that if he had made a search for water he would have been able to procure it. 

* When he delayed offering prayers intentionally and offered it with tayammum at the end of its time. 

* When he threw away the water, although he knew or suspected that he would not be able to get water, and then offered the prayers with tayammum.