The Extent to Which One Must Search for Water
Issue No.613- If a person happens to be in a populated area, he should make his best efforts to acquire water for wuḍū or ghusl until he loses hope in being able to do so. And if he happens to be in an unpopulated area that is hard to cover, like if it is mountainous, or the land is uneven, or densely wooded, he should search for water in all the four directions to the extent of one arrow fling [1]. If the land is flat and no aforementioned obstacles are there, one should search for water within the distances covered by two flings of arrows. However, it is not necessary for a person to search for water in the direction about which he is sure water is not available. If among the four directions, some are even while others are uneven, the rule of each direction should be observed separately.
