The Creed of Compassion-Islamic Teachings & Answering Doctrinal Misconceptions

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.

Issue No.614- If the time left for prayer is not short, and he is certain that water is available farther than the aforementioned distance, he should go there to acquire water, provided that it does not involve extreme difficulty. However if he doubts whether or not there is water there, it is likely that it isn’t necessary for him to go to that place.

Issue No.615- One can send a reliable person in search of water, and it is sufficient if one person goes on behalf of many.

Issue No.622- If there is water in a well and a person, on account of weakness or lack of means, has no access to water, he should perform tayammum. The same order applies if the trouble to acquire water is usually considered to be unbearable.

Issue No.623- If some tools are needed for drawing water out of a well, the person concerned is obliged to purchase or rent them though their price may be many times higher than the usual rate. However, if obtaining these things or buying the water entails so much expense that it is harmful for his condition, it is not obligatory.

Issue No.624- If it is inevitable for a person who has to acquire water to borrow [money for] it, it is obligatory to do so. However, if he knows or it is so likely that he cannot afford to pay it back, it is not obligatory for him [to borrow it]. Also, if a person gives him some water for free and his acceptance does not entail hardship or any sense of obligation towards the individual, he should accept it.

Issue No.635- If a person has water but due to shortage of time, begins offering prayer with tayammum, and while he is offering prayer he loses the water he possessed, he can perform the subsequent prayers with the same tayammum.

Issue No.646- It is better for the thing on which tayammum is performed, to have some dust on it such that it remains on the hands. After striking the hands on it, it is recommended to shake them so that the dust falls off.

Issue No.659- If a person whose obligation is tayammum is sure or considers it probable that his excuse will continue until the end of the time prescribed for prayer, he can perform prayer with tayammum at the beginning of its time, but if he is sure that his excuse will cease to exist by the end of the time, he should wait, as an obligatory precaution.

Issue No.661- It is permissible for a person who cannot perform wuḍū or ghusl, to offer the mustaḥab prayers with tayammum. He can perform even the night prayer with tayammum, if the time is short.

Issue No.662- If a person performs tayammum on account of non-availability of water or because of another excuse, his tayammum will become void automatically as soon as water becomes available or the excuse is removed.

Issue No.667- The one whose obligation is to perform tayammum can perform all those acts which need to be done with wuḍū or ghusl by the same tayammum as long as his tayammum and the excuse remain, so it is permissible for him to touch the s c r i p t of the holy Quran, etc., even if he has performed tayammum due to shortage of prayer time.