--- title: "Tayammum — Step-by-Step Guide to Dry Ablution" description: "Tayammum (dry ablution) replaces Wudu when water is unavailable or harmful. Learn the conditions, steps and what invalidates it — with hadith sources." url: https://globalprayertimes.org/tayammum/ canonical: https://globalprayertimes.org/tayammum/ updated: 2026-08-13 publisher: Global Prayer Times (Elite Digital AI Solutions Ltd) licence: Free to quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL --- > Source: https://globalprayertimes.org/tayammum/ — updated 2026-08-13. Generated at build time from the same content the HTML page serves. Prayer start times are calculated; confirm congregation (iqamah) times with the mosque. 💧 Purification Guide # How to Perform Tayammum Quick Answer Tayammum is dry ablution: strike clean earth or dust, then wipe the face and hands. It replaces Wudu or Ghusl when water is unavailable, unusable, or harmful. Skip this page for ordinary Wudu steps, or for the list of what breaks Wudu when you already used water. Who this is not for Not a licence to skip water when water is easy. Convenience is not an excuse. If water becomes available before the prayer time ends, Tayammum no longer stands — perform Wudu or Ghusl. Desk-reviewed 2026-08-13. ## Should you use Tayammum or wash with water? Use this URL only when the conditions below are real: no water after a reasonable search, or water that would harm you. Otherwise open [Wudu and Ghusl](https://globalprayertimes.org/wudu-and-ghusl/) . If you already washed and wonder whether something cancelled it, use [what breaks Wudu](https://globalprayertimes.org/what-breaks-wudu/) . ## 📖 Quranic Basis for Tayammum "…but if you are ill or on a journey, or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself, or you have had contact with women and find no water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and hands with it. Allah does not intend to make difficulty for you, but He intends to purify you and complete His favour upon you that you may be grateful." — Quran 5:6 (also 4:43) ## When is Tayammum permitted? Tayammum is a valid substitute for Wudu and Ghusl in the following circumstances: - ✓ Water is genuinely unavailable after a reasonable search - ✓ Water is present but using it would cause serious harm to health (injury, illness, skin conditions) - ✓ Water is available but is insufficient for both drinking and purification - ✓ Access to water is blocked by genuine danger (enemy, wild animals, extreme cold) - ✓ One is so ill that any contact with water would worsen the condition — based on medical advice or reasonable fear **Important:** According to the majority of scholars (including the Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali schools), a person who performs Tayammum due to a genuine excuse does **not** need to repeat the prayer later when water becomes available. The prayer was valid. ## How do you perform Tayammum, step by step? 1 ### Make the Niyyah (intention) Make the intention in your heart: 'I am performing Tayammum to make myself ritually pure for the sake of Allah.' The intention does not need to be spoken aloud. 2 ### Say Bismillah Say 'Bismillah' (In the name of Allah) before beginning, as with Wudu. 3 ### Strike the earth with both palms Strike clean earth, sand, dust, stone or any natural surface firmly once with both open palms. In the Shafi'i school, two strikes are required (one for face, one for hands). 4 ### Wipe the face Wipe the entire face once — from forehead to chin, and ear to ear — with the palms of both hands together, the same area covered in Wudu. 5 ### Wipe the hands to the wrists Wipe the back of the right hand with the palm of the left hand to the wrist, then the back of the left hand with the palm of the right hand. In the Shafi'i school this is done with the second strike and extends to the elbows. **Total duration:** Tayammum takes approximately 1–2 minutes. Only the face and hands to the wrists are wiped — unlike Wudu, there is no washing of arms to elbows, wiping of head, or washing of feet. ## What Surface Can Be Used for Tayammum? ✅ Permitted surfaces - • Clean earth / soil - • Sand - • Stone / rock - • Brick / fired clay - • Gypsum / lime (dry) - • Any surface with earth dust on it ❌ Not permitted - • Metal, glass, plastic - • Wood (unless dusty with earth) - • Impure / najis surfaces - • Fabric or clothing (without earth dust) - • Food items ## What Invalidates Tayammum? - ⚠ Everything that invalidates Wudu also invalidates Tayammum (passing wind, using the bathroom, sleep, etc.) - ⚠ Finding or gaining access to sufficient water — Tayammum ends when water becomes available - ⚠ Recovery from the illness that prevented water use - ⚠ Removal of the danger that prevented reaching water ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Tayammum in Islam? Tayammum is the Islamic alternative to Wudu (water ablution) and Ghusl (ritual bath) when water is unavailable, insufficient, or when its use would cause harm. It uses clean earth or any natural surface (sand, stone, dust, clay) to achieve ritual purity. Tayammum is established in the Quran (4:43 and 5:6) and was granted as a concession (rukhsah) by Allah. ### When is Tayammum allowed? Tayammum is permitted when: (1) water is unavailable after a reasonable search, (2) water is present but using it would harm your health (injury, illness, extreme cold), (3) water is insufficient for both drinking and purification, or (4) access to water is blocked by danger. A person who performs Tayammum due to genuine need does not need to repeat the prayer later when water becomes available — according to the majority of scholars. ### What surface can Tayammum be performed on? Tayammum must be performed using clean earth (turab) — which includes natural soil, sand, stone, brick, clay or any surface with earth-like dust. In the Hanafi school, any clean natural surface that has dust counts. The surface must be clean (tahir) and free of impurity. Tayammum cannot be performed on metal, glass, wood, plastic or similar manufactured surfaces unless they have earth dust on them. ### Does Tayammum replace Wudu and Ghusl? Yes. Tayammum fully replaces both Wudu and Ghusl for the purpose of prayer and other acts of worship requiring ritual purity, when the conditions for Tayammum are met. One Tayammum intention for Ghusl replaces the full ritual bath. However, when water becomes available, the obligation to use water for purification returns and Tayammum is no longer valid. ### How many strikes of the earth are required for Tayammum? In the Hanafi and Hanbali schools, one strike is sufficient for both the face and hands. In the Shafi'i and Maliki schools, two strikes are required — one for the face and one for the hands. The majority of hadith narrations record one strike, which is why many scholars consider one strike sufficient. ### What invalidates Tayammum? Tayammum is invalidated by everything that invalidates Wudu (using the bathroom, passing wind, deep sleep, etc.) and additionally by: finding or gaining access to water, recovery from the illness that prevented water use, and removal of any other valid excuse for Tayammum. Tayammum is a temporary substitute that ends as soon as the reason for it ends. [💧 Wudu & Ghusl Guide](https://globalprayertimes.org/wudu-and-ghusl/) [❓ What Breaks Wudu?](https://globalprayertimes.org/what-breaks-wudu/) [🙏 How to Pray Salah](https://globalprayertimes.org/how-to-pray-salah/) [❓ Islamic Q&A](https://globalprayertimes.org/islamic-qa/) ## Related Islamic Guides [🚿 What Breaks Wudu? A complete list of Wudu nullifiers across all four schools of thought.](https://globalprayertimes.org/what-breaks-wudu/) [💧 Wudu & Ghusl Guide How to perform Wudu (minor ablution) and Ghusl (full ritual bath).](https://globalprayertimes.org/wudu-and-ghusl/) [🤲 How to Pray Salah Step-by-step guide to performing the five daily Islamic prayers.](https://globalprayertimes.org/how-to-pray-salah/) [🕌 How Many Rakats? Fard, Sunnah, and Nafl rakats for every prayer explained.](https://globalprayertimes.org/how-many-rakats/) This is a free service from [Elite Digital Agency](https://elitedigitalagency.io/) . Voluntary support keeps Global Prayer Times free for everyone. [Support if you can](https://globalprayertimes.org/support/) . — Global Prayer Times. Cite as: Tayammum — Step-by-Step Guide to Dry Ablution, Global Prayer Times, https://globalprayertimes.org/tayammum/