Performing Tayammum in Cold Weather: Sharia Guidance for the State of Janabah
Question:
If a person is in a state of janabah (major ritual impurity) in cold weather, can he perform tayammum?
Answer:
الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام علىٰ رسول الله، أما بعد!
When a person is in a state of janabah, it is obligatory for him to perform ghusl (the full bath), as Allah the Most High says:
﴿وَإِن كُنتُم جُنُبًا فَاطَّهَّروا﴾
“If you are in need of a bath, then purify yourselves (by bathing).”
The case where one cannot perform ghusl in cold weather:
◈ If the weather is extremely cold and the person in janabah cannot bathe with cold water, he should follow the method below, in accordance with the Sharia:
◈ If possible, he should heat the water.
◈ If nothing is available to heat the water and heating it is not possible, then in that case he may perform tayammum and pray.
Allah the Most High says:
﴿وَإِن كُنتُم جُنُبًا فَاطَّهَّروا وَإِن كُنتُم مَرضى أَو عَلى سَفَرٍ أَو جاءَ أَحَدٌ مِنكُم مِنَ الغائِطِ أَو لـمَستُمُ النِّساءَ فَلَم تَجِدوا ماءً فَتَيَمَّموا صَعيدًا طَيِّبًا فَامسَحوا بِوُجوهِكُم وَأَيديكُم مِنهُ ما يُريدُ اللَّهُ لِيَجعَلَ عَلَيكُم مِن حَرَجٍ وَلـكِن يُريدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُم وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعمَتَهُ عَلَيكُم لَعَلَّكُم تَشكُرونَ﴾
“And if you are in a state of janabah, then perform ghusl. And if you are ill or on a journey, or one of you has come from relieving himself, or you have had intimate contact with women, and you do not find water, then take clean earth and wipe your faces and your hands with it. Allah does not want to place any hardship upon you, but He wants to purify you and to complete His favour upon you, so that you may be grateful.”
The ruling on the purity attained through tayammum:
◈ If a person in janabah performs tayammum, he becomes pure in the Sharia sense.
◈ He is considered pure as long as he does not find water.
◈ When water becomes available, it becomes obligatory for him to perform ghusl.
In a detailed hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari, it is narrated from Imran ibn Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him):
The Prophet ﷺ saw a man keeping apart, who had not prayed with the congregation. He ﷺ asked him: “Why did you not pray?”
He said: “I am in janabah and there is no water here.”
So the Prophet ﷺ said:
«عَلَيْکَ بِالصَّعِيْدِ فَاِنَّهُ يَکْفِيْکَ…»
“Use clean earth; it is sufficient for you.”
Then, when water came, the Prophet ﷺ said to him:
«اِذْهَبْ فَأَفْرِغْهُ عَلَيْکَ»
“Go and pour it over yourself.”
Important Sharia instructions:
◈ Whoever performed tayammum because of janabah, when he finds water, ghusl becomes obligatory for him.
◈ Whether it is janabah or a minor impurity, tayammum is permissible only when water is not found or cannot be used.
◈ The tayammum performed for janabah will remain valid until janabah occurs again or water is found.
◈ However, if a minor impurity (something that breaks wudu) occurs, he will have to perform tayammum again.
◈ If janabah occurs again, it is necessary to perform tayammum anew.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
