Does Impurity on a Sick Person’s Body Require Tayammum? Source:
This article is derived from the book 500 Questions & Answers for Women, a compilation of Fatawa by the Scholars of the Haramain. Translated by Hafiz Abdullah Saleem.
❖ Question:
If there is impurity (najāsah) on a sick person’s body, is he required to perform tayammum because of it?
❖ Answer:
A sick person is not required to perform tayammum due to impurity on the body.
✔ If the patient is able to wash off the impurity, he must do so.
✘ If he cannot remove the impurity due to his condition, he may perform prayer in that state without performing tayammum.
Why Tayammum Does Not Apply in This Case:
Tayammum is not effective in removing physical impurity (najāsah).
When impurity is present on the body, the requirement is to physically cleanse the area—not to substitute it with tayammum.
Tayammum is a substitute for wudu or ghusl in cases where water is unavailable or its use is harmful, not for removing najāsah from the body or clothes.
(Fatwa by: Shaykh Muḥammad ibn Ṣāliḥ al-‘Uthaymīn رحمه الله)❖ Summary:
✔ No tayammum is required just because impurity is on the body.
✔ If the patient can remove the impurity, they must wash it.
✔ If unable to remove it, they may pray as they are, and tayammum is not a solution for physical impurity.
