Taking soil for the patient in hospital for Tayammum

26-3-2006 | IslamWeb

Question:

My mother is in the hospital and she cannot perform ablution and there is no soil there, so how can she perform the prayer?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.

 

Whoever is unable to use water for ablution is obliged to perform Tayammum (dry ablution) after the time of the obligatory prayer begins, or when he/she wants to perform a supererogatory prayer. The fact that there is no soil in the hospital is not a sound reason for not performing Tayammum, rather it is possible to bring the soil in a container or in a plastic bag and leave it with the patient to perform Tayammum with it.

Nonetheless, if the patient is unable to bring soil by himself, and there is no one to bring it for him/her, and fears that the time of the prayer will elapse, then he/she should pray as he/she is, as Allaah does not burden a soul more than it can bear, but he/she should not abandon the prayer because he/she is not able to perform ablution or cannot find what he/she would perform ablution with, as this is a grave mistake.

Allaah Knows best.