How To Purify A Sick Man

(Based on Islamic verdicts by a group of scholars)

  • A patient is required to use water for purification (both wudu’ and ghusl).
  • In case a patient cannot use water due to his disability or for fear of aggravation of disease or pain. He should use tayammum as a substitute.
  • If he cannot purify himself another person can help him by washing the wudu’ organs or wiping his face and hands for him in case of tayammum.
  • If one of the wudu or ghusl parts is wounded he should wash it with water. If water causes the wound any harm or damage, he should then only wipe over it. If wiping affects the wound negatively, then he can perform tayammum.
  • If he has a broken bone or body part in plaster, splints or bandages, he should wipe over them with water. He need not perform ablution for that area since wiping replaces washing.
  • For tayammum, he can strike a clean wall or other dusty object with his hand. If the wall is covered with some material different from the ground substance, such as paint, he should not use it for tayammum unless it is dusty.
  • If Tayammum is not performed by striking the ground, wall or other dusty object, earth can be placed in a container or tissue and used for tayammum.
  • If he performs tayammum for a given prayer (Salat) and keeps his tayammum (commits nothing that invalidates it) till the time of the next prayer, he can perform it with the same tayammum as he still has ritual purity and has done nothing that invalidates it.

  • A patient must clean filth and impurities from his body. If he cannot, he performs prayer as he is, his prayer is valid and he is not required to do it again later.
  • A patient must put on clean clothes for prayer. If his clothes become filthy or impure he is required to clean or replace them, otherwise, he should perform prayer in the same clothes without having to repeat (make up for) his prayer later on.
  • A patient must perform prayer in a clean place. If the place becomes filthy or impure, he must cleanse it or replace it (in case it is a rug, for example) or he may spread something clean over it. Otherwise, he can pray on that place, and his prayer would be valid and he is not required to re-perform it.
  • It is not permissible for a patient to delay a prayer beyond its prescribed time due to inability to purify himself. Nevertheless, he should purify himself as far as he can, then perform prayer on time even though he has on his body dirty clothes, or is in a dirty place, and which he is unable to cleanse.

A person who is suffering from urinary incontinence, and is not healed despite treatment, is required to perform a new wudu’ for each prayer after the commencement of its time. He should wash any filthy matter on his body and assign a clean garment for prayer if it is not difficult; otherwise he will be absolved from that. He should also guard against the spread of urine over his clothes, body or prayer place by using gauze or a diaper. (Islamic verdict by a group of scholars. p1/1173- shaikh ibn Baz.)