When does harmful cold or inability to afford a bath permit tayammum?
2026-10-13
T140 · Ibn Taymiyyah
Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah
شيخ الإسلام أحمد بن تيمية
Original Q&A · Full displayed answer
The whole question and answer retain both conditions: harm from cold water when warm-water washing is unavailable, and inability to afford a bath without harming necessary family maintenance or debt payment. The obligation to pay an affordable fee, the collateral example and the qualified view on repeating prayer are preserved.
النص العربي
السؤال الأصلي
عن رجل يصبح جنبا، وليس عنده ما يدخل به الحمام، ولا يمكنه أن يغتسل في بيته من أجل البرد. فهل له أن يتيمم ويصلي ويقرأ القرآن أم لا؟ وهل إذا فعل ذلك تجب عليه الإعادة؟ أم لا؟ وإذا كان عنده ما يرهنه على أجرة الحمام فهل يجب عليه ذلك؟ أم لا؟
الجواب
الحمد لله. يجوز للرجل إذا عدم الماء أو خاف الضرر باستعماله، وإن كان جنبا. فإذا خشي إذا اغتسل بالماء البارد أن يضره ولا يمكنه الاغتسال بالماء الحار في بيت ولا حمام، ولا غيرها، جاز له التيمم، ولا إعادة عليه على الصحيح. وإن أمكنه دخول الحمام بجعل وجب عليه ذلك، إذا كان واجدا لأجرة الحمام من غير إجحاف في ماله، كما يجب شراء الماء للطهارة. وإذا كان ممن يمكنه أن يرهن عند الحمامي الطاقية والمئزر، ويوفيه في أثناء يوم، ونحو ذلك، فعله. وإن كان في أداء أجرة الحمام ضرر كنقص نفقة عياله، وقضاء دينه، صلى بالتيمم. والله أعلم.
English translation
English rendering prepared for SalafAlSalih.com from the cited Arabic answer. Not an official translation.
Original question
About a man who wakes in janabah and has no money to enter the bathhouse, and cannot wash at home because of the cold. May he perform tayammum, pray and recite the Quran? If he does so, must he repeat the prayer? If he has something he can pledge as security for the bathhouse fee, must he do that?
Answer
Praise be to Allah. This is permissible for a man when water is unavailable or he fears harm from using it, even if he is in janabah. If he fears that washing with cold water will harm him and cannot wash with hot water at home, in a bathhouse or elsewhere, he may perform tayammum. According to the correct view, he does not have to repeat the prayer. If he can enter the bathhouse for a fee, he must do so when he can afford the fee without undue harm to his finances, just as water must be purchased for purification. If he can pledge his cap and waist-wrapper to the bathhouse keeper and pay him during the day, or do something similar, he should do so. If paying the bathhouse fee would cause harm, such as reducing the maintenance of his dependants or the payment of his debt, he prays with tayammum. Allah knows best.
Source and editorial notes
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā 21/441–442; King Fahd Complex, Madinah, 1425 AH / 2004
مجموع الفتاوى
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā
Arabic transcribed and compared against the cited scan and adjacent context.