Title: Regarding Allowances in Physical Purification and Prayers Question: I want to ask some questions regarding prayers. Can a person perform tayammum instead of wudhu or ghusl , if he is a patient or in journey even in the availability of water? Can a person perform masah [1] on ordinary socks for performing consequent wudhus [ablution] in winter, if he wears them after performing complete wudhu ? In big cities, can all the benefits regarding prayers, given to a person who is travelling, like qasr , tayammum etc. be enjoyed, when one is out of the locality where he lives, to work in office or to meet someone? Yours truly, Answer: Answers to your questions follow: Yes. The Qur'an has allowed Tayammum in case of non-availability of water, as well as in case of an ailment or in the state of a journey. The Qur'an says: If you be ill or on a journey or if - when any one of you has relieved himself or has had sexual intercourse with women - you find no water... ( Al-Maaidah 5: 6) It is obvious that if the allowance for Tayammum was only in situations of non-availability of water, there was no need to mention the state of being ill or on a journey separately. Yes. If a person has performed his complete ablution and while in a state of ablution had covered his feet with socks, he may take advantage of the allowance of masah on his feet during his subsequent ablutions in the same day. It may also be added that the allowance for masah extends to three days if the person is in a state of a journey. The allowances given by the Qur'an relating to the state of a journey should only be benefited from when the person feels that the phrase 'in a state of a journey' actually applies to his situation. As should be quite apparent, the applicability of the referred phrase may vary in time as well as in place. In other words, in the application of the Qur'anic directive, the individual will have to decide for himself whether or not his situation qualifies to be called a 'state of a journey' and subsequently he may or may not take advantage of the allowances of the Shari`ah that apply to the 'state of journey'. Coming to your specific question in this regard, because of the available commuting facilities and the metropolitan culture that has developed all over the world during the past few years, in my opinion, being out of one's immediate locality is no longer considered to be a 'state of journey'. I would, therefore, not recommend to take advantage of the referred allowances of the Shari`ah, under the circumstances. However, it should be kept in mind that there can be a difference of opinion in the application of such directives of the Shari`ah . I hope this helps. 20 th January 2000 [1] Lightly wiping the feet with wet hands from over the socks as a symbolic reminder of the washing of feet during ablution.