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I was taught that a wall or any place that has the capability to acquire dirt can be used for tayammum but after going through this answer on What are the materials used for tayammum? which prohibits the walls without a reference and also going listening to a speaker on youtube I came across this new information that walls are not allowed for tayyamum.

  1. I would like to know if there is a difference of opinion and which madhabs do or do not allow wall as an object of tayammum
  2. If wall is not allowed, then how would a bedridden person suppose to do? he/she can go to the toilet with great difficulty in the first place so how should he/she prepare oneself(the wudhu replacement) for salah?

perform Tayammum with clean Earth

(al-Nisa’ 4:43)

In my opinion walls/doors ( irrespective of painted or not), are permissible since everything is directly or indirectly is created from products of Earth (example trees, paint polymers etc which are made from materials found on earth itself and not Mars)

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  • this is a good question, we have a similar situation in prisons, where you are locked in a cell for 23-22hr. You cannot use the showers in prison when you want, and can never get any earth never mind clean earth. Even the excersize yards are made from tarmac
    – Asan Ramzan
    Jan 27, 2019 at 18:00
  • @AsanRamzan isn't there a basin and commode in a prison cell? (that's what i observe in movies)
    – aadil095
    Jan 27, 2019 at 21:48
  • there is a sink, I once had a shower in the coner of my pad, but you end up flooding the whole cell, then the water flow out into the corridor. I did this twice, and was told off. So you are not allowed to do it. And they can switch off the water from outside anytime if they think you are flooding your pad, which they will see from water comming under your door. The second problem is that usually you have a pad mate, who I am sure will not like a flooded cell. If you mean by commode a toliet, yes but I did not do it standing on that as it is dirty, might slip and water spills anyway
    – Asan Ramzan
    Jan 28, 2019 at 1:31
  • One thing you can possibly do is buy a big plastic tub from argos catalogue and then do your shower. But what if you are new. And once I needed a shower while waiting to go back in the paddy wagons to prison from the police station. You can be in the police station all day when you are going to court, there are shower there but not for people going to court just for people in custody. These rooms have no sink or toilet. .
    – Asan Ramzan
    Jan 28, 2019 at 1:42
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    For your second question, a bedridden person with no other problem should not be resorting to Tayammum in the first place, he can do wudu right there using a bottle of water and a pan to catch used water.
    – UmH
    Jan 28, 2019 at 12:54

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Basically there's a consensus that tayammum requires clean earth:

... And if you are ill or on a journey or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself or you have contacted women and find no water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and your hands [with it]. Indeed, Allah is ever Pardoning and Forgiving. (4:43)

However the interpretation of clean earth among scholars differs, the main view in the shafi'i madhhab, the view of the hanbali madhhab and Dawod a-Dhahiri is that it requires earth and dust to be called so. While the hanafis, the main view of the maliki madhhab, imam at-Tabari, ibn Hazm and among the modern salafi scholars: ibn Baaz al-Albani and ibn 'Othaymeen hold the opinion that tayammum is valid if done using anything that comes from the face of the earth, such as dust, mud, rocks, sand and clay.

As evidences they quote:

  • ... the earth has been made for me clean and a place of worship ... (see for example in Sahih Muslim)

  • ... and the earth has been made sacred and pure and mosque for me, so whenever the time of prayer comes for any one of you he should pray whenever he is, ... (See for example in Sahih Muslim)

So if a wall is made of the above and it is not painted all those who allow using these items/materials would consider taymmum with a wall permissible and valid.

In case of a painted wall those who may allow it are rather a few among them seem to be sheikh al-Albani.

Some references:

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