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What are the sayings of scholars regarding the obligatory acts (fara'id) and sunnah acts (sunan) of tayammum, and the number of prayers that can be performed with a single tayammum?

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The obligatory acts (fara'id) and sunnahs of tayammum vary according to the different schools of thought (madhahib):

Malikis: Tayammum has six obligatory acts (niyyah (intention), pure earth, the first strike, wiping the face and hands up to the wrists, performing acts in immediate succession (muwalat), running fingers through each other and removing any barrier) and four sunnahs (observing the correct order (tartib), the second strike, wiping the hands up to the elbows, transferring the dust). Hanafis: Tayammum has two pillars (a strike for the face and a strike for the hands up to the elbows, covering both limbs completely) and seven sunnahs (moving the hands forwards and backwards, shaking them off, spreading the fingers apart, saying "Bismillah", observing the correct order, performing acts in immediate succession). Shafi'is: Its pillars are five (transferring dust, intending to permit prayer, wiping the entire face, wiping the hands up to the elbows completely, observing the correct order between the face and the hands) and it has seven etiquettes (saying "Bismillah", wiping the face and hands with two strikes, beginning with the right, presenting the upper part of the face first, lightening the dust, performing acts in immediate succession, spreading the fingers apart when striking the ground). Hanbalis: Its obligatory acts are five (wiping the entire face, wiping the hands up to the wrists, observing the correct order if the minor impurity is present, performing acts in immediate succession likewise, specifying the intention to permit what one is performing tayammum for) and it has six sunnahs (observing the correct order and performing acts in immediate succession for other than minor impurity, spreading the fingers apart, presenting the right over the left in wiping, presenting the upper part of the face first when wiping, removing rings, reciting the two declarations of faith).

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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