Is it permissible to act upon Ibn Taymiyyah’s saying that no matter how much impurity exceeds its place, its removal with stones is sufficient, and prayer is valid thereafter without using water for purification (istinja’)? Or is his opinion impermissible to act upon? And is it a corrupt or invalid opinion, such that acting upon it is forbidden?

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah differed from the opinion of the Hanbalis and held the view that it is permissible to use stones (istijmar) even if the impurity extends beyond the usual place to the two buttocks. This is also the madhhab of the Shafi'is, and it is the view we have favored. As for what goes beyond the two buttocks, water is obligatory for it according to the Shafi'is, and nothing has been reported from Shaykh al-Islam that contradicts this.