Is one strike of dry ablution sufficient for purification?
Chapter on Tayammum
Al-Mughni
Book of Purification
Primary text
Dry ablution is valid with a single strike. This position is that of Ahmad, who stated that one strike suffices for the face and the hands up to the wrists. Those who mandate two strikes added something extra. This is the view held by a number of Companions and scholars, including Ali, Ammar, Ibn Abbas, Ata, Al-Sha'bi, Makhl, Al-Awza'i, Malik, and Ishaq.
Supporting text
Al-Shafi'i mandates two strikes for the face and hands up to the elbows for purification to be valid. This view is narrated from Ibn Umar, his son Salim, Al-Hasan, Al-Thawri, and the People of Opinion, based on Hadith mentioning the Prophet (peace be upon him) wiped his forearms (dhirā'ayn). However, the proponents of the single strike argue that the narrations supporting two strikes are weak, particularly those mentioning up to the elbows, and that the linguistic use of 'hands' (aydeekum) in the Quranic command for Tayammum corresponds to the limited scope (face and palms) established in Hadith regarding cutting the thief's hand.