When a sick or wounded person can use water on some parts of the body but not others, what is the required procedure regarding purification?
Chapter on Tayammum
Al-Mughni
Book of Purification
Primary text
If a wounded or sick person can wash a part of their body but not the rest, they must wash the parts they can and perform Tayammum for the remainder. This is the position of Al-Shafi'i. The evidence for this is the narration of Jabir, where a companion who sustained a head wound became incontinent (junub) and was advised by the Prophet, peace be upon him, that it was sufficient for him to perform Tayammum, tie a cloth over his wound, wipe over it, and then wash the rest of his body. This is supported by a similar narration from Ibn Abbas. The principle is that every part of the body must be purified by its specific agent if the entire body is uniformly afflicted, and the ruling for one part does not negate the requirement for another part.
Supporting text
Abu Hanifa and Malik hold that if the majority of the body is healthy, that portion must be washed, and no Tayammum is required. If the majority of the body is wounded, Tayammum is performed without washing. They base this on the principle that combining the substitute (Tayammum) and the original requirement (washing) is not obligatory, similar to the case of fasting and feeding the poor.