While performing ablution, sometimes when there is a wound or bandage on the head, hand or feet; it becomes difficult to go about it. Sometimes it might not be good to apply water to the wound. So what do we do and how do we perform ablution in such cases?
Rulings On Wiping Over a Wound or Bandage
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said: If there is a wound on a part of the body that is washed when purifying oneself, there are several scenarios:
(i) It is not covered and will not be harmed by washing. In this case he has to wash it if it is in a place that is to be washed.
(ii) It is not covered but will be harmed by washing but not by wiping. In this case he has to wipe it instead of washing it.
(iii) It is not covered but will be harmed by both washing and wiping. In this case he should do tayammum for it.
(iv) It is covered with a band-aid or the like that is needed. In this case he should wipe over that covering and that will suffice in place of washing that part and he does not have to do tayammum.
Majmoo‘ Fataawa wa Rasaa’il Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 11/121. See also al-Mughni by Ibn Qudaamah, 1/172-173; al-Mawsoo‘ah al-Fiqhiyyah, 14/273
