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English translation
572. It was narrated that 'Atâ' bin Abu Rabâh said: "I heard Ibn 'Abbâs saying that a man was injured in the head at the time of the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ, then he had a wet dream. He was told to have a bath, so he took the bath, became rigid and stiff, and died. News of that reached the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ and he said: 'They have killed him, may Allâh kill them! Is not the cure for a lack of knowledge to ask questions?'"
'Atâ' said: "We heard that the
Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: 'If only he had washed his body and left his head alone where the wound was.'" (Sahih)
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Commentary
If the water is too cold and there is no way to heat it, and if taking a cold bath is fraught with risk of death or sickness, it is perfectly in order to do dry ablution of prayer. At the expiry of the risk the person concerned shall have to take a bath.
The injury factor mentioned in the report leads one to presume that this was also a contributing factor to his ailment. Thus, although the immediate cause of death was extreme cold, it is also true that the cold water poured on the wound also aggravated the sickness that eventually resulted in his death.
Issuance of Fatwa demands extreme caution. While issuing a ruling, it is one of the imperatives to give due consideration to the situation of the questioner.
If the question asked has no easy answer, it is best to avoid giving the answer, and advise the questioner to refer the matter to a higher authority on Islamic jurisprudence.
If the mistake is grave, it is permissible to use harsh words of reprimand provided that there is no fear of a negative reaction to it. It may be noted that anything that invalidates ablution also invalidates dry ablution. Dry ablution shall also be nullified as soon as a person regains the ability to use water or, alternately, the water that was non-existent, or out of reach, becomes available to the user. And Allāh knows best.
