When does tayammum become invalid?
Tayammum becomes invalid when anything that breaks wudu happens, or when you find water and are able to use it. If you did tayammum because of illness, it ends when you can use water again. Most scholars (but not the Hanafis) also say one tayammum covers only one obligatory prayer.
1. Anything that breaks wudu
Tayammum replaces wudu, so it ends in the same ways: using the toilet, passing wind, deep sleep, losing consciousness and the other nullifiers. If you did tayammum in place of ghusl, these break it back to a "wudu" level, but you don't go back into janabah unless something new requires ghusl. For the full list of nullifiers, see What breaks wudu?
2. Finding water you can use
Tayammum is only a stand-in for water. Allah says in the same verse that teaches tayammum:
The Prophet ﷺ said that clean earth is the purification of a Muslim even for ten years without water, but once he finds water, he should let it touch his skin (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 124). So as soon as water becomes available, your tayammum is over for the next prayer.
- Water found before prayer: make wudu (or ghusl) instead.
- Water found after finishing the prayer: the prayer is valid and you don't repeat it, according to most scholars.
- Water found during the prayer: scholars differ. Hanafis and Hanbalis say stop and make wudu; Malikis and Shafi'is say finish the prayer.
3. The excuse ends
If you used tayammum because a doctor said water would harm a wound or illness, it ends once you're able to use water safely. Follow your doctor's advice on when water is fine again. For partial wounds, see Can I make wudu with a cast or bandage?
Does it end when the prayer time ends?
This is the main difference between the schools. The Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali schools say one tayammum covers one obligatory prayer (plus voluntary prayers), and it ends when that prayer's time ends, so you renew it for each fard prayer. The Hanafi school says tayammum works just like wudu: it lasts across several prayers until something breaks it or you find water. Both views are based on evidence. To review the steps, see How do I do tayammum?
- Whatever breaks wudu also breaks tayammum.
- Finding usable water ends tayammum.
- A prayer already finished with tayammum doesn't need repeating.
- Most schools renew tayammum for each obligatory prayer; Hanafis don't.
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