1/129. Chapter:
Sunan Abi Dawud 336 — Ask When You Do Not Know
The Wounded Person Performing Tayammum
The Cure for Ignorance Is Asking: A Hadith on Tayammum
Sunan Abi Dawud : 336
Sunan Abi DawudHadith Number 336
حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الأَنْطَاكِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ، عَنِ الزُّبَيْرِ بْنِ خُرَيْقٍ، عَنْ عَطَاءٍ، عَنْ جَابِرٍ، قَالَ خَرَجْنَا فِي سَفَرٍ فَأَصَابَ رَجُلاً مِنَّا حَجَرٌ فَشَجَّهُ فِي رَأْسِهِ ثُمَّ احْتَلَمَ فَسَأَلَ أَصْحَابَهُ فَقَالَ هَلْ تَجِدُونَ لِي رُخْصَةً فِي التَّيَمُّمِ فَقَالُوا مَا نَجِدُ لَكَ رُخْصَةً وَأَنْتَ تَقْدِرُ عَلَى الْمَاءِ فَاغْتَسَلَ فَمَاتَ فَلَمَّا قَدِمْنَا عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أُخْبِرَ بِذَلِكَ فَقَالَ " قَتَلُوهُ قَتَلَهُمُ اللَّهُ أَلاَّ سَأَلُوا إِذْ لَمْ يَعْلَمُوا فَإِنَّمَا شِفَاءُ الْعِيِّ السُّؤَالُ إِنَّمَا كَانَ يَكْفِيهِ أَنْ يَتَيَمَّمَ وَيَعْصِرَ " . أَوْ " يَعْصِبَ " . شَكَّ مُوسَى " عَلَى جُرْحِهِ خِرْقَةً ثُمَّ يَمْسَحَ عَلَيْهَا وَيَغْسِلَ سَائِرَ جَسَدِهِ " .
Jabir Narrated from:
We set out on a journey. One of our people was hurt by a stone, that injured his head. He then had a sexual dream. He asked his fellow travelers: Do you find a concession for me to perform tayammum? They said: We do not find any concession for you while you can use water. He took a bath and died.When we came to the Prophet (ﷺ), the incident was reported to him. He said: They killed him, may Allah kill them! Could they not ask when they did not know? The cure for ignorance is inquiry. It was enough for him to perform tayammum and to pour some drops of water or bind a bandage over the wound (the narrator Musa was doubtful); then he should have wiped over it and washed the rest of his body.
Reference : Sunan Abi Dawud 336In-book reference : Book 1, Hadith 336English translation : Book 1, Hadith 336
Summary of Sunan Abi Dawud Hadith 336
This Hadith is a strong warning about speaking without knowledge. A man was injured by a stone on a journey and then had a sexual dream. He asked his companions whether he could perform tayammum. They said they did not find a concession for him because he could use water. He bathed and died. When the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم heard what happened, he said they killed him and asked why they did not ask when they did not know. He then said that the cure for ignorance is inquiry. The Hadith also mentions what would have been enough for the injured man: tayammum, dealing with the wound, wiping over it, and washing the rest of the body.
What we learn from this hadith
- A person should ask when he does not know the ruling.
- Unsafe advice can lead to serious harm.
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said the cure for ignorance is inquiry.
- The injured man had a way to purify without harming his wound.
