{ Oh you who have believed! Do not come for prayer when you are drunk, until you are aware of what you are saying, nor being sexually impure, unless you are on your way along a road, until you have bathed; and if you are sick or on a journey, or any of you has come from defecating, or you have touched women, but you can not find any water, then dry wipe with clean earth, and wipe your faces and your hands. Indeed Allah is forbearing, forgiving } Al-nisaa 43

{ Or you have touched women } ; there is another recitation without the letter alef; both mean to touch, that is, exploring with the hand; Ibn ‘Umar said this, and Al-Shafi’i affirmed it; included in this is exploring with the rest of the skin. According to Ibn ‘Abbas this means sex. { But you can not find any water } : to cleanse yourselves with for prayer, after having looked around for it and sought for it – and this goes back to what exempts those who are sick; { then dry wipe } : then settle for, when the time comes, { clean earth } : pure dirt, and strike it twice; { and wipe your faces and your hands } : up to the elbows with it.