Abu Dharr reported God’s messenger as saying, "Good earth is a means of ablution for a Muslim, even if he does not find water for ten years; but when he finds water he should make it touch his skin, for that is better.”
Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud transmitted it, and Nasa’i has something similar up to "ten years”.
Abul Juhaim b. al-Harith b. as-Simma said, “I came upon the Prophet when he was passing water and saluted him, but he did not reply till he got up and went to a wall, and after scraping it with a stick which he had, he put his hands on the wall and wiped his face and his forearms; then he replied to my salutation.”
I have not found this version in the two Sahihs, or in al-Humaidi’s book; but Baghawi mentioned it in Sharh as-sunna, saying that this is a hasan tradition.
We went out on a journey, and one of our men was struck by a stone which wounded him in the head. He had a nocturnal emission and asked his companions whether they could find any permission for him to perform ablution with earth, but they replied that they could not when he was able to get water; so the man washed and died. When we came to the Prophet he was told about that and said, "Then killed him, God kill them! Why did they not ask when they did not know? The only cure for ignorance is to ask. It would have been enough for him to use earth and tie a rag over the sore, then wipe over it and wash the rest of his body."
Abu Dawud transmitted it, and Ibn Majah transmitted it from ‘Ata’ b. Abu Rabah from Ibn ‘Abbas.
Narrated ‘Ammar said that a man came to ‘Umar b. al-Khatt&b, telling that he was affected by seminal defilement and could get no water.
‘Ammar then said to ‘Umar:
Do you not remember that you and I were on a journey and you did not pray, but I rolled myself on the ground, then prayed? I mentioned that afterwards to the Prophet, and he said,“It would have been enough for you to do thus”—and the Prophet struck the ground with the palms of his hands, blew into them, then wiped his face and the palms of his hands with them.
Bukhari transmitted it, and Muslim has something similar, in which he said, “It is enough for you to strike the ground with your hands, then blow, then wipe your face and the palms of your hands with them.”
