ONE HADITH A DAY
Narrated by Abu Daoud · Hasan/Sound by virtue of corroborating evidence
عن جابر رضي الله عنه قال: خرجنا في سَفَر فأصاب رجُلا مِنَّا حَجَرٌ فَشَجَّهُ في رأسه، ثم احتلم فسأل أصحابه فقال: هل تجدون لي رُخْصَة في التَّيمم؟ فقالوا: ما نَجِد لك رُخْصَة وأنت تَقْدِرُ على الماء فاغْتَسَل فمات، فلمَّا قَدِمْنَا على النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أخبر بذلك فقال: «قَتَلُوه قَتَلَهُم الله ألا سَألُوا إذ لم يعلموا فإنَّما شِفَاء العِيِّ السؤال، إنما كان يَكفيه أن يَتيمَّم ويَعْصِر-أو يَعْصِب- على جُرحِه خِرقَة، ثم يمسح عليها، ويَغسل سائر جسده».
“Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: We set out on a journey. One of our people was hit by a stone that injured his head. He then had a wet 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 since water is available to you." He, thus, took a bath and died (as a result). When we came to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) the incident was reported to him. He said: "They killed him, may Allah kill them! Why had they not asked when they did not know? The cure for ignorance is inquiry. It would have been enough for him to perform Tayammum and to press – or bind – a cloth over his wound then wipe with wet hands over it and wash the rest of his body."”
Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that they went on a journey, and one of them was seriously injured in his head by a rock. Then that man had a wet dream and asked his companions if it was acceptable for him to make Tayammum instead of bathing with water. They replied: "We do not find any concession for you since water is available to you", meaning that Tayammum is not sufficient in this case because of the presence of water, and the concession for making Tayammum is applicable when water is not available. So, the man bathed and his wound became worse because of the water, and he eventually died. When they arrived at Madīnah, they informed the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about his story and he was upset and rebuked them saying: "They killed him, may Allah kill them!" The Prophet made supplication against them because they caused his death based upon the wrong Fatwa they gave him. "Why had they not asked when they did not know?", meaning that it was obligatory on them to ask and not to be hasty in giving a Fatwa, because of what this type of action entails of harming others, and this was exactly what happened. "The cure for ignorance is inquiry", meaning why had they not asked when they did not know, because the cure for ignorance is to ask questions. If someone is ignorant of a Shariah ruling, the cure for this ignorance and lack of knowledge is to ask, and not to give a Fatwa that leads to harming people or to their death. Then the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) clarified the Shariah ruling regarding this issue…