Can not touch his face during ablution due to laser surgery

2-9-2009 | IslamWeb

Question:

I am goin to have laser treatment done on my face for acne scars, as a result, my face will be sensitive for a day or two and cannot touch it. How do I do wuzu/tayammum? Do i:
Do wuzu as normal with water but when I come to my face, do I tap my pamls on the earth surface, blow of excess dirt and then pretend to wipe my face 3 times as I would normally do when doing wuzu with water?
OR
Do wuzu in the right manner with water and skip washing my face and once wuzu is completed then go back and do tayammum on my face?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.

 

A Muslim who has a cut or the like in his face because of which he cannot wash the face during ablution nor can he wipe it during Tayammum, or cover it with a bandage and wipe over it, he can perform ablution and exclude the face, as stated by Muslim jurists, since the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: "When I order you to do something, do whatever you are able to do of it." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Finally, it should be noted that the questioner should not undergo this operation without a serious necessity or need, particularly if it requires abandoning washing the face in ablution.

Allaah Knows best.