from Khuzaymah (2), who said: The Prophet -may Allah bless him and grant him peace- was asked about seeking purity (istitaba), so he said: 'With three stones, within which there is no raji' (excrement) (3).' Had he not intended the stone and that which is in its meaning, he would not have excluded excrement from it, for there would be no need to mention it, and the specification of excrement by mention would have no meaning. In the hadith of Salman from the Prophet -may Allah bless him and grant him peace-, it is stated that he forbids us to perform istinja' with fewer than three stones, or to use excrement or bones for cleaning. Reported by Muslim (4). Specifying these two with a prohibition regarding them indicates that he intended stones and that which takes their place. Tawus narrated from the Prophet -may Allah bless him and grant him peace- that he said: 'When one of you comes to the privy, let him show reverence to the Qiblah of Allah, and neither face it nor turn his back to it. Let him seek purity with three stones, or three sticks, or three handfuls of soil.' Reported by al-Daraqutni (5), who said: It has been narrated from Ibn Abbas as marfu' (attributed to the Prophet), but the correct view is that it is mursal (a chain missing the successor), and Sa'id reported it in his 'Sunan' as mawquf (attributed to the companion) on Tawus. Furthermore, whenever a text (nass) is revealed regarding something for a rationalized meaning, it is mandatory to extend it to anything in which that meaning is found. The meaning here is the removal of the substance of impurity, and this is achieved with things other than stones just as it is achieved with them. By this reasoning, tayammum is excluded, for its rationale is not known (ta'abbudi). It is necessary that whatever is used for cleaning must be purifying (munaqqi), because purification is a condition for istijmar. As for smooth items like glass, soft coal, and their like which do not purify, they are not valid, because the intended goal is not achieved through them. It is also a condition that it be pure (tahir); if it is impure, it is not sufficient, and this is the opinion of al-Shafi'i. Abu Hanifah said: It is sufficient, because it dries [the area] like a pure item. Our evidence is that Ibn Mas'ud came to the Prophet -may Allah bless him and grant him peace- with two stones and a piece of dung to use for cleaning, so he took the two stones and threw away the dung, saying: 'This is riks (filth).' Reported by al-Bukhari (6), and in a wording reported by al-Tirmidhi (7), he said: 'It is riks.' Meaning...