Answered by Shaykh Hamza Karamali, SunniPath Academy Teacher
I have a bottle of water for drinking purpose and another bottle of water that is just enough for wudu. I am in junub. What should I do?
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate
After the prayer time enters, you should do the following.
(1) Search for Water
(a) If you think that it is possible for there to be water within the approximate area of a 150 m. radius from where you are located, you must search for water within this area. If you are certain that there is no water in this area, you need not search, although if you doubt whether or not there is any water, you must search.
(b) If you are certain that there is water within the approximate area of a 4.5 km. radius from where you are located (about a 45 minute walk), you must search for water within this area. If you are not certain, but merely think it possible for there to be water within this area, you need not search.
(2) Perform Tayammum
If, after searching according to the requirements described above, you are unable to find water, then you should:
(a) Set aside the water you need for drinking purposes (you don’t have to use this water to perform either wudu or ghusl)
(b) Use the remaining water to perform as much of the ghusl that you are able to
(c) Perform tayammum for the part of your body that you were unable to wash (because your water ran out)
(d) Pray
Thereafter, simply perform tayammum for each obligatory prayer.
(3) Possibly Make Up Prayers
If you performed tayammum in an area where water is normally present (e.g. in a city where the water supply is abruptly cut off), then you must repeat the prayers you performed with tayammum after you once again have enough water to perform wudu and ghusl.
For more details about tayammum, you may refer to the Reliance, e12.0. The numbers in section (1) above are taken from al-Taqrirat al-Sadida fi’l-Masa’il al-Mufida, p. 146.
And Allah knows best.
Hamza.