Brunei Darussalam

In Brunei, sand can sometimes replace water in ritual purification.

Before prayer, Muslims normally wash the face, hands and other parts of the body with water. But when water is unavailable or cannot be used, for example because of illness, there is an alternative: tayammum.

Clean sand or other clean earth material is used. The hands are placed on the material and then passed over the face and hands.

Tayammum is part of Islam and is therefore practised far beyond Brunei. Here, sand takes on an unusual role: making ritual purification possible without water.