Performing Tayammum by hitting the back of the hand instead of the palm against dust

Q: All praise be to Allah Alone, and peace and blessings be upon the Last of the Prophets. To proceed:The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta' reviewed the question submitted to His Eminence the Grand Mufty from Lieutenant Colonel Hasan ibn Husayn (Part No. 4; Page No. 184) Al-Asmary, an officer in charge of the religious affairs in the Hospital of Al-Ta'if and Al-Huda, referred to the Committee from the Secretariat General of the Council of Senior Scholars under no. 1476, dated 19/2/1419 A.H., in which the questioner asks the following question:A patient whose name is (...) receives medical treatment in the Medical Rehabilitation Center in Al-Rihab reported that he had been afflicted with inflammation in his hand because of Tayammum (dry ablution with clean earth). We charged the consultant for preventive medicine with the task of meeting the patient to examine him. The consultant sent us the enclosed report in which he stated that the patient suffers from quadripartite paralysis and uses his left hand only for performing Tayammum, but since his fingers are bent in the direction of the palm, some atoms of dust get under his fingernails and remain for a long period of time, a matter that causes a fungal inflammation of the fingernails. May Allah preserve you. My question is: Can such a person be exempted from Tayammum? Or can he use the back of his hand for performing Tayammum instead of using the palm of his hand?

A: There is nothing wrong with using the back of the hand for performing Tayammum as long as the person concerned is harmed by using the palm of his hand. This is because Allah (Exalted be He) says: So keep your duty to Allâh and fear Him as much as you can And: Allâh burdens not a person beyond his scope. (Part No. 4; Page No. 185) May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.