Bulugh al-Maram
Bulugh al-Maram 132
وَلِلتِّرْمِذِيِّ: عَنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ نَحْوُهُ, وَصَحَّحَه ُ 1 .1 - صحيح. رواه الترمذي (124) ولفظه: "إن الصعيد الطيب طهور المسلم، وإن لم يجد الماء عشر سنين، فإذا وجد الماء فليمسه بشرته؛ فإن ذلك خير" وقال: "حديث حسن صحيح".
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Al-Tirmidhi transmits a similar report from Abu Dharr, and he graded it sound.
[Grading and fuller wording:] Sound. Reported by al-Tirmidhi (124). Its wording is: “The pure earth is a means of purification for a Muslim, even if he finds no water for ten years. When he finds water, let him touch it to his skin, for that is better.” He said, “A hasan sahih hadith.”
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic source includes a fuller wording and al-Tirmidhi grading; the English witness only says that a similar hadith was transmitted.