Question

2. What must water be in order for it to be used for
wudū' and ghusl?​

Answer 1

Answer:

Seawater is clean and drinkable. Its being unfit to drink because of its high salt content does not cause it to be impermissible to be used for wudu' and ghusl. If some water is classified as undrinkable due to being najs (impure, religiously dirty), it is not used for wudu'. But one can make wudu' with water that is classified as undrinkable due to the presence of coliform bacteria in it. If a spoon of salt is added to the water in a cauldron, it can be used for wudu'.

If the salt added to it is so much that it cannot dissolve, then one is not allowed to make wudu' with this saline solution.

If a spoon of vinegar is added to the water in a cauldron, one can use it for wudu'. If something like milk is mixed into water to the extent that it changes the color of water, one cannot make wudu' with this water. If melon juice and sugar are mixed into water and if they do not change the taste of water, one can make wudu' with it. But if they are added so much that they have changed the taste of water, it cannot be used for wudu'.

It is permissible to drink fruit juices, but none of them can be used for wudu'. One can make wudu' and ghusl with Zamzam water. If ink is dripped into water and if it does not change the color of water, one can make wudu' with it. If the liquid that is mixed into water changes any of the three qualities of water, namely, color, smell, and taste, this water cannot be used for wudu' or ghusl. However, there are some exceptions to this rule: For example, if beans, chick peas or lentils remain in cold water for some time, it is permissible, unless it has lost its fluidity, to make wudu' with this water, even if its color, smell, and taste change. One cannot make wudu' with meat broth even if its color, smell, and taste do not change.

When clean things get mixed with some water, it can be used for wudu' as long as the name of the water does not change even if its color changes. When a little najasat (substances that Islam prescribes as dirty) falls in a small pool, it is not used for wudu' even if its three qualities did not change. Water whose three qualities have changed as a result of being kept too long does not become najs (impure, religiously dirty). It can be used for wudu'.