—to perform wuḍūʾ with that water or to remove impurity by means of it; it is now treated as broth rather than as water, though drinking it remains lawful. In their view, whenever some other substance mixes with water, the ruling follows whichever element predominates: if the additive overwhelms the water, the judgment pertains to the additive and not to the water, but if the water remains dominant, the judgment is that of the water and not of the additive.

If any impurity falls into the water and alters its color, taste, or smell, the water becomes unlawful—it may not be drunk, approached, or used for anything that requires ritual purity—and on this point there is no disagreement among the scholars. However, if an impurity falls in, or an animal dies in the water, yet none of its color, taste, or smell is altered, the water remains pure and purifying, whether its quantity is small or large according to the Medinan authorities. Some of them nevertheless recommended that, if the water is in a well or the like, several buckets be drawn out simply to put minds at ease; they set no fixed number for those buckets, but they disliked using the water before that had been done. Still, should someone use it for bathing or wuḍūʾ while the water is as we have described, it is valid.

Some of Mālik’s companions even held that a person who performs wuḍūʾ with such water—though it has not changed—should also perform tayammum, thus combining the two kinds of purification as a precaution; yet if he did not do so and prayed with that wuḍūʾ alone, his prayer would still be sound. All of this shows that their statements in the matter amount to recommendation, not to prohibition or obligation.

The Egyptian followers of Mālik maintained that a small amount of water is spoiled by even a small amount of impurity, whereas a large amount is not spoiled unless the impurity changes its color, taste, or smell. They set no precise measure to distinguish “small” from “large,” nor did they require anyone who had performed wuḍūʾ with water into which impurity had fallen—without altering it—to repeat the prayer.