Is ablution valid if the water used has been mixed with a pure substance that altered its characteristics?
Chapter on what purification is achieved with regarding water
Al-Mughni
Book of Purification
Primary text
Ablution is valid if the water mixed with a pure substance, such as saffron or dough, is used for washing, even if the water's characteristics were altered by the substance during washing. This is because the alteration occurred at the place of purification, similar to water used to remove impurity altering its state. The mixture is permissible unless the water acquires a dominant characteristic (taste, color, or an excessive smell) such that the water is attributed to that substance. The majority view dictates that water mixed with a pure substance that does not alter its descriptive properties (taste, color, or smell) is permissible for ablution. Evidence for this is found in the action of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his wife washing from a large basin containing traces of dough, as narrated by Al-Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, and Al-Athram.
Supporting text
Some scholars, including Ibn 'Aqil (excluding Al-Khiraqi) among our companions, hold that smell, color, and taste should be treated equally; since smell is a characteristic of water, it should be treated like color and taste. Al-Qadi stated that parity must be maintained between the three characteristics; if minor alteration is pardoned in one, it is pardoned in the others, and vice versa.