Must earth be used when washing general impurities if counting is deemed obligatory?
Chapter on what purification is achieved with regarding water
Al-Mughni
Book of Purification
Primary text
If the counting of washings is deemed obligatory for all impurities, then the earth is not necessarily required, because the origin is that it is not obligatory unless specified by the Lawgiver, and the command for earth was only specifically mentioned regarding lapping contamination. If the seven washes are obligatory, there are two opinions on the obligation of earth: one is that it is obligatory by analogy to the lapping case; the second is that it is not obligatory because the Prophet, peace be upon him, commanded washing for blood and others without ordering earth, so it must be restricted to the lapping case. Alternatively, if the command for earth is devotional, it must be confined to its specific context; if it is for a specific property related to lapping that only earth can remove, this property does not exist in other impurities.
Supporting text
It is recommended that the earth be used in the first wash to align with the literal text of the narration ('one of them with earth'), allowing subsequent washes to cleanse the residue. Any wash containing earth is sufficient, as the differing narrations about whether it should be the first, one of them, or the eighth indicate that the precise timing of the earth wash is not strictly intended.