Is impurity lifted if one intends purification for an act where purity is desirable but not mandatory?
Chapter on the Obligation of Purification
Al-Mughni
Book of Purification
Primary text
There are two main viewpoints regarding whether impurity is lifted if one intends purification for acts like Quran recitation, the call to prayer (Adhan), or sleeping, especially if one is already in a state of impurity and intends to renew Wudu. The preferred view holds that the purification is valid because the intention encompassed something necessary for the perfection of purity (the virtue attained by performing such acts while pure), similar to intending an act that is only permissible with purity. Furthermore, a prescribed purification was intended, thus it is valid based on textual evidence.
Supporting text
The opposing view suggests the purification is invalid in these cases because the individual intended something permitted without ritual purity, making it analogous to intending to eat. Another secondary view suggests invalidity because of the ambiguity when intending general purification when some permissible acts do not require it, leading to uncertainty.