Is purification from minor ritual impurity (hadath) achievable by substances other than pure water?
Chapter on what purification is achieved with regarding water
Al-Mughni
Book of Purification
Primary text
Purification from minor ritual impurity (hadath) is only achieved by that which achieves purification from major impurity, encompassing the general meaning of purification. This is the view held by Malik, Al-Shafi'i, Muhammad ibn al-Hasan, and Zufar. The basis for this is the Hadith where the Prophet (peace be upon him) commanded Asma bint Abi Bakr, concerning menstrual blood on clothing, to rub it, then sprinkle water upon it, and then pray in it. Furthermore, the Prophet (peace be upon him) commanded that a bucket of water be poured over the urine of a Bedouin, which implies obligation. Since purification for prayer cannot be achieved without water, just as purification from major impurity requires it, and water is uniquely capable of achieving one form of purification, it must achieve the other as well.
Supporting text
Abu Hanifa holds that removing filth (najasa) is permissible with any pure liquid that removes the substance and its trace, such as vinegar or rosewater. A narration attributed to Ahmad supports this, based on the Prophet's command to wash an earthenware vessel seven times after a dog licks it, implying that the command for 'washing' (ghusl) should not be restricted to water without explicit textual proof, as any pure, removing liquid suffices, like water. However, liquids that do not remove the substance, such as broth or milk, do not remove filth.