Water is a purifying medium for wudu, so the required washing fulfills its legal function even where the worship-related reward of intention is absent. In the Hanafi treatment, intention is therefore recommended rather than an obligatory condition of wudu.
In tayammum, earth material becomes a legal substitute through deliberate ritual action. Intention is part of what distinguishes that act from ordinary contact with the ground.
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Tayammum Materials, Intention, Nullifiers, and Searching for Water
Water is a purifying medium for wudu, so the required washing fulfills its legal function even where the worship-related reward of intention is absent. In the Hanafi treatment, intention is therefore recommended rather than an obligatory condition of wudu.
In tayammum, earth material becomes a legal substitute through deliberate ritual action. Intention is part of what distinguishes that act from ordinary contact with the ground.