The practice follows the hadith of ‘A’isha. It also includes that he performed wudu for prayer before his ghusl. He said in one place: Washing his feet at its place, after it, or before it is all the same. Perhaps he went by the view that the difference in the hadiths concerning it indicates that the timing of the washing is not intended, but rather the essential act of washing is intended, and Allah, the Exalted, knows best.
59- Issue: He said: (If he washes once and covers his head and body with water, and does not perform wudu, it suffices him, provided that he rinses his mouth, inhales water, and intends by it both the ghusl and the wudu, though he would be abandoning the preferred action.)
This mentioned description is the method of sufficiency, while the first one is the preferred one; that is why he said: "though he would be abandoning the preferred action." Meaning, if he contents himself with this, it suffices him, while omitting what is better and more appropriate. His saying: "and intends by it both the ghusl and the wudu." Means that the ghusl suffices for both of them if he intends both. Ahmad explicitly stated this. There is another narration from him: The ghusl does not suffice for the wudu until he performs it before or after the ghusl. This is one of the two opinions of al-Shafi‘i, because the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) did that, and because both Janaba (major ritual impurity) and Hadath (minor ritual impurity) were present from him, so both purifications were required for them, just as if they were separate (1). Our evidence is the statement of Allah, the Exalted: {Do not approach prayer while you are intoxicated until you know what you are saying, nor in a state of Janaba, except those passing through, until you have performed ghusl} (2). He established the ghusl as the limit for the prohibition from prayer, so once he has performed ghusl, it is necessary that he not be prohibited from it. Also, because they are two acts of worship of the same genus (3), the lesser is subsumed into the greater, like the ‘Umra into the Hajj. Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said (4): The one performing ghusl from Janaba, if he does not perform wudu but covers his entire body, has fulfilled what is upon him, because Allah, the Exalted, has only made the ghusl from Janaba obligatory upon the Junub (person in a state of major ritual impurity), not the wudu, by His statement: {And if you are in a state of Janaba, then purify yourselves} (5). This is a consensus (ijma‘) that there is no disagreement upon among the scholars, except that they have reached a consensus on the recommendation of performing wudu before the ghusl,
(1) In manuscript M: "separate (plural form)". (2) Surah al-Nisa': 43. (3) Dropped from: the original. (4) See: al-Istidhkar 1/327, 328. (5) Surah al-Ma'idah: 6.