When does the full ritual bath suffice in place of the ablution?

Question:
His second question says: If there is a river or sea near me, and I take a bath in it, and then the time for prayer arrives, and I have no other water to perform the ablution from, does that bath suffice for the ablution so that I can pray with it, or not?

Answer:
You must perform the ablution from the river or sea around you. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about performing the ablution from the sea, and he said: Praise be to Allah. If you take a bath to cool off, or to remove dirt, or something similar, it does not suffice; the ablution is necessary.
However, if it is for major ritual impurity and you intend both the minor and major impurities in the bath, that suffices. But the better course is that you perform the ablution for prayer, then perform the full ritual bath for major ritual impurity afterwards. This is what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would begin with the ablution, clean himself first, then perform the ablution for prayer, then take a bath, then perform the full ritual bath. This is the recommended practice, and it suffices. But if one intends both together and does not begin with the ablution, whoever intends the full ritual bath and the ablution together with a single intention, it suffices for him according to a group of scholars. But the better course is that he does what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did, meaning: he performs the ablution first, cleans himself and performs the ablution for prayer, then pours water over his body, meaning: he completes wetting it. This is the recommended practice for major ritual impurity.
And so it is for a woman regarding menstruation. When she becomes pure from her menstruation, she cleans herself and performs the ablution for prayer, then performs the full ritual bath, covering the body with water. This is the religious requirement, and it suffices for her for both her ablution and her full ritual bath.
And the water, whether it is from the sea, or from a river, or from wells, praise be to Allah, the matter is broad. Allah said: [Al-Ma'idah: 6] And "water" encompasses the sea, the river, the springs, and the wells; all of it falls under water.