Q. | From the perspective of Islamic canon, would it be better to use rosewater, instead of plain water, in making wudu?

A. | Rosewater is a muzaf liquid[1] and therefore cannot be employed in the making of ablution.

[1] The term muzaf (for which we would be hard pressed to find a fitting English equivalent) is used to describe any water or liquid to which it would be incorrect to refer plainly as “water.” Rosewater and grape juice are muzaf liquids. The designation muzaf is the opposite of mutlaq, which signifies plain water. Tap water, for instance, is plain water. Natural water is generally described as “plain water” (mutlaq) so long as it is not mixed to such an extent with a foreign substance that it would no longer be correct to refer to it plainly as “water.”