Is it necessary to make ablution before bathing or is it permissible to bath without making ablution?

• It is recommended though not obligatory to perform ablution before bathing. This means that one receives a reward for performing ablution before bathing, though if he does not, his purifying bath is valid.
• Bathing without performing ablution suffices to lift a state of major or minor ritual impurity.
God the Almighty knows best.