Thread by @islamious

Why do Shias prostrate (sajda) on turbah (sajdagah) ? : A Thread🧵

1. Prostrating on the earth (turbah) or nature made material does not in any way imply worshipping the
earth or stone which one is prostrating upon. You are prostrating to Allah and Him alone.

2. But Remember the prostration itself is a gesture of humiliation and insignificance before the Creator and if it
is done on the dirt, on earth, then it will have more of an effect than prostrating on a man-made carpet.
This is the philosophy behind the turbah, the sajdagaah.

3. PROPHET'S SUNNAH -
It is important to note that the use of a turbah is a practice associated with Namaz which has a firm foundation in the tradition, in the sunnah, of
the Holy Prophet (s).
Shias, after all, never forget that they are followers of the Prophet's Sunnah.

4. Holy Prophet Muhammad (s):
"The earth has been considered as a place for prostration and an object that cleanses."
[Sunni Ref - Sunan an-Nasa'i 736]
Thus, it is permissible to prostrate on earth and its components like soil, stone, and etc.

5. REFERENCES FROM AHLE SUNNAH BOOKS -
▪ SAHIH BUKHARI, V1, BOOK 8, NO 378:
Maimuna (a
wife of the Prophet) narrated, "Allah's Apostle used to pray on a 'khumra'."
The "khumra" is a small, palm-leaf mat, only big enough to place your face on during the sajdah.

6.
▪ SAHIH BUKHARI, V1, BOOK 12, NO 798:
Abu Said al-Khudri says: "I saw Allah's Apostle prostrating in mud and water and saw the mark of mud on his forehead."
▪ "Bayhaqi, Ahlul Sunnah scholar of hadith, in his Sunan, goes even further than Bukhari; he says :

7. that the famous companion of the Prophet, Anas ibn Malik once narrated: "We used to pray with the Messenger
of Allah during the enormous heat,and one of us would take pebbles in our hands and once they were
cool, put them down and prostrate on them."
On Pebbles!

8. Now, of course, the majority of Shias pray on a "stone" which, on inspection, turns out to be baked piece of soil from the desert of Karbala, in Iraq. It is not considered compulsory or wajib to pray only on the soil
of Karbala but Shia Muslims prefer to use such turbahs.

9. WHY SOIL OF KARBALA ?
Because the soil of Karbala is the Holiest of all
soils. It is the soil that the Holy Prophet (s) held in his hand as he wept and prophesied the martyrdom of his youngest grandson. It is the soil under which the third Holy Imam Hussain (a) is buried.

10. It is the soil that
represents the very principles of Islam. So what better soil to worship on and prostrate on than the soil of
Karbala ?
Also, the first to prostrate on the soil of Karbala was Imam Sajjad (a). He made prayer beads from the burial dust of Imam Hussain (a).

11. Imam Sadiq (a) narrates that after Hazrat Hamzah ibn Abdul Muttalib (a) was killed in the Battle of Uhud, Lady Fatima Zahra (s) took the soil from his grave and made prayer beads from it and used them to glorify Allah.

12. It is worth noting here: Shias are sometime smeared by some members of the Ahle Sunnah as "stone worshippers" for praying on a Turbah.
Yet, according to this logic, should Sunni Muslims then be referred
to as "carpet worshippers" for prostrating on prayer rugs?

13. MORE REFERENCES FROM AHLE SUNNAH BOOKS -
-Sunan Abu Dawud, Urdu Edition, V7, p 381, 376:
-Kanz ul Ummal, V 7 Tradition No. 19804,19801,19802 and 19809
-Al Mujam al Awsat by Tabarani V3, P 139 (No. 4111)
-Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, V6,P 58
-al-Jassas, Ahkam al-Quran, V3,P 36;