Why Do Shia Muslims Pray on Soil From Karbala? 

September 24, 2024

Shia Muslims will often prostrate on a clay tablet made from the soil of Karbala. A lot of people wonder why. 

There are two components to the answer:
1. Shia Muslims believe that you must prostrate on a natural surface when possible.
2. Shia Muslims believe that the soil of Karbala has particular blessings. 

Here we will explore the reasoning behind these two items.

Prostrating on Natural Surfaces

In widely accepted hadith, like the following from Sahih al-Bukhari, it is made clear that the Prophet (pbuh&hp) would prostrate on natural surfaces unless there was an exceptional circumstance. Abu Said al-Khudri narrated: 

“I saw in my dream that I was prostrating in mud and water. In those days the roof of the mosque was made of branches of date palm trees. At that time the sky was clear and no cloud was visible, but suddenly a cloud appeared, and it rained. The Prophet (pbuh&hp) led us in prayer, and I saw the traces of mud on the forehead and on the nose of God’s Messenger (pbuh&hp). So it was the confirmation of that dream” [Sahih al-Bukhari, 813, book 10, hadith 208].

وَإِنِّي رَأَيْتُ كَأَنِّي أَسْجُدُ فِي طِينٍ وَمَاءٍ‏‏.‏ وَكَانَ سَقْفُ الْمَسْجِدِ جَرِيدَ النَّخْلِ وَمَا نَرَى فِي السَّمَاءِ شَيْئًا، فَجَاءَتْ قَزْعَةٌ فَأُمْطِرْنَا، فَصَلَّى بِنَا النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم حَتَّى رَأَيْتُ أَثَرَ الطِّينِ وَالْمَاءِ عَلَى جَبْهَةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَأَرْنَبَتِهِ تَصْدِيقَ رُؤْيَاهُ‏.‏

According to this hadith, the floor of the Prophet’s (pbuh&hp) mosque was a natural surface, and even though praying on it while wet was an inconvenience, the Prophet (pbuh&hp) and his companions did so.

Meanwhile, Anas ibn Malik reveals that praying on a non-natural surface was the exception rather than the rule, saying, “We used to pray with the Prophet (pbuh&hp) in scorching heat, and if one of us could not put his face on the earth, then he would spread his clothes and prostrate over them.”

[Sahih al-Bukhari, 1208, book 21, hadith 12, Sahih Muslim, 620, book 5, p. 433]

عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ كُنَّا نُصَلِّي مَعَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي شِدَّةِ الْحَرِّ، فَإِذَا لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ أَحَدُنَا أَنْ يُمَكِّنَ وَجْهَهُ مِنَ الأَرْضِ بَسَطَ ثَوْبَهُ فَسَجَدَ عَلَيْهِ‏.

Elsewhere, we read that the Prophet (pbuh&hp) would regularly prostrate on a small mat made of date palm fibers (khumra) that was only large enough for the forehead. 

[Jami at-Tirmidhi, 331, book 2, hadith 183]

عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُصَلِّي عَلَى الْخُمْرَةِ ‏

Such a mat would make it easy to ensure praying on a natural surface in various situations. 

And Imam Jafar Sadiq (p) reportedly said, “Prostration is not permissible upon anything but the earth and what grows from the earth, except for that which is worn or eaten.” 

The narrator, Hashim ibn al-Hakam, then asked why this is. And the Imam (p) explained that the people of the dunya (worldliness) are slaves of that which they eat and wear. Thus, it is not appropriate for one in prostration to God to be deceived in the same way by prostrating to their god. And prostration on the earth is more in keeping with humility and submission to God. 

[Man la yahduruhu al-faqih, v. 1, p. 272]

The blessings of the soil of Karbala

We find in hadith that the soil of Karbala was given to the Prophet (pbuh&hp) by an angel. The Prophet (pbuh&hp) reportedly said to either Aisha or Umm Salama: “An angel entered the house, an angel who had never entered before, and said to me, ‘Your son Hussain will be killed. If you wish, I can show you the soil of the land where he will be killed.’ He then brought out red soil.” 

[Musnad Imam Ahmad, v. 6, p. 294]

حدثنا وكيع قال حدثني عبد الله بن سعيد عن أبيه عن عائشة أو أم سلمة. قال وكيع: شك عبد الله بن سعيد. أن النبي قال لإحداهما: لقد دخل علي البيت ملك لم يدخل علي قبلها فقال لي: إن ابنك هذا حسين مقتول، وإن شئت أريتك من تربة الأرض التي يقتل بها. قال: فأخرج تربة حمراء. 

In other hadith, it is made clear that the angel was the Angel of Rain, and the red soil was from Karbala. [See: Musnad Imam Ahmad, v. 21, p. 172]

This red soil, according to hadith, turned to blood when Imam Hussain (p) was killed in Karbala. Umm Salama reportedly said: 

“I saw the Messenger of God (pbuh&hp) wiping Hussain’s head and crying. I asked, ‘Why are you crying?’ He replied, ‘Gabriel informed me that this son of mine will be killed in a land called Karbala.’ Then he gave me a handful of red soil, saying, ‘This is from the soil of the land where he will be killed. When it turns to blood, know that he has been killed.’”

– ذكره كذلك في نهاية الغريب ، وعنها ، قالت : رأيت رسول الله (ص) وهو يمسح رأس الحسين ويبكى ، فقلت : ما بكاؤك ، فقال : إن جبريل أخبرني : أن ابني هذا يقتل بأرض يقال لها كربلاء ، قالت : ثم ناولني كفا من تراب أحمر ، وقال : إن هذا من تربة الأرض التى يقتل بها فمتى صار دما فاعلمي أنه قد قتل ، قالت أم سلمة : فوضعت التراب في قارورة عندي ، وكنت أقول : إن يوما يتحول فيه دما ليوم عظيم ، خرجه الملا في سيرته.
[Ibn Athir, Al-Nihaya fi gharib al-hadith]

And al-Hakim al-Nishaburi narrates a sahih hadith in which the Prophet (pbuh&hp) reportedly kissed the soil of the place where Imam Hussain (p) would be killed. [See: Al-Mustadrak ala al-Sahihayn, v. 4, p. 398]

أخبرتني أم سلمة – رضي الله عنها – ، أن رسول الله – صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم – اضطجع ذات ليلة للنوم فاستيقظ وهو حائر ، ثم اضطجع فرقد ، ثم استيقظ وهو حائر ، دون ما رأيت به المرة الأولى ، ثم اضطجع فاستيقظ وفي يده تربة حمراء يقبلها ، فقلت : ما هذه التربة يا رسول الله ؟ قال : ” أخبرني جبريل – عليه الصلاة والسلام – أن هذا يقتل بأرض العراق – للحسين – فقلت لجبريل : أرني تربة الأرض التي يقتل بها فهذه تربتها ” ” هذا حديث صحيح على شرط الشيخين ، ولم يخرجاه .

Shia Muslims pray on the blessed soil of Karbala not only because of the purity of Imam Hussain’s sacrifice but also because the Imams (pbut) reportedly made an effort to prostrate on it. Imam Ali ibn al-Hussain (p) was reportedly the first to do so. And Imam Sadiq (p) reportedly carried a yellow bag containing the soil of Imam Hussain (p) and would pour it onto his prayer mat and prostrate on it at the time of prayer, saying that it “pierces through the seven veils.”

[See: Bihar al-Anwar, v. 82, p. 153]