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**Prostrating on the Turbah of Husayn – Sheikh Abdul‑Husayn Al‑Amini**
**03** It may be asked: *Why did the Messenger of God not carry soil with him?* The answer to this is:
**First:** Based on what has already been mentioned—that it is not permissible to transfer soil from the two sacred sanctuaries to other places, not even from one of them to the other.
**Second:** The personal practices of the Prophet—such as wearing a particular garment or a particular turban in a specific style—do not obligate us to dress exactly the same in color, size, and form. Otherwise, we would not be allowed to carry pens in our pockets, because the Messenger of God did not carry a pen in his pocket. It would also require that we not wear wristwatches on our wrists, because the Messenger of God did not wear a wristwatch, and that we abandon medical eyeglasses because he did not use them. The invalidity of such reasoning is obvious.
**Third:** It has already been mentioned that all those who transmitted to us the manner of the Prophet’s prostration (peace and blessings be upon him) said that during prostration he placed his noble forehead directly on the ground or prostrated upon mats. It is also reported from Abu Humayd that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to, when prostrating, firmly place his nose and forehead on the ground. This was reported by Abu Dawud and al‑Tirmidhi, who authenticated it.
At that time, his blessed mosque was covered with small pebbles, so why would he bear the effort of carrying soil with him? Authentic history, the pure Prophetic Sunnah, and leading jurists testify that the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) did not prostrate on cotton or wool. If such cases did occur, they were out of necessity, such as during extreme heat or cold, as mentioned in the same narrations. As for the reports that come without such a condition and are general in wording, it is preferable that they be interpreted in light of those which mention heat and cold, according to the principles of reconciling hadiths—namely, interpreting the general in light of the restricted—as established by scholars.
Al‑Qastalani mentioned in his book *Irshad al‑Sari*, a commentary on *Sahih al‑Bukhari*, that it is narrated that **‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al‑‘Aziz** would have soil brought and placed upon a small mat, and he would prostrate upon it.
**In conclusion:**
O God, bring us out from the darkness of illusion and honor us with the light of understanding. O God, open for us the doors of Your mercy and make easy for us the treasures of Your knowledge, by Your mercy, O Most Merciful of the merciful.
**Muhammad ‘Abd al‑Hakim al‑Mousawi al‑Safi**.
