In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful

The initial motivation behind translating this book was a conversation with a friend who was raised in the tradition of Sunni Islam. He stated that he understood why Shi'a Muslims put their foreheads on clay tablets during prayer. He stated that the reason was that they wanted to put their foreheads on the clay of Karbala, the land where the Prophet’s grandson, Husayn (peace be upon them both) was martyred. Although it is true that the Shi'a have a special emotional connection to Karbala, and Shi’as believe that the best clay to prostrate upon is the clay of Karbala, it is not the reason why Shi'a Muslims prostrate upon clay. As the readers of this book will see, placing the forehead directly upon the ground is a tradition established by the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and followed by the early Muslims.

It is hoped that through this book, myths about why Shi'as prostrate upon clay will be dispelled. This work gives English-speaking readers a window to the logic and inner workings of the study of hadith and allows Sunni Muslims to see that many aspects of Shi'a Fiqh are present in sources commonly cited by Sunni scholars. This book should be a bridge between the two main branches of our greater Islamic community. The views of many of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the top scholars of the generations of early Muslims who followed them are showcased in this book.

English-speaking readers may notice a certain awkwardness in the style of this text. This is due in part to the style of the original Arabic text which is a style characteristic of classical Islamic scholarship. The text before you has been translated into English from the Farsi version. There are some words, such as sajda and prostration, and Fiqh and jurisprudence, which will be used interchangeably throughout this translation. The word sajda is the Farsi equivalent of the Arabic word sujud, which is used in the original Arabic text of this work. I have translated the Arabic word “ard” as “ground.” This is ground in the sense of “earth” (with a lowercase “e”). I have translated the word “turab” as “soil.” “Turab” could also be translated as “dirt,” but I refrained from doing so due to the association of “dirt” with uncleanliness.

The original book has dozens of references to source material from both the Sunni and Shi'a communities. I have tried to refrain from including excessive Arabic references. Those who are interested in looking up the original Arabic references could do so by referring to the Arabic or Farsi editions of this book, which are freely available on the Internet. Also, the original Arabic and Farsi versions have extensive footnotes which are not included in this English edition. Perhaps a future English edition could include the footnotes and a bibliography.

Ali Beha

19 Ramadan 1441