saJDA

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ISLAMIC LAWS ACCORDING TO THE FATAWA OF AYATULLAH AL UZAMA
SAYYID ALI AL-HUSAINI SEESTANI DAMA DHILLUHU

1069. It is necessary that there should be nothing between the forehead of the person offering prayers, & the thing on which he offers Sajdah. If the mohr (sajdagah) is so dirty that the forehead does not reach the mohr itself, the Sajdah is void. But if only the colour of mohr has changed, there is no harm.
 

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Q. Please, advise me the things on which it is allowed to perform Sajdah.
A. Sajdah should be performed on earth, & on those things which are not edible nor worn, & on things which grow from earth (e.g. wood & leaves of trees). Details as under:

a] Turbatul Husayn (a.s.) is the best thing for performing Sajdah. After it, there are earth, stone & grass, in order of priority
b] Sajdah can be performed on things which grow from the earth, & serve as fodder for animals (e.g. grass, hay, etc.).
c] Sajdah can be performed on flowers which are not edible & also on medical herbs which grows from the earth. But Sajdah on raw fruits is not permissible.
d] Sajdah can be performed on limestone & gypsum, but the recommended precaution is that Sajdah should not be optionally performed on baked gypsum, lime, brick & baked earthenware, etc.
e] It is permissible to perform Sajdah on cement (Contemporary Legal Rulings in Shi’I Law – Ayatullah Seestani)

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f] Sajdah can be performed on paper, if it is manufactured from allowed sources like wood or grass, & also if it is made from cotton or flax.
g] If a person does not possess anything on which it is allowed to perform Sajdah, or, even if he possesses such a thing, he cannot perform Sajdah on it due to severe heat or cold, he should perform Sajdah on asphalt or tar, & if that is not possible, on his dress or the back of his hand, or on any thing on which it is not permissible to perform Sajdah optionally. However, in such a situation, the recommended precaution is that as long as it is possible to perform Sajdah on his dress he should not do Sajdah on any other thing.
h] The Sajdah performed on mud, & on soft clay on which one’s forehead cannot rest steadily, is void.
i] If the Mohr sticks to the forehead in the first Sajdah, it should be removed from the forehead for the second Sajdah.
Ques & Ans on Sajdagah answered by Moulana Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi

Q1) Can i hold the sajdagah in my hand during salat?

 
ANSWER: There is no problem in holding the turbat in your hand during salat.
 
Q2) If, during salat,i loose the sajdagah, is it wajib for me to walk a few steps to get another one(when anything else is not present closeby)?
 
ANSWER: If anything else is not reachable, then you should try to move/walk to the place which has the item on which sajdah is permissible PROVIDED you don't deviate from the direction of qibla and it is not so much away (i.e., it should not be such that an onlooker would say that this is person is not doing namaz).
 
Q3) If, during salat, i loose the sajdagah; how many steps can i walk to get another one, without my salat becoming batil?
 
ANSWER: As answered above, one should only walk not so much away. There is no specific measurement for that.
 
Q4) Is it allowed to do sajda on a currency note, eg a $1 bill?
 
ANSWER: Most currency notes have pictures and drawing on it; therefore, that would not be right.
 
Q5) Is it alowed to do sajda on a colored paper when a) the paper is made from a material on which sajda is allowed? b) the color is not making a coating on the paper but has been added during the paper making process, thus the final product is colored?
 
ANSWER: Doing sajdah on a coloured paper is not a problem.
 
 

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