Why did Imam Hussain go to karbala knowing what was going to happen to him & his family? He ran away from the tyrants in Mecca, why didn't he just run away again?

First Imam Hussain tried to avoid fighting as much as possible. He left Madeenah and Mecca to avoid fighting. The people of Iraq told him to come to them and they will be on his side, on his way there the army of Yazeed intercepted him. He asked for them to let him go to Turkey or Yemen and avoid fighting but they said no, either you pay allegiance to Yazeed or we will kill you. As far as the Imam knowing what tragedies are going to happen, that is the way all the Imams died. The fact that they know their death beforehand does not mean that they sought death or killed themselves. However, the knowledge of the Imam is separated into apparent knowledge( knowledge seen by everyone) and given knowledge ( special knowledge from Allah). The Imam makes his decisions in this life based on apparent knowledge and based on the apparent knowledge that the people of Iraq are on his side, going there was the best move. Also this shows the patience of the Imams and their submission to the will of Allah. Even though they know they are going to die they move forward with bravery and courage because that is what Allah chose. One last note with regard to this specific instance. Imam Hussain had a mission and in order for the mission to be accomplished, he had to die. His sacrifice is what was needed, not his physical victory. The goal was to show that the position of "khaleefah" at the time was completely separate from Islam. If it was not for Imam Hussain we would be saying Imam Yazeed today because the Muslims at the time were so ignorant that they believed yazeed to be the representative of Allah and the leader of the Muslims. When he killed the grandson of the Prophet and the master of the youth of heaven by the agreement of all Muslims, he lost that description and there was a "separation between church and state" if you will. The topic is rather deep and requires getting into many different aspects of the knowledge of the Imam and the way they make their actions but I hope this brief answer satisfies your curiosity for now and we will tackle the topic more deeply when we can.

The Verse of Uli Alamr: An Overview

One of the main verses which the Islamic Schools of Thought have conflicts in interpreting is the verse of Uli Almr (The People of Authority/Command). The verse in question gives these people a very high position as we will discuss and at least a level of infallibility if not more. In this article we will talk about this position and who holds it as well as mention the different opinions from other schools of thought on the matter.

The Verse

“O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and Uli Alamr (those who have the amr among you). And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result. “ (4:59)
The verse states a direct command from Allah (SWT) to obey him and obey his Messenger and those who have the amr. Regardless of who those people are, the way the verse is structured requires them to be infallible. One of the top Sunni scholars on Tafseer says "It is not possible for "uli alamr" to not be infallible. It is impossible for Allah to give an unlimited authority to someone who is not infallible." (Tafseer Alfakhr Alrazi, verse 4:59).
Allah's authority on the people is not limited and unquestioned. His right to obedience is inherent in the fact that he is the creator of everything. He then extends that right with the statement “and obey” the Messenger and Uli Alamr. Thus, whatever authority and scope of obedience we have towards Allah (SWT) we must have towards the Messenger and Uli Alamr without any conditions or limitations. If we say that these people are not infallible, that means they might make a mistake. If for example they tell us that drinking blood is permissible and it was actually not then we have two commands from Allah: 1) Drinking blood is permissible by the unlimited authority he has given to Uli Almr, and 2) Drinking blood is not permissible by the actual order of Allah (SWT). These two commands are contradictory; therefore Allah (SWT) would ensure that does not happen.

What are the Opinions on the Topic?

There are four opinions on who Uli Alamr are in this verse:

1. The Four Caliphs
   
2. Every Caliph that has ruled the Islamic Nation
   
3. Every person who has authority in an Islamic Nation/Society
   
4. AhlulBayt
   

Since the verse refers to a certain group of people which are infallible as discussed above the second and third option are silly and not worthy of discussion. (It is amazing that people have such a problem with the Shia saying there are 14 infallible and yet they are willing to extend infallibility to millions of people across the Islamic World just to move it away from AhlulBayt).
As far as the first option we say that:

• None of the three first Caliphs has ever claimed infallibility and if they were deserving of such a position and the verse was revealed about them, they would have used the verse to unite the Muslims on their ruling and to support their decision making.
  
• The mistakes of the first three are many and they are widely spread in Sunni books of Hadeeth such as Abu Bakr cutting the wrong hand of the thief or Omar stoning a pregnant woman and so on. No one can claim their infallibility and because of that even Sunni scholars who believe in their khilafah do not claim that they are infallible.
  
• Othman was killed by Muslims and the Companions of the Prophet as well Aisha rallied against him and openly objected to his decisions and if he was infallible that would not have been the case.
  
• There is no evidence supporting a limit on Uli Alamr or any other description on the first four Caliphs except convention and opinion of Sunni scholars and that is not sufficient evidence to establish the meaning of a verse in the Quran.
  

Given this evidence the only people in the history of Islam who have claimed infallibility and who are pure by the agreement of all (with varying degrees) are AhlulBayt. Therefore, they are Uli Alamr.

Who Does the Quran Say Are Uli Almar?

In order to understand who the people of amr are, we must understand what amr refers to in this verse. “Amr” in Arabic means “order” or “command”. The literal meaning of the phrase is “those who have the authority among you”. However, the Quran uses the word amr in a different way:

• Unquestionably, His is the creation and the command (amr); blessed is Allah , Lord of the worlds. (7:54) : The separation between creation and amr means they are distinct from each other. Creation refers to appearances and amr refers to the reality of creation as explained below.
  
• And Our command (amr) is but one, like a glance of the eye. (54:50) : The verse is indicating the special reality related to amr and that it does not require time and other things which normal things require.
  
• And thus We have revealed to you an inspiration of Our command (amr). (42:52) : Revealing the amr to the Prophet (S) means that he is able to use this sort of special creationary authority on things through the power given by Allah (SWT).
  
• His command (amr) is only when He intends a thing that He says to it, "Be," and it is. (36:82)
  
• He arranges [each] command (amr) from the heaven to the earth; then it will ascend to Him in a Day, the extent of which is a thousand years of those which you count. (32:5) : This is confirming that the amr and the power related to it involves everything from the heaven and earth. Whoever Allah gives this authority to will have the power to control all of this.
  

Thus the people of amr are those who these commands come down to:

• Indeed, We sent the Qur'an down during the Night of Decree. And what can make you know what is the Night of Decree? The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend therein by permission of their Lord for every command (amr). Peace it is until the emergence of dawn. ( 97)
  
• Indeed, We sent it down during a blessed night. Indeed, We were to warn [mankind]. On that night is made distinct every precise command (amr) – [Every] command [proceeding] from Us. Indeed, We were to send [a messenger]. As mercy from your Lord. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Knowing. (44:3-6)
  
• Then We put you, [O Muhammad], on an ordained way concerning the command (amr); so follow it and do not follow the inclinations of those who do not know. (45:18)
  
• He sends down the angels, with the inspiration of His command (amr), upon whom He wills of His servants, [telling them], "Warn that there is no deity except Me; so fear Me. (16:2)
  

Analysis:
Every creation has two sides to it: the appearance of it and the true reality which is hidden. The appearance is something that we can see such as the world. The true reality is what lies underneath and what is going on behind the scene which we are not able to see. When Allah says “Unquestionably, His is the creation and the command (amr)”, the “creation” here refers to the appearance and the “amr” is referring to the true hidden reality and the creationary power. This is why it describes the “amr” as “when He intends a thing that He says to it, "Be," and it is”.
The last verse indicates that this command comes down to whomever Allah chooses and it is not restricted to prophets. This goes to the matter creationary role of the prophets and the representatives of Allah and that Allah (SWT) gave them access to the unseen reality of things. This concept maybe difficult to understand here but it is explained in other places.
The sum of it is amr refers to the aspect of creation which is unseen by the people. And that the amr of the heavens and the earth is brought down by the angels on the night of decree (qadr). The people of amr are the ones who receive this and they are the representatives of Allah on earth. The verses indicated that they are not necessarily prophets. This is because prophethood ends but the need for guidance does not. Thus the verse: “And We made from among them leaders (Imams) guiding by Our command (amr) when they were patient and [when] they were certain of Our signs.” (32:24) The word used by the Quran is Imam and this is the position of Imam that the Shia call for.
Objection: This is just a collection of verses which you combined together with no real authority in order to support your position.
Answer: We must understand that the Quran is the Holy Book of Allah (SWT) and it is not for the people to understand and interpret as they may. Just as we work hard trying to figure out the meaning of words said in a constitution or legal document or a medical book, we must be very careful trying to figure out the meaning of verses in the Quran.
When we see a verse like this talking about “amr” we can take the literal meaning and understand something from the verse. However, finding other verses which talk about “amr” in the Quran will help us understand the verse in more depth and more accurately. This theory is based on the idea that the Quran can be used to explain itself and therefore combining these verse to make a logical argument is not forcing the Quran to say something it did not say but only enhancing our understanding as long we are not changing the meanings of verses or cutting words out of context. Anyone who ponders on the verses used and the meanings provided will see that this is a very natural progression used and understood from the Hadeeths of AhlulBayt (A) who are the speaking Quran.

Conclusion

The verse gives an unrestricted level of authority to a group of people labeled as the people of the command. Giving them such an authority necessarily implies their infallibility. The literal and basic meaning refers to those who are in authority. Given the four options listed above and using the process of elimination, the only ones left are AhlulBayt (A). Furthermore, if we think more deeply about the verses on “amr” in the Quran we get a deeper meaning which again refers to the high positions held by AhlulBayt (A) as the representatives of Allah and the holders of his hidden knowledge.

References: 

1- Nathariyat Altwassul, Ayatollah Shaikh Mohammad Sanad.

Hadeeth Alghadeer: An Overview

On this blessed day in which we celebrate the announcement by the Prophet (S) of the appointment of Imam Ali (A) by Allah (SWT) as the leader of the Muslims and the authority on them. The evidence made upon the people on the day of Ghadeer is impossible to deny and in this article we will highlights some of the main points which have been a subject of some question marks from others.
The Chain of Narration
Hadeeth Alghadeer is one of the most famous Hadeeths among the Muslims in general. It is so famous that some of the Muslims scholars forgo the process of having to write down the full narration of the Hadeeth because it is so well known. However, we will go through some of the more famous non-Shia scholars who have narrated the Hadeeth:
Mohammad Ibn Idrees Alshafi’i (the leader of Shafi school), Abdulrazzaq Alsan’ani (the teacher of Bukhari), Ibn Majah Alqazwini, Altarmathi and Alnisa’i  (authors of three of the six accepted Hadeeth books for Sunnis), Mohammad Altabari (One of the most famous historians), Altabarani, Alsayyoti, Alfakhr Alrazi and many many others. (Review the references below for a bigger list and you may also review the book of Ghadeer for Sh. Alamini for a complete list).
What defeats any argument refuting the Hadeeth is that a number of non-Shia scholars and some of the most famous scholars from other schools have listed in their books of mutawatar (certain) hadeeths. A Hadeeth is given the label of mutawatar if the scholar believes that there is so much evidence of the Hadeeth’s authenticity that there is no doubt left that it was said by the Prophet (S). This is critical because all Muslims believe that the word of the Prophet (S) if certain has the same authority as a verse in the Quran. A Hadeeth that is mutawatar has as much authority as a verse in the Quran upon all Muslims.
Alsayyoti, Alzubaidi, Alkattani, Alshaikh Alhindi, and Alshakh Alharawai all have written books that list the Hadeeths which they believe is mutwatar and they all listed Hadeeth Alghadeer as one of them. Given the status of these scholars in the Sunni School, any doubts about the chain of narration should be gone. The only thing that is left is to figure out what the Hadeeth actually means and that is the point of contention.
The Text of the Hadeeth
This text is taken from the book of Ahmad Ibn Hanbal (the imam of Hanbali school). He narrates with a correct narration that Zaid Ibn Arqam said:

We went with the Prophet (S) to a vally named the Valley of Khum. And he ordered for Salah and prayed it. Then he gave a speech and they made a cover for him on the trees to protect him from the Sun. The Prophet (S) said: “Do you not know? Do you not know that I am awla (have superior authority) on every mu’min than himself?” They said: “yes” He said: “Whoever I am his mawla (we will discuss the meaining later) Ali is his mawla. May Allah take enemies whoever take him as an enemy and may Allah wali (support) whoever supports him”. [Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal 5.501 Hadeeth # 18838]

The Meaning of Mawla
As it has been clear most scholars could not argue the authenticity of Hadeeth Alghadeer. Thus whoever wanted to deny the Imamah and leadership of Imam Ali (A), needed to argue the content of the Hadeeth. The word that became the center of debate is the word mawla. The word mawla has many meanings in Arabic, however, the only relevant meanings are two: supporter and a person with authority.
The argument that some Sunni scholars make is that the Prophet (S) only meant to say that Ali (A) should be supported by the mu’mineen and he will support them. However, Shia scholars claim that mawla here means a person who has authority on another person. That is to say that the Prophet (S) is announcing to the people that Ali (A) is their leader and he has the authority on them afterwards and that is the correct view and for that we mention the following reasons:

• Previous statements clarify the confusion: When a word has multiple meaning and the person is trying to figure out which meaning the speaker meant, the most logical thing is to look at the rest of the speech and the context for clarification. As the Hadeeth, stated above, clearly mentions that before the Prophet (S) said his statement he asked the Muslims “am I not awla on the mu’min than himself?”. Although the word mawla can mean supporter or leader, the word awla can only mean leader. The Prophet (S) first asked the people: Am I not your leader?, why would he next use the same terminology to refer to Ali (A) as only a supporter? It would be very poor choice of wordings and the Prophet (S) is above that.
   
• The context in which the Hadeeth was said: The historians agree that the Prophet (S) stopped over a large number of people (over 100,000) and made the people wait for those who passed to come back and those who were behind to catch up. He also ordered for them to make a stage for him from the trees so he can be seen by all. The climate at the time was so hot that some of the companions mention that they had to put some clothes underneath their feet in order to protect them from the heat. The question thus becomes, why would the Prophet (S) put all this hardship on all of these people just to say Ali (A) is your supporter and friend, be his supporter and friend? It goes counter to all the evidence surrounding the Hadeeth as well as the wording as we mentioned.
   
• Being congratulated by the companions of the Prophet (S). Many non-Shia scholars who narrated the full Hadeeth mention that after the appointment the Muslims took turns congratulating Ali (A) and paying allegiance to him. Why would they congratulate him if all he the Prophet (S) said was that everyone should be kind to him?
   
• “The mu’mineen and mu’minat are supporters (awlya’) of eachother” (Tawbah 71). This verse uses the other meaning of mawla which is supporter and generalizes this meaning over all the mu’mineen and the mu’minat. If we take the other understaning of the Hadeeth and that the Prophet (S) only meant to say that Ali (A) is the supporter of the Muslims, then all he did was saying this verse applies to Ali (A) and that is meaningless since the verse applies to many others and no one ever doubted that Ali (A) is one of the mu’mineen. Are we to believe that the Prophet (S) went through all that trouble to say something meaningless?
   
• The verses related to Ghadeer. “Today I completed your religion for you and fulfilled my blessings to you and approved Islam as your religion” and “O’ Messenger convey what has been brought down to you from your Lord and if you do not you did not convey his Message and Allah will protect you from the People”. These two verses go a long way to proving the importance of this event. However, talking about them requires much more detail and we will leave it for later.

Final Note

An important note that we should mention here concerns one of the most famous arguments raised by non-Shia: if Ali (A) holds such a high position and following him and the rest of the Imams is one of the Roots of the religion, why did Allah (SWT) not explicitly mention his name in the Quran? One of the clear answers is that the Prophet (S) is the one who brought us the Quran, and he is the one who said these statements in Ghadeer Khum. These statements as we mentioned are mutawatar (certain) as said by Sunni scholars and therefore hold the same evidence on the people as the verses of the Quran and yet the people found ways to confuse Arabic words and tried their best to develop arguments to change the meaning of the Hadeeth.
What exactly are people looking for? The Prophet (S) stops everyone in the middle of an extremely hot day and makes everyone wait for the maximum number of people to gather, goes on a stage, makes sure everyone hears him and sees him, asks the people who their leader is and if he has authority on them and then says that whatever authority he has, Ali (A) has the same authority, and he states that those who are present should tell those who aren't. This isn't even done when the Prophet (S) announces new verses of the Quran and yet people found a way around it. If Ali (A) was mentioned and the Quran said "Ali is your Imam" or "Ali is my successor", the people would still find a way to reinterpret Imam and successor to mean something different. The evidence is clear for those who have an open mind and those who want to follow the right path, those who do not want it will not change regardless of the weight of the evidence.
Conclusion
The Hadeeth of Ghadeer is beyond doubts in terms of its narration. Any doubts that were raised about its meaning or what it establishes can also be removed by careful analysis of the words, context and verses related to the Hadeeth. If someone comes to all of this evidence with an open mind, there is only one conclusion that can be gotten: A great event took place on that day and the consequences of that event are long lasting and we still live the blessings of that day today because we are able to hold on to the way of the Prophet (S) through Imam Ali (A) and the rest of the Imams.
References
The following books were used as sources for this article. Please review them for further analysis or specifics such as page numbers and detailed information:

1. Hadeeth Alghadeer, S. Ali Alhussaini Almilani
2. Dala’il Alsidq, Sh. Almothafar

Is Ziyarat Ashoora’ Authentic?

A number of people have raised questions and doubts as of late about the authenticity of Ziyarat Ashoora’. The questions raised fall into three groups: 1) Does the Ziyarah even have a proper chain of narration which indicates that an Imam said it? 2) Does this proper chain of narration cover the statements of cursing that is found in the Ziyarah or are these statements added at a later point? 3) Why would AhlulBayt (A) spend their time cursing others and ask their followers to do the same?. The last question is one of interpretation and goes to the philosophy and wisdom of cursing and whether it’s proper or not and that is outside the scope of this entry but will be answered later on. We will tackle the first two questions and look at the words of our Maraji’ and respected scholars on the topic.

Important Notes

Before we begin this analysis and discussion on the chain of narration of Ziyarat Ashoora’ there are a few points that need to be clarified about those who continue to raise doubts about different Ziyarat and Du’aas:

• Most of our Ziyarat and Du’aas include statements of belief. The purpose of a Ziyarah is to state your admission of the position of the Imam and pay allegiance and respect to him. If a Ziyarah is weak in its chain of narration that does not mean the Ziyarah was not said by the Imam and it does not mean that the statements of belief within that Ziyarah is not well established in other Hadeeths.
• Many of the people who raise doubts and questions about Ziyarat Ashoora and other Ziyarat and Du’aas do not specify where the weakness is in the chain of narration but simply state that the Ziyarah has a weak chain and that’s not a method of scholarly debate or discussion, it’s simply a baseless accusation and attack. Therefore, when faced with such a statement one should ask, where is the weakness? what is your basis for denying or rejecting the Ziyarah or Du’aa so that we can research it and figure out the truth.

For illustration we give the following example:

Person A: May Allah curse Yazeed. Person B: Why are you cursing him? that’s not from the religion. Person A: Yes it is. It is in Ziyarat Ashoora’ Person B: I heard C speaker say that Ziyarat Ashoora’ has a weak chain of narration so it’s not from the religion.

The problem is many people today base their beliefs in religion on rumors and attribution to individuals who have no expertise in the field. Furthermore, even if the Hadeeth is weak it does not mean it’s false nor is that proof that the content is wrong; there could be 20 other Hadeeths with the same content.

The Chain of Narration for Ziyarat Ashoora’

Ziyarat Ashoora’ is agreed upon by the top Shia scholars over the years and we will list some of the Fatwas from the Maraji’ later on. However, some of our Maraji’ have published studies of the chain of narration for the Ziyarah in response to some of the question marks that have been posed as of late. Also some of our respected scholars have done the same we list some of these works for those who want to research this further:

1. “Ziyarat Ashoora’ Fawq Alshubuhat”, Grand Ayatollah and Leader of Hawza in Qum at His Time Shaikh Meerza Jawad Altabrizi
2. “Sanad Ziyarat Ashoora’”, Grand Ayatollah Shaikh Ja’far Alsubhani
3. “Sanad Ziyarat Ashoora’”, Sayyid Yaseen Almoosawi
4. “Sharh Ziyarat Ashoora’”, Shaikh Abulfadl Allankrti

All four of these respect scholars have examined the chain of narration to various degrees. Sh. Subhani went through the narration one by one and evaluated the people in the chain and said that the chain is correct and meets the standards set by our scholars and the others came to the same conclusion.
They trace the Ziyarah back to two main scholars: The Leader of the Shia’ Shaikh Altoosi in his book “Misbah” and Shaikh Ibn Qolawaih in his book “Kaml Alziyarat”. We will mention two chains of narration as a sample and you may refer to the books for more details.

1. From Shaikh Altoosi in Misbah narrated from : Mohammad Ibn Ismail from Saif Ibn Omairah, from Alqamah Ibn Mohammad Alkhorimi from Imam Albaqir.
2. From Shaikh Altoosi in Misbah narrated from Mohammad Ibn Khalid Altilasi from Saif Ibn Omairah, from Safwan Ibn Mahran from Imam Alsadiq

Shaikh Subhani said all of these individuals meet the criteria of being trustworthy either directly or through the circumstances of other Hadeeths and therefore the Ziyarah under these chains of narration is correct and authentic.

Was the Statement of Cursing and Salutations 100 Times Added Later On?

Some people did not deny the authenticity of the actual Ziyarah but they questioned whether it has been modified from its original form. Unfortunately, there were some copies of the Ziyarah where these statements were missing and that raised question to which version is more authentic: the one with the statements of cursing and salutations or the one without. This was addressed thoroughly by the work mentioned above of Shaikh Tabrizi and we will give a brief summary of his conclusion and attach the images that came from his book:

• He concludes that the chain of narration of the Ziyarah is authentic and correct.
• He states that everyone who copied the Ziyarah from Almisbah (the book of Sh. Toosi which is one of the two sources of the Ziyarah) listed the statements of cursing and Salam as part of the Ziyarah except for S. Ibn Tawoos.
• He states that S. Ibn Tawoos also mentions the statements but from a different book and then he analyzes the different versions of Misbah to see if the cursing and Salam were in the original book or not and he mentions four versions:

1. Version in the library of S. Broojardi and it dates back to the time of Sh. Toosi and has the complete Ziyarah.
2. Version of Mawla Ahamd Altooni and it is a hand copy of the Misbah which dates back to the time of the author and has the full Ziyarah (picture below).
3. Version of Ibn Abi Aljood which also dates back to the time of the author and is a hand copy which has the full Ziyarah.
4. A copy found in the Maktaba Radawya dating back to 502 H. The version is unclear and has the statement “Allah I ask you to curse the first oppressor and start with him all of them”. As it is clear from the statement, part of it has been cut because its grammar is incorrect which is the part found in all the other copies. He concludes that because this is a later version and the scholars all listing the statements of cursing and Salam without question,  the circumstances support that the part has been deleted rather than added in the other versions.

• Picture of the handwritten copy of Ibn Abi Aljood which dates back to the time of Sh. Toosi.

• Picture of the handwritten copy of Mawla Tooni which dates back to the the time of Sh. Toosi.

Opinions of Current and Recent Maraji’ About the Authenticity of Ziyarat Ashoora’

Marji’ Grand Ayatollah S. Mohammad Saeed Alhakeem: His office states that Ziyarat Ashoora’ is authentic in all its parts according to the analysis of S. Alhakeem..

Marji’ Grand Ayatollah S. Ali Alsistani: He states that Ziyarat Ashoora’ has been accepted by the highest of Shia Scholars and it has been known to have great effects and amazing results. He also states that the statements in it have been said in many other Hadeeths and the content is certain (mutwatar) to have come from Ahlulbayt (A).

Marji’ Grand Ayatollah Sh. Ja’far Alsubhani: His book is referenced earlier but we add this answer from his website for completion purposes.

Marji’ Grand Ayatollah S. Mohammad Alhussaini Alshahroodi:He asserts that Ziyarat Ashoora’ is authentic and the content is certain to have come from Ahlulbayt (A).

Marji’ Grand Ayatollah S. Mohammad Sadiq Alrohani: He asserts that Ziyarat Ashoora’ has a correct chain of narration and even if there was doubt about the narration it should be respected as a Ziyarah according to the treatment applied in analyzing recommended actions.

Marji’ Grand Ayatollah Sh. Meerza Jawad Altabrizi: His work is detailed above but also this is one of his answers regarding the Ziyarah.

• These are only examples and by no means an exhaustive list. You may also ask your Marji’ if there is any doubt left.

Does the Chain of Narration End with Allah (SWT)?

Some of the Hadeeths that we have are called Hadeeth Qudsi. This label is given to those Hadeeths with the chain of narration ending with the Prophet (S) from Jibra’eel (A) from Allah (SWT).
The second chain of narration listed above,the narration from Imam Saddiq (A) which Sh. Subhani approved and other scholars as well, has a part where the Imam (A) discusses the reward of the Ziyarah. He narrates that the Imam (A) said that whoever reads the Ziyarah along with the Du’aa which follows it, their Ziyarah will be accepted whether its from far or near, nothing will block it and his need will be granted. Then the Imam (A) said this is a guarantee I have seen from my father (A), from his father (A) from Imam Hussain (A) from Imam Hassan (A), from Imam Ali (A), from the Prophet (S), from Jibra’eel (A), from Allah (SWT) all guaranteeing this reward. Because of this some of the scholars including Marji’ Grand Ayatollah Sh. Mohammad Taqi Bahjat say that the Ziyarah itself is a Hadeeth Qudsi.

Conclusion:

As explained in details above Ziyarat Ashoora’ in the view of Shia Scholars is beyond doubt in terms of its authenticity and content. However, the attacks on the narration of the Ziyarah are only an excuse to attack the content of it which goes counter to certain agenda of some people or their preference. Instead of attacking the narration of the Ziyarah, it would be more useful to try to understand the statements of the Ziyarah. To that end we will try to address the issue of cursing in an upcoming article, God willing.

References:

• “Ziyarat Ashoora’ Fawq Alshubuhat”, Grand Ayatollah and Leader of Hawza in Qum at His Time Shaikh Meerza Jawad Altabrizi
• “Sanad Ziyarat Ashoora’”, Grand Ayatollah Shaikh Ja’far Alsubhani
• “Sharh Ziyarat Ashoora’”, Shaikh Abulfadl Allankrti
• “Ziyarat Ahsoora Alsunnah Alilahyah Aluthma”, Fuwad Alshabeeb.

Why do Shia pray on clay?

Before we begin answering this question there is a point that must be clear. The question of what material may the person pray on is a question of jurisprudence (Fiqh). Questions of Fiqh must be addressed to the appropriate religious authority and their ruling on it is what should be followed.

This point is important because in many discussions between people of different sects, people start asking each other why do you do this or that and all the questions are related to Fiqh. Although there are differences in matters of Fiqh between people of different sects, the fundamental differences between Islamic sects are differences of beliefs and therefore that should be the focus of the discussion.

That being said, since the Shia jurists have agreed on this topic and the difference is one between sects, we will try to give an analysis of the topic and make things clear.

What can we do Sujood on?

“Sajdah should be performed on earth, and on those things which are not edible nor worn, and on things which grow from earth (e.g. wood and leaves of trees). It is not permissible to perform Sajdah on things which are used as food or dress (e.g. wheat, barley and cotton etc.), or on things which are not considered to be parts of the earth (e.g. gold, silver, etc.). And in the situation of helplessness, asphalt and tar will have preference over other non-allowable things. “ (Islamic Laws, S. Ali Alsistani)

“Prostration on the two palms, the two knees, the two big toes of the feet, and the forehead which is placed on the earth or plant (except the edible one or that which is worn)”. (Lessons in Islamic Laws, S. Mohammad Saeed Alhakeem)

What did the Prophet (S) do Sujood on?

There is a great number of Hadeeths from both Sunni and Shia sources which tell of the Prophet (S) and his companions praying on the ground and things made out of certain plants.

• • “Allah made the earth for me something to pray on and something to cleans with” (Sahih Muslim 1.371, Sahih Bukhari 1.91, Musnad Ahmad 1.250, Bihar 18.305 and many others) [the exact wording of the hadeeth mentions “Masjid” and “Tahoor” but the scholars from both Sunni and Shia sources agree that Masjid here means a place for Sujood]
  • Um Salamah (the wife of the Prophet (S)) said: “The Prophet (S) used to pray on Khumrah [a small piece made of fronds of trees]” (Sahih Bukhari 1.107, Musnad Ahmad 6.330, Tarmathi 1.151, Nisa’i 2.57 and many others)
  • A’isha (the wife of the Prophet (S) said: “I did not see him protecting his forehead with anything [referring to him doing Sujood]” (Bukhari 1.207, Nisa’i 2.208, Musnad Ahmad 6.56 and many others)
  • From Jabir Ibn Abdallah Alansari and Anas Ibn Malik “I was praying with the Prophet (S) Duhr prayer and I took the rock and put it in my hand then I flipped it over and move it to the other hand from the extreme heat until it cooled down then I put my forehead on it” (Nisa’i 2.204, Musnad Ahmad 3.327, Abu Dawood 1.110, Kanz Al’umal 4.188 and many others)

Also it has been narrated that a number of the companions of the holy Prophet (S) did sujood on the earth or plants, we mention a couple:

• • Abu Bakr: He did sujood and prayed on the earth. (Kanz Al’umal 8.38)
  • Omar Ibn Alkhattab: He prayed on a rock. (Almussannaf for Ibn Shaibah 2.411)
  • Ibn Mas’ood: He never did sujood except on the earth. (Nail Alatwar 2.128)

What did the Imams (A) say about what we can do sujood on?

• • Imam Alsadiq (A) was asked by Hisham Ibn Alhakam “Tell me on what is sujood allowed and on what is it not allowed. The Imam said: Sujood is not allowed except on the earth, or on what grows on the earth unless it’s edible or can be worn”. (Wasa’il Alshi’a, S. 2 of What is allowed to do sujood on)
  • Hammad Ibn Uthman said I heard Imam Alsadiq (A) saying: “The sujood is on what grows from the earth except what can be eaten or worn” (Wasa’il Alshi’a, S.1, What is allowed to do sujood on)
  • Ashaq Ibn Alfudail asked Imam Alsadiq (A) about doing sujood on Haseer and Bawari (taken from plants) Imam answered: “No problem, but I prefer doing sujood on the earth because the Holy Prophet (S) loved putting his forehead on the earth during sujood and I love for you to be able to do that” (Wasa’il Alshi’a 3.609)

Can we do sujood on clay?

Hopefully it’s clear now that doing sujood on clay (which is clearly part of the earth) is something that the Holy Prophet (S) has done, AhlulBayt (A) have done and the companions of the Prophet have done. Not only that but that doing sujood on the earth is the best practice to have and clay clearly fits that description.

If one studies the history of this topic one can see a progress from earth and certain plants being things that sujood can be done on to fatwas 400 years later that sujood is allowed on clothes, silk and any other material that comes from plants. The source of this change in the religion is difficult to grasp. Whereas sujood on earth and Haseer is based on a large number of Hadeeths and companions there are only 12 Hadeeths that might support praying on clothes or carpet and all of these Hadeeths are weak and have been called false by Sunni scholars. (review the sources at the end of the article for more details).

Why clay from the grave of Imam Hussain (A)?

If doing sujood on the earth is the best practice and we know that certain places on earth are better than others then doing sujood in those places would also be better. No one would argue, for example, that the Masjid Alharam in Makkah is one of the best places on earth and that it has a special status.

Similarly ,the grave of the Holy Prophet (S) also has special status. Alburhan Alhalabi (A Sunni scholar) says “It is agreed upon that this place that has the holy body of the Prophet (S) is the best on earth, even better than the Holy Ka’ba and some even said it is better than the places in the heavens even the Throne”. (Seerat Alhalabi 3.306, similar statements on agreement by Shareef Samhoodi in Wafa’ Alwafa 1.52, Alsakhawi in Altuhfa Allateefah 1.28)

If we combine this with the Hadeeth that says "Hussain is from me and I am from Hussain" which has been narrated by more than 50 Sunni sources, (including: Bukhari in Adab Almufrad 1.455, Tarmathi 5.605, Musnad Ahmad 4.172, Tabarani 3.22, and many many more) we can make a similar case that Karbala and the grave of Imam Hussain (A) is one of the best places on earth.

Even more direct is the Hadeeth from Um Salamah that the Holy Prophet woke up several times in his sleep and then he had some red dust that he was kissing and his eyes were tearing up and when she asked him he said “Jibra’eel told me that my son Hussain will be killed in Iraq so I asked him: show me the dust of where he will be killed and he brought this to me” (Mustadrak Ala Alsahihain 4.398, Thahabi in Tareekh Alislam 3.10, Baihaqi in Dala’il Alnubuwa 6.468 and several other Sunni sources)

There is a lot more from Shia sources but we only mention the Hadeeth from Um Aiman that the Holy Prophet (S) said: “It is [referring to the dust of the grave of Imam Hussain (A)] the purist of the pieces of earth and the most holy and it is from heaven” (Bihar Alanwar 101.115)

The value of doing sujood on the clay from the grave of Imam Hussain (A)

There are many Hadeeths that talk about the benefits of the dust taken from the grave of Imam Hussain (A)We will only mention two directly on the topic:

• • Imam Alsadiq (A) said “The sujood on the clay from the grave of Abi Abdallah (Alhussain ) (A) breaks the seven heavens” (Wasa’il Alshi’a 3.608)
  • Imam Alsadiq (A) said “The sujood on the clay of the grave of Imam Hussain (A) lights up the seven earths and whoever carries a Subha from the clay of the grave of Imam Hussain (A) will be recorded a Musabih (one doing tasbeeh) even if he is not using it” (Mn La Yahduruhu Alfaqeeh 1.268)
     

Isn't that Shirk?

Some people try to advance the argument that Shia are doing sujood on turbah from Imam Hussain (A) because they worship him or his turbah. This is clearly a false claim. If the person is worshiping the object on which he is doing sujood then the person doing sujood on the carpet is also worshiping that carpet. The only reason we do sujood on turbah of Imam Hussain (A) is because it is known to come from a source which the AhlulBayt (A) have told us is pure and one of the best places on earth. 

Sujood, as the scholars say, is when the person is most close to his Lord. Since when is choosing the best and purest object to do sujood on considered Shirk? 

Conclusion:

It is clear that doing sujood on the earth is allowed by all Muslims, they only differ on the definition. It also clear from the Hadeeths that doing sujood on the earth is preferred to other things which sujood is allowed on. Furthermore clay is clearly from the earth and there is no dispute about that. Since the places on earth differ in terms of holiness and value from Allah (SWT), choosing the most holy can only help the person become closer to Allah (SWT) during sujood. As the value of the grave of Imam Hussain (A) is clear from the Hadeeths from both sides, doing sujood on that clay would be the best practice for a Muslim seeking closeness to Allah (SWT).