Why Do Shia Muslims use a stone for saying prayers but Sunni Muslims don't?

Shia Muslims place a small piece of clay or soil, often from Karbala, known as a "turbah," under their forehead when they perform prostration during prayers (Salah). This practice is based on the belief that prostration should be made on natural earth or something that comes from it, as it fulfills the requirement of humility and connection to the earth during worship. The use of the turbuh is supported by various hadiths indicating the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ prostrated on natural materials.

In contrast, Sunni Muslims typically pray without using a stone or clay. They may prostrate directly on the prayer mat or any clean surface. Sunni scholars interpret the hadiths to mean that the surface on which one prays does not have to be derived from the earth specifically, as long as it is clean. This divergence in practice stems from differing interpretations of the hadiths concerning prostration and the materials used.

The Prophet ﷺ emphasized the importance of intention in prayer, saying: The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was for what he emigrated for. Sahih al-Bukhari 1:1. This highlights that the core of prayer lies in the intention behind the action, rather than the physical aspects such as the surface on which one prays.

Thus, while the physical practices of using a turbuh in Shia Islam and the absence of such in Sunni Islam differ, both sects share a common understanding of the importance of intention in their prayers.