Why Do Shia Muslims use a stone for saying prayers but Sunni Muslims don't?
Shia Muslims often use a small piece of clay or stone, known as a "turbah," during prayer (Salah) to prostrate on. This practice is based on their interpretation of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and the Imams. The use of a turbah is seen as a way to fulfill the command of prostration in a manner that is in line with the natural elements of the earth, which is encouraged in Islamic prayer.
In contrast, Sunni Muslims generally prostrate on a variety of surfaces, including carpets or the ground, without the requirement of a specific stone or piece of clay. The Sunnah (tradition) of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ permits prostration on any clean surface, which is why many Sunni Muslims do not feel the need to use a specific object like a turbah.
In the Shia tradition, it is narrated in Al-Kafi that Ali (peace be upon him) stated: A man should not prostrate on anything that does not support his entire body.
Al-Kafi 4:278 This highlights the importance of a stable and appropriate surface for prostration, which supports the preference for using a turbah.
Overall, the difference in practice stems from varying interpretations of the Sunnah and the emphasis placed on the physical elements involved in prayer. Each tradition has its own reasoning based on their understanding of the teachings of the Prophet ﷺ and the practices of the early Muslim community.
Sources
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Al-Kafi 4:278
Al-Kafi · Book 4, Hadith 278
I asked him, 'What is your position and whom do you resemble from those who have passed away?' He said, 'The companion of Moses and Dhul-Qarnayn were both knowledgeable men but they were not prophets.' — OR — Ali (peace be upon him) said: A man should not prostrate on anything that does not support his entire body. Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from Fadalah from Aban from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Abdullah from Humran from one of them (peace be upon them) said: My father (peace be upon him) used to pray on plaster, placing it on the prayer rug, and prostrate upon it. If he did not have plaster, he put gravel on the prayer rug where he prostrated. — OR — Muhammad ibn Yahya narrated from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn from Muhammad ibn Ismail from Salih ibn ‘Uqba from Sulayman ibn Salih from Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him) concerning the sperm, the compensation is twenty dinars; for the clot, forty dinars; for the morsel of flesh, sixty dinars; for the bone, eighty dinars; if clothed with flesh, one hundred dinars; and then this is the latter’s blood money until the spirit enters, when the blood money becomes full.
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