None can deny the elevated status of Al-Hussein ibn `Ali (may Allah be pleased with them). Besides being the grandson of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Al-Hussein was one of the great scholars among the Companions. He is also one of the best of Muslims in this life and in the hereafter. He was a sincere worshiper, known for his bravery and graciousness. However, some people go to extremes in their love for Al-Hussein so that they exaggerate in glorifying him, though there is nothing in Islamic Shari`ah that proves or supports this.
“TurbahHusainiyyah”, as the Shiites call it, is the ground ofKarbala’ in Iraq where the Prophet’s beloved grandson, Al-Hussein ibn `Ali (may Allah be pleased with both of them) was martyred. The land of Karbala’ has a special virtue in the sight of the Shiites. They consider it as sacred as a sanctuary.
One of the prominent members of the Shiites says about it: “TurbahHusainiyyah is one of the sacred places that has been given special virtue by Allah Almighty, as reported in many hadiths of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his household (peace and blessings be upon them all)!”
the Imamite Shiite, one of the sects of Shiites, nevertheless, regard prostration on TurbahHusainiyyah as obligatory but not to the extent that one’s prayer is invalidated if he does not prostrate on it.
the prominent Shiite scholar, Sheikh al-Hakim, states: “Prostration on TurbahHusainiyyah is better than prostration anywhere else. However, it is not obligatory, as what is obligatory is to prostrate on earth.”
Allah has given a special merit to Muslims that He has permitted them to perform prayer wherever they exist, as reported in the hadith reported by al-Bukhari on the authority of Jabir ibn `Abdullah, who quoted the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as saying: “I have been given five things which were not given to any one else before me. Allah made me victorious by awe (by His frightening my enemies) for a distance of one month’s journey. The earth has been made for me (and for my followers) a place for praying and a thing to perform tayammum, therefore anyone of my followers can pray wherever the time of a prayer is due. The booty has been made halal (lawful) for me yet it was not lawful for anyone else before me. I have been given the right of intercession (on the Day of Resurrection). Every Prophet used to be sent to his nation only, but I have been sent to all mankind.”
al-Manawi said in his book Fat-hul-Qadir: “This means that a Muslim can offer prayer or build a mosque anywhere. So, there is no evidence that it is better to pray on the ground of Karbala’. It is a matter of heresy to ascribe such sacredness to that place. It is an innovation that people must abandon. This does not mean that praying on a piece of the ground of Karbala’ is nullified. Rather, it is valid despite the innovation of that belief.”
The eminent Muslim scholar and renowned Da`iyahSheikh `Abdul Khaliq Hasan Ash-Shareef states: It is impermissible for Muslims to claim sacredness of a certain place, the ground of Karbala’, without evidence of that. In addition, Allah Almighty has given a special merit to the Muslim nation that He made available for them to perform prayer when its time is due, no matter where they are, and also that they can use the earth for purification (tayammum). So claiming special sacredness and virtue for the ground of Karbala’ is no more than a heresy that would affect the fundamentals of Shari`ah in a negative way and distort the Islamic creed. In other words, no one should ascribe special virtues to a place without solid evidence from the Qur’an or Sunnah. Hence, people must refrain from that false belief.
the compilers of the famous collections of Hadith (known as Sunnan) state that when my forefather, `Ali Zayn Al-`Abedeen ibn Al-Hussein (may Allah be pleased with him), once went to some place in Iraq , the people there glorified him too much. Hence, he said to them: ‘Love us for the bond of Islam, not as people (before Islam) used to do (worship) with idols.’ That is to say, holiness and glory are due to Allah alone. This indicates that exaggeration in loving the Prophet’s household is a heresy of the Shiites and has nothing to do with Islamic teachings.