Ruling 1062. One must perform sajdah on earth and on those things that grow from the earth but are neither edible nor worn, such as wood and the leaves of trees. It is not permitted to perform sajdah on edible things, nor on things that are worn, such as wheat, barley, and cotton. Furthermore, it is not permitted to perform sajdah on things that are not considered parts of the earth, such as gold, silver, and suchlike. However, when one is compelled, performing sajdah on tar and asphalt (which is a lower grade of tar) take precedence over other things on which it is not permitted to perform sajdah.

Ruling 1063. Performing sajdah on grapevine leaves when they are delicate and edible is not permitted; otherwise, there is no problem.

Ruling 1064. It is permitted to perform sajdah on something that originates from the ground and is food for animals, such as grass and straw.

Ruling 1065. It is permitted to perform sajdah on flowers that are not edible. In fact, it is also permitted to perform sajdah on edible medicinal foliage and suchlike that grows from the ground and is steamed or boiled and its water drunk, such as violets and borage.

Ruling 1066. Regarding plants that are commonly eaten in some towns but not in others, it is not permitted to perform sajdah on them if they are considered edible in those other towns [in which they are not commonly eaten]. Furthermore, it is not permitted to perform sajdah on unripe fruit based on obligatory precaution.

Ruling 1067. It is permitted to perform sajdah on limestone and gypsum. Moreover, there is no problem in performing sajdah on baked gypsum, baked lime, brick, and a clay pitcher.

Ruling 1068. It is permitted to perform sajdah on writing paper made from something on which it is permitted to perform sajdah, such as wood and grass; the same applies if it is made out of cotton or flax. However, if it is made out of silk and suchlike, performing sajdah on it is not permitted. As for performing sajdah on tissue paper, it is only permitted if one knows that it is made out of something on which it is permitted to perform sajdah.

Ruling 1069. The best thing on which to perform sajdah is the turbah of His Eminence Sayyid al-Shuhadāʾ [Imam al-Ḥusayn] (ʿA), and after that, earth, then stone, and then grass.

Ruling 1070. If a person does not have anything on which it is permitted to perform sajdah, or if he does have something but cannot perform sajdah on it on account of severe heat or cold and suchlike, then performing sajdah on tar and asphalt takes precedence over performing sajdah on other things. However, if it is not possible to perform sajdah on them, one must perform sajdah on his clothes or any other thing on which performing sajdah is not permitted in normal circumstances. However, the recommended precaution is that as long as it is possible for one to perform sajdah on his clothes, he should not perform sajdah on anything else.

Ruling 1071. Performing sajdah on mud and soft soil on which one’s forehead cannot remain still is invalid.

Ruling 1072. If the turbah sticks to one’s forehead in the first sajdah, he must remove it for the second sajdah.

Ruling 1073. If while performing prayers the thing on which one performs sajdah is lost, and he does not have anything else on which performing sajdah is permitted, and he is unable to obtain such an item without invalidating his prayer, he can act according to the sequence mentioned in Ruling 1070, irrespective of whether time is short or sufficient for him to break his prayer and perform it again.

Ruling 1074. If while performing sajdah one realises that he has placed his forehead on something that invalidates a sajdah, in the event that he becomes aware of this after saying the obligatory dhikr, he can raise his head from sajdah and continue with the prayer. However, if he becomes aware of this before saying the obligatory dhikr, he must slide his forehead onto something on which it is permitted to perform sajdah and then say the obligatory dhikr. If it is not possible for him to slide his forehead, he can say the obligatory dhikr as he is. In both cases, his prayer is valid.

Ruling 1075. If a person realises after performing sajdah that he had placed his forehead on a thing that is not valid for performing sajdah on, there is no problem.

Ruling 1076. It is unlawful to perform sajdah for any being other than Allah the Exalted. Some people place their forehead on the ground in front of the graves of the Infallible Imams (ʿA); if they do this for offering thanks to Allah the Exalted, there is no problem; otherwise, it is problematic [i.e. based on obligatory precaution, it must not be done].