Al-Ard wa al-turbat al-Husayniyya (book)

Al-Ard wa al-turbat al-Husayniyya (book)

Author	Muhammad Husayn Kashif al-Ghita'
Original title	اَلْاَرْض وَ التُّرْبَةُ الْحُسَیْنیّة
Language	Arabic
Series	1 vol.
Subject	Imam al-Husayn (a)
Publisher	A'lami institute of Beirut

Al-Arḍ wa al-turbat al-Ḥusaynīyya (Arabic: اَلْاَرْض وَ التُّرْبَةُ الْحُسَیْنیّة) is a book in Arabic written by Muhammad Husayn Kashif al-Ghita'. First, it was supposed to be written as an article for an English encyclopedia and to discuss the soil of the grave of Imam al-Husayn (a); but, the author expanded it to the size of a book and discussed the earth, its blessings, and its characteristics and then discussed the soil of the grave of Imam al-Husayn (a).

Author

Main article: Muhammad Husayn Kashif al-Ghita'

Muhammad Husayn Kashif al-Ghita' (b. 1294/1877-8 d. 1373/1954) was a Shi'a intellectual and marja' of Najaf. He was a prominent figure in jurisprudence, rhetoric, Arabic literature, philosophy, hikmah (wisdom), tafsir and mysticism. Kashif al-Ghita' was one of the first jurists who applied comparative methodology in jurisprudential studies in the seminary of Najaf.

Story of Its Writing

In 1365/1945-6, Muhammad Husayn Kashif al-Ghita' received a letter from Ahmad Badran (translator of Mina' institute in Egypt) and wrote this work. Badran had asked him to write an article about the soil of the grave of Imam al-Husayn (a), and its history after the martyrdom of Imam al-Husayn (a), for English orientalists who were compiling an encyclopedia. So, he took that chance and discussed the earth, its blessings, and its characteristics and then discussed the soil of the grave of Imam al-Husayn (a) in an article.

Content

The content of the book is as follows:

• On merits of the earth

• On the privilege of some soils over some others and the privilege of the soil of Karbala

• Privilege of prostration on the soil of Karbala and taking a little of that for curing illnesses

• The reason for the privilege of prostration on the soil of Karbala and its history

• Brief discussion of the states of the earth in creation and legislation

• Geography of the earth

• Beginning of the creation

• Destiny of the earth.

Prints

The book was published by A'lami institute of Beirut together with a treatise in jurisprudence written by Sayyid Abd al-Husayn Sharaf al-Din. It was also published in Egypt in 1377/1957-8 by Murtada Sayyid Muhammad Radawi. But, in one of the prints, the Ahl al-Bayt (a) World Assembly published the book in 1416/1995-6 together with footnotes and deductions in a different form.