In
Islam, prayer beads are referred to as
Misbaha or
Tasbih or Sibha, and contain 99 beads, corresponding to the
99 Names of Allah. Sometimes only 33 beads are used, in which case one would cycle through them three times to equal 99. The beads are traditionally used to keep count while saying the prayer known as
Tasbih of Fatima, which was a form of prayer offered as a gift by the Prophet Muhammad to his daughter Fatima, which is recited as follows: 33 times "Subhan Allah" (Glory be to God), 33 times "Al-hamdu lilah" (Praise be to God), and 33 times "Allahu Akbar" (God is the greatest). It is highly recommended to recite this prayer after the daily 5 ritual prayers.
Use of the misbaha to count prayers and recitations is an evolution of Muhammad's practice of using the fingers of his right hand to keep track.
[citation needed] While widely used today, some adherents of
Wahhabism shun them as an intolerable innovation, preferring to stick to the exact method believed to have been used by Muhammad.
[citation needed] Their use as a religious item has somewhat diminished over the years, except among adherents of the
Sufi orders, and many use them nowadays strictly as
worry beads and as status symbols.
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Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_beads