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A ''misbaha'' (), ''subḥa'' () Gulf countries people call it Mesbah (Arabic: مِسْبَاَحْ) (Arabic and
Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...
), ''tusbaḥ'' ( Somali), ''tasbīḥ'' () (
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
,
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
,
Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...
,
Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
,
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
,
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
and
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
), or ''tespih'' ( Turkish, Bosnian and
Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...
) is a set of prayer beads often used by
Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
for the , the recitation of
prayer File:Prayers-collage.png, 300px, alt=Collage of various religionists praying – Clickable Image, Collage of various religionists praying ''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)'' rect 0 0 1000 1000 Shinto festivalgoer praying in front ...
s (the ), as well as to glorify
Allah Allah ( ; , ) is an Arabic term for God, specifically the God in Abrahamic religions, God of Abraham. Outside of the Middle East, it is principally associated with God in Islam, Islam (in which it is also considered the proper name), althoug ...
. It resembles the ''
japamala A japamala, , or simply Japay mala (; , meaning 'garland') is a loop of prayer beads commonly used in Indian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. It is used for counting recitations ('' japa'') of mantras, prayers or other ...
'' used in
Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...
,
Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its s ...
,
Sikhism Sikhism is an Indian religion and Indian philosophy, philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups, major religio ...
, and
Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
, or the
rosary The Rosary (; , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), formally known as the Psalter of Jesus and Mary (Latin: Psalterium Jesu et Mariae), also known as the Dominican Rosary (as distinct from other forms of rosary such as the ...
used in
Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
. The Arab/Iranian/Turkish and their neighbors put a lot of care as to what materials are used, generally being gems, beads and so forth. Tessel/التأصيله. Some people call it karkoshah/ الكركوشه and some call it shrabah/شرابه and tamlikah/تمليكه. They make it from cotton or other fabrics in different colors, different lengths and designs or use some grade of sterling silver with some design, like Turkish people they merge with other parts too. Al Shahid/الشَاَهِدْ or alm'athnah/المِئْذَنَةْ this usually is the longest part of the mesbah and the maker puts his signature on it. They are made from the same material as the beads or sometimes In the Turkish tradition are made from silver, and sometimes some symbols of flags or crescents or stars are ingrained, and some people like a wide shahid or thin and long. Beads/الخَرَزْ (Alkharaz) The beads vary in shape, like corn shape/ذَرَوِيْ Barrel/بِرْمِيِلْيِ (birmelli) or بَرَاَمِيِلْيِ (barramili) and shape vary also from box shape/صِنْدُوُقِيِ (sandooqi) to round/دائري (daeiri) and also there are more than 10 shapes some similar to pigeon eggs/بِيْضْ الحَمَاَمْ (baith alhamam) and every shape has sub shapes too. Commas/الفَوَاَصِلْ (Al fawasel) or they call it Interpretations /التَفَاَسِيِرْ (altfaser). Those small beads to separate every 11 beads for 33 beads. For example, it's two usually no matter how many beads in your hand it has a special design or from silver sometimes, or you can see them by the shape only. Materials/الخَاَمَةْ (Al khamah) Usually, the famous stone is always Amber الكَهْرَمَاَنْ (Al Kahrman) and is the most valued one for age-effect reasons and change of colors of using these materials and many of them are valued excluding some asian (less age stones). Also, Ivory العَاَجْ (Al a'aj) and later they forbade it after some news of the almost extinction of some animals and smugglers of that material. Also, there are industrial materials and semi-industrial materials like backlit faturan and sandaluse. And all the materials are special in their way: colors, patterns or clarity. Also, the most respected job is for crafters. And almost every muslim country has a famous crafter. They do it with simple tools and machinery, so the hand touch very special. And they call them Master/الاُسْتَاَذْ or اُسْطَىَ (Üsta). Tessel/التأصيله. Some people call it karkoshah/ الكركوشه and some call it shrabah/شرابه and tamlikah/تمليكه. They make it from cotton or other fabrics in different colors, different lengths and designs or use some grade of sterling silver with some design like Turkish people. They merge with other parts too. Al Shahid/الشَاَهِدْ or alm'athnah/المِئْذَنَةْ is usually the longest part of the mesbah and the maker puts his signature on it. They are made from the same material as beads or, like some Turks, they do it from silver some time, and they put some symbols of flags or crescents or stars sometimes, and some people like a wide shahid or thin and long. Beads/الخَرَزْ (Alkharaz) The beads vary in shape, like corn shape/ذَرَوِيْ Barrel/بِرْمِيِلْيِ (birmelli) or بَرَاَمِيِلْيِ (barramili) and shape vary also from box shape/صِنْدُوُقِيِ (sandooqi) to round/دائري (daeiri) and also there more than 10 shape or even more like pigeon egg/بِيْضْ الحَمَاَمْ (baith alhamam) and every shape had sub shapes too. Commas/الفَوَاَصِلْ (Al fawasel) or they call it Interpretations /التَفَاَسِيِرْ (altfaser). These small beads are separate every 11 beads for 33 beads. For example, it's two usually no matter how many beads in your hand it has a special design or from silver sometimes, or you can see them by the shape only. Materials/الخَاَمَةْ (Al khamah) Usually, the famous stone is always Amber الكَهْرَمَاَنْ (Al Kahrman) and is the most valued one for age-effect reasons and change of colors when using these materials, and many of them are valued excluding some asian (less aged stones) Also, Ivory العَاَجْ (Al a'aj) and later they forbade it after some news of the almost extinction of some animals and smugglers of that material. Also, there are industrial materials and semi-industrial materials like backlit faturan and sandaluse. And all the materials are special in their own way: color patterns, clarity or impurities. Also, the most respected job is for crafters. And almost every muslim country has a famous crafter. They do it with simple tools and machinery, so the hand touch very special. And they call them Master/الاُسْتَاَذْ or اُسْطَىَ (Üsta).


Use

A misbaḥah is a tool that is used as an aid to perform
dhikr (; ; ) is a form of Islamic worship in which phrases or prayers are repeatedly recited for the purpose of remembering God. It plays a central role in Sufism, and each Sufi order typically adopts a specific ''dhikr'', accompanied by specific ...
, including the
names of God in Islam Names of God in Islam () are 99 names that each contain Attributes of God in Islam, which are implied by the respective names. These names usually denote his praise, gratitude, commendation, glorification, magnification, perfect attributes, ...
, and after regular prayer. It is often made of
wood Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...
en or
plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic polymers, synthetic or Semisynthesis, semisynthetic materials composed primarily of Polymer, polymers. Their defining characteristic, Plasticity (physics), plasticity, allows them to be Injection moulding ...
beads, but also of
olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'' ("European olive"), is a species of Subtropics, subtropical evergreen tree in the Family (biology), family Oleaceae. Originating in Anatolia, Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean ...
seeds,
ivory Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and Tooth, teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mamm ...
,
pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle (mollusc), mantle) of a living Exoskeleton, shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pear ...
s, and semi-precious stones such as
carnelian Carnelian (also spelled cornelian) is a brownish-red mineral commonly used as a semiprecious stone. Similar to carnelian is sard, which is generally harder and darker; the difference is not rigidly defined, and the two names are often used int ...
,
onyx Onyx is a typically black-and-white banded variety of agate, a silicate mineral. The bands can also be monochromatic with alternating light and dark bands. ''Sardonyx'' is a variety with red to brown bands alternated with black or white bands. ...
, and
amber Amber is fossilized tree resin. Examples of it have been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since the Neolithic times, and worked as a gemstone since antiquity."Amber" (2004). In Maxine N. Lurie and Marc Mappen (eds.) ''Encyclopedia ...
. A typical misbahah consists of three groups of beads, separated by two distinct beads (called ''imām''s) along with one larger piece (called the ''yad'') to serve as the handle. The exact number may vary, but they usually consist of 99 beads to assist in the glorification of God following prayers: 33 Tasbeeh (subhāna-llāh ), 33 Tahmeed (ʾal-ḥamdu li-llāh), and 34 Takbeer (ʾAllāhu ʾakbar). Some suggest the 99 beads also refer to the
99 names of Allah Names of God in Islam () are 99 names that each contain Attributes of God in Islam, which are implied by the respective names. These names usually denote his praise, gratitude, commendation, glorification, magnification, perfect attributes, ...
. Smaller misbahas consist of 33 beads, in which case one cycles through them three times to complete 99. However, misbahas may also consist of 100 or 200-count beads to assist in the
dhikr (; ; ) is a form of Islamic worship in which phrases or prayers are repeatedly recited for the purpose of remembering God. It plays a central role in Sufism, and each Sufi order typically adopts a specific ''dhikr'', accompanied by specific ...
duties of certain
Sufi order A ''tariqa'' () is a religious order of Sufism, or specifically a concept for the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seeking , which translates as "ultimate truth". A tariqa has a (guide) who plays the r ...
s. It is often carried by pilgrims,
dervish Dervish, Darvesh, or Darwīsh (from ) in Islam can refer broadly to members of a Sufi fraternity (''tariqah''), or more narrowly to a religious mendicant, who chose or accepted material poverty. The latter usage is found particularly in Persi ...
es, and many ordinary Muslims of all groups, however some consider it heretical innovation (''
bid'ah In Islam and sharia (Islamic law), ( , ) refers to innovation in religious matters. Linguistically, as an Arabic word, the term can be defined more broadly, as "innovation, novelty, heretical doctrine, heresy". It is the subject of many hadith ...
'') and only allow dhikrs to be counted on the fingers. Many Shi'is use beads made from clay from
Karbala Karbala is a major city in central Iraq. It is the capital of Karbala Governorate. With an estimated population of 691,100 people in 2024, Karbala is the second largest city in central Iraq, after Baghdad. The city is located about southwest ...
, sometimes colored red in memory of the martyred
Imam Husayn Husayn ibn Ali (; 11 January 626 – 10 October 680 CE) was a social, political and religious leader in early medieval Arabia. The grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and an Alid (the son of Ali ibn Abi Talib and Muhammad's daughter ...
's blood or green in memory of his brother
Hasan Hassan, Hasan, Hassane, Haasana, Hassaan, Asan, Hassun, Hasun, Hassen, Hasson or Hasani may refer to: People *Hassan (given name), Arabic given name and a list of people with that given name *Hassan (surname), Arabic, Jewish, Irish, and Scotti ...
(who supposedly turned green from poisoning). Misbahahs are also used culturally to reduce stress or as an indication of status in society.


History

In the early Muslim era, prayers were counted on fingers or with pebbles. According to the 17th-century
Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...
cleric ʻ Allāmah
Muhammad Baqir Majlisi Mohammad Baqer Majlesi ( – 29 March 1699; ), also known as Allamah Majlesi or Majlesi Al-Thani (Majlesi the Second), was an influential Iranian Akhbari Twelver Shia scholar and thinker during the Safavid era. He has been described as "one of t ...
, after the 625CE Battle of Uḥud, Fāṭimah (the daughter of
Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
) would visit the Martyrs' graveyard every two or three days, and then made a misbaḥah of Ḥamzah ibn ʻAbd al-Muṭṭalib's grave-soil. After that, people started making and using ''misbaḥahs''. Some ''
hadiths Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...
'' state the benefit of using the fingers of the right hand to count tasbīḥ following regular prayers. The practice of using misbahahs most likely originated among
Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...
s and poor people. Opposition to the practice is known from as late as the 15th century, when
al-Suyuti Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (; 1445–1505), or al-Suyuti, was an Egyptians, Egyptian Sunni Muslims, Muslim polymath of Persians, Persian descent. Considered the mujtahid and mujaddid of the Islamic 10th century, he was a leading Hadith studies, muh ...
wrote an ''
apologia An apologia (Latin for ''apology'', from , ) is a formal defense of an opinion, position or action. The term's current use, often in the context of religion, theology and philosophy, derives from Justin Martyr's '' First Apology'' (AD 155–157) ...
'' for it.


Misbaha of Fatima Al-Zahra

The Mesbaha of Fatima Al-Zahra, is recommended among Muslims, especially
Shiite Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...
(Shia) sect of Islam. The Tasbih of Zahra is as follows: Allahu Akbar is recited 34 times, Alhamdulillah is recited 33 times, and Subhan Allah is recited 33 times.
Muhammad ibn Abdullah Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monotheistic teachings of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, ...
taught this dhikr to his daughter (Fatima Al-Zahra).تسبیحات حضرت زهرا (س) + زیارت، فضیلت برای حاجت و معنی Tasbih of Hazrat Zahra (peace be upon her) + Ziarat, virtues based on need and meaning
/ref>


See also

* Prayer beads **
Rosary The Rosary (; , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), formally known as the Psalter of Jesus and Mary (Latin: Psalterium Jesu et Mariae), also known as the Dominican Rosary (as distinct from other forms of rosary such as the ...
**
Prayer rope A prayer rope; or (literal translation); ; or ; Serbian and ; ; Georgian: სკვნილი, romanized'':'' ''skvnili;'' ; , or . is a loop made up of complex woven knots formed in a cross pattern, usually out of wool or silk. The typic ...
** Kombolói **
Japamala A japamala, , or simply Japay mala (; , meaning 'garland') is a loop of prayer beads commonly used in Indian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. It is used for counting recitations ('' japa'') of mantras, prayers or other ...


Gallery

File:Tasbih1924.jpg, Misbaha, dated 1909 (1327 AH) File:Tespih (fcm).jpg, Blue Misbaha File:Big and small of it (306438345).jpg, Colorful Misbaha File:Tasbih of Silver.JPG, Tasbih of Silver File:Istanbul Prayer beads museum dec 2018 0340b.jpg, Istanbul Prayer beads museum Portrait painted beads File:Istanbul Prayer beads museum dec 2018 0364.jpg, Istanbul Prayer beads museum Amberoid beads


Citations


Bibliography

* * * * *


External links


History of the Tasbih in Iran
{{Authority control Islamic culture Prayer beads Islamic terminology