Misbaha

Not to be confused with Misbah or Msabbaha.

A black misbaha

A misbaha (Arabic: مِسْبَحَة, romanized: misbaḥa), subḥa (Arabic: سُبْحَة) Gulf countries people call it Mesbah (Arabic: مِسْبَاَحْ) (Arabic and Urdu), tusbaḥ (Somali), tasbīḥ (Arabic: تَسْبِيح) (Iran, India, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia), or tespih (Turkish, Bosnian and Albanian) is a set of prayer beads often used by Muslims for the tasbih, the recitation of prayers (the dhikr), as well as to glorify Allah. It resembles the japamala used in Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism, or the rosary used in Catholicism. The Arab/Iranian/Turkish and their nighbors too people care alot about to own Mesbah materials and they focus on gems stones beads and difine every part from mesbah like from the end

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 the longest part of the mesbah and the maker puts his signature on it. They are made from the same material as beads or some Turkish. They do it from silver for 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). 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, including the names of God in Islam, and after regular prayer. It is often made of wooden or plastic beads, but also of olive seeds, ivory, pearls, and semi-precious stones such as carnelian, onyx, and amber.

A typical misbahah consists of three groups of beads, separated by two distinct beads (called imāms) 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. 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 duties of certain Sufi orders.

It is often carried by pilgrims, dervishes, and many ordinary Muslims of all groups, however some consider it heretical innovation (bid'ah) and only allow dhikrs to be counted on the fingers. Many Shi'is use beads made from clay from Karbala, sometimes colored red in memory of the martyred Imam Husayn's blood or green in memory of his brother Hasan (who supposedly turned green from poisoning).

Misbahahs are also used culturally to reduce stress or as an indication of status in society.

Qurʾan and Misbaha

History

In the early Muslim era, prayers were counted on fingers or with pebbles.

According to the 17th-century Shia cleric ʻAllāmah Muhammad Baqir Majlisi, after the 625CE Battle of Uḥud, Fāṭimah (the daughter of Muhammad) 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 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 Sufis and poor people. Opposition to the practice is known from as late as the 15th century, when al-Suyuti wrote an apologia for it.

Misbaha of Fatima Al-Zahra

The Mesbaha of Fatima Al-Zahra, is recommended among Muslims, especially Shiite (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 taught this dhikr to his daughter (Fatima Al-Zahra).

See also

• Prayer beads
  • Rosary
  • Prayer rope
  • Kombolói
  • Japamala

Gallery

• 
  Misbaha, dated 1909 (1327 AH)
• 
  Blue Misbaha
• 
  Colorful Misbaha
• 
  Tasbih of Silver
• 
  Istanbul Prayer beads museum Portrait painted beads
• 
  Istanbul Prayer beads museum Amberoid beads

Bibliography

• Dubin, Lois Sherr (2009). "Prayer Beads". The History of Beads: From 100,000 B.C. to the Present (Rev. and expanded ed.). New York: Abrams. pp. 79–92. ISBN 9780810951747.
• Henry, Gray; Marriott, Susannah (2008). Beads of Faith: Pathways to Meditation and Spirituality Using Rosaries, Prayer Beads and Sacred Words. Louisville, Ky.: Fons Vitae. ISBN 9781887752954.
• Majlesi, Mohammad Baqer. Biḥār al-Anwār (in Arabic). Vol. 110. pp. 133, 64.
• Untracht, Oppi (2008). "Rosaries of India". Traditional Jewelry of India. New York: Thames & Hudson. pp. 69–73. ISBN 9780500287491.
• Wiley, Eleanor; Shannon, Maggie Oman (2002). A String and a Prayer: How to Make and Use Prayer Beads. Boston: Red Wheel/Weiser. ISBN 1590030109.

External links

• History of the Tasbih in Iran