Islam

 
 

Prayer beads are also used by Muslims. No one knows exactly when or how prayer beads entered this faith tradition, although scholars believe that prayer bead use in Islam was adopted from Buddhism. Muslims use strings of 33 or 99 beads with one "leader" bead, which represent the 99 names of Allah found in the Koran and the one essential name.

Islamic prayer beads (masbaha) of Baltic amber with knitted silver tassel and marker beads
Enlarge Islamic Masbaha		 Muslim prayer beads (masbaha) of charoite with silver marker beads and tassel
Enlarge Muslim Masbaha
 
Islamic prayer beads (subha) of moss agate with silver tassel and marker beads
Enlarge Islamic Subha		 Muslim prayer beads (subha) of walnut inlaid with sterling silver
Enlarge Muslim Subha

Called masbaha or subha—from the Arabic word meaning "to praise"—Muslim prayer beads include markers after the 33rd and 66th beads. Often subha are made of wood, or from date pits produced in the Islamic holy city of Mecca.

Islam » Religious Use of Beads » History of Prayer Beads » A String & A Prayer: How to Make & Use Prayer Beads
Eleanor Wiley and Maggie Oman Shannon (2007) Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC

A String & A Prayer: How to Make & Use Prayer Beads

A String & A Prayer: How to Make & Use Prayer Beads

Eleanor Wiley and Maggie Oman Shannon (2007) Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC

Eleanor Wiley and Maggie Oman Shannon have taken an ancient practice and made it new. A String and a Prayer recounts the history and symbolism of prayer beads, teaches basic techniques for stringing beads and a host of other objects into prayer beads, and offers a variety of prayers and rituals to use those beads on a daily basis. Beads have appeared throughout history. Prayer beads are used in the spiritual practices of cultures as diverse as the African Masai, Native Americans, Greek and Russian Orthodoxy, as well as the religious rituals of Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, and Buddhism. But prayer is highly personal. By infusing prayer beads with personal associations, we can keep our spirituality fresh. The beads are a device to help build and rebuild meaningful ritual in our lives. With myriad ideas about what makes objects sacred and where to find sacred objects—from the personal, perhaps beads from a grandmother's broken rosary, to the unusual, maybe seashells from far away found in a thrift store—A String and a Prayer offers many suggestions for different ways that beads can be made and used, exploring the creative roles they can play in our relationships, ceremonies, and rituals. "You are the expert, trust yourself. Let the instructions be a guide to your own creativity," write the authors.