Misbaha

thumbnail|right|A black misbaha

A misbaha (), subḥa (), mesbah (Arabic: مِسْبَاَحْ) (Arabic and Urdu), tusbaḥ (Somali), tasbīḥ () (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 , the recitation of prayers (the ), 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 neighbors put a lot of care as to what materials are used, generally being gems, beads and so forth.

Parts

Tessel

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

Beads/الخَرَزْ (Alkharaz)

The beads vary in shape, like corn shape/ذَرَوِيْ

Barrel

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

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. 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).

The practice of using misbahahs most likely originated among Sufis and poor people.

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:Hilya-i Sherif and Prayer Bead Museum Portraits on white beads in 2018 0340b.jpg|Istanbul Prayer beads museum Portrait painted beads

File:Hilya-i Sherif and Prayer Bead Museum Beads made of Amberoid in 2018 0364.jpg|Istanbul Prayer beads museum Amberoid beads

Parts

Tessel

Beads

Barrel

Materials

Use

See also

Gallery

Citations

Bibliography

External links