Prayer beads in Islam - smallest prayer beads in Guinness Book?

Tuesday, 11 April 2023 18:24
Written by Portal Editor

You have certainly noticed the small prayer chains that are used by a large number of believers when practicing their prayers for deep reflection during your vacation or at home with Catholic, Protestant or Turkish neighbours.

In the Catholic Church denoted by the Rosary of Mercy, the Little Rosary dedicated to the Infant Jesus or the Rosary of Our Lady of Tears; called in the evangelical church with the rosary of Christ or pearls of faith; Numerically, however, the greatest user potential lies in Islam, where the prayer chains are called Mishaba or Subha. Once again, however, it becomes clear how great the parallels are in the world religions, ultimately all religions have the same starting point.

Basically, rosary beads and misbaha are chains used by members of different religions to count the repetitions of the same or similar prayers, chants or devotions. They are also often used for meditation or relaxation. In the non-Arabic colloquial language, the Islamic prayer chain is often also called Tasbih or in Turkish Tesbih or Tespih, which is not entirely correct, however, because these names actually describe the process, i.e. the praise (of God), although all the words refer to the same thing root are traceable.

The misbaha comes in a variety of shapes and colours. It can be made from a variety of materials, such as B. made of wood, semi-precious stone or plastic, small or large. They are available with 11, 33, 99 or 1000 beads; however, prayer beads with 33 or 99 beads are most commonly used. The prayer beads with 99 beads are often divided into three parts, each of which consists of 33 beads.

One can proceed in two different ways when using the Subha:

33 times praising God for his works and actions ("Subhann-allah")
Thank God 33 times (“Alhamdulillah”)
Witness God's magnificence, omniscience, mightiness and justice 33 times (“Allahu-akbar”).

In the second variant, the above aspects can be repeated for each individual section. When praying with the prayer beads, either the 99 names of Allah found in the Koran can be recited or other religious formulas can be spoken.

Ferhat Sener has now made the smallest Islamic prayer beads made of amber to date.

In Sanliurfa, Ferhat Sener made the smallest Islamic prayer beads in his spare time. The trained dental technician worked around two and a half months to make the 33 beads. Sener set up a workroom in his apartment to handcraft the chain, which weighs less than 1 gram and weighs less than 1 cent. He wants to auction off the smallest prayer beads and donate the proceeds to a charitable organization.