Misbaha

Not to be confused with Msabbaha.
An Ottoman Marbled Faturan Prayer Bead

A misbaḥah (Arabic: مسبحة), subḥah (Arabic:سبحة), tasbīḥ (Persian and Hindi-Urdu), or tespih (Albanian, Turkish and Bosnian) is a string of beads which is often used by Muslims to keep track of counting in tasbih. It is also the Arabic word for a prayer rope used by Christians to say the Jesus Prayer.

The misbaḥah is also known as tasbīḥ (تسبيح)—not to be confused with tasbīḥ, a type of dhikr—in non-Arab Muslim regions, or subḥah in Arabic. In Turkey, the beads are known as tespih.[1]

Use

A misbahah is used by middle eastern Christian monks to pray the Jesus Prayer 33 times.

A misbaḥah is a tool which Islam adopted used to perform dhikr, including the 99 Names of Allah, and the glorification of God after regular prayer.

It is often made of wooden beads, but also of olive seeds, ivory, amber, pearls or plastic.

The Misbaha originally consisted of 33 beads corresponding to the years in which Christ was on earth. At the end of the beads there would be one big bead which signifies the One God. Attached to 3 smaller beads which represent the Trinity.

Islam adopted the misbaha[2] usually consists of 99 beads (corresponding to the 99 Names of Allah), or sometimes 33 beads (in which case one cycles through them 3 times to equal 99). Some Muslims also believe that its display or presence can act as a good luck charm or to ward off evil or misfortune. In these instances it is rarely if ever used for prayer.

Qur'an and tespih

History

It is thought that in the early Muslim era, loose pebbles were used or that people counted on their fingers.[3]

According to the 17th-century ʻAllāmah Muhammad Baqir Majlisi, after the Battle of Uḥud, Fāṭimah 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.

According to a book written by Sidi Gabalza, the first who used misbaha is sufism, which combined the thought between Islam, Jews, Christian, Manawi, Majus, Hindu and Buddha, along with the mystical philosophy of Pythagoras.[4] However some hadiths state the benefit of using the fingers of the right hand to count tasbīḥ.[5]

See also

Citations

  1. ↑ Leone, Stacie (May 2006). "The Tespih Works in Mysterious Ways". Turkey Now. Retrieved 2007-09-02.
  2. ↑ for more information on prayer beads in Islam
  3. ↑ (Indonesian) Hadits Shafiyah binti Hayyi (isteri Rasulullah) yang berbunyi: عَنْ كِنَانَةَ مَوْلَى صَفِيَّةَ قَال سَمِعْتُ صَفِيَّةَ تَقُولُ دَخَلَ عَلَيَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَبَيْنَ يَدَيَّ أَرْبَعَةُ آلَافِ نَوَاةٍ أُسَبِّحُ بِهَا فَقَالَ لَقَدْ سَبَّحْتِ بِهَذِهِ أَلَا أُعَلِّمُكِ بِأَكْثَرَ مِمَّا سَبَّحْتِ بِهِ فَقُلْتُ بَلَى عَلِّمْنِي فَقَالَ قُولِي سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ عَدَدَ خَلْقِهِ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ غَرِيبٌ لَا نَعْرِفُهُ مِنْ حَدِيثِ صَفِيَّةَ إِلَّا مِنْ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ مِنْ حَدِيثِ هَاشِمِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ الْكُوفِيِّ وَلَيْسَ إِسْنَادُهُ بِمَعْرُوفٍ وَفِي الْبَاب عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ "Dari Kinanah budak Shafiyah berkata, saya mendengar Shafiyah berkata: Rasulullah pernah menemuiku dan di tanganku ada empat ribu nawat (bijian korma) yang aku pakai untuk menghitung dzikirku. Aku berkata,”Aku telah bertasbih dengan ini.” Rasulullah bersabda,”Maukah aku ajari engkau (dengan) yang lebih baik dari pada yang engkau pakai bertasbih?” Saya menjawab,”Ajarilah aku,” maka Rasulullah bersabda,”Ucapkanlah : سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ عَدَدَ خَلْقِهِ. (Maha Suci Allah sejumlah apa yang diciptakan oleh Allah dari sesuatu).” (HR Tirmidzi, beliau berkata,”Hadist ini gharib. Saya tidak mengetahuinya, kecuali lewat jalan ini, yaitu Hasyim bin Sa’id Al Kufi.” Ibnu Hajar dalam kitab At Taqrib menyebutnya dhaif (lemah), begitu juga gurunya, Kinanah Maula Shafiyah didhaifkan oleh Al Adzdi.)
  4. ↑ Sidi Gazalba, Sistematika Filsafat (Jakarta, Bulan Bintang, Juli 1991), Cet. Kelima, hlm. 20. Untuk mengetahui hubungan antara tasawuf dengan agama Hindu, Budha dan lainnya, lihat di dua kitab Ihsan Ilahi Dzahir, Mansya’ Wa Al Mashadir; telah diterjemahkan dengan judul Sejarah Hitam Tasawuf Latar Belakang Kesesatan Sufi, oleh Fadhli Bahri, (Jakarta, Darul Falah, 2001), Cet.I. dan Dirasatun Fi At Tashawuf; telah diterjemahkan dengan judul Tasawuf, Bualan Kaum Sufi Ataukah Sebuah Konspirasi? oleh Abu Ihsan Al Atsari, (Jakarta, Darul Haq, 2001), Cet. I.
  5. ↑ Narrated Yusayrah, mother of Yasir: The Prophet (saw) commanded them (the women emigrants) to be regular (in remembering Allah by saying): "Allah is most great"; "Glory be to the King, the Holy"; "there is no god but Allah"; and that they should count them on fingers, for they (the fingers) will be questioned and asked to speak. (Book #8, Hadith #1496)

Bibliography

External links

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