Tasbih beads

The strand moves when you tap, and the tap can land anywhere on the screen. That's the one thing a bead counter has to get right.

Dhikr is usually done with the eyes lowered or shut. A counter that makes you look for a small target pulls your attention back to the screen on every repetition, which is the opposite of what a strand is for. A short vibration confirms each bead, so you can tell it registered without looking.

A larger separator bead passes at every 33 with a double tick, so the end of a set is something you feel rather than something you watch for.

A real tasbih is made of something, and the material is usually why someone chose that strand over another. These are real materials rather than decorative colours, and you can switch between them in settings.

• Theme
• Olive wood
• Amber
• Onyx

Theme follows your light or dark setting. The other 3 keep the colour the material actually has, because that's the point of picking one.

It can't be left in a coat pocket, and it counts in the dark. Past that, 3 things are genuinely different.

It remembers. Every session is kept on your device, so you can look back at what you did this week without writing anything down. It also survives interruption, because each bead is saved the moment it moves rather than when you finish.

It carries the words with it. Pick a dhikr and the Arabic, the meaning and the hadith it comes from stay on screen while you count, along with the narrated number where one exists. Where no number is narrated, it says so instead of filling one in.

And it sets its own target. 33, 100, 300 and 1,000 are one tap each, or you can type your own.

A wooden strand needs no battery, no screen and no browser. It works with your phone switched off, it doesn't glow in a dark room, and nobody has ever had to reinstall one.

Plenty of people also count better with something in their hand. If that's you, use the strand you own. This page is here for the times it isn't with you, not to argue you out of it.

These are separate guides rather than a summary here, because each one carries its own sources.

• Why strands come in 33 and 99 and what the divider beads mark.
• Whether beads are bid'ah, with both positions and the narrations each side argues from.
• Tasbih, misbaha or subha, and why the same object has 3 names.
• Counting on your fingers, which came before any strand and is still narrated.

What are tasbih beads?

A strand used to keep count while you repeat a short phrase of dhikr. One bead per repetition, and the strand holds the number so your attention can stay on the words. Misbaha and subha are the same object under different names.

How is the strand on this page divided?

In sets of 33, which is how most strands are marked. A larger separator bead passes every 33, so you can tell where a set ended without counting back.

Do I have to tap the beads themselves?

No. The whole screen counts. Aiming at a small bead would defeat the point, because dhikr is usually done with the eyes lowered or closed.

Are tasbih beads allowed in Islam?

The scholars who address it directly permit them, and the disagreement that exists is narrower than it's usually presented. The guide on this site sets out both positions with their sources.

Is this better than a real strand?

For some things. It can't be misplaced, it counts in the dark, and it keeps a history. A real strand needs no battery and no screen, and many people count better with something in their hand. Use whichever keeps your attention on the words.

Will it lose my count?

No. Every bead you move is written to your browser straight away, so a crash, a closed tab or a restart leaves the number where it was.

Does it work offline?

Yes, after the first visit. The page stores itself in your browser and opens with no connection at all.

Does it cost anything?

No. There's no payment, no account, no email and no ads.