I'm back with info about Zikr beads

Assalaamo Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu,

I'm back after quite some time, i hope you all had a wonderful "Bakra Eid" and are still around reading my posts ;)

I got caught up with things happenening in my life, and am not sure for how long I can keep this blog moving, Inshallah I am trying as much as I can to keep it going.

The reason I made this blog was simply to guide others by the Guidance given to me by Allah Subhanhu wa Taala, and has been purely to provide Daawah in the way I know best, and I pray that Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala excepts this service from me, for He is the Most Forgiving, most Merciful.

Some people critisized me for using a zikr beeds (Tasbeeh), and this has been a great doubt in mind till today when I recieved the following from the JAmiat of South Africa, Inshallah If you are having the same doubts as I this will clear it up.


Question and Answer:
Q. Assalamu alaykum!!! I have the following question: Is it permissible to use a Tasbih for Zikr or is it (Tasbih) a Bid’ah?

(Grozny, Chechnya)

A. To use a Masbah (Tasbih, Rosary, beads) to make Zikr as a means of counting is not a Bid’ah. There are authentic reports that some of the companions of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) used to use beads to keep count of the amount of Zikr they used to do. In present times, the Tasbih or Masbah is common and holds the same purpose of beads. Hence, the same ruling will apply.

Allamah Suyuti (Rahimahullah) has mentioned in his book al-Minha fis- Subhah the incident of ‘Ikrimah (Rahimahullah), who had asked his teacher ‘Umar al-Maliki (Rahimahullah) about Zikr-beads. The latter replied that he had also asked about it his teacher Imam Hasan al-Basrî (Rahimahullah) who replied: “Something we have used at the beginning of the road we are not desirous to leave at the end. I love to remember Allah with my heart, my hand, and my tongue.”

On this, Allamah Suyuti comments: “And how should it be otherwise, when the Zikr-beads remind one of Allah Most High, and a person seldom sees Zikr-beads except he remembers Allah, which is among the greatest of its benefits.”

Abu Hurairah possessed a thread with two thousand knots and would not sleep until he had used it all for dhikr. (Narrated by Abu Nu‘aym in Hilyah, and az-Dhahabi in Siyar A’laamin Nubalaa’ and Tadhkirah) He said: “Verily, I glorify Allah (recite Subhanallah) everyday twelve thousand times.” (Narrated by Abu Nu‘aym in Hilyah, al-Bayhaqi in his Sunan, Ibn Hazm in al-Muhalla, Ibn al-Jawzi in Sifatus Safwah, az-Dhahabi in Siyar and Tadhkirat al-Huffaz, Ibn Rajab in Jami‘ al-‘Ulum wal-Hikam, and Ibn Hajar in the Isabah where he said that Ibn Sa‘d narrates it with a sound chain in his Tabaqat.)

Abu Dawood, Tirmizi, Nasaai, Ibn Hibbaan and Haakim have narrated from Sa’d Bin Abi Waqqaas that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) noticed some date-stones or pebbles placed in front of one his wives with which she was making Tasbeeh.

Abu Dawood and Haakim have narrated from Safiyya (Radiyallahu Anha) that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) came to her while she had heaped in front of her 4,000 date seeds. She was reciting Tasbeeh (Zikr) with the date seeds.


From the above mentioned narrations, it is evident that the use of Tasbih/beads is not a Bid’ah. Rather, it was the practice of senior Sahabah and Tabi-een to use beads to count when doing the Zikr of Allah.

And Allah Knows Best


Fatwa Department
Jamiatul Ulama (KZN)
Council of Muslim Theologians
223 Alpine Road, Overport, Durban
Tel : +27 (0) 31 2077099
Fax : +27(0) 31 2074163
Website : www.jamiat.org.za