A Misbaha, subḥa, tusbaḥ (Somali), tasbīḥ, or tespih is prayer beads often used by Muslims for the tasbih, the recitation of prayers, the dhikr, as well as to glorify Allah. It is similar to the Japamala used in Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism, and the Rosary in Catholicism.
Black Misbaha
Qurʾan and Misbaha
Misbaha, dated 1909 (1327 AH)
Colorful Misbaha
Prayer beads are a form of beadwork used to count the repetitions of prayers, chants, or mantras by members of various religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Shinto, Umbanda, Islam, Sikhism, the Baháʼí Faith, and some Christian denominations, such as the Roman Catholic Church, the Lutheran Church, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, and the Eastern Orthodox Churches. Common forms of beaded devotion include the mequteria in Oriental Orthodox Christianity, the chotki or komposkini or prayer rope in Eastern Orthodox Christianity, the Wreath of Christ in Lutheran Christianity, the Dominican rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Roman Catholic Christianity, the dhikr in Islam, the japamala in Buddhism and Hinduism, and the Jaap Sahib in Sikhism.
The image depicts several Christian prayer beads; from left to right are a Roman Catholic Dominican rosary, a Lutheran Wreath of Christ, a set of Anglican prayer beads, a Western Christian Pater Noster cord, and a Coptic Orthodox mequteria.
A misbaha, a device used for counting tasbih
Anglican prayer beads
Oriental Orthodox mequteria of 41 beads