Prayer beads are a ritual object used in many religions — Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam. The Russian word for prayer beads “chyotki” comes from the Old Russian verb which translates as “to count” and “to revere”. Muslims call the prayer beads “tasbih”, which means “to repeat” and “to remember”.
The oldest prayer beads in the world are 4,000 years old. The story behind the origin of prayer beads in Islam is narrated in the Hadith corpus of traditions. Once Prophet Muhammad, who passed the commandments of Allah to the people, saw a lonely woman sitting on the bank of a river and praying by picking apricot stones. The Prophet approved of this activity and allowed Muslims to use prayer beads. Later on, many famous Muslim scholars devoted their works to this issue.
The main purpose of prayer beads is to count the prayers during namaz and zikr, praises to Allah. Prayer beads help to set the rhythm of the prayer, to tune in and provide spiritual concentration. Going through the beads relieves tension, stress and neurosis, helps to calm down and cope with insomnia. Prayer beads affect the nerve endings of the fingers, associated with the brain centers, as well as distract attention with simple monotonous actions. They are used to suppress outbursts of anger, which is especially important for a devout Muslim.
Prayer beads consist of a series of beads, knots, or grains strung on a thread, which is closed in a ring and divided into three parts. At the ends of the thread there are usually pendants in the form of fluffy silky tassels. Muslim prayer beads often consist of 99 beads — according to the number of names-definitions of the Almighty mentioned in the Quran — or the multiples of this number — 33 or 11. Prayer beads are made of precious and semi-precious stones, metals, minerals, rocks, as well as wood, leather and even wool. They serve as a token of the owner’s financial status.
It is important to consider the aesthetic value of the piece. Prayer beads are decorated with inlaid pendants, jewelry dividers of the string, beads of different colors and textures. The prayer beads from the collection of the Museum of the History of World Cultures and Religions are made of metal — the patterns, applied to the beads look like lace.
The oldest prayer beads in the world are 4,000 years old. The story behind the origin of prayer beads in Islam is narrated in the Hadith corpus of traditions. Once Prophet Muhammad, who passed the commandments of Allah to the people, saw a lonely woman sitting on the bank of a river and praying by picking apricot stones. The Prophet approved of this activity and allowed Muslims to use prayer beads. Later on, many famous Muslim scholars devoted their works to this issue.
The main purpose of prayer beads is to count the prayers during namaz and zikr, praises to Allah. Prayer beads help to set the rhythm of the prayer, to tune in and provide spiritual concentration. Going through the beads relieves tension, stress and neurosis, helps to calm down and cope with insomnia. Prayer beads affect the nerve endings of the fingers, associated with the brain centers, as well as distract attention with simple monotonous actions. They are used to suppress outbursts of anger, which is especially important for a devout Muslim.
Prayer beads consist of a series of beads, knots, or grains strung on a thread, which is closed in a ring and divided into three parts. At the ends of the thread there are usually pendants in the form of fluffy silky tassels. Muslim prayer beads often consist of 99 beads — according to the number of names-definitions of the Almighty mentioned in the Quran — or the multiples of this number — 33 or 11. Prayer beads are made of precious and semi-precious stones, metals, minerals, rocks, as well as wood, leather and even wool. They serve as a token of the owner’s financial status.
It is important to consider the aesthetic value of the piece. Prayer beads are decorated with inlaid pendants, jewelry dividers of the string, beads of different colors and textures. The prayer beads from the collection of the Museum of the History of World Cultures and Religions are made of metal — the patterns, applied to the beads look like lace.
