Holding the Misbaha (Prayer Beads) and Using Them for Dhikr
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
The questioner asks: Is it permissible to hold the misbaha (prayer beads) in the hand without using them? One of the brothers told me that doing so is imitating the Sufis. Is it permissible to use them for dhikr (remembrance of Allah)?
Answer:
It is permissible to use them for dhikr as long as you do not believe that they have any special merit. If you believe that they are merely a means of counting, like pebbles or fingers, there is no harm. However, if you believe that they have a virtue, that is an innovation (bid'ah) and is not permissible. This is the belief of the Sufis regarding them.
The questioner asks: Is it permissible to hold the misbaha (prayer beads) in the hand without using them? One of the brothers told me that doing so is imitating the Sufis. Is it permissible to use them for dhikr (remembrance of Allah)?
Answer:
It is permissible to use them for dhikr as long as you do not believe that they have any special merit. If you believe that they are merely a means of counting, like pebbles or fingers, there is no harm. However, if you believe that they have a virtue, that is an innovation (bid'ah) and is not permissible. This is the belief of the Sufis regarding them.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، محاضرات في العقيدة والدعوة-47-منهج أهل السنة والجماعة|صالح الفوزان|العام|كبار العلماء — youtube.com (1:05:11)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.