What is your opinion on the misbaha (prayer beads), as my father is unable to recite tasbih (praise of Allah) except with them?
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Question:
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. This questioner says: What is your opinion on the misbaha? My father is unable to recite tasbih except with them.
Answer:
If your intention is to count with them, there is nothing wrong with it. However, counting with your fingers is better. But if your intention is to seek blessing from them and you consider it part of the religion and a symbol of faith, that is not permissible. It is not permissible to hold this belief. This is like what the Sufis do, taking misbahas as a religious symbol and hanging them around their necks, making them large. This is, first of all, from showing off and seeking fame.
Second, there is no basis in the religion for constantly carrying this item and making it a symbol of righteousness; there is no basis for it. As for one who takes it as a custom and counts the tasbih with it, you may count with pebbles, you may count with your fingers, and you may count with the beads of the misbaha; there is nothing wrong with that.
But the fingers are better. As for believing that there is virtue in them or that they are a symbol, that is a bid'ah (religious innovation). Yes.
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. This questioner says: What is your opinion on the misbaha? My father is unable to recite tasbih except with them.
Answer:
If your intention is to count with them, there is nothing wrong with it. However, counting with your fingers is better. But if your intention is to seek blessing from them and you consider it part of the religion and a symbol of faith, that is not permissible. It is not permissible to hold this belief. This is like what the Sufis do, taking misbahas as a religious symbol and hanging them around their necks, making them large. This is, first of all, from showing off and seeking fame.
Second, there is no basis in the religion for constantly carrying this item and making it a symbol of righteousness; there is no basis for it. As for one who takes it as a custom and counts the tasbih with it, you may count with pebbles, you may count with your fingers, and you may count with the beads of the misbaha; there is nothing wrong with that.
But the fingers are better. As for believing that there is virtue in them or that they are a symbol, that is a bid'ah (religious innovation). Yes.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، 51 -ما رأيكم في المسبحة فإن أبي لا يستطيع التسبيح إلا بها؟ - الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.