Using a counter for seeking forgiveness and glorification

Question:
A listener to the program asks: What is your opinion, Shaykh, about a device like a counter that a person uses to count how many times he seeks forgiveness, whether once or more? What is the ruling on using it?

Answer:
There is no basis for this practice, and it is an act of excessive effort. Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) saw people glorifying Allah using pebbles, saying, "Say Allahu Akbar one hundred times, say La ilaha illa Allah one hundred times," and so on. He said, "Count your sins. As for your good deeds, I guarantee to you that Allah will not let them be lost. But count your sins." So a person should glorify Allah without exerting himself with a counter.
However, there is no harm in glorifying Allah with pebbles or with the fingers, and this is better. This applies to the specific phrases of glorification for which a certain number has been reported, such as the ten recitations of La ilaha illa Allah after Fajr and after Maghrib, or the thirty-three recitations of tasbih, takbir, and tahmid. That is, thirty-three times for each phrase: tasbih, takbir, and tahmid. Each phrase is repeated thirty-three times. And he says exactly, "La ilaha illa Allah," using whatever helps him keep track of the number.
As for the dhikr for which no specific number has been transmitted, there is no need for him to use a counter or a calculator or to use, yes.