Is the misbahah considered an innovation, and is it a good innovation or a misguiding innovation?
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The questioner : I listened to an episode of the program Nur 'ala al-Dirb on Thursday, corresponding to the fourteenth of Safar, 1407 AH, and I heard the answer to the first question in the program, in which the honorable Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen stated that every innovation is misguidance, and he mentioned the hadith. He said that there is no innovation other than misguidance, and there is no good innovation, but rather every innovation is misguidance. My question is: Is the misbahah considered an innovation, and is it a good innovation or a misguiding innovation?
The Shaykh : The misbahah is not a religious innovation, because a person does not intend to worship Allah with it; rather, he intends to keep track of the number of tasbih (glorifications) he says, or tahlil, or tahmid, or takbir. It is a means, not an end in itself. However, it is better to count the tasbih with one's fingertips, i.e., with one's fingers, because they are the ones that are used, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) indicated. Also, counting the tasbih and the like with a misbahah leads to a person's heedlessness. We see many of those who use the misbahah, and we find them glorifying Allah while their eyes are wandering here and there, because they have set the number of beads to match the amount of tasbih, tahlil, tahmid, or takbir they want to say. You find one of them counting these beads with his hand while his heart is heedless, looking to the right and left. This is different from counting with the fingers, which is usually more present in the heart.
The third thing is that using the misbahah may lead to showing off (riya'). We find many people who love to do a lot of tasbih hanging long misbahahs with many beads around their necks, as if their inner selves are saying, "Look at us, for we are glorifying Allah to the extent of these beads." I seek forgiveness from Allah for accusing them of this, but it is feared. So these are three matters, all of which dictate that a person should avoid tasbih with the misbahah and should glorify Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) with his fingertips.
Furthermore, it is better to count the tasbih with the fingertips of the right hand, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to count the tasbih with his right hand. The right hand is better than the left hand without a doubt. For this reason, the right is preferred over the left. He commanded that a person should eat with his right hand, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Bulugh al-Maram 8:98 He said: Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 1189 So the right hand is more appropriate for tasbih than the left hand, following the Sunnah and taking the right: Sahih al-Bukhari 168 Accordingly, tasbih with the misbahah is not considered an innovation in the religion, because the innovation that is prohibited is the innovation in the religion. Tasbih with the misbahah is merely a means to keep track of the number, and it is a weaker, inferior means. It is better to count the tasbih with the fingers. Yes.
The Shaykh : The misbahah is not a religious innovation, because a person does not intend to worship Allah with it; rather, he intends to keep track of the number of tasbih (glorifications) he says, or tahlil, or tahmid, or takbir. It is a means, not an end in itself. However, it is better to count the tasbih with one's fingertips, i.e., with one's fingers, because they are the ones that are used, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) indicated. Also, counting the tasbih and the like with a misbahah leads to a person's heedlessness. We see many of those who use the misbahah, and we find them glorifying Allah while their eyes are wandering here and there, because they have set the number of beads to match the amount of tasbih, tahlil, tahmid, or takbir they want to say. You find one of them counting these beads with his hand while his heart is heedless, looking to the right and left. This is different from counting with the fingers, which is usually more present in the heart.
The third thing is that using the misbahah may lead to showing off (riya'). We find many people who love to do a lot of tasbih hanging long misbahahs with many beads around their necks, as if their inner selves are saying, "Look at us, for we are glorifying Allah to the extent of these beads." I seek forgiveness from Allah for accusing them of this, but it is feared. So these are three matters, all of which dictate that a person should avoid tasbih with the misbahah and should glorify Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) with his fingertips.
Furthermore, it is better to count the tasbih with the fingertips of the right hand, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to count the tasbih with his right hand. The right hand is better than the left hand without a doubt. For this reason, the right is preferred over the left.