What is the ruling on the misbaha (prayer beads), and is it permissible to use them for dhikr?

The student : Is it permissible to use the misbaha (prayer beads) for dhikr or not?

The Shaykh : We have, of course, words on this issue published in more than one book. The one I recall right now is the series *Al-Ahadith al-Da'ifah wa al-Mawdu'ah* (The Weak and Fabricated Hadiths). There, I traced a hadith with the wording . I traced it there from *Musnad al-Firdaws* by al-Dailami and explained its weakness in terms of its chain of narration, and its fabrication in terms of its text, from many angles. One of them is that the word *misbaha* in the Arabic language refers to the voluntary prayer; as for this tool, this device, it is not known in the Arabic language; so it is foreign to the Arabic language in the sense of the tool used for dhikr. Therefore, what is established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) suffices us from using the misbaha, and even from using pebbles for counting, as was narrated from some of the early scholars, and we always...
The student : In the past, he always pressed it with numbers.

The Shaykh : This is the latest innovation. "Allahu Akbar" is correct. So, counting with the fingers is what the Messenger (peace be upon him) commanded, and he said: . ... And the conclusion is: there is no guidance after the guidance of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him); the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Many people, on this occasion, find it comfortable to say that the misbaha is permissible, claiming that it helps the one doing dhikr to count accurately. We say, as came in the authentic hadith: . If there were a means in the Shari'ah for counting dhikr and tallying it that is better in the sight of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) than counting with the fingers, our Lord ... would have legislated that means on the tongue of His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). This is from one aspect. From another aspect, I feel with the touch of my hand the Salafi wisdom that says, "No innovation is introduced except that a Sunnah is extinguished." This was narrated as traced to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), but the chain is weak. So I feel, with the touch of my hand, this reality: no innovation is introduced except that a Sunnah is extinguished. Those who needed to use the misbaha did so only because they invented, before using the misbaha, huge numbers of dhikr that truly cannot be tallied with the fingers—dhikr in what they call the *Alfiyyah* (thousand verses), four thousand, and "Say: He is Allah, the One" and so on. How is this to be tallied except with pebbles or a misbaha that serves as a substitute? But the Shari'ah does not contain such a huge number.
The student : Can we pray?

The Shaykh : Yes, in the name of Allah. That is enough. May Allah reward you, so that we can rest a little—cough, cough—meaning, the answer, you see, is neither seen nor heard.