A misbaḥah  is a string of beadswhich is often used by Muslims to keep track of counting in tasbih. The term misbahah is also used by Arab Christians to refer to the Christian rosary or prayer rope.

The misbaḥah is also known as tasbīḥ  — not to be confused the of dhikr of tasbih — in non-Arab languages, particularly in Persian. In Turkey, it is known as tespih.

Use

A misbaḥah is a tool which is used as an aid to perform dhikr, including the names of God in Islam, and the glorification of God after regular prayer.It is often made of wooden or plastic beads, but also of semi-precious gemstones such as carnelian and onyx, olive seeds, ivory, amber, pearls.

They usually consist of 99 beads to assist in the glorification of God following prayers: 33 Tasbeeh(subhāna-llāh ), 33 Tahmeed (ʾal-ḥamdu li-llāh), and 33 Takbeer (ʾAllāhu ʾakbar). Some suggest the 99 beads also refer to the 99 names of Allah. Smaller misbahas consist of 33 beads, in which case one cycles through them three times to complete 99. However, misbahas may also consist of 100 or 200 count beads to assist in the dhikr duties of certain Sufi orders.

Misbahahs are also used culturally to reduce stress or as an indication of status in society.