The Permissibility of the Masbahah (subhah, Thikr Beads, Islamic Rosary)

The following narrations are proofs for the permissibility of using the Masbahah:

First Proof:

“From Sa’ad ibn Abi Waqqās that he entered with the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) upon a woman and between her hands was Nawā (seeds, pebbles) or Hasā (stones or pebbles) that she was [counting] tasbīh with…”

This hadīth is reported by Imām At-Tirmithī who said, “Hasan Gharīb from the hadīth of Sa’ad”. It is also reported by Imām Abu Dāwūd in his Sunan, Imām An Nasā’ī, Ibn Hibbān, and Imām Al Hākim in his Mustadarak who said. “Its isnād is Sahīh, and [they i.e. Bukhārī and Muslim] did not report it” and Imām Adh-Dhahabi agreed with him.

Second Proof:

From Safiyyah who said, ” The Messenger of Allah (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam) entered upon me and between my hands were four thousand Nawā (stones or seeds) [that I was making] tasbīh with. The Nabi (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam) said, “You are making tasbīh with this?! Shall I not teach you that which is greater than this tasbīh?!” So I said, “Teach me!” So He said, “Say, Subhān Allah ‘Adada Khaliqih”.

This hadīth is reported by Imām At Tirmithi who said after it, “Gharīb, I only know the hadīth of Safiyyah by this direction…”

It was also reported by Imām Al Hākim in his Mustadarak who said, “[This] Hadīth is Sahīh and they did not report it.” And Imām Adh-Dhahabi agreed with him. It was also authenticated by Imām As-Suyūti.

Imām Ash-Shawkāni states in his Nayl Al Awtār that these two ahadīth are proof of the permissibility of counting the Tasbīh with seeds, stones, or the likes and that is because of the approval of the Nabi (sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam) of these two women using them.

Other proofs from the Sahaba are as follows,

Third Proof:
Imām Ahmad in his “Zuhd” says: “‘Affān informed us, Abdul Wāhid ibn Ziyād informed us from Yunus ibn ‘Ubayd, from His mother who said, “I saw Abā Safiyyah – [who] was a man from the Sahābah of the Messenger of Allah (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam) and he was a treasurer – She said he would make Tasbīh with stones.”

Fourth Proof:

Ibn Sa’ad reports from Hukaym ibn Daylami that Sa’ad ibn Abi Waqqās would make Tasbīh with stones. [At Tabaqāt Al Kubrā]

Fifth Proof:

Ibn Sa’ad said in At-Tabaqāt, Abdillah ibn Musā informed us, Isrā’eel informed us, from Jābir from his female servant from Fātimah bint Al Husayn ibn Ali ibn Abi Tālib that she would make Tasbīh with a string with knots in it. [Tabaqāt Al Kubrā]

Sixth proof:

Imām Abdillah ibn Imām Ahmad reports through Abu Hurayrah in Zawā’id Az Zuhd from Abu Hurayrah that he had a rope with a hundred knots in it, and he would not sleep until he had made Tasbīh with it.

Seventh Proof:

Imām Ahmad reports in Az-Zuhd from Al Qāsim ibn Abdur Rahmān who said that Abi Dardā’ had seeds from pressed dates in a bag. When he had made morning Salāh, he would remove one by one from it (the bag), making Tasbeeh with them, until they had finished. [Az-Zuhd page 205]

Eighth Proof
Ibn Sa’ad reports that Abu Hurayrah would make Tasbeeh with a collection of seeds (or pebbles). [ Tabaqāt 106/3 or 346/6]

Ninth Proof

Imām Ad-Daylami reports in his Musnad Al Firdaws from the way of Zaynab bint Sulaymān ibn ‘Ali, from Umm Al Hasan bint Ja’far, from her father, from her grandfather, from Ali ibn Abi Tālib marfoo’an: “Yes! Al Muththakir [I reminder you to use] the Subhah!” [Musnad Al Firdaws bi Ma'thoor Al Khitāb]

Lastly, Imām As Suyūtī said in his section called “Al Manhah fis Subhah”, “And there is nothing transmitted from anyone from the salaf or the khalaf, the forbiddance of the permissibility of counting the Tasbīh with the Subhah. Rather, many of them turned away from it, but they didn’t see that (using it) as Makrūh.”

Brief response:

Those who state that the Masbahah is bida’ah use the following narration:

قال ابن وضاح القرطبي في البدع والنهي عنها (ص12) : أنا أسد عن جرير بن حازم عن الصلت بن بهرام قال : مر ابن مسعود بامرأة معها تسبيح تسبح به فقطعه وألقاه ، ثم مر برجل يسبح بحصى فضربه برجله ، ثم قال : لقد سبقتم ، ركبتم بدعة ظلماً ، أو لقد غلبتم أصحاب محمد (ص) علماً . Narrated by Ibn Waddāh in Al-Bid’ wa’l-Nahy ‘anhā from al-Salt ibn Bahrām, who said: ‘Ibn Mas’ood passed by a woman who had a [masbahah] with which she was making tasbeeh, and he broke it and threw it aside, then he passed by a man who was making tasbeeh with pebbles, and he kicked him then said, “You think you are better than the Sahābah, but you are following unjustified bid’ah! You think you have more knowledge than the Companions of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him)!”‘This hadīth is weak due to Inqitā’ (disconnection) between As-Salt ibn Bahrām and Ibn Mas’ood. As-Salt is from the tābi’t tābi’oon (second generation after the sahabah) and not from the tābi’oon, and this is mentioned in At-Tahtheeb At-Tahtheeb of Ibn Hajr.

Even if this hadīth were Saheeh, then there is no proof in the action of a Sahabi if it contradicts the Sunnah of Rasoolullah (sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam).

Lastly we recommend the book by Sheikh Mahmood Sa’eed Mamdooh titled, Wusooll at-Tahāni bi Ithbāt Sunniyyat al-Subhah wa ar-Radd `alā al-Albāni : “The Alighting of Mutual Benefit and Confirmation that the Subhah-Beads are a Sunnah in Refutation of al-Albāni”.