Tasbeeh Counters

We have several tasbeeh counters to choose from. We feel that every pilgrim should be equipped with a tasbeeh counter for their Hajj/Umrah journey.

What is tasbeeh?

The word tasbeeh (Arabic: تَسْبِيح,) is derived from the Arabic root letters of sīn-bāʾ-ḥāʾ (ح-ب-س). When these root letters appear in an Arabic word, they mean “to glorify”. The common phrase Subhan Allah (Arabic: سبحان الله), often uttered by Muslims, can be loosely translated to “Glory be to Allah”. The word tasbeeh is the act of glorifying Allah, normally by reciting Subhan Allah or any other form of dhikr, such as Allahu Akbar or Alhamdulillah any number of times. An example of the Prophet ﷺ instructing his companions to do tasbeeh is as follows:

It was narrated from Ali (رضي الله عنه) that Fatimah came to the Prophet ﷺ to ask him for a servant. He said:

Shall I not tell you of something that is better for you than that? Say Subhanallah 33 times, Allahu Akbar 33 times and Alhamdulillah 33; one of them 34 times. (Musnad Ahmad)

The above tasbeeh is often referred to as the Tasbeeh of Fatimah.

Tools to do tasbeeh

As well as referring to the act of glorifying or praising Allah, tasbeeh often refers to the object used to do this. Historically, the companions of the Prophet ﷺ would use stones, date seeds or their fingers to do tasbeeh. Nowadays, the most commonly used form of tasbeehs are prayer beads. These prayer beads are also called misbahah or subha. The vast majority of these consist of a string of 99 prayer beads. The significance of 99 is to assist with the Tasbeeh of Fatimah mentioned in the hadith above. However, it can be used to recite any other forms of dhikr. Smaller tasbeehs consist of 33 prayer beads.

Digital tasbeeh counter

With technological advancement, digital/electronic tasbeeh counters have been developed as a convenient alternative to prayer beads. These counters have several advantages over conventional prayer beads:

• They are small in size and will fit easily in your pocket. The downside of this is that they’re quite easy to misplace.
• You can physically see the number of adkhar you have done. With conventional prayer beads, you might lose track of how much adhkar you have done or your hand might slip causing you to lose count.
• They can be easily used during travel and when you’re on the move. Some prayer beads can be quite bulky and inconvenient to use while travelling.
• The better models of digital tasbeeh counters have a lock feature allowing you to finish your adkhar and return to it at a later stage at the point that you stopped.
• The better models feature an LED light, allowing you to monitor your progress in low-light conditions.
• The better models also allow you to keep count of several adhkar at the same time. For example, if you’re aiming to recite subhan Allah and Allahumma salle ala Sayyidina Muhammad 1000 times daily, you can switch between the two.

How to use a digital tasbeeh counter

Using a digital counter is straightforward. After you’ve chosen a tasbih to recite, for example, Allahu akbar, every time you utter the phrase, all you need to do is press the button. The tally will increase every time the button is pushed. Once you’ve finished with the tasbih, you can reset the tally.

What to recite on a digital tasbeeh counter

You can recite any adkhar that you like during your journey. This can include tasbeeh such as Subhan Allah, quranic chapters or verses, duas or salawat on the Prophet ﷺ.

We recommend that before the start of your journey, you prepare a list of adhkar that you’d like to recite during your journey. For example, you might want to recite Alhamdulillah 1000 times for each day of your stay in Makkah, or Allahumma salle ala Sayyidina Muhammad 1000 times daily during your time in Madinah. You can then use your tasbeeh counter to accomplish this.

A tasbeeh counter is also extremely useful when doing Tawaf and Sa’i of Safa and Marwah. Although you only have to do seven circuits of Tawaf and seven laps of sa’i, it is quite easy to lose track of which circuit or lap you’re in. You can use your counter to record your progress at the end of each circuit/lap to ensure you complete the rite correctly and completely.