The History of Prayer Beads in Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam

Nobody is certain when people began using prayer beads, but they’ve been employed in almost all religions for thousands of years. Prayer beads are used by Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, Muslims and many other religions.

One reason for using prayer beads is that they allow people to keep track of the number of prayers recited when they’re doing repetitions. An example of this in Buddhism is when practitioners are reciting mantras, such as the Om Mani Padme Hum (Sanskrit) or Om Mani Peme Hung (Tibetan).

Buddhist prayer beads are called malas. In the Christian Catholic tradition, prayer beads are called rosaries and are used to keep track of the numbers of prayers recited, such as the Hail Mary. In Hinduism, prayer beads are known as japa mala. In the Islamic tradition, prayer beads are called Misbaha, Tasbih or Sibha.

Prayer beads can be made from a variety of materials. Buddhist prayer beads are made from the wood or seeds of the famous Bodhi tree (under which the Buddha sat until he attained enlightenment), the seeds of the lotus plant, tulasi wood, animal bone, or semiprecious stones, such as amethyst or carnelian. They are also sometimes made of sandalwood. Hindu prayer beads are usually made from tulasi wood or sandalwood. Christian rosaries are made from a wide variety of materials, including glass, amethyst, wood, silver, gold and plastic. Rosaries contain a cross symbolizing the crucifixion of Christ in the center. Sometimes prayer beads are smooth and sometimes they’re carved.

The number of prayer beads varies according to the religion in which it’s used. In Tibetan Buddhism, malas usually have 111 beads. One hundred beads are used to recite malas and 11 are used to account for mistakes during recitation. Tibetan malas can also have 108 beads in which 100 mantras are recited and 8 are dedicated to the liberation of all sentient beings. Pure Land Buddhists use malas with 27 beads. Christian rosaries have 59 beads, which are designated as 53 ‘Hail Mary’ beads and 6 ‘Our Father’ beads. In Islam, prayer beads contain 99 beads used to recite the 99 names for Allah. They also have smaller ones containing 33 beads which would be cycled through 3 times per prayer repetition. In Hinduism, japa malas contain 108 beads or any number which can be divided by the number 9.

Prayer beads are an important part of prayer in these various religions. They help to keep the practitioner centered and focused on the prayers, as each bead is fingered in succession as the prayers or mantras are recited. Devout practitioners carry their prayer beads with them at all times, both to remind them of their devotion and to protect them against corruption and harm.