Prayer beads are used by members of various religious traditions such as Roman Catholiscm, Buddhism, Islam, and Orthodox Christianism. The number of beads varies depending on the religion. The Japa Mala which is used by Hinduism has 108 beads or 27 which is added up four times. Meanwhile the “Misbaha” which is used by the Islamic religion generally use 99 beads. The “Rosary” which is used by the Roman Catholics normally has 54 beads they also make “Rosary” bracelets. Mean while the Eastern orthodox “Rosary” which does not have a known bracelet version has 5 additional beads than the Roman Catholic “Rosary”.

RosaryRosary comes from the Latin word “rosarium” meaning “rose garden” it’s an important and customary devotion of the Roman Catholic Church. The prayers consist of Our Fathers, 10 Hail Mary’s, and a Glory to Be Father, as well as a number of other prayers such as the Apostles Creed and the Hail Holy Queen. The prayers go together with meditation on the “Mysteries” which are actions in the life and ministry of Jesus. In addition Catholics use prayer beads to pray chaplets, “Rosary” beads are consisted of a Crucifix and center which could be made of sterling silver or gold. The beads are typically made of glass, amethyst, rose quartz, and black onyx just to name a few.

Originally in the Orthodox Christianity they use what is called prayer ropes with 33, 50, 100 knots which look comparable to beads. These prayer ropes are used primarily by monks and bishops. In the mid 1980′s an Anglican Rosary or “Christian prayer beads” was created in the Episcopal Church. Although it is fairly new, the prayer bead is still not established fully by the religion it is still somewhat utilized by some Orthodox Christians. There is a contemporary alternative called the “Pearls of Life” which was invented by Bishop Martin Lonnebo.

In Islam the prayer beads are recognized as “Mishaba” and contain 99 beads. The 99 beads goes hand and hand with the “99 names of Allah”. The beads are habitually used to keep count while saying the prayer known as Tasbih of Fatima, which was a type of prayer offered as a gift by the Prophet Muhammad to his daughter Fatima. The prayer “Allahu Akbar” is highly recommended to be performed after each of the 5 daily times a Muslim prays. The use of these beads has somewhat faded over the years now many Muslims used them as worry beads which is more of a status symbol.

In Buddhism prayer beads are called Japa Mala they are also recognized as Japa Mala in the Hindu Religion. They are a traditional tool used to count the amount of times a mantra is recited whilst meditating. The material used to make the beads can be different according to the reason of the mantras used. Mantras are typically repeated hundreds or even thousands of times. The mala is used so that one can focus on the meaning or sound of the mantra rather than counting its repetitions.

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