Online tasbih and mala counter
A tasbih counter, or tasbeeh counter, is a tap counter for prayer beads. First, choose a round of 33, 99 or 108, and then tap once per bead. A tasbih holds 33 or 99 beads, according to Britannica, while a japa mala holds 108. In practice, the tool is free, needs no app and works on any phone.
Tap the circle, or press Space or Enter on a keyboard; Backspace undoes one. Phones that support it give a short buzz on each count and a longer one at the end of a round. Your count stays in this browser only.
How do you use the counter?
First, pick how many beads make one round. Then tap the circle once for each bead. When you reach the end, your phone gives a longer buzz, the round count goes up, and the counter starts again from zero. So you can look away from the screen and still know where you are.
On a computer, however, count with Space or Enter. Then Backspace takes one count back if you tap twice by mistake. For example, a double tap on bead 20 needs one Backspace. Also, your count stays in this browser, so you can close the page and carry on later. In other words, we do not collect or see anything you count.
Which count should you choose?
A round is the number of beads on one full pass of a strand, so the right mode matches your own strand. A tasbih has 33 or 99 beads and a japa mala has 108, according to Britannica. Similarly, a Catholic rosary has 59 beads, according to the USCCB. So choose the mode that matches the beads in your hand:
| Mode | When to use it |
|---|---|
| 33 | A common tasbih length. Three rounds of 33 make 99. |
| 99 | A full tasbih, strung as one long loop. |
| 108 | The usual count for a japa mala, plus a guru bead that you do not count. |
| Custom | Any number from 1 to 1000, for example 10 for one decade of a rosary. |
| ∞ | No rounds at all. The counter simply keeps going until you reset. |
Still, these numbers are counts, not instructions. After all, how you pray, and what you recite, belongs to your own tradition and teachers. Finally, we only make the beads; our guide to agarwood prayer beads explains the structure of each strand.
Why use a counter and a strand together?
For example, a screen is handy on a train or at a desk. Still, many people prefer beads in the hand, because the fingers keep count while the eyes rest. In practice, some people use both: the strand for each round, and the counter for the number of rounds. As a result, a long count stays accurate without any mental arithmetic.
For a strand of your own, Oudbracelet makes prayer beads in plantation agarwood, a quietly scented wood that warms in the hand. See the agarwood tasbih strands, strung to 33 or 99 beads, and the 108-bead agarwood malas. We also string agarwood rosary beads in plain wood. Finally, we weigh every strand on camera before you pay.
On film
See the wood move
A short studio film. Before you pay, you get the same kind of film of your own strand, on the scale.