Modern Tasbihs Ranked

Making dhikr in our time is not the same as in the past. Traditionlly, the sibha/tasbih we use with a 99 or 100 count broken into 3 x 33 sections with smaller counter tassels provides the basic need. It is a classic and places like UNS Fine Crafts can make you customizable tasbihs. But as we are living in an era where other methods are available to us, I’ve realized it’s not the best method. Yes, it is the most beautiful method but even if you get a 1000-count tasbih (which will tangle up constantly by the way) it is not practical if you want to do a lot of dhikr daily. What is the most efficient way?

Here are some I have tried…

MECHANICAL TALLY COUNTER – this is great for counting into 5-figures. I used this method for a long time but it is noisy and cumbersome as the counter is large. Eventually, the painting of the numbers disappeared and now no numbers are visible. But it will never break.

RING COUNTER – this cute little ring finger counter is great because it is small, easy to carry and click. The downside is the battery dies quick, it is easy to overcount, it is not reliable at all. Unless you buy 10 of these at a time, you will get tired of this as it’s still a cheap Chinese product.

ROTATING TALLY COUNTER – this one is the coolest one of all but it breaks very quickly and counts even a small movement as a count. Again also a cheap Chinese product.

APPS – there are several apps for dhikr on your smartphone. They do work well enough when you have nothing else ahing else available. The trick with these is using the volume button instead of tapping on the screen. Some apps will log the amount. But I think this is cumbersome as well.

WINNER: HAND DIGITAL COUNTER – this tally counter is something that I found online. I gave it a shot as I found nothing else suitable and was tired of using my phone. After a month, it came from China. A single AA-battery is all you need. And it is very durable so far. In fact, it went through the washing machine and dryer and is still working great! It is much more practical, easy to hold, easy to store and easy to hit big numbers. The only small downside is there is no off button, so it will keep counting if it touches your leg while in your pocket. I think this is the best one despite being a fairly cheap Chinese product like so many of these tasbihs.

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la ilaha illa Ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.