Counting tasbih on the fingers and counting with pebbles

Sayyidah Yusayrah (may Allah be pleased with her), who was one of the Muhajir women Companions, said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to the women: "Say 'La ilaha illallah', 'Subhan Allah' and 'Allahu akbar' abundantly, and count them on your fingertips, for on the Day of Resurrection they will be questioned and they will speak. Do not be heedless, or you will be deprived of mercy."

A woman of Banu Kulayb said: Once Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) saw me counting my glorifications with beads I had with me. She said to me: "Where are the witnesses of the Day of Resurrection, that is, the fingers?"

Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) used to count his glorifications with pebbles and date stones.

Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) used to count his glorifications with pebbles and date stones.

It was the practice of Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with him) that he would take three pebbles and place them on one of his thighs. Then he would say a glorification and pick up one pebble, then say a glorification and pick up another pebble, then say a glorification and pick up the third pebble too. Then he would put all the pebbles back and repeat the same. And he would say: Do not glorify in such a way that a whistling sound comes out.

A man from Tufawah said: I stayed as a guest with Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), and he had a small bag containing pebbles or date stones. He would say over them 'Subhan Allah, Subhan Allah'. When the bag became empty, he would give it to a black slave-girl, and she would gather them again and put them back in it.

Zadhan said: I took from Umm Ya'fur her date stones for glorification, and when I came to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: Return her date stones to her.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) counting the glorifications on his hand.

Muhammad (Ibn Sirin) saw no harm in a person saying glorifications and also counting them.

Mukhtar bin Sa'd said: I saw Muhammad bin Ali counting the glorifications on his hand in a voluntary prayer.

Ibrahim, the mu'adhdhin of Banu Hanifah, said: When al-Hajjaj ordered that Mahan al-Hanafi be crucified and he was hung on the wood, I was looking at him. He was saying 'Subhan Allah', 'Allahu akbar', 'La ilaha illallah' and 'Al-hamdu lillah', and he was counting these words on his fingers. When he reached the number twenty-nine, he was struck with a spear in that very state. I saw him a month later, and even then his hand was showing the count of twenty-nine. At night a light used to be seen near him.