Prayer Beads and Rosaries: Reflecting a Shared Belief in Prayer

Many people are at least vaguely familiar with the rosaries used by many Christians. What a lot of people don't realize is that prayer beads are used by people of many belief systems. Here, I'll provide a brief historical overview of prayer beads and how they are used by different religious groups.

Mala beads are used by both Hindus and Buddhists, perhaps the oldest known form of prayer beads. They were first used by Hindus in India, and the Buddhist religion, being an offshoot of Hinduism, retained this practice. Malas typically have 108 beads, and are used to count recited mantras, a Sanskrit religious verse or invocation of a deity. According to Wikipedia, some Buddhists use malas that have a decreased number of beads on them, such as 27. These are typically crafted from some type of wood, but stones are also used. Like Christian rosaries, malas are sometimes worn, especially by Buddhist clergy. According to ReligionFacts, depiction of malas in Buddhist art is quite common. In the US, some metaphysical store owners have sold mala jewelry made from semi-precious stones that have been billed as remedies for various physical and emotional problems, according to The Bead Site.

Muslim prayer beads, also known as tasbih, typically contain 99 beads, but some Muslims use a set of 33 beads. 99 beads are used because this corresponds to the 99 Names or attributes of Allah , according to the University of Missouri's anthropology museum. Tasbih are usually made from wood, bone, or stones. The prayers recited while using the beads vary with the individual, but many Muslims recite the 99 attributes of Allah on them, with the final (100th) bead representing the end of the prayer cycle. Other usages include repetitions of "God is great" in Arabic or the Shahada (Muslim profession of faith)., according to JSBeads.

The most well-known form of Christian prayer beads is the Marian or Catholic rosary. While obviously used by Roman Catholics, this rosary is also used by many Anglicans and other Christians, with different prayers often used. According to Rosaries.com, lay people, who were usually illiterate during the Middle Ages, often recited sets of Hail Marys. This was influenced by the monastic tradition of reciting all 150 Psalms during the various prayer offices of the day. St. Dominic Guzman, a cleric of the 13th century, is credited with making use of the rosary popular. The Marian rosary includes 5 sets (decades) of the Lord's Prayer, 10 Hail Marys, and the Gloria Patri. The prayers are said while meditating on Scriptural or traditional events from the lives of Christ and His mother. An alternate form of the Marian rosary uses 1 decade. This is thought to be based on the rosaries used by the Irish when open practice of Catholicism was banned by the British during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Eastern Orthodox and Anglican Christians use their own unique rosaries. Orthodox rosaries are usually made from wool, with 33 knots representing each year of Jesus' earthly life. Anglican rosaries also use 33 beads, are based on the Orthodox rosary, and have been in use since the 1980's. The usual prayer used for these rosaries is the Jesus Prayer. When praying the rosary, many Anglicans use Psalm verses. Some High-Church or Anglo-Catholic Anglicans prefer the Marian rosary. The Anglican rosary has also been promoted as a non-denominational or ecumenical rosary. Many Protestant Christians use it as an alternative to the Marian rosary. Christian rosaries are either knotted, or made from wood, crystal, or stones.

Unitarian Universalists have begun to use prayer beads. These don't necessarily follow a distinct form as Christian prayer beads typically do. Members of the UU group come from a variety of religious backgrounds and might incorporate the practices of more than one religion. Unitarians see beads as a helpful aid to prayer, as seen by this sermon. Wooden beads are very common among UU's, and most Unitarian beads I've seen use non-Christian symbols.

Wiccans and pagans also use prayer beads. Some use the Marian rosary and substitute their own prayers or invocations. This is very common among pagans who worship a mother goddess, who sometimes see the Virgin Mary as a sort of goddess. Others use different forms more adapted to pagan beliefs. Pagans and other followers of Earth-based religions tend to use semi-precious stones believed to have special healing properties.

Prayer beads are a popular, universally-recognized prayer aid.