How to use a digital tasbih
A short, practical guide to counting cleanly with a phone in your hand and your mind on the phrase.
A digital tasbih removes the friction of losing count, but it can also invite the phone to hijack your attention. The trick is to set it up once, then stop thinking about it. This guide covers the controls, the recommended settings for concentration, and a few habits that make the tool actually help.
How does the tap surface work?
On the counter page, the entire screen is the tap area. One tap adds one to the count. You can close your eyes and tap loosely with a thumb. This is intentional: precision costs concentration. A big, forgiving target lets the mind stay on the phrase rather than the button.
On desktop, the same page responds to the space bar, Enter, or the Up arrow. Any of these adds one to the count.
How do I undo an accidental tap?
A small Undo chip appears for a few seconds after each tap. On a keyboard, press Left Arrow or Backspace. Undo goes back one count only, but you can press it repeatedly to walk back several. If you undo past zero, the counter clamps to zero rather than going negative.
How do I reset without losing counts by mistake?
Long-press anywhere on the counter, or press R, and confirm. The confirmation is on by default so a phone in your pocket does not reset itself. You can disable it under Settings → Feel → Confirm before reset for a faster workflow.
How do I set a target?
Open Settings, switch mode to Target, and pick 33, 100, 300, or 1000. Or enter a custom number. A quiet vibration marks each milestone (Android; iOS Safari does not expose vibration to web apps). The counter keeps counting past the target so you can overshoot without losing the total.
If you are unsure what to aim for, our daily dhikr target calculator converts a monthly or yearly goal into a realistic daily count.
What is Tasbih Fatimah mode?
Switch to 33·33·34 mode. The counter advances phrase-by-phrase: 33 SubhanAllah, 33 Alhamdulillah, 34 Allahu Akbar. When you reach the target for a phrase, a Next button appears; tap it to move on. If you accidentally overshoot (34 instead of 33 for SubhanAllah, for example), the Next button still appears; you have not lost your place. Read more in the Tasbih Fatimah guide.
What do full-screen and keep-awake do?
Full-screen mode hides the browser toolbar so the whole display shows only the counter, and the keep-awake setting stops the phone from dimming or locking mid-session. Both are on by default and can be adjusted under Settings. A phone dimming to its lock screen breaks concentration more than any notification.
What is a good focus setup?
A good focus setup combines five steps: silence notifications, open the counter in full-screen, confirm keep-awake is on, turn off milestone vibration in a quiet space like the masjid, and sit facing qibla before you start. Together they remove the phone as a source of distraction.
- Enable Do Not Disturb on the phone.
- Open Sibha and enter full-screen.
- Verify the wake-lock is on.
- Turn off milestone vibration if you prefer complete stillness in the masjid.
- Sit facing qibla if you can, and start.
Is my data private?
Everything runs in your browser and stays on the phone or computer you are holding. Nothing is sent to a server. You can save a backup file, restore it later, or erase everything with one tap from Settings. See the privacy page for the full picture.
Does it work offline?
Once the page has loaded, Sibha keeps counting even without internet. It is a Progressive Web App: on Android, tap Install app in the browser menu to add it to your home screen; on iOS Safari, use Share → Add to Home Screen. Installed, it launches like any native app.
Common questions
Battery use, smartwatch support, and right-to-left languages are the three questions asked most often about the counter. The short answers: minimal drain, yes in a mobile browser, and full Arabic and Urdu support are all covered below.
Does it drain my battery?
The counter uses almost no CPU. The wake-lock is the only meaningful power draw. A 30-minute session with wake-lock on typically costs about 3-5% battery on a modern phone.
Can I use it on a smartwatch?
Yes, in the browser on watchOS or Wear OS, though the tap area is small and haptics are the recommended feedback channel. A dedicated tasbih watch app is on the feature request list; let me know if you would use it.
Does it work in RTL / Arabic / Urdu?
Yes. Switch the language in Settings and the counter chrome flips to right-to-left with Arabic or Urdu labels. See the Arabic landing page or Urdu landing page.
Why not just count on my fingers?
The Prophet ﷺ counted on his fingers, and this is the original method. If you can hold a count reliably on your fingers while keeping the phrase in your heart, that is arguably the best option. A digital tasbih is for people who lose count often or want to hold long targets across several sessions.
Frequently asked questions
Does the counter work without an internet connection?
Yes. Once the page has loaded once, counting keeps working with no connection at all, since everything runs on your own device.
Can I undo more than one tap?
Yes. Press Undo or the Left Arrow repeatedly to walk back several counts, one at a time.
Will the counter reset if I close the browser?
No. Your count is saved on your device and is still there when you reopen the page, until you reset it yourself.
Can I use a keyboard instead of tapping?
Yes. Space, Enter, or the Up arrow all add one count, and R resets with confirmation.
Is a digital tasbih allowed instead of beads?
Most scholars say any reliable counting method is permissible, since the dhikr itself is what matters, not the tool used to count it.
Related questions
What is a tasbih counter?
A tasbih counter is a tool for keeping count of repeated remembrance of Allah. Traditionally it is a string of 33 or 99 beads, called a sibha or misbaha. A digital tasbih counter does the same job on a phone or computer: you tap, it counts, and it holds the total for you.
How do I use a tasbih counter?
Choose the phrase and the target, say the phrase once, then tap once. Repeat until the target is reached. On a bead string you move one bead per repetition. The counting is only a memory aid, so keep your attention on the words rather than on the number.
How many times do you say each phrase on a tasbih?
The most widely reported pattern after each obligatory prayer is 33 SubhanAllah, 33 Alhamdulillah and 34 Allahu Akbar, totalling 100 (Sahih Muslim 596). Another reported form is 33, 33, 33 followed by one la ilaha illa Allah. Both are established; either fills the same hundred.
What do I do if I lose count during dhikr?
Continue from your best estimate rather than starting again. Nothing in the practice requires exactness, and restarting usually breaks concentration more than a miscount does. If losing count is frequent, use a counter that saves your total so you can pause and resume without holding a number in your head.
Can I count dhikr on my phone instead of beads?
Yes. The count is a memory aid, not an act of worship in itself, so the tool used is not restricted. Scholars across schools permit counting on fingers, beads, pebbles or a device. Counting on the right hand's fingers is the reported prophetic practice and carries extra merit.
Is using a tasbih bidah?
Counting dhikr is established practice: the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace, counted on his fingers, and companions are reported to have counted with date stones and pebbles. Scholars differ over the bead string specifically, with the majority permitting it. Nobody holds that counting itself is impermissible.
How many beads are on a tasbih?
Most strings have 99 beads, usually divided into three groups of 33 by separator beads, matching the 99 names of Allah. Shorter strings of 33 are common for pocket use and are cycled three times. Some carry 100 or 1,000 beads for longer sessions.
Is a digital tasbih counter free?
The counter on this site is free, needs no account, shows no adverts and collects no personal data. Your counts are stored on your own device, not on a server. It also works offline once loaded, so it can be used on a plane or anywhere without signal.
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