String of prayer beads (rosary) 02.03.524
The Christian rosary has 59 beads, six of them larger than the others. They are grouped into "decades," five sections of 10 small beads and one larger one; the remaining three beads, two small and one large, form a pendant from which hangs a cross or crucifix. The Islamic prayer beads in India are called "subha," which means "to exalt" in the Urdu language. The Arabic term is "tasbih." Both words often are translated into English as "rosary," although the "rose garden" metaphor is less exact than the connotation of praise or exaltation. A string of prayer beads includes either 33 or 99 beads, with a single, elongated marker bead at the end. If the string includes 99 beads, marker beads separate them into sets of 33. The number 99 is significant, because the beads help Muslims to count and recite the 99 attributes of God. On reaching the final, elongated bead, the worshiper says the name of God, Allah.