Rosaries Popular Tradition which has several purposes
The rosary is perforated beads, which lined in a wire and thread in the form of a necklace, and either to pray or to praise, or to count the praise prayers for the holy names of ALLAH, or counting the reading of Quranic verses, or for entertainment and distraction, and disposal of nervous tension, the rosaries were known in many religious, and used by followers of Hinduism and Buddhism, Christians and Muslims.
Hindus and Buddhists rosaries consist of 108 beads and Japanese Buddhists rosaries consist of 112 beads, this number of beads symbolizes at Buddhists to the 108 sins, and disadvantages and shortage of human tendency and wishes and inclinations and at the followers of Jainism the rosary consists 150 beads.
Western Catholics use which is an annular shape string of beads and the Cross dangling of it, in middle of each necklace there is one large bead that represents the Lord’s Prayer (our father in heavens), and ten of small beads which stand for greeting from the angel Gabriel to the virgin Mary….
After the Islamic conquest the Muslims took the habit of using rosaries from the Buddhists of India and during the crusades in the 11th century the franks adopted using rosaries from the Muslims of Syria.
Muslims made their rosaries of 99 beads (That represent the 99 Islamic holy names of Allah the Lord)
With a longer bead called in Persian shah Dinah or queen of beads to bind both ends of rosary. In later periods of time people started to use a smaller rosary which consists of 33 beads. The number 33 refers to the number of gods in Buddhism, at Christian Heritage the number 33 refers to the numbers of the Council and the government who ruled on the crucifixion of Jesus Christ were 33 members, and in the Bible, that Jesus lived 33 years.
In the past the rosaries were mad from red or white clay grilled or from plant seeds or bones or from the beads of the backbone of the fish later people started making rosaries from amber wood glass ivory precious stone agate coral crystal or metals inlayed with silver or gold and today many of the rosaries are made of plastic. Rosaries are made in many countries in the world but the most prominent counties that make them are: china, Egypt, Iran, turkey, Tajikistan, Italy, and Russia. Damascus is still the incubator of old industries and when you are roaming in the markets you can see beads of the rosaries in different exquisite colors and variety of types of stones. Rosary is a past heritage which is not forgotten and its present is evolving with modern industry.
Haifaa Mafalani