Muslim worry beads are also known as tesbih or tasbih. These are actually Muslim rosaries used in their practices. It all started from Istanbul craftsmen, which were offered to Islamic practitioners. Tesbih were made out from amber, coral, gold, pearls, silver, and other materials. And these materials included camel bone, elephant ivory, horn, tortoiseshell, whale tooth, walrus ivory, and several kinds of wood like blood wood, Burmese sandalwood, ebony, olive, rosewood, snake wood, sugar maple, satinwood, tamarind, teak, and tulip wood. These even used nuts and seeds like coconut, date stones, and olive stones. All these materials have been sorted out from different parts of the world to include Egypt, Madagascar, India, and South America. Sometimes, these beads are made from fragrant woods, which are stored in sealed boxes to keep the fragrance.

Buddhist worry beads are otherwise known as malas. The mala beads help practitioners recite the mantra. These beads have similarities to a rosary and may be placed inside the pocket. These are sometimes worn to help practitioners center themselves and focus on their spirituality. They also provide a sacred space in the practitioner. As you use this for many months, you begin to relax each time you pick them up. This can be really helpful during stressful times of our lives. Malas have about 108 beads that is topped with a big bead. This is a sacred number, which represents Hindu deities and gods, where Buddhism evolved.

Many years ago, it was believed that a devoted student needed to say his Mantra or prayer for 108 times. However, he has a hard time counting this number of times. How he solved the problem was to connect 108 pierced cores with a cord, and tied up both ends. This resulted to the first worry beads in the Buddhist history.