Ruling on tasbeeh using the “electronic masbahah” program
Question

                In Internet chat rooms the electronic masbahah for tasbeeh has become widespread. The way it is used is simple; it helps one to remember Allah and, to be honest,I like it. These days every time I turn on the computer, I open this program and I sit reciting tasbeeh (“Subhaan Allah – Glory be to Allah”) and tahleel (“La ilaaha ill-Allaah – there is no god but Allah”), and I make myself do it, and I do not close the page until I am done, without anything to distract me or make me forget. I know that tasbeeh (counting on) the hand is better, but I am busy on the Internet, so this is better for me. But I want to ask about the ruling on it, because I heard that they are saying that it comes from the Sufis, and I did not intend to imitate them; I only want to remember Allah. I would like to find out the ruling, may Allah reward you. Please note that I have benefited from it a great deal.
Praise be to Allah.
    Firstly: 

    The scholars 
    differed concerning the ruling on the masbahah. Some of them said that it is 
    an innovation (bid‘ah), and others said that that is not the case. This has 
    been discussed previously in the answer to question no. 
    3009. 

    What there 
    should be no dispute about is the following: 

    1.
    That 
    counting tasbeeh on the fingers is better, because it is what the Prophet 
    (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) taught us.

    Shaykh 
    al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

    Counting 
    tasbeeh on the fingers is Sunnah, as the Prophet (blessings and peace of 
    Allah be upon him) said to the women: “Glorify Allah (by saying 
    Subhaan-Allah) and count on your fingers, for they will be questioned and 
    will speak.” End quote. 

    Majmoo‘ 
    al-Fataawa, 
    22/506 

    Shaykh 
    Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

    But better 
    than that [i.e., better than the masbahah] is for a person to count the 
    tasbeeh on his fingers, because they will speak, as the Prophet (blessings 
    and peace of Allah be upon him) taught. End quote. 

    Fataawa 
    ash-Shaykh al-‘Uthaymeen, 
    13/173 

    2.
    
    Counting tasbeeh openly with the masbahah in order to show off is forbidden

    Shaykh 
    al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

    With regard to 
    adopting that – i.e., counting tasbeeh with the masbahah – unnecessarily or 
    in order to show off to people, such as hanging it around one’s neck or 
    wearing it like a bracelet on the arm, and so on, that is either showing off 
    to people or is likely to be thought to be showing off and imitating those 
    who show off unnecessarily. The former is haraam and the latter is, at the 
    very least, makrooh, because showing off to people in doing private acts of 
    worship such as prayer, fasting, dhikr and reading Qur’an, is one of the 
    gravest of sins. 

    Majmoo‘ 
    al-Fataawa, 
    22/506 

    3.
    
    Tasbeeh with the fingers when there is no focus of the heart or tongue on 
    dhikr is invalid tasbeeh, which brings no reward to the one who does it.

    Al-Mannaawi 
    (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

    As for what 
    heedless people used to do, of holding a masbahah which is very ornate and 
    costly, and carrying it without any presence of mind or thought, and talking 
    or listening to people, or talking to them whilst moving its beads through 
    his fingers, when his heart and tongue are distracted by worldly matters, 
    this is blameworthy and is makrooh, and it is one of the worst of 
    reprehensible deeds. 

    Fayd al-Qadeer, 
    4/468 

    Ibn al-Haaj 
    al-‘Abdari (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

    Some of them 
    hold the masbahah in their hands, so that people can see it, and they move 
    the beads one by one, as if they are counting their dhikr, and in fact they 
    are talking and gossiping with people about what happened to this one and 
    that one. Obviously a person has only one tongue, so his counting on the 
    masbahah in this manner is worthless, because he does not have another 
    tongue so that he could be reciting dhikr with one tongue and talking about 
    whatever he wants to do with the other. So he can only be using the masbahah 
    in this manner for the purpose of showing off and as an innovation. 

    Al-Madkhal, 
    3/205 

    Secondly: 

    We have looked 
    at the program referred to in the question, and it seems to us that it is 
    less serious than saying tasbeeh using the masbahah; if it is said that the 
    masbahah is permissible, then by the same token this program may also be 
    permissible. That is because some of the objectionable matters that are 
    present in the case of the masbahah are not present in this program, such as 
    showing off to people by using the masbahah, or counting tasbeeh on the hand 
    when the heart and tongue are distracted by worldly matters or talking to 
    people. 

    However, we 
    should point out a number of things: 

    1.
    In 
    the case of adhkaar for which no specific number was narrated from the 
    Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), it is not prescribed to 
    adhere to a particular number in reciting them; rather the Muslim may 
    remember his Lord however he likes, a little or a great deal.

    The scholars 
    of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas said: 

    The basic 
    principle with regard to dhikr and acts of worship is tawqeef (i.e., 
    adhering to what is mentioned and prescribed in the Qur’aan and Sunnah and 
    not worshipping Allaah in any way except that which has been prescribed on 
    the lips of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon 
    him)). Based on this, in cases where a certain time, number of times, place 
    or manner has been specified, we must worship Allaah in the way that has 
    been proven in sharee’ah. But when Allaah has prescribed dhikrs, du’aa’ and 
    other kinds of worship in general terms without specifying a particular 
    time, number, place or manner, then it is not permissible for us to set 
    limits with regard to the manner, time or number of times. Rather we should 
    worship Him in general terms as it was narrated. 

    Shaykh ‘Abd 
    al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh ‘Abd ar-Razzaaq ‘Afeefi, Shaykh ‘Abdullah ibn 
    Ghadyaan, SHaykh ‘Abdullah ibn Qa‘ood 

    Majallat 
    al-Buhooth al-Islamiyyah, 
    21/53; Fataawa Islamiyyah, 4/178 

    See also the 
    answers to questions no. 22457 and
    21902

    2.
    In 
    the program there is a icon called “The Beautiful Names of Allah”, the 
    author of which relied on a report narrated by at-Tirmidhi to list 
    ninety-nine names of Allah. But this is a da‘eef (weak) report according to 
    the consensus of hadeeth scholars.

    For more 
    information, please see the answer to question no. 72318 

    We should also 
    point out that it is not prescribed to remember Allah, may He be exalted, by 
    repeating His name on its own; so it is not prescribed to remember Allah by 
    saying “Ya Allah, Ya Allah, Ya Allah” or “Ya Quddoos, Ya Quddoos, Ya Quddoos 
    (O Most Holy…)” and so on. 

    Please see 
    also the answers to questions no. 9389 and
    91305 

    And Allah 
    knows best.