Fat, golden brown amber, the brightest Iranian turquoise and pure black coral.
The subha or misbaha, prayer beads or worry beads, or any one of the other names they go by in the Middle East, hang proudly in the windows of Madinat Zayed Shopping Centre’s jewellers, a welcome burst of colour amid a sea of gold.
Used by some people when praying and influenced by Islam in their design, for many, the beads are a way to relax, to switch off from the world.
Search through the crowd and you will see them; poking out of a pocket or wrapped loosely around a hand, their owner absent-mindedly moving each bead back and forth with their thumb.
Search, and you will on occasion find them dangling from the rear-view mirror of a vehicle.
From sentimental value to helping people relax, worry beads are a comfort to many, says 34-year-old Jalal, a Yemeni expatriate, whose family business, in the capital, is home to a sizeable collection.
“People like them because they help them concentrate. Others like them because of their sound. Some people believe that they help them reach a spiritual state of mind,” says Jalal.
Tucked away in individual fraying red and gold bags, others packed in bunches, the shop sells beads of green amber, black coral and garnet among others ranging in prices from a few hundred dirhams to thousands depending on the stone, age and number of beads.
Subha made from blue or yellow amber normally command the highest prices, and the best amber, Jalal says, comes from Russia and Germany. For yusr (black coral) one should never stray far from Yemen or Saudi Arabia and the best wooden beads are sourced from Sudan.
Other materials used for subha include pearls, ivory and rose petals.
Despite their everyday presence in the Middle East, and throughout the world, there are many theories about their origins.
In Islam, a string of 99 beads represents each name of Allah. While subha consisting of 33 beads relate to a hadith that calls on Muslims, after they have prayed, to repeat subhanallah (glorious is God) 33 times, alhamdulillah (all praise be to God) 33 times and Allahu Akbar (God is great) 33 times.
The very name, misbaha, means praise to God.
Whatever their backstory, worry beads allow Najib, “a jeweller from a jeweller from a jeweller”, time to put his mind at ease.
“You’re transmitting your feelings, thoughts into this thing. It forbids you from thinking. You try it one time, whatever worry you have, you feel worry-free. That is the secret. That’s why I always have,” he says, as he reaches into his jacket pocket for a string of beads, “these”.
Brandishing a small set of murky yellow beads, although the amber is not perfect, he says, it comes pretty close.
“Amber is the queen of misbaha. It’s the queen. For whomever knows about this [worry beads], he knows the best quality is amber,” says Najib, who spends most of his working days at a jewellery shop in Madinat Zayed.
But, despite their beauty, they lack in comparison to those made by hand.
“They used to be handmade,” he says forlornly. “Now, nothing is handmade. Nothing is handmade anymore.”
And for those who want to keep up the practice, times have changed. “They will starve. Now, the game is totally different.”
Old, Jalal agrees, is always better. “It was genuine, 100 per cent. It wasn’t fabricated or fashioned. Today, it’s difficult to find genuine beads. You must be very experienced to distinguish fake from genuine.”
Real amber, when rubbed between the thumb and forefinger, will give off the smell of pine-tree resin. At Madinat Zayed, some sellers provide certificates of authenticity for amber beads. Najib, who has owned countless sets of beads in his lifetime, finds them all “excellently soothing”.
“You give your fingers a reason to move. Can you imagine me doing this without anything?” he says, as he drops his beads on the table and, smiling, wiggles his hand in the air.
“I would look crazy.”
Other precious stones used include agate, Dalmatian stone and, if you have the funds, diamonds.
The fanciest of diamonds, or the simplest of stones, it does not matter, says Najib.
“Look, there is a philosophy behind worry beads. Whoever owns worry beads, it is a sign that I am a worry-free man.
“Kind of.”
Zaineb Al Hassani is a news editor at The National.
Company%20profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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WRESTLING HIGHLIGHTS
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
If you go…
Emirates launched a new daily service to Mexico City this week, flying via Barcelona from Dh3,995.
Emirati citizens are among 67 nationalities who do not require a visa to Mexico. Entry is granted on arrival for stays of up to 180 days.
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
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Rating: 5/5
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Straightforward ways to reduce sugar in your family's diet
- Ban fruit juice and sodas
- Eat a hearty breakfast that contains fats and wholegrains, such as peanut butter on multigrain toast or full-fat plain yoghurt with whole fruit and nuts, to avoid the need for a 10am snack
- Give young children plain yoghurt with whole fruits mashed into it
- Reduce the number of cakes, biscuits and sweets. Reserve them for a treat
- Don’t eat dessert every day
- Make your own smoothies. Always use the whole fruit to maintain the benefit of its fibre content and don’t add any sweeteners
- Always go for natural whole foods over processed, packaged foods. Ask yourself would your grandmother have eaten it?
- Read food labels if you really do feel the need to buy processed food
- Eat everything in moderation
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5