Some Muslims love to use prayer beads. Form and meaning aside for now, I met a colleague at a conference recently who had developed his own contextualized use for them.
The 21 colors go in order, and below is how he uses them in witness. For more information, you can contact him at storiesfromtheTauratInjil [at the link] gmail.com:
The Names of God (Prayer Beads)
1. الله الخالق God the Creator
Genesis 1: 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Isaiah 40: 28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the Everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
Story: the story of creation (Genesis 1-2).
Point: Before all things existed, God was. It was He who created the heavens and the earth and mankind.
Bead: Green for creation.
2. الله القدّوس God the Holy One
1 Samuel 6: 20 Who can stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God?
Leviticus 19: 2 …I, the Lord your God, am holy.
Habakkuk 1: 13 Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; You cannot tolerate wrong.
Story: The story of Adam and Eve and the Fall (Genesis 3);
Point: God is the Holy One who cannot tolerate sin in His presence and had to expel Adam and Eve from paradise;
Bead: White for God’s holiness.
3. الله القضي العادل God the Just Judge
Psalm 7: 11 God is a righteous judge, a God who displays His wrath every day.
Story: The stories of Cain and Abel (Genesis 4), and Noah and the flood (Genesis 6-9).
Point: God is a just judge and must punish man’s sin. He is grieved by it and patient with man but His patience is limited.
Bead: Black because of mankind’s sin.
4. الله القدير على كل شيء God Almighty (El Shaddai)
Genesis 17: 1 When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless.
Story: The story of Abraham (Genesis 12-22)
Point: This is the name by which God revealed Himself to Abraham.
Bead: Cream (no significance).
5. المولى The LORD (Yahweh)
Exodus 20: 2 I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
Exodus 34: 6-7 And God passed in front of Moses proclaiming, “I am the Lord . The Lord is the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished; He punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.”
Story: The story of Moses, the Passover and the Law (Exodus 1-14, 19-20; Leviticus 17: 10-14);
Point: This is the name by which God revealed Himself to Moses and the children of Israel;
Bead: Red for the blood of the Passover Lamb.
6. العليم God the All-Knowing
Psalm 139: 1 O Lord, You have searched me and you know me…
Story: The story of David (1 Samuel 16; 1 Samuel 13:14; Psalm 139);
Point: God the All-knowing is the One who sees and knows the heart;
Bead: Cream (no significance).
7. الله الأزلي God Eternal (the Ancient of Days)
Isaiah 40: 28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the Everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
Isaiah 46: 10 Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God and there is no other... I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand and I will do all that I please.
Story: The promise of the Messiah;
Point: God Eternal is the One who makes known the end from the beginning. He promised to send a Savior, the Messiah.
Bead: Gold for the Messiah.
8. الله العلي God Most High
Luke 1: 76 And you, my child, will be a prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare the way for Him, to give His people a knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins.
Story: The story of John the Baptist.
Point: John called people to repentance in order to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah.
Bead: Cream (no significance).
9. الله الأمين The Faithful God
Deuteronomy 7: 9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is the Faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments.
Numbers 23: 19 God is not a man that He should lie, nor the son of man that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?
Story: The birth of Jesus, including His genealogies.
Point: God the Faithful is the One who keeps His covenant and fulfills His promises. Jesus’ birth fulfilled His promises about the Messiah to come. He was a descendant of Abraham and David.
Bead: Gold for the Messiah.
10. قدوس الله The Holy One of God
Mark 1: 24 What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One of God!
1 John 3: 8 The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.
Story: The story of Jesus’ baptism (Luke 3: 21-23), temptation (Luke 4: 1-13) and Him casting out a demon (Mark 1: 21-28).
Point: Jesus overcame Satan’s testing of Him, unlike Adam in paradise. He has authority over Satan and demons.
Bead: Gold for the Messiah.
11. المسيح، شافينا، المحيي The Messiah, Our Healer, the Life-Giver
Luke 4: 18-19 The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
Story: Jesus’ healings (Luke 5: 12-14; Luke 7: 11-17; Mark 9: 14 – 27; Mark 10: 46-52)
Point: Jesus is the Messiah, the Anointed One. He has authority over sickness, disease and death.
Bead: Gold for the Messiah.
12. نور العالم The Light of the World
John 8: 12 “I am the Light of the World. He who follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”
Story: Jesus’ teachings.
Bead: Gold for the Messiah.
13. الغفور The One who forgives
Psalm 86: 5 You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call on you.
Luke 5: 24 But just to show you that the One who became flesh has the authority on earth to forgive sins… Stand up, pick up your mat and go to your house!
Story: The healing of the paralytic (Luke 5: 17-26).
Point: Jesus is the One who has authority on earth to forgive sin.
Bead: Gold for the Messiah.
14. كلمة الله Jesus the Word of God
John 1: 1, 14 In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
John 3: 13 No one has gone into heaven except the One who came from heaven – the One who became flesh.
Story: Nicodemas (John 3).
Point: Jesus is the Word of God who came from God. Being religious like Nicodemas is not good enough to enter Heaven.
Bead: Gold for the Messiah.
15. حمل الفداء The Lamb of Redemption
John 1: 29 The next day John (the Baptist) saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
Luke 22: 19, 20 This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me… This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you.
Story: The Last Supper (Luke 22: 7-8, 13-20; Matthew 26: 17-30);
Point: Jesus is the Lamb of Redemption;
Bead: Red for the blood of Jesus.
16. القدوس البار، عبد الله المتألم The Holy and Righteous One, the Suffering Servant
Luke 9: 22 “The One who became flesh must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”
Acts 3: 14 You refused the Righteous and Holy One and asked that a murderer be released to you.
Story: Jesus’ death on the cross.
Point: Jesus is the Holy and Righteous One who was put to death as an innocent man. In going to the cross, He was the One who submitted Himself completely to God’s will.
Bead: Red for Jesus’ blood.
17. القيامة والحياة Jesus the Resurrection and the Life
John 11: 25 “I am the Resurrection and the Life.”
Revelation 1: 18 “… I am the Living One. Behold I was dead but I am now alive forever and ever. And I hold in My hands the keys of death and Hades.”
Story: The story of Jesus rising from the dead
Point: Jesus rose from the dead, conquering Satan and the power of death.
Bead: Gold because of the Messiah.
18. روح الله The Spirit of God
Acts 1: 5 “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father has promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
Story: The coming of the Holy Spirit (John 14: 16-17, 26; Acts 1: 1-9; Acts 2: 1-47)
Point: The Holy Spirit will be with us forever in place of Jesus. He will empower us and guide us into all truth.
Bead: Orange for the Holy Spirit.
19. مولانا عيسى المسيح Our Lord Jesus Christ
Acts 16: 31 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved…
Romans 6: 23 For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Story and point: The story of the church (Acts). Because of His death on the cross, Jesus was given the name which is above all names: Jesus Christ our Lord (Phil 2: 5-11). He is the head of the church which is His body (Eph 1: 22-23);
Bead: Gold for the Messiah
20. الله ديان الأرض God the Judge of the earth
Psalm 94:2 Rise up, O Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve.
Story: The story of the Last Day (2 Peter 3: 7, 10; Rev 20: 11-15)
Point: At the Last Day we will all stand before God. The destiny of those who have rejected God is hell and the lake of fire.
Bead: Black because mankind’s sin.
21. الله الألف والياء ، البداية والنهاية God the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End
Revelation 21: 6 “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To Him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.”
Story: The story of the Heaven (Acts 1: 9-10; John 6: 40; 14: 1-3; Revelation 21: 1-8, 27; 22: 12-14);
Point: The destiny of those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life is Heaven with God.
Bead: White because the white robes we will wear in heaven.