The Methods of Piety: Chanting in the Hindu-Islamic Traditions

Chanting - Mantra Jaap in the Hindu tradition and Vird in the Islamic one is an established method of not only observing piety but a method to force the hand of the Higher Power to bestow on the practitioner his/her desire. In both traditions, there is no dearth of formulas to be recited repeatedly for the grant of specific desires, albeit with some slight differences. 

Firstly, the Hindu tradition has an entire pantheon of major and minor gods and goddesses who can be invoked to ask for fulfillment of specific desires in accordance with their attributes while all recitations are dedicated to Allah Almighty in the Islamic tradition. 

Secondly, the formulas for chanting in the Islamic domain remain a 'little' and largely oral tradition and there are no major works compiling such formulas, nor is there any standardization of the formulas to be employed for specific  purposes. All Vird is supposed to bring merit and grant desires because it pleases Allah but to prescribe anything beyond this may attract the wrath of the Mullahs and could be branded as magic, which is prohibited in Islam. On the other hand, there are detailed and ancient texts in the Hindu world laying out with precision the specific mantra (formula), its specific deity and the specific method of the recitation exercise (Japam). 

Thirdly, the string of prayer beads (rosary) or tasbih for Muslims and Jap Mala for the Hindus used in the two traditions differ in the number of beads they carry. The Islamic rosary can have anything from 11 to 101 beads while the Hindu rosary must have 109 beads. The Muslim counts in multiples of 10 while the Hindu counts only in multiples of 108. The Muslim tasbih has two pausing points, endearingly called the Chhote Imam Sahibs and marked by specific beads shaped like miniature minarets. These occur at numbers 33 and 64 respectively, and are meant to provide a gentle pause in the recitation. The Hindu Jap Mala carries no such pausing points. 

Now for the similarities:

Both omit the last or binding bead and both traditions forbid crossing over this bead, which is purposely kept much larger in size to avoid any mistake. Once this bead is reached, the rosary must be turned back. Both traditions recommend that the rosary should be covered with a scarf or a suitable cloth when it is being turned, although it is not compulsory. 

The formulas in both traditions can vary from a single word to a long composition. Recitation requires memorization of the longer formulas: reading from a book or any written source is prohibited.

Personally, I have done both kinds of recitations. When I was initiated into the Islamic Vird, I did not have a tasbih. I asked my Guru, a Sufi of the Qadri and Chishti traditions which prayer string I should use - the Muslim tasbih or the Jap Mala. I still remember what he said:

Being the sinful creatures that we are, we count for our satisfaction, but Allah knows how many times we have recited His Name...

Recitation may or may not bring about the fulfillment of desires, but it certainly keeps the mind away from negative thoughts in times of distress. I would recommend chanting highly to all those wish to practice focusing their minds!