Religious Ruling

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.

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