Bicentenary Poems and Prose

Chanting The Greatest Name

Chanting The Greatest Name:
To the Blessed Beauty

"It hath been ordained that every believer in God, the Lord of Judgement, shall, each day, having washed his hands and then his face, seat himself and, turning unto God, repeat "Alláh-u-Abhá" ninety-five times. Such was the decree of the Maker of the Heavens when, with majesty and power, He established Himself upon the thrones of His Names. Perform ye, likewise, ablutions for the Obligatory Prayer; this is the command of God, the Incomparable, the Unrestrained."

Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Paragraph 18

"The Greatest Name is the Name of Bahá’u’lláh. “Yá Bahá’u’l-Abhá” is an invocation meaning: “O Thou Glory of Glories!” “Alláh-u-Abhá” is a greeting which means: “God the All-Glorious.” Both refer to Bahá’u’lláh. By Greatest Name is meant that Bahá’u’lláh has appeared in God’s Greatest Name, in other words, that He is the supreme Manifestation of God."

Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Notes: Note 33

Ablutions performed,
I turn toward the Qiblih
Baha'u'llah's tomb at Bahji.

Alláh-u-Abhá!
Intoned in morning's silence,
Baha'u'llah's name on his lover's lips

Facing the Point of Adoration,
I chant The Greatest Name,
Ninety-five times

Alláh-u-Abhá!
With each intonation
I move one bead across the prayer string.

Poet's Note: ▼

This poem was inspired by another poem I wrote "Chanting the Name of God"  and this question from a reviewer "Do you know what His name is? I invite you to read my article - 'Does God have a name?'" This is Poem 35 of 200 Dedicated to the Blessed Beauty.