Allah'u'Abhá

Question: Do ablutions performed for the Obligatory Prayer suffice for the ninety-five repetitions of the Greatest Name? Answer: It is unnecessary to renew the ablutions.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá encourages the use of the sacred phrase Alláh-u-Bahá as a focus for invocation. “The Greatest Name should be found upon the lips in the first awakening moment of early dawn. It should be fed upon by consistent use in daily invocation, in trouble, under opposition, and should be the last word breathed when the head rests upon the pillow at night. It is the name of comfort, protection, happiness, illumination, love and unity.

Question - What is the reason that every one should mention every morning, ninety five times, the Greatest Name; i.e., Allah'u'Abhá! "It is only for mentioning the name of God, for to commemorate His Holy Name causes us to advance toward Him and to be more vigilant."

Reciting the Greatest Name means to repeat it over and over, silently or out loud.

The Bahá’ís are free to greet each other with Allah'u'Abhá when they meet, if they want to, but they should avoid anything which to outsiders, in a western country, might seem like some strange oriental password. We must be very firm on principles and laws, but very normal and natural in our ways, so as to attract strangers!

When using the Greatest Name the words 'Allah-u-Abhá should be used and not 'Ya Bahá'u'l-Abhá'.

Ya Bahá'u'l-Abhá is an invocation meaning: 'O Thou Glory of Glories'! 'Allah-u-Abhá' is a greeting which means: God the All-Glorious'. Both refer to Bahá’u’lláh.

The Research Department has not been able to locate any Bahá’í texts which relate to whether or not a believer is relieved of the duty of reciting the Greatest Name or of reading the Writings in the morning and evening on account of ill health. In the absence of such guidance, Mr. ___ is free to make his own decisions in these matters.

We have also decided that it is timely for Bahá’ís in every land to take to their hearts the words of the Kitab-i-Aqdas: "It hath been ordained that every believer in God, the Lord of Judgment, shall, each day, having washed his hands and then his face, seat himself and, turning unto God, repeat `Allah-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." Let all experience the spiritual enrichment brought to their souls by this simple act of worshipful meditation.