Allah'u'Abha! ... What does it mean?
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A new word for a new world: Bahá'í
The Baha'i greeting is Allah'u'Abha! So are you wondering what Allah'u'Abha means and why Baha'is say it to one another?
Allah'u'Abha literally means "God is Most Glorious". It is a reminder to put God first in our lives. Baha'i is a very prayerful religion and Allah'u'Abha is considered the highest form of prayer.
You'll hear Allah'u'Abha in Baha'i songs too. Baha'is love the arts, and music is a huge part of their daily lives.
Allah'u'Abha is also chanted - nineteen times in succession, daily!
God is Most Glorious!!!
Credit for photo above: Sean M. Scully - you will find an explanation of the symbol on this lens.
Alláh'u'Abhá!
...God IS Most Glorious!
In case you're wondering how to pronounce Allah'u'Abha, just listen to this song.
The Greatest Name
Yá-Bahá'ul'Abhá

You may be wondering what the symbol in that video is. Baha'is call it the "Greatest Name". What you see there is an Arabic calligraphic rendering of Ya-Baha'u'l-Abha which means "Oh Thou Glory of Glories". It is another way of saying the Greatest Name, Allah'u'Abha. Baha'is use this symbol in their homes and meeting places. All those lovely Baha'i temples you saw in the video have this symbol at the highest point in the dome.
Baha'i Holy Writings
...written by Baha'u'llah...
Ya Baha-ul-Abha - Ya Ali-ul-Allah
Oh Thou Glory of Glories - Oh Thou Essence of God
Referring to the song in the video below . . .
The first half of this video has two Arabic phrases. Ya Baha-ul-Abha means "Oh Thou Glory of Glories" and Ya Ali-ul-Allah means "O Thou Essence of God". The first phrase refers to Baha'u'llah - and when they sing that the video shows photos of sites associated with Him including the prison of 'Akka where He was incarcerated, and the beautiful mansion of Bahji which - when He moved into it was a grey monolith not even completed (it had been abandoned by the builder due to a cholera epidemic in the area) - but now it is well maintained by Baha'is and surrounded by amazing gardens.
When the phrase "Ya Ali-ul-Allah" is sung, the video cuts to views of and from the Shrine of the Bab on Mt. Carmel. The Bab (Gate) was the forerunner of Baha'u'llah... like John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus Christ. The Shrine of the Bab is actually His tomb. He was killed in Iran but His remains were lovingly hidden and preserved by His followers, the Babis, and eventually transported to the Holy Land and interred in the beautiful Shrine prepared for Him by Baha'is. The Bab was born with the name of Ali (Essence) so this phrase is meant to signify Him.
Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era
by J.E. Essemont
Baha'u'llah and the New Era: An Introduction to the Baha'i Faith
Amazon Price: $10.85 (as of 02/22/2012)![]()
A great introduction to the Bahá'í Faith.
Where to learn more about the Baha'i Faith
...check out these websites!
- The Bahá'í Faith - The international website of the Bahá'ís of the world
- The Bahá'í Faith is the website of the Bahá'í International Community and includes presentations on Bahá'í history, teachings and belief, social and economic development, social action, prayer and meditation, and Bahá'í community life.
- Baha'i Prayers
- Baha'i Prayers of Baha'u'llah, The Bab and Abdul-Baha in English and many other languages.
- Baha'i Library Online
- Research Baha'i texts. A comprehensive site for researchers of all things Baha'i.
- Bahai Faith Index - Baha'i portal and search engine
- Bahai links directory with introduction to the Baha'i Faith, discussion board, photo gallery, Bahai blogs, news, a glossary, and much more.
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