I'm reading a pamphlet on the Greatest Name of God (Baha) by Hand of the Cause Abdu'l-Qasim, and I'm running across some interesting facts that I'd like to remember and share, so I'ma post 'em here. Some of them are random, and some are directly linked to the Greatest Name. The longer paragraphs are the words of the author.
1. There is an authentic Islamic tradition that states: 'All the followers of the Promised Qa'im shall be put to death except One Whose face shall shine with Abha beauty in the plain of 'Akka.' (Pretty sweet, huh? I'd like to find where that tradition is written.)
2. The Master ('Abdu'l-Baha, son of Baha'u'llah) designed the symbol of the Greatest Name, commonly referred to as The Ring stone Symbol.
3. Some Derivatives of the Name Baha:
Baha: Light or Glory
Abha: Most Glorious
Al Abha (sometimes used as el Abha): The All-Glorious, the Most Glorious
Bahiyyih: The name of the Greatest Holy Leaf (Baha'u'llah's daughter, 'Abdu'l-Baha's only full sister), meaning Full of Glory.
Allah-u-Abha: God, the All-Glorious. (Notice that the correct way to spell it (though I can't use diacriticals here) is with "-" surrounding the "u" and not " ' ". Allah-u-Abha, and not Allah'u'Abha. Look in the Long Obligatory Prayer - that's how it's spelled there as well.)
Ya Baha'u'l-Abha: This is an invocation. It means 'O Glory of the All-Glorious.' I'm not sure if this next word is also a derivative of Baha, but I think it's still good to know what it means. Ya 'Aliyyu'l-A'la' means 'O Exalted (essence) of the Most Exalted One.'
4. The following is the Name 'Baha' in Arabic:
5. Ya Baha'u'l-Abha is symbolized thus:
6. The symbol of the Greatest Name (commonly referred to as the Ring stone Symbol) is:
The three horizontal lines represent the underlying belief which is the basis of all the religions of God. They are as follows:
a. The World of God: The Creator
b. The World of the Prophets or Manifestations: Cause, or Command
c. The World of Man: Creation
"The followers of all religions believe that man, left to himself, can never recognize God and attain His presence; nor is man able to fathom the mystery and purpose of his own creation. God, on His unlimited bounty has singled out His Chosen Ones and will continue to do so, sending them to man at different times and ages in order to grant him penetrating insight and to enable him to have a glimpse of the unfading glories of the innumerable worlds beyond.
The Prophets accept descent from their realms on high and suffer the abasement of living in human temples, walking amongst men and speaking their languages. The Manifestations are invariably denied, ridiculed, humiliated and even put to death. Were it not for Their spiritual upliftment and leadership, man would have continued to live as a wild beast and would have been eternally doomed to deprivation and loss.
These functions of the Prophets are clearly demonstrated in the design of the Greatest Name by having the world of the Prophets (shown in horizontal line) repeated in vertical line, thus joining the world of the Creator to that of His creation."
I was always told that the vertical line represented the Holy Spirit or the Covenant. But no where (yet) in this pamphlet does it state that. It states that the vertical line also represents the Manifestations, because they are what connect the World of the Creation to the World of the Creator. Makes perfect sense now.
7. The given name of the Dawn-Breakers, surnamed Nabil, was Muhammad.
8. The Arabic letters in the symbol of the Greatest Name are 'B' (which stands for the Bab) and 'H' (which stands for for Bhaa).
The name 'Baha' is (numerically) as follows: B = 2; H = 5; A = 1; A = 1; total = 9
The numerical value of Bab would be: B = 2; A = 1; B = 2; total = 5
10. "The two five-pointed stars on both sides of the emblem represent the human body: a head, two hands and two feet. These two stars represent the twin Manifestations of God in this Day. Their advent in the fulfillment of all the writings of God's prophets in bygone ages, Who, emphatically, repeatedly and often, in a language clearer than the light of the sun, assured mankind of the undoubted appearance of these Twin Luminaries, Who would rescue the world from the fetters of prejudice and the dictates of self.
In conclusion, may I venture to suggest another approach to the meaning of the two stars? This approach is merely a personal one, therefore not authoritative. Could we not visualize God as manifested in His most resplendent glory in the majestic figure of Baha'u'llah, and standing on either side of Him, two towering personalities of unsurpassed beauty: The Bab, the Herald, the incarnation of sacrifice and of self-effacement and the highest expression of true love ever possible in this contingent life; and 'Abdu'l-Baha, the Centre of the Covenant, the true Exemplar of the teachings and the highest embodiment of servitude? These two exemplify the mysteries of sacrifice and servitude, calling on all men to hasten and offer their potentialities as humble gifts for the establishment of God's redeeming order, the very reflection of His kingdom on earth."
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