CHAPTER VI
SYMBOLISM IN THE GREATEST NAME AND IN THE WORDS FOR ONE THOUSAND AND FOR THE LETTER A IN ARABIC
"Let nothing grieve thee, O Land of Ta (Tihran), for God hath chosen thee to be the source of the joy of all mankind." Baha’u’llah, Gleanings, p. 110
In the Kitab-i-Aqdas Baha’u’llah mentions the numerical value of the Greatest Name (the letter "t" pronounced ta, has the Abjad value of nine):
"Say: This is the hidden knowledge which never changes because it begins with al-ta, which indicates the treasured, manifest, well-fortified, and unapproachable Name." Elder and Miller translation, p. 31(In the latest translation, publ. by the UHJ, p. 28, this is translated as follows:)
"Say: This is that hidden knowledge which shall never change, since its beginning IS WITH nine, the symbol that betokeneth the concealed and manifest, the inviolable and unapproachably exalted Name."
As you can see from the first quotation at the head of the page, Tihran is also designated by the number nine, because Baha’u’llah began His Mission there in 1852 while imprisoned.
In the appendix there is an explanation of the use and significance of numbers and letters in the Holy Books. Here I will mention only some of the symbolic meanings of the Greatest Name BHA’, and of the word ALF. As noted in Chapter I the Writings of Baha’u’llah are usually in Arabic, and the Kitab-i-Aqdas is in Arabic. The numerical value of Arabic and Persian words in the Writings of the Bab and Baha’u’llah are calculated using the Abjad numbering system for the letters of the Arabic alphabet, and it is not applicable for transliterated words. In Arabic, vowels are often not shown in the word, (See the book A Basic Baha’i Dictionary by Wendi Momen, publ. 1991 by G. Ronald, Oxford, p.6, or in Baha’i Glossary by Marzieh Gail, publ. 1957, Baha’i Publ.. Trust, Wilmette, p.2). Using this system the numerical value of BHA’ is nine because the "B" equals 2, the "H" equals 5, the "A" equals 1 and the " ‘ " equals 1. There are three Letters in the Greatest Name, and in symbolism three is usually indicative of perfection (t
the Manifestation, the Holy Spirit and God). Three times three or nine, is the superlative of three, which indicates absolute perfection. The word BHA’ is composed of three letters. indicating the three part Revelation, which is equal to nine when completed, or the perfection of the Greatest Name. The Revelation of the Greatest Name will not be complete until the third Letter of the Greatest Name is revealed.
When the Bab appeared He stated that He represented the Letter "B" of the Greatest Name, the Gate to the two "Alifs" to follow Him. Alif (or Alf) is the word indicating the letter ‘A’ with the Abjad value of ‘1’ or unity, and in the following quotation it signifies the unity of the Manifestation and the Word of God. That is, two Manifestations of God are to follow the Bab. The Bab refers to Himself as "the Ba (i.e. "B") which permeates the water of the Letters, and the point which stands at the Gate of the two Alifs." The Bab, cited in Selections from the Writings of E.G. Browne, by M. Moman, p. 215
When Baha’u’llah appeared He indicated that He represented the letter "H" of the Greatest Name (See p. 261 of the 1954 edition of the Kitab-i-Iqan, as well as the footnote on page 56 of the 1952 edition of The Four Valleys and the Seven Valleys, both publ. by Baha’i Publ.. Trust, Wilmette) You will also recall that at the end of the Kitab-i-Iqan Baha’u’llah also refers to Himself as both the "B" and the "H"’ (the Ba and the Ha) of the Greatest Name. This is because every Manifestation of God represents the same Holy Spirit as all the Manifestations Who have gone before. It also indicates, when He says that He is ‘none other except the Primal Point’ that His Revelation is the same Revelation of the Greatest Name as that inaugurated by the Bab.
"He Who now voiceth the Word of God is none other except the Primal Point Who hath
once again been made manifest.’ "He is the same as the One Who appeared in the year sixty (1260 A.H.).’ Baha’u’llah cited in The World Order of Baha’u’llah, p. 139, 1944 ed.
In Chapter I we saw that Abdu’l-Baha said that only two Letters of the Greatest Name had been revealed, in the first two parts of this Revelation.
"Concerning the Name in the Hidden Word (i.e. #77 in the Persian section), the two Letters of which were revealed, that Name is the Most Great Name (BHA’). The purpose is the Blessed Beauty, and whatever is in our possession is the meaning of two Letters of the Most Great Name; that is, B and H.’
When the third Letter of the Greatest Name, the Alif or ‘A’, appears, the three part Revelation from God will be completed. That there are three Letters of the one Name of God indicates, symbolically, that these are not independent Revelations, but parts of one great Revelation from one God, one Cause of God. In each succeeding Manifestation all the Letters and perfections of the previous Manifestations are present and manifest.
SYMBOLIC SIGNIFICANCES OF ALIF/ALF
The words for "a" and for ‘one thousand’ in Arabic are both spelled the same, although their meanings change according to the context wherein they are used. This subject is discussed in the Appendix. In the discussion below the literal meanings of the words are not important, and the spelling is identical (ALF) for both uses. In discussing the symbolic significance of the word it is the Abjad numerical value that is considered here, and the symbolic meaning of the numbers themselves.
The Kitab-i-Aqdas is written in Arabic, and the word ALF is used in the thousand year prophecy to indicate one thousand. The word ALF (which in this instance is transliterated Alif in this usage) is the name of the first letter ‘a’ of the Arabic alphabet. This letter is the same as the number ‘1’ in Arabic, and it also has the Abjad value of ‘1’. The letter ALF, or ALIF as it is transliterated, is used to indicate the Manifestations because its value of ‘1’ indicates the unity of God and the Manifestation. The lover and the Beloved are united in the ALF, as it is written in the Quran:
"Arise, 0 Muhammad, for lo, the Lover and the Beloved are made One in Thee.
As noted above, the Bab refers to Himself as "the Ba (i.e. the Letter ‘B’) which permeates the water of the Letters, and the Point which stands at the Gate of the two Alifs." Because the ALF (ALIF) symbolizes the Manifestations,, the Bab is the first ALF (ALIF) Who is the Gate to the two ALFs /ALIFs) or Manifestations to follow. The WORD ALF, used to indicate either ‘1,000’ or ‘a’, has the Abjad value of 111 (A=l, L=30 and F=80 for a total of 111) or three ALFs (ALIFs). This is symbolic of the unity of this one Revelation of the Greatest Name BHA’, and of the oneness of the three Manifestations Who reveal this one Divine Revelation. This unity is also demonstrated by the three Letters of the Greatest Name BHA’, as discussed above. So in the thousand year prophecy the word ALF can also symbolize three Manifestations of the Revelation of the Greatest Name.
If you reckon from the date of the beginning of the Mission of Baha’u’llah, which was In 1852, until 1963, you find that 111 years have elapsed. 1963 was the end of the 100 years given by God for mankind to turn to His Holiness Baha’u’llah, as Shoghi Effendi wrote in Promised Day is Come (p. 4):
"For a whole century God has respited mankind that it might acknowledge the Founder of such a Revelation, espouse His Cause, proclaim His greatness and establish His Cause.’
Abdu’l-Baha wrote that after that date (1963) the time of tribulations would begin if mankind did not respond favorably to the Cause of God. May 1992 was the 100th anniversary of the Ascension of Baha’u’llah, and in the coming few years (five years after 1992) the troubles which encompass mankind will intensify, until the final calamity, as discussed in the coming chapters.
The letter ‘A’, or ALF/ALIF, symbolizes the universal power and influence of the coming part of the Revelation of the Greatest Name. The letter ‘A’ indicates a new beginning, and as we have seen, in Arabic it indicates one or unity; the most great unity of the Creator as well as the beginning of all things in the New Age, the Age of the Kingdom of God on earth. The ALF/ALIF is like the alpha in Greek, symbolizing the time of the unification of all humanity (see Revelation of St. John) and the universal recognition of the oneness of God and HIS Cause, as represented by all past revealed religions. The mark (‘) following the ‘A’ in the Greatest Name BHA’ points to the incomparable spiritual station of the successor of the Alif, the All-Highest, even though he will not be a Letter of the Greatest Name. nor a Manifestation.