The meaning and correct transliteration of invocation: Yá 'Aliyyu'l-A'lá: 3 October 1991

Memorandum

To: The Universal House of Justice

From: The Research Department

Date: 3 October 1991

Yá 'Aliyyu'l-A'lá

In her e-mail message of 2 September 1991, ... has written to ask about the meaning and correct transliteration of "Yá 'Aliyyu'l-A'lá" and where it can be found. She also asks if it is an invocation to the Báb.

The Research Department has located the invocation "Yá 'Aliyyu'l-A'lá" in two places. It appears in a Tablet of 'Abdu'l-Bahá on page 312 of "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá" (Haifa: Bahá'í World Centre, 1962), and in a letter of the beloved Guardian found in "Messages to the Bahá'í World, 1950-1957" (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1971), page 153. The spelling used by the Guardian is given above, and accords with the system of transliteration which he established (found in any volume of "The Bahá'í World"). We note that the rendering printed in "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá" contains a misplaced inverted comma.

The translation of "Yá 'Aliyyu'l-A'lá", as rendered by Shoghi Effendi in 1921 when he translated the above mentioned Tablet of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, is "O Thou Most High".[1] We note that in his letter of 1953, also referenced above, he chose to leave "Ya 'Aliyyu'l-A'la" in the original language, as did the Universal House of Justice when they later published the Master's Tablet in "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá".

In Islamic tradition, “A’lá”, "The Most High One", is one of the names of God.[2] Thus, a Muslim might use "Yá 'Aliyyu'l-A'lá" to call upon God. However, in Bábí and Bahá'í tradition, especially as A’lá was the Báb's name, "Yá 'Aliyyu'l-A'lá" is understood to be an invocation to the Báb.

 - - - - - -

[1] See "Star of the West", vol. 12, no. 13, 4 November 1921, p. 229.

[2] See Robert Stade, "Ninety-Nine Names of God in Islam", a translation of the major portion of Al-Ghazálí's "Al-Maqsad Al-Asná (Ibadan, Nigeria: Daystar Press, 1970), pp. 72-75.

(Baha’i Library Online)

Definition and Scope of “"Devotional Meetings": 19 September 1991

Memorandum

To: The Universal House of Justice

September 19, 1991

From: Research Department

The Research Department has studied the questions concerning the concept of the devotional meeting raised by ... in his email of 4 August 2001 to the Universal House of Justice. ... mentions a recent meeting called by the Local Spiritual Assembly of ... in which representatives of the Bahá'í institutions who are resident in ... participated. He reports that one important area of consultation was the devotional meeting. In light of this gathering, ... enquires whether the Universal House of Justice has specified in any detail "what a Devotional Meeting looks like". He is particularly interested in "the definition and scope of such a meeting". We provide the following response.

As to the nature of the devotional meetings referred to in recent letters of the House of Justice, in response to a similar question raised by one of the believers, the House of Justice in a letter dated 13 March 2001 written on its behalf, provided the following general guidance:

“Regarding your email message dated 14 February 2001, which has been received at the World Centre, questions concerning local devotional meetings should be referred to your Local or National Spiritual Assembly.”

While the Research Department has, to date, been unable to locate any comprehensive definition of the nature and scope of devotional meetings, we have assembled, for ... information and study, a short compilation entitled "Selected Guidance Concerning Devotional Gatherings" The compilation consists of extracts from letters written by and on behalf of the Universal House of Justice. A number of themes emerge from perusal of the extracts contained therein. For example:

• Care should be taken to avoid developing rigid practices and rituals (extracts 1 and 6).
• Bahá'ís are encouraged to use the revealed prayers of Bahá'u'lláh and the Báb as well as those of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. It is permissible to have prayers and readings from the Sacred Scriptures of other religions (extracts 2 and 7).
• The form of programme would appear to depend in part on the setting, the occasion, and the purposes of the gathering (extracts 6 and 7).
• The practice of collective worship is one important ingredient in the flourishing of community life. It also reinforces individual spiritual development (extracts 3, 4, and 5).

Given ...'s interest in the subject of devotional meetings, it is suggested that he might find it helpful to refer to the general compilation entitled "Prayer, Meditation, and the Devotional Attitude", which was compiled some time ago by the Research Department, and published by a number of Bahá'í publishing trusts. The compilation is also included in Compilation of Compilations (Maryborough, Victoria: Bahá'í Publications Australia, 1991), volume II.

(Baha’i Library Online