No. 24 of 124 · A Name of God · The Long Healing Prayer
The Beloved One
To call on God as the Beloved One is to turn toward the source of all love itself.
I call on Thee O Beloved One, O Cherished One, O Enraptured One! Thou the Sufficing, Thou the Healing, Thou the Abiding, O Thou Abiding One! Bahá'u'lláh, The Long Healing Prayer · read the full prayer
Plain meaning · Beloved
Greatly loved; dear to the heart. Antony, so well beloved of Cæsar. Shak. This is my beloved Son. Matt. iii. 17. One greatly loved. My beloved is mine, and I am his. Cant. ii. 16.
Definition from Webster's Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain). When these Writings were translated into English, the translator relied on Webster's New International Dictionary, 1934 edition, of the same Webster's tradition. source
What “The Beloved One” means
The meaning above is the plain dictionary definition of the word. What follows reflects on it as a name of God, offered for your own contemplation, and not as an authoritative interpretation of the Bahá'í Writings, which rests with ‘Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi alone.
There is something quietly revolutionary about addressing God not as a distant power or an abstract force, but as the Beloved. This name places the soul in an intimate posture, not supplication to a remote sovereign, but a reaching out toward one who is, at the deepest level, cherished. The Beloved is by definition known, longed for, held dear. When Bahá'u'lláh uses this name, He seems to be reminding the one who prays that the relationship between the human soul and God is not cold or transactional. It is warm, close, and full of feeling on both sides.
Belovedness also implies a certain vulnerability. To love someone is to be moved by them, to be attentive to their state, to wish for their flourishing. When we speak of God as the Beloved One, we are gesturing at something profound: that the divine care for each human being is not merely administrative but is bound up with something resembling tenderness. Across many spiritual traditions, this understanding of God as the one who loves has been considered a source of courage, because the one who loves you will not abandon you in your hour of need.
It is worth noticing, too, that this invocation sits alongside two companion names in the same breath of the prayer: the Cherished One and the Enraptured One. Taken together, they sketch a picture of love that is not static but alive, treasured, rapturous, overflowing. This is the God toward whom the prayer turns when a person is hurting and in need of healing.
Calling on The Beloved One for healing
When you are unwell, whether in body, in mind, or in the quieter chambers of the spirit, there can be a particular comfort in turning toward the Beloved rather than simply filing a request with the universe. To call on the Beloved One is to remind yourself that you are not presenting your suffering to a bureaucracy. You are bringing it to someone who, in the language of this prayer, holds you dear. That shift in posture alone can soften something in the chest, making space for whatever healing is possible.
It is worth holding this gently, though. Calling on the Beloved One does not compel a particular outcome, and the Bahá'í writings are honest that healing, when it comes, comes according to a wisdom larger than our own. The prayer is an act of trust as much as an act of asking. You might find it helpful, while reciting this line, to simply rest in the name for a moment before moving on, letting it be less a formula and more a genuine address to someone who knows you. And of course, seeking the care of skilled physicians and caregivers is itself consistent with this spirit of trust; love, after all, works through many hands.
Also sought as: the beloved one bahá'í prayer · god as beloved in bahai writings · long healing prayer names of god · lawh-i-anta'l-kafi beloved · bahai prayer for healing beloved · divine love healing prayer bahai · calling on god as beloved · beloved name of god bahai · bahai healing prayer line by line · the cherished one healing prayer bahai.
Living the Word
Applying The Beloved One in your life
A name of God is a virtue to grow into. Where is The Beloved One being asked of you right now, and how will you practice it? Keep a short note each time you return, and watch your own path with this name take shape over time. It stays on this device.
In the Bahá'í Writings
“We are striving with heart and soul, resting neither day nor night, seeking not a moment’s ease, to make this world of man the mirror of the unity of God. Then how much more must the beloved of the Lord reflect that unity? And this cherished hope, this yearning wish of ours will be visibly fulfilled only on the day when the true friends of God arise to carry out the Teachings of the Abhá Beauty—may my life be a ransom for His lovers! One amongst His Teachings is this, that love and good faith must so dominate the human heart that men will regard the stranger as a familiar friend, the malefactor as one of their own, the alien even as a loved one, the enemy as a companion dear and close. Who killeth them, him will they call a bestower of life; who turneth away from them, him will they regard as turning towards them; who denieth their message, him will they consider as one acknowledging its truth. The meaning is that they must treat all humankind even as they treat their sympathizers, their fellow-believers, their loved ones and familiar friends.”
Read in full at bahai.org →“15.3O handmaid of God! The prayers which were revealed to ask for healing apply both to physical and spiritual healing. Recite them, then, to heal both the soul and the body. If healing is right for the patient, it will certainly be granted; but for some ailing persons, healing would only be the cause of other ills, and therefore wisdom doth not permit an affirmative answer to the prayer. 15.4O handmaid of God! The power of the Holy Spirit healeth both physical and spiritual ailments. Acquiring Divine Virtues”
Read in full at bahai.org →“This means the oneness of the world of humanity. That is to say, when this human body politic reaches a state of absolute unity, the effulgence of the eternal Sun will make its fullest light and heat manifest. Therefore, we must not make distinctions between individual members of the human family. We must not consider any soul as barren or deprived. Our duty lies in educating souls so that the Sun of the bestowals of God shall become resplendent in them, and this is possible through the power of the oneness of humanity. The more love is expressed among mankind and the stronger the power of unity, the greater will be this reflection and revelation, for the greatest bestowal of God is love. Love is the source of all the bestowals of God. Until love takes possession of the heart, no other divine bounty can be revealed in it.”
Read in full at bahai.org →Questions about The Beloved One
- Why does Bahá'u'lláh address God as 'the Beloved' in a healing prayer?
- Addressing God as the Beloved One frames the act of prayer as an intimate encounter rather than a formal petition. It suggests that the one being called upon is not indifferent to human suffering but is deeply connected to those who pray. This posture of closeness and love is itself considered spiritually restorative in the Bahá'í understanding of prayer.
- Does reciting the Long Healing Prayer guarantee physical recovery?
- No, and the Bahá'í writings are clear on this point: healing is granted according to divine wisdom, and what is right for one person may not be right for another. The prayer is an expression of trust and turning toward God, not a formula that compels a specific outcome. Those who are ill are encouraged to seek competent medical care alongside their prayers.
- What is the difference between 'the Beloved One,' 'the Cherished One,' and 'the Enraptured One' in the same line?
- These three names appear together in a single invocation, and while their precise theological distinctions are a matter for authorized interpreters of the Faith, they can be understood as facets of a single reality, divine love described from different angles of depth and intensity. Together they evoke a love that is personal, treasured, and overflowing rather than distant or mechanical.
- Can this prayer be used for emotional and spiritual healing, not just physical illness?
- Yes. The Bahá'í writings indicate that the healing prayers address both physical and spiritual conditions. Many people find that turning to names like 'the Beloved One' brings comfort during grief, anxiety, or periods of spiritual dryness, and this is entirely in keeping with the spirit in which the prayer was revealed.
Listen to, recite, and reflect on the whole prayer, its more than one hundred names of God.
Hear the Long Healing Prayer