No. 102 of 124 · A Name of God · The Long Healing Prayer
The Glory
In calling upon 'The Glory,' we turn toward a light that neither dims nor deceives, the very radiance at the heart of all that is real.
I call on Thee O Glory, O Beauty, O Bountiful 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 · Glory
1. Praise, honor, admiration, or distinction, accorded by common consent to a person or thing; high reputation; honorable fame; renown. Glory to God in the highest. Luke ii. 14. Spread his glory through all countries wide. Spenser. 2. That quality in a person or thing which secures general praise or honor; that which brings or gives renown; an object of pride or boast; the occasion of praise; excellency; brilliancy; splendor. Think it no glory to swell in tyranny. Sir P. Sidney. Jewels lose their glory if neglected. Shak. Your sex's glory 't is to shine unknown. Young. 3. Pride; boastfulness; arrogance. …
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 Glory” 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.
The word 'glory' carries weight in almost every language: it suggests brilliance, honor, a presence so full it overflows. As a name of God, however, 'The Glory' points to something far beyond pageantry or acclaim. It names that quality of divine reality which simply cannot be hidden, an intrinsic luminosity that belongs to God alone and that, by its very nature, illuminates everything it touches. When we address God as 'The Glory,' we are not flattering a distant sovereign; we are acknowledging a presence whose light is the reason anything can be seen or known at all.
There is something quietly humbling about this name. Human beings pursue glory in countless ways, through achievement, recognition, legacy, yet those forms of glory fade. The divine Glory, by contrast, is not something God acquires or defends; it is what God is. Addressing God by this name in prayer is a way of reorienting ourselves, of admitting that whatever brightness we have caught a glimpse of in a kind act, a healed relationship, or a moment of clarity ultimately belongs to a source we did not manufacture.
It is also worth sitting with the company this name keeps in the prayer. 'The Glory' appears alongside 'The Beauty' and 'The Bountiful' in the same breath, as though the three illuminate one another. Glory without beauty might suggest cold power; beauty without glory might seem fragile; bountifulness without either might feel random. Together they sketch a God whose giving is radiant, whose radiance is generous, and whose generosity is genuinely lovely. Holding all three names together enriches how we hear each one.
Calling on The Glory for healing
When we are ill, physically exhausted, emotionally depleted, or spiritually adrift, glory can feel like the last word that applies to our situation. And yet that distance may be exactly why calling upon 'The Glory' matters. To address God this way while sitting with pain or uncertainty is an act of trust that reality is larger than our present suffering. We are not pretending the difficulty away; we are placing it before a light that is not extinguished by darkness. Many people find that consciously invoking this name shifts something subtle in their inner posture, not by producing an immediate cure, but by widening the frame enough to breathe.
Please do hold this practice alongside, never instead of, the care of competent physicians, counselors, and other health professionals, seeking such help is itself a form of wisdom and gratitude for the gifts God has placed in the world. What prayer offers is a different kind of resource: a way of remaining in relationship with the source of all wellbeing even when outcomes are uncertain. Calling on The Glory in that spirit is less a transaction and more an opening, an acknowledgment that healing, in whatever form it comes, flows from a radiance we did not create and cannot command, but to which we can always turn.
Also sought as: the glory of god in the long healing prayer · divine name glory bahá'í prayer · lawh-i-anta'l-kafi names of god · bahá'u'lláh healing prayer the glory · glory as a name of god bahá'í · divine glory healing prayer reflection · calling on god's glory for healing · names of god in bahá'í scripture · the glory the beauty the bountiful · long healing prayer divine names study.
Living the Word
Applying The Glory in your life
A name of God is a virtue to grow into. Where is The Glory 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
“9 When the holy breaths of Christ and the sanctified lights of the Most Great Luminary were spread abroad, human realities—that is, those souls who turned towards the Word of God and partook of His manifold grace—were saved from this attachment and sin, were granted eternal life, were delivered from the chains of bondage, and entered the realm of freedom. They were purged of earthly vices and endowed with heavenly virtues. This is the meaning of Christ’s words that I gave My blood for the life of the world. That is, I chose to bear all these trials, afflictions, and calamities, even the most great martyrdom, to attain this ultimate objective and to ensure the remission of sins—that is, the detachment of spirits from the material world and their attraction to the divine realm—that souls may arise who will be the very essence of guidance and the manifestations of the perfections of the Kingdom on high.”
Read in full at bahai.org →“This is the belief of the anthropomorphists. No, all these descriptions, all these expressions of praise and glory, refer to these holy Manifestations; that is, every description, praise, name, or attribute of God that we mention applies to Them. But no soul has ever fathomed the reality of the Essence of the Divinity so as to be able to intimate, describe, praise, or glorify it. Thus all that the human reality knows, discovers, and understands of the names, attributes, and perfections of God refers to these holy Manifestations and leads nowhere else: “The way is cut off, and all seeking rejected.” 6 Yet we ascribe certain names and attributes to the reality of the Divinity and praise Him for His sight, His hearing, His power, His life and knowledge. We affirm these names and attributes not to affirm the perfections of God, but to deny that He has any imperfections.”
Read in full at bahai.org →“20.2Answer: Know that such ways, words, and deeds are to be lauded and approved, and they redound to the glory of the human world. But these actions alone are not sufficient: They are a body of the greatest beauty, but without a spirit. No, that which leads to everlasting life, eternal honour, universal enlightenment, and true success and salvation is, first and foremost, the knowledge of God. It is clear that this knowledge takes precedence over every other knowledge and constitutes the greatest virtue of the human world. For the understanding of the reality of things confers a material advantage in the realm of being and brings about the progress of outward civilization, but the knowledge of God is the cause of spiritual progress and attraction, true vision and insight, the exaltation of humanity, the appearance of divine civilization, the rectification of morals, and the illumination of the conscience.”
Read in full at bahai.org →Questions about The Glory
- Why is 'The Glory' invoked alongside 'The Beauty' and 'The Bountiful' in the same line of the prayer?
- These three names appear together as a kind of cluster, each enriching the others. While no authoritative interpretation of this specific grouping has been given, readers often find that the names balance and deepen one another, glory suggesting divine radiance, beauty suggesting the loveliness of that radiance, and bountifulness suggesting its generosity. Together they paint a picture of a God who is not merely powerful but genuinely and abundantly good.
- Does calling on 'The Glory' in this prayer guarantee physical healing?
- No, and it is important to be honest about that. The prayer is an expression of trust and supplication, not a formula that compels a specific outcome. Healing is held in God's wisdom, and outcomes remain in God's hands. People who use this prayer are encouraged to continue working with qualified medical professionals and to regard the prayer as a source of spiritual sustenance and relationship with God, whatever the physical result may be.
- Is 'The Glory' connected to the name Bahá'u'lláh itself?
- Yes, in a meaningful way. The word 'Bahá' in Arabic carries the meanings of glory, splendor, and light, and 'Bahá'u'lláh' translates as 'the Glory of God.' This connection gives the name a particular resonance for Bahá'ís, who see in Bahá'u'lláh's own title a reflection of this divine attribute. Even so, as a name of God in the prayer, 'The Glory' points ultimately to God's own nature, of which all created things, including the Manifestations of God, are expressions.
- How can I use this name meditatively outside of reciting the full prayer?
- Some people find it helpful to hold a single divine name quietly in mind during moments of rest, difficulty, or transition, simply turning the word over, allowing its meaning to settle. This kind of gentle, unhurried reflection is a personal practice and not a prescribed ritual. If you find that sitting with the word 'Glory' brings a sense of orientation or calm, that itself may be a small gift worth receiving.
Listen to, recite, and reflect on the whole prayer, its more than one hundred names of God.
Hear the Long Healing Prayer