Prayer to be said in times of natural phenomena
which cause fear, such as earthquakes.
"Dominion is God's, the Lord of the seen and the unseen,
the Lord of creation".
—Bahá’u’lláh
Photo credit: Farzam Sabetian (instagram: @farzam09) click on photo to link to his personal website
Where Does The Prayer for Natural Phenomena Come From?
“We have absolved you from the requirement of performing the Prayer of the Signs. On the appearance of fearful natural events call ye to mind the might and majesty of your Lord, He Who heareth and seeth all, and say “Dominion is God’s, the Lord of the seen and the unseen, the Lord of creation.”
- Bahá'u'lláh The Kitáb-i-Aqdas
”18. We have absolved you from the requirement of performing the Prayer of the Signs.
The Prayer of the Signs is a special form of Muslim obligatory prayer that was ordained to be said in times of natural events, like earthquakes, eclipses, and other such phenomena, which may cause fear and are taken to be signs or acts of God. The requirement of performing this prayer has been annulled. In its place a Bahá’í may say, “Dominion is God’s, the Lord of the seen and the unseen, the Lord of creation,” but this is not obligatory (Q&A).
- Note 18 of the The Kitáb-i-Aqdas
Why Repeat the Natural Phenomena Prayer 95 Times?
It is important to note that it is no where indicated in the Baha’i Sacred Writings to repeat this particular prayer any given number of times. it has been repeated 95 times for the Bicentenary Meditation Project purely for meditative purposes.
The number 95 was chosen for the following reasons.
In the book ‘Gate of the Heart’ by Nader Saiedi, he explains that the significance of the number 95 originates from the Persian Bayán, where the Báb states that ninety-five stands for the numerical value of "for God" (lillāh), symbolizing the recognition of the manifestation of God and obedience to his laws, which are inseparable from each other, as confirmed by Bahá'u'lláh in the opening paragraph of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas.
Therefore, it is hoped that through this meditative practice and repetition of 95 times, our intention is focused on saying it “for God”, in similar manner, surrendering it to the Will of God.
Arabic Prayer for Natural Phenomena Meditation by Sarah Hosney
The Prayer for Natural Phenomena is a meditation that includes a repetition of the phrase “Dominion is God's, the Lord of the seen and the unseen, the Lord of creation” in arabic 95 times by the Artist Sarah Hosney; an Egyptian Baha’i Musician. She has generously and freely donated her time for the Bicentenary Meditation Project in order to ensure the authenticity of the prayers’ accent in Arabic.
Thank you so much Sarah!
To date, Sarah has contributed 4 meditations to the Bicentenary Meditation Project and still counting! We absolutely adore her here :)
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If anyone has heard of the Prayer of the Signs that Muslims say, please include it in the comments below! Would be great to see it :)
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