A rak’áh is the recitation of specifically revealed verses
accompanied by a prescribed set of genuflections and other
movements.
The Obligatory Prayer originally enjoined by Bahá’u’lláh
upon His followers consisted of nine rak’áhs. The
precise nature of this prayer and the specific instructions for
its recitation are unknown, as the prayer has been lost. (See
note 9.)
In a Tablet commenting on the presently-binding
Obligatory Prayers, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá indicates that “in every
word and movement of the Obligatory Prayer there are allusions,
mysteries and a wisdom that man is unable to comprehend, and
letters and scrolls cannot contain”.
Shoghi Effendi explains that the few simple directions
given by Bahá’u’lláh for the recital of certain prayers not
only have a spiritual significance but that they also help the
individual “to fully concentrate when praying and meditating”.
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