1. All praise and glory be to God Who, through the power of His might, hath delivered His creation from the nakedness of non-existence, and clothed it with the mantle of life. From among all created things He hath singled out for His special favor the pure, the gem-like reality of man, and invested it with a unique capacity of knowing Him and of reflecting the greatness of His glory.
Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh 77
2. O Son of Man!
Veiled in My immemorial being and in the ancient eternity of My essence, I knew My love for thee; therefore I created thee, have engraved on thee Mine image and revealed to thee My beauty.
Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh 4
3. Having created the world and all that liveth and moveth therein, He, through the direct operation of His unconstrained and sovereign Will, chose to confer upon man the unique distinction and capacity to know Him and to love Him—a capacity that must needs be regarded as the generating impulse and the primary purpose underlying the whole of creation ….
Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh 65
4. O Son of Man! I loved thy creation, hence I created thee. Wherefore, do thou love Me, that I may name thy name and fill thy soul with the spirit of life.
Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh 4
5. O Son of Being! Walk in My statutes for love of Me and deny thyself that which thou desirest if thou seekest My pleasure.
Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh 12
6. Man’s highest station … is attained through faith in God in every Dispensation and by acceptance of what hath been revealed by Him, and not through learning; inasmuch as in every nation there are learned men who are versed in divers sciences. Nor is it attainable through wealth; for it is similarly evident that among the various classes in every nation there are those possessed of riches. Likewise are other transitory things.
True knowledge, therefore, is the knowledge of God, and this is none other than the recognition of His Manifestation in each Dispensation. Nor is there any wealth save in poverty in all save God and sanctity from aught else but Him—a state that can be realized only when demonstrated towards Him Who is the Dayspring of His Revelation.
The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb 89
6. Man’s highest station … is attained through faith in God in every Dispensation and by acceptance of what hath been revealed by Him, and not through learning; inas- much as in every nation there are learned men who are versed in divers sciences. Nor is it attainable through wealth; for it is similarly evident that among the various classes in every nation there are those possessed of riches. Likewise are other transitory things.
True knowledge, therefore, is the knowledge of God, and this is none other than the recognition of His Manifestation in each Dispensation. Nor is there any wealth save in poverty in all save God and sanctity from aught else but Him—a state that can be realized only when demonstrated towards Him Who is the Dayspring of His Revelation.
The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb 89
7. It is certain that man’s highest distinction is to be lowly before and obedient to his God; that his greatest glory, his most exalted rank and honor, depend on his close obser- vance of the Divine commands and prohibitions. Religion is the light of the world, and the progress, achievement, and happiness of man result from obedience to the laws set down in the holy Books.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Secret of Divine Civilization 71
8. Intone, O My servant, the verses of God that have been received by thee, as intoned by them who have drawn nigh unto Him, that the sweetness of thy melody may kindle thine own soul, and attract the hearts of all men. Whoso reciteth, in the privacy of his chamber, the verses revealed by God, the scattering angels of the Almighty shall scatter abroad the fragrance of the words uttered by his mouth, and shall cause the heart of every righteous man to throb. Though he may, at first, remain unaware of its effect, yet the virtue of the grace vouchsafed unto him must needs sooner or later exercise its influence upon his soul. Thus have the mysteries of the Revelation of God been decreed by virtue of the Will of Him Who is the Source of power and wisdom.
Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh 295
9. O thou spiritual friend! Thou hast asked the wisdom of prayer. Know thou that prayer is indispensable and obligatory, and man under no pretext whatsoever is excused from performing the prayer unless he be mentally unsound, or an insurmountable obstacle prevent him. The wisdom of prayer is this: That it causeth a connection between the servant and the True One, because in that state (i.e., prayer) man with all heart and soul turneth his face towards His Highness the Almighty, seeking His association and desiring His love and compassion. The greatest happiness for a lover is to converse with his beloved, and the greatest gift for a seeker is to become familiar with the object of his longing; that is why with every soul who is attracted to the Kingdom of God, his greatest hope is to find an opportunity to entreat and supplicate before his Beloved, appeal for His mercy and grace and be immersed in the ocean of His utterance, goodness and generosity.
Beside all this, prayer and fasting is the cause of awakening and mindfulness and conducive to protection and preservation from tests.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of Abdul-Baha Abbas 3:683–84
10. Remembrance of God is like the rain and dew which bestow freshness and grace on flowers and hyacinths, revive them and cause them to acquire fragrance, redolence and renewed charm. … Strive thou, then, to praise and glorify God by night and by day, that thou mayest attain infinite freshness and beauty.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in Spiritual Foundations 8–9
11. When a person becomes a Bahá’í, actually what takes place is that the seed of the spirit starts to grow in the human soul. This seed must be watered by the outpourings of the Holy Spirit. These gifts of the spirit are received through prayer, meditation, study of the Holy Utterances and service to the Cause of God. The fact of the matter is that service in the Cause is like the plough which ploughs the physical soil when seeds are sown. It is necessary that the soil be ploughed up, so that it can be enriched, and thus cause a stronger growth of the seed. In exactly the same way the evolution of the spirit takes place through ploughing up the soil of the heart so that it is a constant reflection of the Holy Spirit. In this way the human spirit grows and develops by leaps and bounds.
On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, letter dated 10/6/54 to an individual believer, in The Bahá’í Life 20
12. … the core of religious faith is that mystic feeling which unites man with God. This state of spiritual communion can be brought about and maintained by means of meditation and prayer. And this is the reason why Bahá’u’lláh has so much stressed the importance of worship. It is not sufficient for a believer merely to accept and observe the teachings. He should, in addition, cultivate the sense of spirituality which he can acquire chiefly by means of prayer. The Bahá’í Faith, like all other Divine Religions, is thus fundamentally mystic in character. Its chief goal is the development of the individual and society, through the acquisition of spiritual virtues and powers. It is the soul of man which has first to be fed. And this spiritual nourish- ment prayer can best provide. Laws and institutions, as viewed by Bahá’u’lláh, can become really effective only when our inner spiritual life has been perfected and transformed. Otherwise religion will degenerate into a mere organization, and becomes a dead thing.
The believers, particularly the young ones, should therefore fully realize the necessity of praying. For prayer is absolutely indispensable to their inner spiritual development, and this, as already stated, is the very foundation and purpose of the religion of God.
Shoghi Effendi, letter dated 12/8/35 to Edris Rice-Wray Carson, in Bahá'í News, no. 102 (Aug. 1936)
13. At the dawn of every day he should commune with God, and with all his soul persevere in the quest of his Beloved. He should consume every wayward thought with the flame of His loving mention, and, with the swiftness of lightning, pass by all else save Him.
Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-Íqán 194
14. Although the words “at dawn” are used in the Divine Book, nevertheless, such prayer is acceptable to God at dawn and after dawn to sunrise, and further until two hours after the sun has risen.
Bahá’u’lláh, “Questions and Answers,” in Lights of Guidance 343
15. Supplication to God at morn and eve is conducive to the joy of hearts, and prayer causes spirituality and fragrance. Thou shouldst necessarily continue therein.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of Abdul-Baha Abbas 186
16. Praise be to God, thy heart is engaged in the commemoration of God, thy soul is gladdened by the glad tidings of God and thou art absorbed in prayer. The state of prayer is the best of conditions, for man is then associating with God. Prayer verily bestoweth life, particularly when offered in private and at times, such as midnight, when freed from daily cares.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá 202
17. We may well emulate Bahá’í youth whose recent surge forward into the van of proclamation and teaching is one of the most encouraging and significant trends in the Faith, and who storm the gates of heaven for support in their enterprises by long-sustained, precedent and continuing prayer. We are all able to call upon Bahá’u’lláh for His Divine, all-powerful aid, and He will surely help us. For He is the Hearer of prayers, the Answerer.
The Universal House of Justice, letter dated Riḍván 1972 to Bahá’ís of the world, in Messages from The Universal House of Justice 1968–1973 91
18. The daily obligatory prayers are three in number. … The believer is entirely free to choose any one of these three prayers, but is under the obligation of reciting either one of them, and in accordance with any specific directions with which they may be accompanied.
Letter on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, in Bahá’í Prayers 3
19. By “morning”, “noon” and “evening”, mentioned in connection with the Obligatory Prayers, is meant respectively the intervals between sunrise and noon, between noon and sunset, and from sunset till two hours after sunset.
A Synopsis and Codification of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas 36
20. The hour of noon should of course, be observed with the position of the sun, not in accordance with local time standards. The short obligatory prayer may be said at any time between noon and sunset.
The Universal House of Justice, letter dated 8/8/69 to the Bahá’ís of the British Isles, in Lights of Guidance 343
21. Bahá’u’lláh has reduced all ritual and form to an absolute minimum in His Faith. The few forms that there are —like those associated with the two longer obligatory daily prayers, are only symbols of the inner attitude. There is a wisdom in them, and a great blessing, but we cannot force ourselves to understand or feel these things, that is why He gave us also the very short and simple prayer, for those who did not feel the desire to perform the acts associated with the other two.
On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, letter dated 6/24/49 to an individual believer, in Spiritual Foundations 19–20
22. As to the attitude of resentment which the young believers are inclined to assume regarding certain precepts of the Cause such as obligatory prayers; there can and should be no compromise whatever in such matters that are specifically enjoined by Bahá’u’lláh. We should neither have any feeling of shame when observing such laws and precepts, nor should we overestimate their value and significance. Just as the friends have no difficulty in recognizing the value of the specific prayers revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, such as the Tablets of Fasting and healing, so also they should recognize that the obligatory prayers are by their very nature of greater effectiveness and are endowed with a greater power than the non-obligatory ones, and as such are essential.
On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, letter dated 1/4/36 to an individual believer, in Bahá’í Youth 9–10
23. You should rest assured that your strict adherence to the laws and observances enjoined by Bahá’u’lláh is the one power that can effectively guide and enable you to overcome the tests and trials of your life, and help you to continually grow and develop spiritually.
The Guardian particularly appreciates the fact that you have been faithfully observing Bahá’u’lláh’s injunction regarding the recital of the daily obligatory prayers, and have thereby set such a high example before your Bahá’í fellow- youth. These daily prayers have been endowed with a special potency which only those who regularly recite them can adequately appreciate. The friends should therefore endeavor to make daily use of these prayers, whatever the peculiar circumstances and conditions of their life.
On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, letter dated 2/23/39 to an individual believer, in Spiritual Foundations 16–17
24. It behooveth the servant to pray to and seek assistance from God, and to supplicate and implore His aid. Such becometh the rank of servitude, and the Lord will decree whatsoever He desireth, in accordance with His consummate wisdom.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in Spiritual Foundations 9
25. You have asked whether our prayers go beyond Bahá’u’lláh: it all depends whether we pray to Him directly or through Him to God. We may do both, and also can pray directly to God, but our prayers would certainly be more effective and illuminating if they are addressed to Him through His Manifestation, Bahá’u’lláh.
On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, letter dated 10/14/37 to an individual believer, in Spiritual Foundations 15
26. In regard to your question: we must not be rigid about praying; there is not a set of rules governing it; the main thing is we must start out with the right concept of God, the Manifestation, the Master, the Guardian—we can turn, in thought, to any one of them when we pray. For instance you can ask Bahá’u’lláh for some thing, or thinking of Him, ask God for it. The same is true of the Master or the Guardian. You can turn in thought to either of them and then ask their intercession, or pray direct to God. As long as you don’t confuse their stations, and make them all equal, it does not matter much how you orient your thoughts.
On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, letter dated 7/24/46 to an individual believer, in Spiritual Foundations 18
27. As to your question about prayer and whether it is necessary to recite the prayers of only the Central Figures of our Faith, we have been asked to quote here the follow- ing two excerpts on this subject, from letters written by Shoghi Effendi’s secretary on his behalf:
… as the Cause embraces members of all races and reli- gions we should be careful not to introduce into it the customs of our previous beliefs. Bahá’u’lláh has given us the obligatory prayers, also prayers before sleeping, for travelers, etc. We should not introduce a new set of prayers He has not specified, when He has given us already so many, for so many occasions.
He thinks it would be wiser for the Bahá’ís to use the Meditations given by Bahá’u’lláh, and not any set form of meditation recommended by someone else; but the believers must be left free in these details and allowed to have personal latitude in finding their own level of communion with God.
As to the reading of prayers or selections from the Sacred Writings of other religions, such readings are permissible, and indeed from time to time are included in the devotional programs of Bahá’í Houses of Worship, demonstrating thereby the universality of our Faith.
On behalf of the Universal House of Justice, letter dated 6/7/74 to individual believer, in Lights of Guidance 339
28. O maid-servant of God! Chant the Words of God and, pondering over their meaning, transform them into actions! I ask God to cause thee to attain a high station in the Kingdom of Life forever and ever.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in Spiritual Foundations 9
28. O maid-servant of God! Chant the Words of God and, pondering over their meaning, transform them into actions! I ask God to cause thee to attain a high station in the Kingdom of Life forever and ever.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in Spiritual Foundations 9
29. Therefore strive that your actions day by day may be beautiful prayers. Turn towards God, and seek always to do that which is right and noble. Enrich the poor, raise the fallen, comfort the sorrowful, bring healing to the sick, reassure the fearful, rescue the oppressed, bring hope to the hopeless, shelter the destitute!
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks 81
30. … the acquisition of sciences and the perfection of arts are considered acts of worship. If a man engageth with all his power in the acquisition of a science or in the perfection of an art, it is as if he has been worshiping God in churches and temples. Thus as thou enterest a school of agriculture and strivest in the acquisition of that science thou art day and night engaged in acts of worship—acts that are accepted at the threshold of the Almighty. What bounty greater than this that science should be considered as an act of worship and art as service to the Kingdom of God.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá 144–45
31. We work and pray for the unity of mankind, that all the races of the earth may become one race, all the countries one country, and that all hearts may beat as one heart, working together for perfect unity and brotherhood.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks 100
32. As regards fasting, it constitutes together with the obligatory prayers, the two pillars that sustain the revealed Law of God. They act as stimulants to the soul, strengthen, revive and purify it, and thus insure its steady development.
The ordinance of fasting is, as is the case with these three prayers,[1 The three obligatory daily prayers, any one of which the believer is free to choose] a spiritual and vital obligation enjoined by Bahá’u’lláh upon every believer who has attained the age of fifteen. In the Aqdas He thus writes: “We have commanded you to pray and fast from the beginning of maturity; this is ordained by God, your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers. He has exempted from this those who are weak from illness or age, as a bounty from His Presence, and He is the Forgiving, the Generous.” And in another passage He says: “We have enjoined upon you fasting during a brief period, and at its close have designated for you Naw-Rúz as a feast. … The traveler, the ailing, those who are with child or giving suck, are not bound by the fast …. Abstain from food and drink, from sunrise to sundown, and beware lest desire deprive you of this grace that is appointed in the Book.”
Also, in the “Questions and Answers” that form an appendix to the Aqdas, Bahá’u’lláh reveals the following: “Verily, I say that God has appointed a great station for fasting and prayer. But during good health its benefit is evident, and when one is ill, it is not permissible to fulfill them.” Concerning the age of maturity, He reveals in the appendix of that same book: “The age of maturity is in the fifteenth year; women and men are alike in this respect.”
The fasting period, which lasts nineteen days starting as a rule from the second of March every year and ending on the twentieth of the same month, involves complete abstention from food and drink from sunrise till sunset. It is essentially a period of meditation and prayer, of spiritual recuperation, during which the believer must strive to make the necessary readjustments in his inner life, and to refresh and reinvigorate the spiritual forces latent in his soul. Its significance and purpose are, therefore, fundamentally spiritual in character. Fasting is symbolic, and a reminder of abstinence from selfish and carnal desires.
On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, letter dated 1/10/36, in Bahá’í News, no. 98
(Mar. 1936) 1
33. Regarding your question concerning the Fast: Travelers are exempt from fasting, but if they want to fast while they are traveling, they are free to do so. You are exempt the whole period of your travel, not just the hours you are in a train or car, etc. If one eats unconsciously during the fasting hours, this is not breaking the Fast as it is an accident. The age limit is seventy years, but if one desires to fast after the age limit is passed, and is strong enough to, one is free to do so. If during the Fast period a person falls ill and is unable to fast, but recovers before the fast period is over, he can start to fast again and continue until the end. Of course the Fast, as you know, can only be kept
during the month set aside for that purpose.[2 Additional details on exemptions from the Fast and the like can be found in A Synopsis and Codification of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas 38–39]
Shoghi Effendi, letter to Amelia E. Collins, in Bahá’í News, no. 167 (Jan. 1944) 2
34. In one of His Tablets ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, after stating that fasting consists of abstinence from food and drink, categorically says that smoking is a form of “drink”. (In Arabic the verb “drink” applies equally to smoking.)
A Synopsis and Codification of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas 36
35. Fortunate are ye to have obeyed the commandment of God, and kept this fast during the holy season. For this material fast is an outer token of the spiritual fast; it is a symbol of self-restraint, the withholding of oneself from all appetites of the self, taking on the characteristics of the spirit, being carried away by the breathings of heaven and catching fire from the love of God.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá 69–70
36. He that giveth up himself wholly to God, God shall, assuredly, be with him; and he that placeth his complete trust in God, God shall, verily, protect him from whatsoever may harm him, and shield him from the wickedness of every evil plotter.
Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh 233
37. O thou faithful one!
One of the requirements of faithfulness is that thou mayest sacrifice thyself and, in the divine path, close thine eye to every pleasure and strive with all thy soul that thou mayest disappear and be lost, like unto a drop, in the ocean of the love of God.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of Abdul-Baha Abbas 3:552
38. Regarding the points you refer to in your letter: the complete and entire elimination of the ego would imply perfection which man can never completely attain but the ego can and should be ever-increasingly subordinated to the enlightened soul of man. This is what spiritual progress implies.
On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, letter dated 12/19/41 to an individual believer, in The Bahá’í Life 8
39. Regarding the questions you asked: self has really two meanings, or is used in two senses, in the Bahá’í writings; one is self, the identity of the individual created by God. This is the self mentioned in such passages as “he hath known God who hath known himself”, etc. The other self is the ego, the dark animalistic heritage each one of us has, the lower nature that can develop into a monster of selfishness, brutality, lust and so on. It is this self we must struggle against, or this side of our natures, in order to strengthen and free the spirit within us and help it to attain perfection.
Self-sacrifice means to subordinate this lower nature and its desires to the more Godly and noble side of our selves. Ultimately, in its highest sense, self-sacrifice means to give our will and our all to God to do with as He pleases. Then He purifies and glorifies our true self until it becomes a shining and wonderful reality.
On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, letter dated 12/10/47 to an individual believer, in The Bahá’í Life 15
40. … it is my hope … that day by day ye will love God in ever greater measure, and become more tightly bound to the Beauty that abideth forever, to Him Who is the Light of the world. For love of God and spiritual attraction do cleanse and purify the human heart and dress and adorn it with the spotless garment of holiness; and once the heart is entirely attached to the Lord, and bound over to the Blessed Perfection, then will the grace of God be revealed.
This love is not of the body but completely of the soul. And those souls whose inner being is lit by the love of God are even as spreading rays of light, and they shine out like
stars of holiness in a pure and crystalline sky. For true love, real love, is the love for God, and this is sanctified beyond the notions and imaginings of men.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá 202–03