3 We Have Enjoined Obligatory Prayer Upon You #6
Categories: NOTESSources: The Kitab-i-aqdas
In Arabic, there are several words for prayer. The word salat, which
appears here in the original, refers to a particular category of prayers,
the recitation of which at specific times of the day is enjoined on the
believers. To differentiate this category of prayers from other kinds, the
word has been translated as obligatory prayer.
Baha'u'llah states that obligatory prayer and fasting occupy an exalted
prayers are conducive to humility and submissiveness, to setting one's
face towards God and expressing devotion to Him, and that through these
prayers man holdeth communion with God, seeketh to draw near unto Him,
converseth with the true Beloved of his heart, and attaineth spiritual
stations.
The Obligatory Prayer (see note 9) referred to in this verse has been
superseded by the three Obligatory Prayers later revealed by Baha'u'llah
(Q and A 63). The texts of the three prayers currently in use, together
with instructions regarding their recital, are to be found in this volume
in Some Texts Supplementary to the Kitab-i-Aqdas.
A number of the items in Questions and Answers deal with aspects of the
three new Obligatory Prayers. Baha'u'llah clarifies that the individual is
permitted to choose any one of the three Obligatory Prayers (Q and A 65).
Other provisions are elucidated in Questions and Answers, numbers 66, 67,
81, and 82.
The details of the law concerning obligatory prayer are summarized in
section IV.A.1.-17. of the Synopsis and Codification.
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Thou canst indeed hear the learned and the foolish amongst the people voice the same objections in this day, saying: "The sun hath not risen from the West, nor hath the Crier cried out betwixt earth and heaven. Water hath not inundated certain lands;... 24 O Pen Of The Most High! #16
Pen of the Most High, the Supreme Pen and the Most Exalted Pen are references to Baha'u'llah, illustrating His function as Revealer of the Word of God. ... 24: O Son Of Man! Transgress Not Thy Limits Nor Claim That Which
O SON OF MAN! Transgress not thy limits, nor claim that which beseemeth thee not. Prostrate thyself before the countenance of thy God, the Lord of might and power. ... 24: O Ye That Are Foolish Yet Have A Name To Be Wise!
O YE THAT ARE FOOLISH, YET HAVE A NAME TO BE WISE! Wherefore do ye wear the guise of shepherds, when inwardly ye have become wolves, intent upon My flock? Ye are even as the star, which riseth ere the dawn, and which, though it seem radiant and lu... 25
Veiled as they remain within their own selves, the generality of the people have failed to perceive the sweet accents of holiness, inhale the fragrance of mercy, or seek guidance, as bidden by God, from those who are the custodians of the Scriptures.... 25 We Have Enjoined Upon You Fasting During A Brief Period #16
Fasting and obligatory prayer constitute the two pillars that sustain the revealed Law of God. Baha'u'llah in one of His Tablets affirms that He has revealed the laws of obligatory prayer and fasting so that through them the believers may draw nig... 25: O Son Of Spirit! Vaunt Not Thyself Over The Poor For I Lead Him On
O SON OF SPIRIT! Vaunt not thyself over the poor, for I lead him on his way and behold thee in thy evil plight and confound thee for evermore. ... 25: O Ye Seeming Fair Yet Inwardly Foul! Ye Are Like Clear But Bitter Water Which To Outward
O YE SEEMING FAIR YET INWARDLY FOUL! Ye are like clear but bitter water, which to outward seeming is crystal pure but of which, when tested by the divine Assayer, not a drop is accepted. Yea, the sun beam falls alike upon the dust and the mirror, ... 26
Alas, alas, for that which befell Him Who was the Manifestation of the Self of God, and for that which He and His loved ones were made to suffer! The people inflicted upon them what no soul hath ever inflicted upon another, and what no infidel hath w... 26 And At Its Close Have Designated For You Naw-ruz As A Feast #16
The Bab introduced a new calendar, known now as the Badi or Baha'i calendar (see notes 27 and 147). According to this calendar, a day is the period from sunset to sunset. In the Bayan, the Bab ordained the month of 'Ala to be the month of fasting,... 26: O My Friend In Word! Ponder Awhile Hast Thou Ever Heard That Friend
O MY FRIEND IN WORD! Ponder awhile. Hast thou ever heard that friend and foe should abide in one heart? Cast out then the stranger, that the Friend may enter His home. ... 26: O Son Of Being! How Couldst Thou Forget Thine Own Faults And
O SON OF BEING! How couldst thou forget thine own faults and busy thyself with the faults of others? Whoso doeth this is accursed of Me. ... 27
Hearken then unto that which the Bird of Heaven uttered, in the sweetest and most wondrous accents, and in the most perfect and exalted melodies, concerning them--an utterance that shall fill them with remorse from now unto "the day when mankind shal... 27 Let The Days In Excess Of The Months Be Placed Before The Month Of Fasting #16
The Badi calendar is based on the solar year of 365 days, 5 hours, and 50 odd minutes. The year consists of 19 months of 19 days each (i.e. 361 days), with the addition of four extra days (five in a leap year). The Bab did not specifically define ... 27: O Son Of Dust! All That Is In Heaven And Earth I Have Ordained
O SON OF DUST! All that is in heaven and earth I have ordained for thee, except the human heart, which I have made the habitation of My beauty and glory; yet thou didst give My home and dwelling to another than Me; and whenever the manifestation o... 27: O Son Of Man! Breathe Not The Sins Of Others So Long As Thou Art
O SON OF MAN! Breathe not the sins of others so long as thou art thyself a sinner. Shouldst thou transgress this command, accursed wouldst thou be, and to this I bear witness. ... 28
Be not veiled by aught that hath been revealed in the Qur'an, or by what thou hast learned from the works of those Suns of immaculacy and Moons of majesty,(22) regarding the perversion of the Texts by the fanatical or their alteration by their corrup... 28 We Have Ordained That These Shall Be The Manifestations Of The Letter Ha #16
Known as the Ayyam-i-Ha (the Days of Ha), the Intercalary Days have the distinction of being associated with the letter Ha. The abjad numerical value of this Arabic letter is five, which corresponds to the potential number of intercalary days. ... 28: O Essence Of Desire! At Many A Dawn Have I Turned From The Realms Of
O ESSENCE OF DESIRE! At many a dawn have I turned from the realms of the Placeless unto thine abode, and found thee on the bed of ease busied with others than Myself. Thereupon, even as the flash of the spirit, I returned to the realms of celestia... 28: O Son Of Spirit! Know Thou Of A Truth: He That Biddeth Men Be Just
O SON OF SPIRIT! Know thou of a truth: He that biddeth men be just and himself committeth iniquity is not of Me, even though he bear My name. ... 29
O thou who art mentioned in this outspread roll and who, amidst the gloomy darkness that now prevaileth, hast been illumined by the splendours of the sacred Mount in the Sinai of divine Revelation! Cleanse thy heart from every blasphemous whispering ... 29 These Days Of Giving That Precede The Season Of Restraint #16
Baha'u'llah enjoined upon His followers to devote these days to feasting, rejoicing and charity. In a letter written on Shoghi Effendi's behalf it is explained that the intercalary days are specially set aside for hospitality, the giving of gifts,... 29: O Son Of Being! Ascribe Not To Any Soul That Which Thou Wouldst
O SON OF BEING! Ascribe not to any soul that which thou wouldst not have ascribed to thee, and say not that which thou doest not. This is My command unto thee, do thou observe it. ... 29: O Son Of Bounty! Out Of The Wastes Of Nothingness With The Clay
O SON OF BOUNTY! Out of the wastes of nothingness, with the clay of My command I made thee to appear, and have ordained for thy training every atom in existence and the essence of all created things. Thus, ere thou didst issue from thy mother's wo... 2: O Son Of Spirit! The Bird Seeketh Its Nest; The Nightingale The
O SON OF SPIRIT! The bird seeketh its nest; the nightingale the charm of the rose; whilst those birds, the hearts of men, content with transient dust, have strayed far from their eternal nest, and with eyes turned towards the slough of heedlessnes... 3
Know then that it behoveth thine eminence to ponder from the outset these questions in thy heart: What hath prompted the divers peoples and kindreds of the earth to reject the Apostles whom God hath sent unto them in His might and power, whom He hath... 3 We Have Enjoined Obligatory Prayer Upon You #6
In Arabic, there are several words for prayer. The word salat, which appears here in the original, refers to a particular category of prayers, the recitation of which at specific times of the day is enjoined on the believers. To differentiate this... 30
O thou who art standing before My Throne and yet remain unaware thereof! Know thou that whoso seeketh to scale the summits of the divine mysteries must needs strive to the utmost of his power and capacity for his Faith, that the pathway of guidance m... 30 The Traveller Not Bound By The Fast #16
The minimum duration of a journey which exempts the believer from fasting is defined by Baha'u'llah (Q and A 22 and 75). The details of this provision are summarized in the Synopsis and Codification, section IV.B.5.a.i.-v. Shoghi Effendi has cl... 30: O Bond Slave Of The World! Many A Dawn Hath The Breeze Of My Loving-kindness
O BOND SLAVE OF THE WORLD! Many a dawn hath the breeze of My loving-kindness wafted over thee and found thee upon the bed of heedlessness fast asleep. Bewailing then thy plight it returned whence it came. ... 30: O Son Of Man! Deny Not My Servant Should He Ask Anything From
O SON OF MAN! Deny not My servant should he ask anything from thee, for his face is My face; be then abashed before Me. ... 31
Were the peoples of every nation to observe that which hath been mentioned, the matter would be made simple unto them, and such words and allusions would not withhold them from the Ocean of the names and attributes of God. And had the people known th... 31 The Traveller The Ailing Those Who Are With Child Or Giving Suck Are Not Bound By The Fast
they have been exempted by God as a token of His grace. 16 Exemption from fasting is granted to those who are ill or of advanced age (see note 14), women in their courses (see note 20), travellers (see note 30) and to women who are pregnant and... 31: O Son Of Being! Bring Thyself To Account Each Day Ere Thou Art
O SON OF BEING! Bring thyself to account each day ere thou art summoned to a reckoning; for death, unheralded, shall come upon thee and thou shalt be called to give account for thy deeds. ... 31: O Son Of Earth! Wouldst Thou Have Me Seek None Other Than
O SON OF EARTH! Wouldst thou have Me, seek none other than Me; and wouldst thou gaze upon My beauty, close thine eyes to the world and all that is therein; for My will and the will of another than Me, even as fire and water, cannot dwell together ... 32
Know, moreover, that it is through such words that God proveth His servants and sifteth them, separating the believer from the infidel, the detached from the worldly, the pious from the profligate, the doer of good from the worker of iniquity, and so... 32 Abstain From Food And Drink From Sunrise To Sundown #17
This relates to the period of fasting. In one of His Tablets, 'Abdu'l-Baha, after stating that fasting consists of abstinence from food and drink, further indicates that smoking is a form of drink. In Arabic the verb drink applies equally to smoki... 32: O Befriended Stranger! The Candle Of Thine Heart Is Lighted By The Hand
O BEFRIENDED STRANGER! The candle of thine heart is lighted by the hand of My power, quench it not with the contrary winds of self and passion. The healer of all thine ills is remembrance of Me, forget it not. Make My love thy treasure and cherish... 32: O Son Of The Supreme! I Have Made Death A Messenger Of Joy To Thee
O SON OF THE SUPREME! I have made death a messenger of joy to thee. Wherefore dost thou grieve? I made the light to shed on thee its splendor. Why dost thou veil thyself therefrom? ... 33
It behoveth him who is a wayfarer in the path of God and a wanderer in His way to detach himself from all who are in the heavens and on the earth. He must renounce all save God, that perchance the portals of mercy may be unlocked before his face and ... 33 It Hath Been Ordained That Every Believer In God
... shall, each day ... repeat Allah-u-Abha ninety-five times. 18 Allah-u-Abha is an Arabic phrase meaning God the All-Glorious. It is a form of the Greatest Name of God (see note 137). In Islam there is a tradition that among the many names of... 33: O My Brother! Hearken To The Delightsome Words Of My Honeyed
O MY BROTHER! Hearken to the delightsome words of My honeyed tongue, and quaff the stream of mystic holiness from My sugar-shedding lips. Sow the seeds of My divine wisdom in the pure soil of thy heart, and water them with the water of certitude, ... 33: O Son Of Spirit! With The Joyful Tidings Of Light I Hail Thee: Rejoice!
O SON OF SPIRIT! With the joyful tidings of light I hail thee: rejoice! To the court of holiness I summon thee; abide therein that thou mayest live in peace for evermore. ... 34
Know thou that the passages that We have called "ambiguous" appear as such only in the eyes of them that have failed to soar above the horizon of guidance and to reach the heights of knowledge in the retreats of grace. For otherwise, unto them that h... 34 Perform Ye Ablutions For The Obligatory Prayer #18
Ablutions are specifically associated with certain prayers. They must precede the offering of the three Obligatory Prayers, the daily recitation of Allah-u-Abha ninety-five times, and the recital of the verse prescribed as an alternative to obliga... 34: O Dwellers Of My Paradise! With The Hands Of Loving-kindness I Have
O DWELLERS OF MY PARADISE! With the hands of loving-kindness I have planted in the holy garden of paradise the young tree of your love and friendship, and have watered it with the goodly showers of My tender grace; now that the hour of its fruitin... 34: O Son Of Spirit! The Spirit Of Holiness Beareth Unto Thee The Joyful
O SON OF SPIRIT! The spirit of holiness beareth unto thee the joyful tidings of reunion; wherefore dost thou grieve? The spirit of power confirmeth thee in His cause; why dost thou veil thyself? The light of His countenance doth lead thee; how can... 35
Now that We have reached this most excellent theme and attained such lofty heights by virtue of that which hath flowed from this Pen through the incomparable favours of God, the Exalted, the Most High, it is Our wish to disclose unto thee certain sta... 35 Ye Have Been Forbidden To Commit Murder #19
The prohibition against taking another's life is repeated by Baha'u'llah in paragraph 73 of the Kitab-i-Aqdas. Penalties are prescribed for premeditated murder (see note 86). In the case of manslaughter, it is necessary to pay a specified indemnit... 35: O My Friends! Quench Ye The Lamp Of Error And Kindle Within
O MY FRIENDS! Quench ye the lamp of error, and kindle within your hearts the everlasting torch of divine guidance. For ere long the assayers of mankind shall, in the holy presence of the Adored, accept naught but purest virtue and deeds of stainle... 35: O Son Of Man! Sorrow Not Save That Thou Art Far From Us Rejoice
O SON OF MAN! Sorrow not save that thou art far from Us. Rejoice not save that thou art drawing near and returning unto Us. ... 36
Know thou of a truth that the seeker must, at the beginning of his quest for God, enter the Garden of Search. In this journey it behoveth the wayfarer to detach himself from all save God and to close his eyes to all that is in the heavens and on the ...