34 Perform Ye Ablutions For The Obligatory Prayer #18

Categories: NOTES
Sources: The Kitab-i-aqdas

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 obligatory prayer and fasting for women in

their courses (see note 20).



The prescribed ablutions consist of washing the hands and the face in

preparation for prayer. I the case of the medium Obligatory Prayer, this

is accompanied by the recitation of certain verses (see Some Texts

Revealed by Baha'u'llah Supplementary to the Kitab-i-Aqdas).



That ablutions have a significance beyond washing may be seen from the

fact that even should one have bathed oneself immediately before reciting

the Obligatory Prayer, it would still be necessary to perform ablutions (Q

and A 18).



When no water is available for ablutions, a prescribed verse is to be

repeated five times (see note 16), and this provision is extended to those

for whom the use of water would be physically harmful (Q and A 51).



The detailed provisions of the law concerning ablutions are set out in the

Synopsis and Codification, section IV.A.10.a.-g., as well as in Questions

and Answers numbers 51, 62, 66, 77 and 86.