20 God Hath Exempted Women Who Are In Their Courses From Obligatory Prayer And Fasting #13

Categories: NOTES
Sources: The Kitab-i-aqdas

Exemption from obligatory prayer and fasting is granted to women who are

menstruating; they should, instead, perform their ablutions (see note 34)

and repeat 95 times a day between one noon and the next, the verse

Glorified be God, the Lord of Splendour and Beauty. This provision has

its antecedent in the Arabic Bayan, where a similar dispensation was

granted.



In some earlier religious Dispensations, wome in their courses were

considered ritually unclean and were forbidden to observe the duties of

prayer and fasting. The concept of ritual uncleanness has been abolished

by Baha'u'llah (see note 106).



The Universal House of Justice has clarified that the provisions in the

Kitab-i-Aqdas granting exemptions from certain duties and responsibilities

are, as the word indicates, exemptions and not prohibitions. Any believer

is, therefore, free to avail himself or herself of an applicable exemption

if he or she so wishes. However, the House of Justice counsels that, in

deciding whether to do so or not, the believer should use wisdom and

realize that Baha'u'llah has granted these exemptions for good reason.



The prescribed exemption from obligatory prayer, originally related to the

Obligatory Prayer consisting of nine rak'ahs, is now applicable to the

three Obligatory Prayers which superseded it.