Funeral services

From Lights of Guidance (to categorize)[edit]

Official Bahá'í Funeral Service for Believers Only[edit]

"An official Bahá'í funeral service should only be given for a believer, but there is no objection to the reading of Bahá'í prayers, or indeed to a Bahá'í conducting the funeral service of a non-Bahá'í, if this has been requested."

(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, July 20, 1946, in Lights of Guidance, no. 657)

Utmost Simplicity and Flexibility Should Be Observed...[edit]

"Regarding the Bahá'í funeral service: It is extremely simple, as it consists only of a congregational prayer to be read before burial.... Your National Spiritual Assembly should take great care lest any uniform procedure or ritual in this matter be adopted or imposed upon the friends. The danger in this, as in some other cases regarding Bahá'í worship, is that a definite system or rigid rituals and practices be developed among the believers. The utmost simplicity and flexibility should be observed...."

(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada, January 10, 1936, in Lights of Guidance, no. 658)

No Objection to Bahá'ís Attending Non-Bahá'í Funeral of Bahá'ís[edit]

"There is no objection to Bahá'ís attending the non-Bahá'í funeral service of a Bahá'í whose non-Bahá'í relatives have prevented the Bahá'í funeral from taking place. The Bahá'ís should, however, endeavour to offer Bahá'í prayers for the progress of the soul of their departed friend, if circumstances permit. If they cannot be offered on the occasion of the funeral they should be offered at another time."

(From a letter of the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of Colombia, May 4, 1966, in Lights of Guidance, no. 659)

Obligatory Prayer for the Dead--Permissible to Change Gender[edit]

"We have your letter of 23 December 1966 asking whether it is permissible to change the gender of the pronoun in Bahá'í prayers for the dead when the deceased person is a woman.

"The prayer for the dead which is obligatory appears on page 260 of 'Prayers and Meditations'. This prayer allows for a change in gender.

"Other prayers for the dead are optional, but if used they are to be used as revealed."

(From a letter of the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, January 17, 1967, in Lights of Guidance, no. 660)

One Person Should Read the Funeral Prayer[edit]

"We have received your letter of 14th December inquiring which funeral prayer is considered as the desirable one for use in Europe, whether there is any obligatory prayer and what instructions are concerning standing at a Bahá'í funeral service.

"The only obligatory prayer for use at Bahá'í funerals is the prayer No. 167 in 'Prayers and Meditations'. This prayer should be recited by one of those present and all present should stand while it is being read. There is no requirement to face the Qiblih or any other particular direction while this prayer is being read.

"The reading of any other prayers or writings at a Bahá'í funeral is entirely optional. In general it is desirable to keep the service simple and dignified."

(From a letter of the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of Finland, January 31, 1971, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1504)

Funeral is not a legal ceremony, so a particular Bahá'í friend may officiate (not necessarily an individual acting for the Assembly)[edit]

"...In reporting Bahá'í marriages it is much better to mention that the ceremony was performed by the Assembly, as this is the proper thing to do, and an individual only acts for the Assembly on this occasion. As a funeral is not a legal ceremony more latitude can be allowed, especially as the family of the deceased may want some particular Bahá'í friend to officiate."

(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada, July 20, 1946: Bahá'í News, No. 188, p. 3, October 1946, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1301)

Congregational Prayer Only for the Dead[edit]

"There is no congregational prayer except that for the dead. We read healing and other prayers in our meetings, but the daily prayer is a personal obligation, so someone else reading it is not quite the same thing as saying it for yourself…"

(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, January 31, 1949: Bahá’í News, No. 220, June 1949, pp. 2-3, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1502)

One Person should Read the Funeral Prayer; reading of other prayers or writings is entirely optional[edit]

"We have received your letter of 14th December inquiring which funeral prayer is considered as the desirable one for use in Europe, whether there is any obligatory prayer and what instructions are concerning standing at a Bahá’í funeral service.

"The only obligatory prayer for use at Bahá’í funerals is the prayer No. 167 in 'Prayers and Meditations'. This prayer should be recited by one of those present and all present should stand while it is being read. There is no requirement to face the Qiblih or any other particular direction while this prayer is being read.

"The reading of any other prayers or writings at a Bahá’í funeral is entirely optional. In general it is desirable to keep the service simple and dignified."