Obligatory prayer

Letters and compilations[edit]

Choices[edit]

Significance[edit]

There are mysteries and a wisdom in every word of the obligatory prayers[edit]

"Know thou that in every word and movement of the obligatory prayer there are allusions, mysteries and a wisdom that man is unable to comprehend, and letters and scrolls cannot contain."

('Abdu'l-Bahá: Tablets of Abdu'l-Bahá, Vol. I, p. 85, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1521)

Technical details[edit]

Entirely free to choose any one of the three prayers but must choose one and follow the instructions[edit]

"With regard to the three daily obligatory prayers:... The Bahá'í worshipper is free to choose any of these three prayers...The adoption of one of these three prayers is a spiritual obligation imposed upon all the believers. For as Abdu'l-Bahá says in His Writings--prayer and fasting are the twin pillars that sustain the Law of God.

(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, April 25, 1937, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1525)

"...The friends are free to choose any one of these three prayers, but have to follow the instructions revealed by Bahá'u'lláh concerning them...The believer is entirely free to choose any one of these three prayers for daily use."

(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the National Spiritual Assembly of India, April 27, 1937, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1529)

Required aspects to accompany Obligatory Prayers[edit]

Qiblih, facing (for all)
ablutions (for all)
genuflexions (see also the individual prayer pages)
At proper time (see below)
By oneself (see below)

Observing at the prescribed times[edit]

Friends to observe the specific times for prayer[edit]

"...the friends must observe the specific times for the remembrance of God, meditation, devotion and prayer, as it is highly unlikely, nay impossible, for any enterprise to prosper and develop when deprived of divine bestowals and confirmation."

(From a letter dated 19 December 1923 written by Shoghi Effendi to the Bahá'ís of the East - translated from the Persian, in Living the Life, no. 1267)

Definition of "Morning", "Noon" and "Evening"[edit]

"QUESTION: Concerning the definition of "morning", "noon" and "evening".

"ANSWER: These are sunrise, noon and sunset. The allowable times for Obligatory Prayers are from morning till noon, from noon till sunset, and from sunset till two hours thereafter. Authority is in the hand of God, the Bearer of the Two Names."

(Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Question and Answer no. 83)

"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."

(Synopsis and Codification of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 146, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1530)

"Regarding the definition of the words "morning", "noon" and "evening", at which times the currently binding medium Obligatory Prayer is to be recited, Bahá'u'lláh has stated that these coincide with "sunrise, noon and sunset" (Q and A 83). He specifies that the "allowable times for Obligatory Prayers are from morning till noon, from noon till sunset, and from sunset till two hours thereafter". Further, 'Abdu'l-Bahá has stated that the morning Obligatory Prayer may be said as early as dawn.

"The definition of "noon" as the period "from noon till sunset" applies to the recitation of the short Obligatory Prayer as well as the medium one.

(Kitáb-i-Aqdas, note. no. 5)

Hour of noon to be observed in accordance with the sun's position, not local time-standards[edit]

"The hour of noon should, of course, be observed in accordance with the position of the sun, not in accordance with local time-standards."

(From a letter from the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the British Isles, cited in Principles of Bahá'í Administration, p. 8)

In High Latitudes the National Spiritual Assembly May Fix Hours of Prayer and Fasting by the Clock.[edit]

"Concerning the times for prayer and fasting, it is correct that, in the high latitudes, where the lengths of day and night vary considerably from season to season of the year, it is permissible to observe the laws of prayer and fasting in accordance with the clock rather than with the rising and setting of the sun. As Iceland lies in such latitudes, it is for your Assembly to decide this matter for the believers in your country. All should then abide by whatever your Assembly lays down."

(From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to a National Spiritual Assembly, July 27, 1976: Notes on Obligatory Prayers and Ablutions, A Compilation of the Universal House of Justice, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1531)

Based on Texts in the "Kitab-i-Aqdas" and "Questions and Answers"--The Universal House of Justice Permits Use of Clock[edit]

"There are two texts, in the Kitab-i-Aqdas and its annexe, which refer to the use of clocks. In the Book itself it is written that in lands where the days and nights are long the hours of prayer shall be determined by reference to clocks and other timepieces. In the 'Questions and Answers', in answer to the more general question whether, in determining time, it is permissible to make use of timepieces, Bahá'u'lláh states that it is permissible.

"Although in the first instance the Sacred Text specifically mentions the use of clocks for determining the times of prayer it does not limit their use to that purpose, and the Universal House of Justice, on the basis of the more general statement in the 'Questions and Answers', has permitted their use also in determining the hours of fasting, leaving the application of the law to the National Spiritual Assembly in each country that lies in the high latitudes.

"In the case of fasting, as Mr. ... correctly comments, there is little difference between sunrise and sunset as observed astronomically and hours of fasting as fixed by the clock, because the fast falls just before the Equinox. However, by this ruling it is possible for the believers in the high latitudes to use the same standard for both prayer and fasting, as well as for fixing the ending of each day in the Bahá'í calendar in determining the time for the starting of each Holy Day and the holding of the Nineteen Day Feasts."

(From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to a National Spiritual Assembly, June 13, 1978: Notes on Obligatory Prayers and Ablutions, A Compilation of the Universal House of Justice, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1532)

Obligatory prayers to be said alone[edit]

Obligatory prayer to be performed individually[edit]

"It hath been ordained that obligatory prayer is to be performed by each of you individually. Save in the Prayer for the Dead, the practice of congregational prayer hath been annulled. He, of a truth, is the Ordainer, the All-Wise. "

(Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, par. 12)

Obligatory prayers to be recited individually not in congregation[edit]

"The three daily Obligatory Prayers are to be recited individually, not in congregation."

(Notes to the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, no. 19)

Better to avoid obligatory prayer being said by one person for a group of people (avoid congregational prayer)[edit]

"As obligatory prayers require either genuflection or ablution and orienting toward Bahji, they cannot truly be said by one person for a group of people without it being in effect a form of congregational prayer, so he thinks it better to avoid it."

(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, July 31, 1946: Bahá'í News, No. 197, July 1947, p. 6, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1522)

Each one must say obligatory prayer by himself (but may be in a gathering-place)[edit]

"As to the obligatory prayer: Each one must say his prayer alone by himself, and this is not conditional on a private place; that is, both at home and in the worshipping-place, which is a gathering-place, it is allowable for one to say his prayer; but each person must say his prayer by himself. But if they chant supplications together, in a good and effective voice, that is very good."

('Abdu'l-Bahá: Tablets of Abdu'l-Bahá, Vol. II, p. 464, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1527)

The daily prayer is a personal obligation so someone else reading it is not quite the same thing[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)

Obligatory prayers may be said silently[edit]

The Obligatory Prayers may be said silently[edit]

"The daily prayers are to be said each one for himself, aloud or silent makes no difference."

(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, January 31, 1949: Baha'i News, No. 220, June 1949, pp. 2-3; quoted in Lights of Guidance, no. 1502, p. 460)

Exemptions[edit]

Those less than 15 years old, 70 years or older, or weak from illness[edit]

"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 hath exempted from this those who are weak from illness or age, as a bounty from His Presence, and He is the Forgiving, the Generous. God hath granted you leave to prostrate yourselves on any surface that is clean, for We have removed in this regard the limitation that had been laid down in the Book; God, indeed, hath knowledge of that whereof ye know naught. Let him that findeth no water for ablution repeat five times the words "In the Name of God, the Most Pure, the Most Pure", and then proceed to his devotions. Such is the command of the Lord of all worlds. In regions where the days and nights grow long, let times of prayer be gauged by clocks and other instruments that mark the passage of the hours. He, verily, is the Expounder, the Wise."

(Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, par. 10)

"Bahá'u'lláh defines the "age of maturity with respect to religious duties" as "fifteen for both men and women" (Q and A 20)."

(Notes to the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, no. 13)

"The exemption of those who are weak due to illness or advanced age from offering the Obligatory Prayers and from fasting is explained in Questions and Answers. Bahá'u'lláh indicates that in "time of ill-health it is not permissible to observe these obligations" (Q and A 93). He defines old age, in this context, as being from seventy (Q and A 74). In answer to a question, Shoghi Effendi has clarified that people who attain the age of seventy are exempt, whether or not they are weak."

(Notes to the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, no. 14)

Condition of insecurity (with substitution verse to compensate later)[edit]

Substitution verse for women[edit]

Notes[edit]

https://bahai-library.com/wilmette_kitab_aqdas_prayers

Resources[edit]

For sunrise/sunset times, see for example: http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneDay.html (for the short or medium prayers)

To-dos for this page[edit]

Sections from the compilation dealing with Obligatory Prayer (Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting)[edit]

(need to be categorized (along with quotations in letters) into the above)

Section 1: 1-11
Section 2: 1-24
Section 3: 5