Remarriage

Remarriage permitted since the eternal bond (of a first marriage) is (ideally to be) a spiritual one

"Given the fact that, from the Bahá'í perspective, marriage is an eternal bond, Mr. ... asks whether a Muslim with four wives will have an eternal bond with all four wives, and whether divorce severs the bond. The Bahá'í Writings do not deal directly with these issues. The following extract from a letter dated 4 December 1954, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi in response to a question about the appropriateness of remarriage in light of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's statements about the spiritual nature of marriage, might assist Mr. ... in thinking about this subject:

"There is no teaching in the Bahá'í Faith that 'soul mates' exist. What is meant is that marriage should lead to a profound friendship of spirit, which will endure in the next world, where there is no sex, and no giving and taking in marriage; just the way we should establish with our parents, our children, our brothers and sisters and friends a deep spiritual bond which will be everlasting, and not merely physical bonds of human relationship.

"There is nothing against a person remarrying, the implication of unity in marriage being meant as a spiritual bond which will be everlasting, and not a sexual thing, in the quotation you cited."

(Research Department, 1994-07-06, at https://bahai-library.com/uhj_nrm_tolkien_marriage#s4)

Divorced people can remarry (other divorced people or those never divorced)

"Divorced people can remarry either other divorced people, or people who have never been divorced; but divorce is strongly condemned in the Teachings, even though it is permitted."

(On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, Messages to Canada, p. 187)

It is a private affair as to whether to remarry--though it is normally a moral duty to marry

"As regards your question whether it would be advisable and useful for you to marry again: he feels unable to give you any definite answer on that point, as this is essentially a private affair about which you, and the friends around you or your Local Assembly, are in a much better position to judge. Of course, under normal circumstances, every person should consider it his moral duty to marry. And this is what Bahá'u'lláh has encouraged the believers to do. But marriage is by no means an obligation. In the last resort it is for the individual to decide whether he wishes to lead a family life or live in a state of celibacy. (From a letter dated 3 May 1936, to an individual believer)"

(On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, cited in Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-86, no. 126.7d, p. 234)

See also

• Marriage
• Need to fix return time for spouse upon travel and adhere to it (if spouse does not return on time or make an effort to return, the spouse may remarry after 9 months, though preferable to be patient)
• Abrogation of prohibition against remarrying spouse divorced three times
• Not to divorce for remarriage

To-dos for this page

• Cover remarriage as permitted in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas