Saying grace

Not to be a set practice

"He does not feel that the friends should make a practice of saying grace or of teaching it to children. This is not part of the Baha'i Faith, but a Christian practice, and as the Cause embraces members of all races and religions we should be careful not to introduce into it the customs of our previous beliefs. Baha'u'llah has given us the obligatory prayers, also prayers before sleeping, for travellers, etc. We should not introduce a new set of prayers He has not specified, when He has given us already so many, for so many occasions."

(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, September 27, 1947; quoted in Lights of Guidance, no. 1501)

A prayer which may be said before meals

"O my Lord, my Hope! [May be said before meals.] Praise be unto Thee, for Thou hast sent down unto us this spiritual table, supreme benefit and heavenly blessing. O our Lord! Strengthen us to partake of this heavenly food, so that its fine essence may run through the pillars of our spiritual being and that we may thereby obtain a celestial power for serving Thy Cause, promulgating Thy signs and adorning Thy vineyard with lofty trees, the fruits whereof shall be near (to gather) and of perfuming fragrances. Verily Thou art the Possessor of great bounty! Verily Thou are the Clement, the Merciful!"

(Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbás, p. 167)

Phrases to recite before and after meals

"When you begin to eat, begin with My Name El Abhá, [“The Glorious”, the superlative form of Bahá, “Glory”] and finish with the Name of God [“Yá Bahá’ul’Abhá” or “O Glory of the All-Glorious!"] the Possessor of the Throne and the earth."

(Provisional Translation of the Lawh-i-Tibb (Tablet of Medicine))

A prayer which may be said after meals

"O my Lord, my Hope! [May be said after meals.] Thanks be unto Thee for these foods and benefits. O Lord! Suffer us to ascend to Thy Kingdom and to sit at the tables of thy divine world. Nourish us with the food of Thy meeting and cause us to attain to the sweetness of beholding Thy beauty, forasmuch as this is the utmost wish, the mightiest gift and the greatest bestowal. O Lord, O Lord! Make this feasible unto us. Verily Thou art the Beneficent, the Giver! Verily Thou art the Bestower, the Mighty, the Merciful."

(Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbás, p. 167)

Other prayers revealed in connection with meals and gratitude

"The second day at the luncheon table, when asked to say a benediction, He uttered this prayer:

""He is God! Behold us, O Lord, gathered at this board, thankful for Thy bounty, our gaze turned to Thy Kingdom. O Lord! Send down unto us Thy heavenly food and blessing from Thee. Verily, Thou art the Generous, and verily, Thou art the Beneficent, the Merciful."

"And at dinner on the 15th He spoke this prayer:

""He is God! O Lord! How shall we thank Thee! Thy bounties are limitless, and our gratitude but limited. How can the limited render thanks to the limitless? Incapable are we of offering thanks for Thy mercies. Utterly powerless, we turn unto Thy Kingdom, and beg Thee to increase Thy bestowal and bounty. Thou art the Giver, Thou art the Bestower, Thou art the Powerful.""

(H. M. Balyuzi, 'Abdu'l-Bahá - The Centre of the Covenant, pp. 307-308)

"He then went to lunch. At the request of those present at the table the Master chanted the following prayer:

""He is God! Thou seest us, O my God, gathered around this table, praising Thy bounty, with our gaze set upon Thy Kingdom. O Lord! Send down upon us Thy heavenly food and confer upon us Thy blessing. Thou art verily the Bestower, the Merciful, the Compassionate.""

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Mahmúd's Diary, p. 327)

"His prayer at the dinner table was this:

""He is God! How can we render Thee thanks, O Lord? Thy bounties are endless and our gratitude cannot equal them. How can the finite utter praise of the Infinite? Unable are we to voice our thanks for Thy favors and in utter powerlessness we turn wholly to Thy Kingdom beseeching the increase of Thy bestowals and bounties. Thou are the Giver, the Bestower, the Almighty.""

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Mahmúd's Diary, p. 329)

"Before eating `Abdu'l-Bahá rose and recited the following prayer:

""He is God! O Lord! We are assembled here in the utmost love and are turned toward Thy Kingdom. We seek none other but Thee and desire not but Thy good pleasure.

""O Lord! Make this food heavenly and make those assembled here of the hosts of Thy Supreme Concourse so that they may become life-giving and the cause of the enlightenment of the world of man, that they may arise to guide all the peoples of the world. Thou art the All-Powerful, the Almighty, the Forgiving and the Kind.""

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Mahmúd's Diary, pp. 381-382)

See also

• Diet