The Kitab-i-Aqdas Part 15

4. nine rak'ahs #6

A rak'ah is the recitation of specifically revealed verses accompanied by a prescribed set of genuflections and other movements.

The Obligatory Prayer originally enjoined by Baha'u'llah upon His followers consisted of nine rak'ahs. The precise nature of this prayer and the specific instructions for its recitation are unknown, as the prayer has been lost. (See note 9.)

In a Tablet commenting on the presently-binding Obligatory Prayers, 'Abdu'l-Baha indicates 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".

Shoghi Effendi explains that the few simple directions given by Baha'u'llah for the recital of certain prayers not only have a spiritual significance but that they also help the individual "to fully concentrate when praying and meditating".

5. at noon and in the morning and the evening #6

Regarding the definition of the words "morning", "noon" and "evening", at which times the currently binding medium Obligatory Prayer is to be recited, Baha'u'llah 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-Baha 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.

6. We have relieved you of a greater number #6

The requirements for obligatory prayer called for in the Babi and Islamic Dispensations were more demanding than those for the performance of the Obligatory Prayer consisting of nine rak'ahs that was prescribed in the Kitab-i-Aqdas (see note 4).

In the Bayan, the Bab prescribed an Obligatory Prayer consisting of nineteen rak'ahs which was to be performed once in a twenty-four-hour period-from noon of one day to noon of the next.

The Muslim prayer is recited five times a day, namely, in the early morning, at midday, in the afternoon and evening, and at night. While the number of rak'ahs varies according to the time of recitation, a total of seventeen rak'ahs are offered in the course of a day.

7. When ye desire to perform this prayer, turn ye towards the Court of My Most Holy Presence, this Hallowed Spot that G.o.d hath ... decreed to be the Point of Adoration for the denizens of the Cities of Eternity #6

The "Point of Adoration", that is, the point to which the wors.h.i.+pper should turn when offering obligatory prayer, is called the Qiblih. The concept of Qiblih has existed in previous religions. Jerusalem in the past had been fixed for this purpose. Mu?ammad changed the Qiblih to Mecca. The Bab's instructions in the Arabic Bayan were:

The Qiblih is indeed He Whom G.o.d will make manifest; whenever He moveth, it moveth, until He shall come to rest.

This pa.s.sage is quoted by Baha'u'llah in the Kitab-i-Aqdas (# 137) and confirmed by Him in the above-noted verse. He has also indicated that facing in the direction of the Qiblih is a "fixed requirement for the recitation of obligatory prayer" (Q and A 14 and 67). However, for other prayers and devotions the individual may face in any direction.

8. and when the Sun of Truth and Utterance shall set, turn your faces towards the Spot that We have ordained for you #6

Baha'u'llah ordains His resting-place as the Qiblih after His pa.s.sing. The Most Holy Tomb is at Bahji, Akka. 'Abdu'l-Baha describes that Spot as the "luminous Shrine", "the place around which circ.u.mambulate the Concourse on High".

In a letter written on his behalf, Shoghi Effendi uses the a.n.a.logy of the plant turning in the direction of the sun to explain the spiritual significance of turning towards the Qiblih:

...just as the plant stretches out to the sunlight-from which it receives life and growth-so we turn our hearts to the Manifestation of G.o.d, Baha'u'llah, when we pray; ... we turn our faces ... to where His dust lies on this earth as a symbol of the inner act.

9. We have set forth the details of obligatory prayer in another Tablet.

#8

The original Obligatory Prayer had "for reasons of wisdom" been revealed by Baha'u'llah in a separate Tablet (Q and A 63). It was not released to the believers in His lifetime, having been superseded by the three Obligatory Prayers now in use.

Shortly after the Ascension of Baha'u'llah, the text of this prayer, along with a number of other Tablets, was stolen by Mu?ammad-'Ali, the Arch-breaker of His Covenant.

10. the Prayer for the Dead #8

The Prayer for the Dead (see Some Texts Supplementary to the Kitab-i-Aqdas) is the only Baha'i obligatory prayer which is to be recited in congregation; it is to be recited by one believer while all present stand in silence (see note 19). Baha'u'llah has clarified that the Prayer for the Dead is required only when the deceased is an adult (Q and A 70), that the recital should precede the interment of the deceased, and that there is no requirement to face the Qiblih when saying this prayer (Q and A 85).

Further details concerning the Prayer for the Dead are summarized in the Synopsis and Codification, section IV.A. 13.-14.

11. six specific pa.s.sages have been sent down by G.o.d, the Revealer of Verses #8

The pa.s.sages that form part of the Prayer for the Dead comprise the repet.i.tion of the greeting "Allah-u-Abha" (G.o.d is the All-Glorious) six times, each followed by nineteen repet.i.tions of one of six specifically revealed verses. These verses are identical with those in the Prayer for the Dead revealed by the Bab in the Bayan. Baha'u'llah added a supplication to precede these pa.s.sages.

12. Hair doth not invalidate your prayer, nor aught from which the spirit hath departed, such as bones and the like. Ye are free to wear the fur of the sable as ye would that of the beaver, the squirrel, and other animals #9

In some earlier religious Dispensations, the wearing of the hair of certain animals or having certain other objects on one's person was held to invalidate one's prayer. Baha'u'llah here confirms the Bab's p.r.o.nouncement in the Arabic Bayan that such things do not invalidate one's prayer.