Praised be Thou, O my God, that Thou hast ordained Naw-Rúz as a festival unto those who have observed the fast for love of Thee and abstained from all that is abhorrent unto Thee. Grant, O my Lord, that the fire of Thy love and the heat produced by the fast enjoined by Thee may inflame them in Thy Cause, and make them to be occupied with Thy praise and with remembrance of Thee.

(Baha'u'llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 67)

The Festival of Naw-Rúz falleth on the day that the sun entereth the sign of Aries, +F1 even should this occur no more than one minute before sunset.

(Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 117)

Naw-Ruz is the first day of the New Year. It coincides with the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere, which usually occurs on 21 March. Bahá'u'lláh explains that this feast day is to be celebrated on whatever day the sun passes into the constellation of Aries (i.e. the vernal equinox), even should this occur one minute before sunset (Q and A 35). Hence Naw-Rúz could fall on 20, 21, or 22 March, depending on the time of the equinox.

(Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 177)

In the Bahá’i calendar the first month of the year and the first day of each month are given the name "Bahá". The day of Bahá of the month of Bahá is thus the Bahá’i New Year, Naw-Rúz, which was ordained by the Báb as a festival and is here confirmed by Bahá'u'lláh

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 225)

The Bahá’i New Year, Naw-Rúz, is astronomically fixed, coinciding with the March equinox

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 228)

THESE are the days of Naw-Rúz. I am always thinking of those kind friends! I beg for each and all of you confirmations and assistance from the threshold of oneness, so that those gatherings may become ignited like unto candles

(Abd’u'l-Bahá, Tablets of the Divine Plan, p. 4)

These days are the days of Naw-Rúz, you have come to my mind and I am sending you this greeting for this glorious feast.

(Abd’u'l-Bahá, Tablets of the Divine Plan, p. 10)

Naw-Ruz: The Baha'i New Year

John Walbridge

Naw-Ruz (`New Day') is the Baha'i and Iranian new year, which occurs on the date of the vernal equinox, about 21 March. It is one of the nine Baha'i holy days on which work is suspended.

The Iranian Naw-Ruz
Naw-Ruz is the first day of Farvardin, the first month of the Iranian solar year. Since ancient times it has been the great national holiday of Iran, the only holiday celebrated by more than one religious group.

The origins of Naw-Ruz are unknown but it obviously began as a pastoral fertility festival. Legend attributes its foundation to the mythical antediluvian king Jamshid. Naw-Ruz and Mihrajan, the corresponding festival of the autumnal equinox in September, are the two great annual festivals of Zoroastrianism. Originally a sombre festival dedicated to the spirits of the dead was held for five days ten days before Naw-Ruz, followed by a further five days corresponding to the Baha'i Ayyam-i-Ha. Later Naw-Ruz gradually became a secular holiday and as such it continued to be observed even after the triumph of Islam in Iran. Muslim kings in Iran, like their Zoroastrian predecessors, celebrated Naw-Ruz with great magnificence. As late as the nineteenth century Naw-Ruz was the only day the Shah would dine with other people.

Shi`i traditions attributed to the Imams endorsed the observance of Naw-Ruz, which was, it was said, the day of many events of great religious significance, among them God's first covenant with mankind, the first rising of the sun, the grounding of Noah's ark on Ararat, Gabriel's first appearance to Muh3ammad, the destruction of the idols in the Ka`bih by `Ali, Muh3ammad's appointment of `Ali as His successor, the appearance of the Qa'im, and the final triumph of the Qa'im over the Antichrist. Such traditions echoed similar accounts of Naw-Ruz found in Zoroastrian literature.

Naw-Ruz is celebrated rather like the Christian Easter, with many symbols indicating spring and renewal. A week or so before the holiday lentils are placed in a dish to sprout into a mass of green blades. On the day of Naw-Ruz the family gathers in new or freshly cleaned clothes. The table is decorated with fruit, cakes, coloured eggs and other treats, as well as symbolic objects such as a holy book and a mirror. Among the best known customs of Naw-Ruz is the haft-sin -- the `seven S's'. These are seven objects beginning -- in Persian -- with the letter `S', such as hyacinths, apples, lilies, silver coins, garlic, vinegar and rue, decoratively arranged on a table. A great deal of time is spent exchanging visits with friends and relations. The celebrations end on the thirteenth day of Naw-Ruz with a picnic in the country. The sprouted lentils are thrown into running water, carrying away the bad luck of the previous year.

Naw-Ruz is observed wherever Iranian culture has penetrated, notably among the Zoroastrians of India and in the migr Iranian communities around the world. `Naw-Ruz' is occasionally used as a personal name in Iran.

The Babi and Baha'i Naw-Ruz
In the Badi` calendar of the Bab, Naw-Ruz is the day of Baha of the month of Baha, a day called by the Bab `the Day of God' (yawmu'llah). It was also the `Day of the Point' (yawm-i-nuqt3ih) -- i.e. the day of the Bab. Finally, it was a day associated with Him Whom God shall make manifest, the Promised One of the Bab. The remaining eighteen days of the month were associated with the eighteen Letters of the Living, an indication that the Bab envisioned the Naw-Ruz festivities encompassing the nineteen days of the month of Baha, just as the traditional Iranian Naw-Ruz festivities last thirteen days. During Naw-Ruz the Bab permitted the use of musical instruments and other luxuries prohibited at other times. During the night of Naw-Ruz each believer was to recite 361 times the verse `God beareth witness that there is no God but Him, the Ineffable, the Self-Subsistent'; and during the day, `God beareth witness that there is no God but Him, the Precious, the Beloved'. Fasting was prohibited during the whole month of Baha. During the six years of His mission, the Bab and His followers observed Naw-Ruz, although it is difficult to say how much this represents a distinctively Babi holy day. Baha'u'llah adopted the Babi holy day of Naw-Ruz as the feast day following the fast and stressed that it is associated with the Most Great Name, bearing as it does Baha'u'llah's own name. `Abdu'l-Baha explained the significance of Naw-Ruz in terms of the symbolism of the new life of spring. Baha'u'llah defines Naw-Ruz as the Baha'i day on which the vernal equinox occurs. Thus, even if the equinox should occur just before sunset, that day -- which in the Baha'i calendar began at the moment of sunset on the previous day -- is Naw-Ruz. At present, however, Naw-Ruz is fixed as 21 March for Baha'is in all countries outside the Middle East, regardless of exactly when the equinox occurs.

Naw-Ruz is one of the nine Baha'i holy days on which work is to be suspended. It is generally observed with a meeting for prayer and celebration -- often combined with a dinner since the sunset on which Naw-Ruz begins ends the last day of the Baha'i fast. As with all Baha'i holy days, there are few fixed rules for observing Naw-Ruz, although Iranian Baha'is often follow Iranian traditions. Many Baha'is use Naw-Ruz as a day of gift-giving. Baha'is do not usually observe Naw-Ruz for longer than one day. Since Naw-Ruz is the first day of a Baha'i month, it is also the day of a nineteen day feast. It is not permitted to combine this feast with the observance of the holy day.

Ayyam-i-Ha a time of giving and hospitality

February 26, 2010 - 1:00am

Baha'is celebrate the festival of Ayyam-i-Ha each year from sunset on Feb. 25 to sunset of March 1 as a preparation for the Fast, which begins March 2 and ends March 20. During Ayyam-i-Ha, members of the Faith perform acts of charity, give gifts to friends and family, and attend social gatherings.
Baha'u'llah has said of Ayyam-i-Ha: "It behoveth the people of Baha, throughout these days, to provide good cheer for themselves, their kindred and, beyond them, the poor and needy, and with joy and exultation to hail and glorify their Lord, to sing His praise and magnify His Name."


It behoveth the people of Baha, throughout these days, to provide good cheer for themselves, their kindred and, beyond them, the poor and needy, and with joy and exultation to hail and glorify their Lord, to sing His praise and magnify His Name."
--Baha'u'llah
So wrote Baha'u'llah, Founder of the Baha'i Faith, on how to observe the festival of Ayyam-i-Ha, which goes from sunset Feb. 25 to sunset March 1.
The holiday comes near the end of the Baha'i calendar, which is composed of 19 months of 19 days each, totaling 361 days. To harmonize with the 365-day (366 in leap years) Gregorian calendar, the Baha'i calendar adds four or five "intercalary days." Ayyam-i-Ha occurs during this period.
Ayyam-i-Ha is followed by a three-week-long Fast, which culminates in the Baha'i New Year, Naw-Ruz, on the first day of spring. (Look for our March 2007 newsletter for stories about these two major events.)


Ayyam-i-Ha is a time of gift-giving, performing acts of charity and attending social gatherings. Many Baha'is also decorate their homes with lights, banners and flowers. Baha'is tend to downplay the gift-giving part of Ayyam-i-Ha and focus on the spiritual aspect of the holiday by getting together with family and friends for devotions and special meals, and participating in projects to help those in need.
Curtis Wynne, a Baha'i in Hobbs, N.M., admits "it's hard to get my 12 grandchildren through the Christmas season. I have to keep telling them, 'Wait a few months until Ayyam-i-Ha!'" When he and his wife were raising their five children, they put pinatas in the front yard, which he says caused quite a few cars to slow down. His neighbors however, got into the spirit and participated in some of the Wynne's Ayyam-i-Ha events.
Adult Baha'is in Hobbs hold a gift exchange party for the holiday. For the last several years, their Ayyam-i-Ha charity project has been to collect new or gently used stuffed animals for the local fire department to distribute to children who have been through a trauma. Last year the Baha'is collected more than 1,500 stuffed toys.
Ten years ago, Wynne started a website for Baha'is to share their ideas for celebrating Ayyam-i-Ha. Members of the Faith responded with a wealth of ideas.
"My family's pinatas" he says, "can't hold a candle to what you see on the site."

Happy Ayyam-i-Ha!

Applicability of the Laws and Ordinances of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas




The Universal House of Justice
The Bahá'í World Centre
Department of the Secretariat
8 February 2001
To all National Spiritual Assemblies
Dear Bahá'í Friends,

Applicability of the Laws and Ordinances of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas
On 9 May 1993, each National Spiritual Assembly was sent a copy of a letter written to the National Spiritual Assembly of Iceland on 9 June 1974, which listed those laws not at that time binding upon the Western world. The covering letter noted that the law of Huququ'llah had been made universally binding at Ridvan 1992. On 28 December 1999, the Universal House of Justice wrote to the Bahá'ís throughout the world informing them of the universal application of the remaining aspects of the laws of prayer and fasting.
Therefore, to bring the information up to date, we have been asked to send you the enclosed list of laws not yet universally applied, to replace the one sent to you in May 1993.
With loving Bahá'í greetings,
For Department of the Secretariat
Enclosure

cc: The Hands of the Cause of God (with enclosure)
International Teaching Centre (with enclosure)
Boards of Counsellors (with enclosure)
Counsellors (with enclosure)

Laws of the Kitáb-I-Aqdas not yet Universally Applied
28 December 1999

Following the universal application of the laws on prayer, fasting and the recitation of the Greatest Name, the Universal House of Justice has provided the following list of laws noted in the Synopsis and Codification of the Kitáb-I-Aqdas which are not at present universally binding upon the friends. The numbers of the sections are given for ease of reference.
IV.C.1.i
The laws governing betrothal.
IV.C.1.J

The law concerning the payment of a dowry by the groom to the bride on marriage.
IV.C.1.1&m

The laws concerning the travelling of a husband away from his wife.
IV.C.1.n&o
The laws relating to the virginity of the wife.
IV.C.2.b

That part of the divorce law relating to fines payable to the house of Justice.
IV.C.3

The law of inheritance. This is normally covered by civil laws of intestacy at the present time.
IV.D.1.a
The law of pilgrimage.
IV.D.1.d

The law of the Mashriqu'l-adhkar is gradually being put into effect.
IV.D.1.f

The Bahá'í Festivals are being celebrated by the western friends on their anniversaries in the Gregorian calendar until such time as the Universal House of Justice deems it desirable to pass supplementary legislation necessary for the full implementation of the badi calendar.
IV.D.1.j

The age of maturity applies only to Bahá'í religious duties as yet. On other matters it is subject to the civil law of each country. The age of administrative maturity in the Bahá'í community has, for the time being, been fixed at 21.
IV.D.1.k

For the burial of the dead the only requirements now binding in the West are to bury the body (not to cremate it), not to carry it more than a distance of one hour's journey from the place of death, and to say the Prayer for the Dead if the deceased is a believer over the age of 15.
IV.D.1.p
The law of tithes.
IV.D.1.r
The law concerning the hunting of animals.
IV.D.1.t, u, v & w

The laws relating to the finding of lost property, the disposition of treasure trove, the disposal of objects held in trust and compensation for manslaughter are all designed for a future state of society. These matters are usually covered by the civil law of each country.
IV.D.1.y, xiv, xv, xvi & xvii

Arson, adultery, murder and theft are all forbidden to Baha'is, but the punishments prescribed for them in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas are designed for a future state of society. Such matters are usually covered by the civil laws of each country.
IV.D.1.y,xxv,xxx,xxxi & xxxii

The laws prohibiting the use of the type of pools which used to be found in persian baths, the plunging of one's hand in food, the shaving of one's head and the growth of men's hair below the lobe of the ear.
All the exhortations listed in section IV.D.3 are applicable universally at the present time insofar as it is possible for the friends to implement them: for example, the exhortation to teach one's children to chant the Holy Verses in the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar can be literally carried out only on a limited scale at the present time, but the friends should,nevertheless, teach their children the Holy Writings as far as possible.

Laws and Ordinances : 2001 Feb 08 Laws of the Aqdas not yet Universally Applied

99 Dec 28 UHJ
Obligatory Prayer and Fasting
Universal House of Justice
(c) 2006 Bahá’í World Centre
=================================
THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT OF THE SECRETARIAT
28 December 1999
Transmitted electronically
To the Bahá’ís of the World
Beloved Friends,

In the course of the Four Year Plan, we have been reviewing those laws of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas which are not yet universally applied, in order to determine which of them it would be timely to implement now. In every land we see a growing thirst for spiritual life and moral clarity. There is recognition of the ineffectiveness of plans and programs for human betterment which are not rooted in lives of spiritual awareness and ethical virtue. Who should be better equipped to satisfy this longing than those who are already inspired by the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh and aided by His Power? We have determined, therefore, that it is imperative for all the believers to deepen their awareness of the blessings conferred by the laws which directly foster the devotional life of the individual and, thus, of the community. The essentials of these laws are known to all Bahá’ís, but acquiring greater insight into their significance must include carrying out all the divinely revealed aspects of their observance. These are the laws which pertain to obligatory prayer, fasting and recitation of the Greatest Name ninety-five times a day. Bahá’u’lláh asserts: “One who performeth neither good deeds nor acts of worship is like unto a tree which beareth no fruit, and an action which leaveth no trace. Whosoever experienceth the holy ecstasy of worship will refuse to barter such an act or any praise of God for all that existeth in the world. Fasting and obligatory prayer are as two wings to man’s life. Blessed be the one who soareth with their aid in the heaven of the love of God, the Lord of all worlds.” The friends have long been familiar with the great importance which Bahá’u’lláh attaches to daily obligatory prayer and to the observance of the fast, but a number of aspects of the law, such as those concerning ablutions, travelling and the compensation for prayers missed, remained to be made universally applicable. This step is now taken. Thus all elements of the laws dealing with obligatory prayer and fasting are, without any exception, now applicable.
Page No 2

We have also decided that it is timely for Bahá’ís in every land to take to their hearts the words of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas: “It hath been ordained that every believer in God, the Lord of Judgment, shall, each day, having washed his hands and then his face, seat himself and, turning unto God, repeat ‘Allah-u-Abha’ ninety-five times. Such was the decree of the Maker of the Heavens when, with majesty and power, He established Himself upon the thrones of His Names.” Let all experience the spiritual enrichment brought to their souls by this simple act of worshipful meditation. The spiritual growth generated by individual devotions is reinforced by loving association among the friends in every locality, by worship as a community and by service to the Faith and to one's fellow human beings. These communal aspects of the godly life relate to the law of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár which appears in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. Although the time has not come for the building of local Mashriqu’l-Adhkars, the holding of regular meetings for worship open to all and the involvement of Bahá’í communities in projects of humanitarian service are expressions of this element of Bahá’í life and a further step in the implementation of the Law of God. Bahá’u’lláh has written: “We have adorned the heaven of utterance with the stars of divine wisdom and holy ordinances as a bounty on Our part. Verily, We are the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous. O friends of God throughout the regions! Know ye the value of these days and cling unto whatsoever hath been sent down from God, the Most Great, the Most Exalted. Verily, He remembereth you in the Most Great Prison, and instructeth you in that which will cause you to draw nigh unto a station that delighteth the eyes of the pure in heart. Glory rest upon you and upon those who have attained unto that living fountain which floweth forth from My wondrous Pen.” It is our prayer at the Sacred Threshold that the greater attention to the spiritual heart of the Teachings which these laws express will enhance the devotion of the friends to the Source of all bounties and attract to the Cause the receptive souls among His spiritually famished children.
[SIGNED: THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE]

Laws and Ordinances : 1999 Dec 28 UHJ Obligatory Prayer and Fasting

marital sexual relations during the Fast,

The Universal House of Justice
The Bahá'í World Centre
Department of the Secretariat
xxx
U.S.A.
17 April 2000
Dear Bahá'í Friend,

The Universal House of Justice has received your email of 22 March 2000 and we have been asked to reply.
In response to your question concerning marital sexual relations during the Fast, the House of Justice knows of no text in the Writings specifically prohibiting such an act during the Fast. This is a matter left to the discretion of the individual believer.
It is hoped that this information provides the clarification you seek.
With loving Bahá'í greetings,
Department of the Secretariat

Laws and Ordinances : 2000 Apr 17 Marital Sexual Relations During the Fast

Tips and Suggestions for the Bahai Fast

If you have a tip or suggestion you think should go here, please e-mail us and let us know! 
Last updated on February 18, 1999.

Jump to: Details - Exemptions - Spiritual Aspects - Sunrise/set Times - Eating - Other - Humor 
Items here have been submitted by (in first name or e-mail name order): Alison & Steve Marshall, Andrew Pemberton-pigott, Barbara Stephan, Cathy, Darrell Rodgers, Dennis McLean, Dillard Henderson, Glen Little, Vinson Jamir, Jeffrey Brown, Jonathan Dixon, MakBeth, Nelson LeDuc, Philip & Reina Stalker, Rhonda Harrison, Peter S, Shelly Saunders, SNDunn, Steven King, Susan Gammage, sweiss, Vargha Mogharrabi, (and you? Send me your suggestion!). Glen has edited some suggestions.
The items are not necessarily consistent with each other - remember, they are simply suggestions from many people!

Details	Starts with sunrise on March 2 and ends at sunset on March 20 each year. Kit�b-i-Aqdas pg 17:     Abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sundown... Note 25 of Kit�b-i-Aqdas: Fasting is enjoined on all the believers once they attain the age of 15 and until they reach the age of 70 years. Note 32 of Kit�b-i-Aqdas: `Abdu'l-Bah�, after stating that fasting consists of abstinence from food and drink, further indicates that smoking is a form of "drink". In Arabic the verb "drink" applies equally to smoking. Encyclopedia entry for Fasting and the Bah�'� Fast More details: various places in the Kit�b-i-Aqdas, Directives From the Guardian #71 (also #70, 72);
Exemptions	Kit�b-i-Aqdas pg 16: The traveler, the ailing, those who are with child or giving suck, are not bound by the Fast; they have been exempted by God as a token of His grace. Note 31 of Kit�b-i-Aqdas: Exemption from fasting is granted to those who are ill or of advanced age, women in their courses, travellers and to women who are pregnant and those who are nursing. This exemption is also extended to people who are engaged in heavy labour, who, at the same time, are advised "to show respect to the law of God and for the exalted station of the Fast" by eating "with frugality and in private". Shoghi Effendi has indicated that the types of work which would exempt people from the Fast will be defined by the Universal House of Justice.  "Some years ago, there was a message from the Universal House of Justice which appeared in Bah�'� Canada which stated that the prohibition of smoking during the daylight hours of the Fast is not applicable in the western world. For western Bah�'�s, it is enough that they/we abstain from food and drink during daylight hours and try to partake (as much as we can) of the spiritual aspects of the Fast."
Spiritual Aspects	"It is essentially a period of meditation and prayer, of spiritual recuperation, during which the believer must strive to make the necessary readjustments in his inner life, and to refresh and reinvigorate the spiritual forces latent in his soul. Its significance and purpose are, therefore, fundamentally spiritual in character." Shoghi Effendi "For this material fast is an outer token of the spiritual fast; it is a symbol of self-restraint, the withholding of oneself from all appetites of the self, taking on the characteristics of the spirit, being carried away by the breathings of heaven and catching fire from the love of God." `Abdu'l-Bah� "...considered a time for deep reflection on one's own spiritual progress. Efforts are made to detach oneself from material desires."  The Bah�'�s Magazine Prayers for the Fast
Sunrise/set Times	Check out Misc & Software at this site for on-line and downloadable computer programs that will display the correct times for any place in the world. "Observed actual times are usually a few minutes different because of local geography - are you in a valley or on a hill?" "It is up to you to determine when to start and stop. Don't worry about it too much!" "Call a local radio station and ask if they can send you a copy of what they use for announcing sunrise and sunset times." "A local cable TV station displays sunrise and sunset times every few minutes!" "Record the actual sunrise and sunset times you observe where you are. Use these as a start for next year - times are similar each year, but not the same..." "Are we told to use observed times of sunrise and set for the fast rather than computed times built on the earth model as a smooth sphere? This would make for interesting differences for those of us who live by the mountains."
Eating	The Bah�'� Fast is not "legalistic" but  fundamentally spiritual in character. For those not exempt from physical  fasting here are some eating suggestions, submitted by Bah�'�s around the world, you may want to consider.  "I'm a little concerned by the number of suggestions to drink after you eat. The Writings are quite specific about this: "Take first the liquid food before partaking of solid food." Star of the West, vol. 13, no. 9 (Dec 1922), p. 252" "You all seem pretty occupied with food. Normally I can eat all day, and often I do, it shows! But strange enough, from the first until the last day of the fast I haven't any problem with no-eating and no-drinking. It is just if I turn off a switch, amazing." "Eat mostly fruits in the morning. Avoid mixing acid and sweet fruits." "Drink a glass or two of water upon waking. Ideally, you wouldn't drink water immediately after eating, but I like to rinse my mouth before sunrise and 'top up'." "Learn more about 'food combining'." "Have a large 'snack' before going to bed in the evening." "Orange juice is way too sugary and will set you up for a huge blood sugar crash after breakfast." "I tried eating 'dinner' for breakfast (protein, veggies, potatoes) and found I had more staying power." "Fit for Life recommends not drinking water before you eat - it dilutes the stomach acids. Better to drink after you eat." "I like to get up at least an hour before before sunrise so that I can eat (meat for me this year) and drink at least two LARGE glasses of water and still have time to say numerous prayers while the sun rises." "Although I can drink as soon as I awaken in the morning, I literally get sick if I try to eat any thing before I've been up for several hours, so I would have to either get up at 1:00 AM at the latest or just not eat anything before sunrise if I hadn't discovered that a can of nutritional suppliment, such as a generic version of Insure Plus, keeps me going fine until sunset." "Our small community (15 more or less) gathers for breakfast and dawn prayers during the fast. Each day a different family brings the breakfast - most feel the sense of community and sharing is enhanced." "For me, the best way to maintain a 'full' feeling is to eat complex carbohydrates with fiber (e.g. oatmeal) in the morning.  The complex carbos are digested slowly and so 'stay with you' and the fiber absorbs liquid and can actually expand in your stomach." "… Drink alot of pure water BEFORE you eat in the morning. Drink some afterwards. Make a soy protein drink in the blender with a banana and then also eat some oatmeal. Add fibre to your oatmeal. This really helps to balance blood sugars. Do not add sugar to foods in the morning, they will cause your blood sugar to drop. Get up at 4:30 to pray, meditate, and read the writings and reflect, then have breakfast. You will focus on your prayers better on a not so full stomach. You'll be on schedule for work and have taken care of the prayers and breakfast without rushing, and before the kids are up. Get the family to bed earlier than usual. Better to drink tea in the morning instead of coffee. Coffee takes a lot of water out of your system. Eat wholesome foods, not empty calories for breakfast or dinner. Your metabolism will slow down while fasting, but you don't have to drop if you keep your blood sugars balanced. If you get hungry (lunchtime or afternoon) then pray, meditate and read the writings, and if possible go for a relective walk. Ask God to help you, but help yourself with prayers and smart eating in the morning." "… Eat some form of protein in the morning.  It can be meat, cheese, eggs or soy product such as soy milk or tofu (or some combination of them).  The amount you will need is to be determined by yourself since it is dependent on your body size and individual metabolism.  Try starting with a 3-4 ounce portion. Carbohydrates should not be too refined since the fiber is helpful in counteracting constipation due to lack of fluids. Fat consumption will depend on your ability to easily digest them, but keep them minimal and don't use them for satiety value.  Your digestive system is at maximum efficiency for digestion and will tend to store any excess calories (easily obtained by eating fatty foods) consumed.  Avoid bacon, sausage, fried foods, and too much high fat foods such as peanut butter, butter, spam, etc.).  Moderate amounts as tolerated are alright. Fluids should normally be taken after eating.  Tea, lemonade (not too sweet), or other flavored forms of water will assist in consuming adequate amounts of fluids.  Cold watery drinks are easier to drink in larger amounts than hot. Don't overeat.  Two or more smaller meals are better than one large one. If you feel weak during the day (during fast only not normally), increase the amount of protein eaten in the morning.  You may also be eating too much in the evening and thereby not hungry enough in the morning to eat as much as you should." "I try to plan and fix what I can the night before so it is quick in the morning." "…drinking water or drinks after eating is wrong. This is not a personal opinion of mine but Bah�'u'll�h says so in the Tablet of Medicine. I just wanted to bring that to your attention." "I am an anatomy and physiology instructor and I find that knowing a little bit of physiology is a dangerous thing. For instance, ANYTHING in the mouth, especially under the tongue, will stimulate salivation. For this reason, I have, for years, during the fast, taken a small object into my mouth -- button, ball bearing, something I can feel but not taste, something that won't impede my speech, and something of which I can be totally aware so I know I will not swallow it. I keep it there from the time I first get thirsty until sunset and manage to keep from being thirsty all day."
Other	"Seems to me souls get "bored" & love "surprises". "Surprise" your soul during the Fast with readings & meditations from the Bah�'� Months of Words and Speech (as well as Loftiness, of course). Especially note how each day of these three Bah�'� Months falls on exactly the same day of the week. Can you figure out why? (On the Bah�'� Calendar, days of the month and also days of the week are 'named' after attributes of God, useful for meditating at all times, especially during the Fast.)" "If you are "Fasting with Food" or "Fasting for spiritual reasons while eating for physical ones" you might want to cut back on trivial food items." "Keep a journal during the Fast to write down thoughts and goals." "A short nap or rest during the day may help!" "I like to break the fast in the evening with friends as much as possible and spend the later hours enguaged in a fireside with seekers or a deepening." "I would only add to the psychological part of hunger, that I find that once the sun has set that if I am busy it is much easier to wait awhile longer than it was earlier--just before sunset!  It is like once I know I am free to eat or drink I don't need to as desperately as I thought. Has to be the mind." "I find that, for me, hunger is mostly psychological.  I tend to get hungry around lunch time.  When lunch time passes, so does the hunger.  Why?  Certainly not because I've eaten anything.  Because my brain is no longer telling my stomach, 'It's lunch time, get ready!'" "My favorite part of the Fast this year is celebrating it as a family, now that our daughters are both over 15.  It is a special close time together--laughing, talking, sharing prayers and, of course, eating."
Humor	"Don't go grocery shopping after 3pm." "Don't lick stamps or envelopes during the day! Your mouth will get all gummed up and you won't be able to do anything about it!" "One of my friends suggested to work longer hours during the Fast, as this helps to make it go quicker, and when you can smell coffee at the work-place remind yourself that you really prefer tea!" "Top 10 things you can do during the fast to make time pass by faster: 10. Go jogging for about three hours.  Come home, make a nice pitcher of lemonade, but don't drink it 9.  Go to your favorite restaurant, ask everyone how the food tastes and if offered to eat, refuse 8.  Drop Sara Lee a card saying "I don't think so" 7.  Make yourself a nice cup of tea or coffee, then visit your neighbor's and offer it to them 6.  Go to your local book store, buy a cookbook and just read it! 5.  Open the refrigerator door, do a quick inventory, but don't touch anything 4.  Turn your TV to the "Food Channel" and just keep watching 3.  If the weather is really hot, add 2 scoops of Kool-Aid to 2 liters of water, mix really well, then separate by boiling, and if it's not dark yet, repeat 2.  Visit your local "Jenny Craig" and shout: "Hey everybody, I'm saving 400 bucks" 1.  Pick up a box of Oreos from a 7-11, come home, separate them one by one, and then put them back together neatly" "Why do they call it a fast when it goes so slow? -Gallager, comedian" "Get a job working nights!"

View A Bahá'í Faith Page 

The Purpose of Fasting

  “This material fast is an outer token of the spiritual fast; it is a symbol of self-restraint, the withholding of oneself from all appetites of the self, taking on the characteristics of the spirit, being carried away by the breathings of heaven and catching fire from the love of God.”

                                                                        Abdu’l-Bahá

 “Fasting is the cause of awakening man. The heart becomes tender and the spirituality of man increases. This is produced by the fact that man's thoughts will be confined to the commemoration of God, and through this awakening and stimulation surely ideal advancements follow.”

                                                                        Abdu’l-Bahá

  “Even though outwardly the Fast is difficult and toilsome, yet inwardly it is bounty and tranquillity.”

                                                                        Bahá’u’lláh

 “All praise be unto God, Who hath revealed the law of obligatory prayer as a reminder to His servants, and enjoined on them the Fast that those possessed of means may become apprised of the woes and sufferings of the destitute.”

                                                                        Bahá’u’lláh

 “Thou hast endowed every hour of these days with a special virtue, inscrutable to all except Thee, whose knowledge embraceth all created things.”

                                                                        Abdu’l-Bahá

 General

·        The Bahá’í Fast starts after the Intercalary Days (Ayyám-i-Há), and ends at Naw-Rúz.  It lasts for one Bahá’í month, the month of Alá, which means Loftiness. It therefore takes place during 19 days, from the 2nd March to the 20th March inclusive.

·        No food and drink may be taken between sunrise and sunset. This is approximately 12 hours at this time of year. This also means no smoking between these times. In places near the Arctic and Antarctic circles, clocks are used to measure the day instead of using the sun.

·        Bahá’ís should keep the Fast from the age of maturity, which is 15. After the age of 70 they need not fast.

 Exemptions

 ·        Those who are ill should not fast:

“In clear cases of weakness, illness or injury the law of the Fast is not binding.”

“The law of the Fast is ordained for those who are sound and healthy; as to those who are ill or debilitated, this law hath never been nor is now applicable.”

·        Those who are doing heavy manual work need not fast.  They should show respect for the law by eating “with frugality and in private”.

 Travelling

·        Those who are travelling need not fast, if the journey is longer than 9 hours.

·        A journey is the whole period of travel, from leaving one place until arriving at the destination, it is not just the time spent in a car, train, boat, plane, etc.

·        Those who are travelling on foot need not fast, if the journey is longer than 2 hours.

·        If a traveller arrives at a place during the Fast, and is going to stay there for at least 19 days, he or she should fast following the first 3 days after arrival.

·        If a traveller stays in one place for less than 19 days, he or she need not keep the Fast during that time.

·        Travellers who reach home during the Fast should start fasting from the day after they arrive.

 Women only

·        Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding should not fast. 

·        Women need not fast during a period, provided that each day they perform their ablutions (washing of the hands and face) and repeat 95 times “Glorified be God, the Lord of Splendour and Beauty”. In this case a day means between one noon and the next.

Fasting

by John Walbridge

http://bahai-library.com/?file=walbridge_encyclopedia_fasting

Fasting is the voluntary abstention from nourishment, especially as a religious practice. The Bahá'í fast occupies the nineteenth month (`Ala') of the Bahá'í year, 2-20 March. Bahá'ís over the age of fifteen abstain from food and drink each day from sunrise to sunset.
Fasting as a religious practice

Fasting has been practised from the beginning of history and in virtually every culture. It can take various forms: abstention from certain favoured foods, often meat; complete abstention from food and sometimes drink for a specified time; or constant abstemiousness in diet -- eating only one meal a day, for example. It is frequently associated with other austerities, such as abstention from sexual relations and the abandonment of all sorts of luxury. As a religious practice fasting serves various purposes: Preparation for a great deed or a new stage of life Mourning Penitence Purification Supplication Quest for dreams and visions Moral or religious protest

Some random examples will give an idea of the forms and purposes of fasting: As part of their initiation as adults American Indian boys fast in the wilderness seeking a vision of a guardian spirit. Fasts are often part of the rituals associated with birth, marriage and death. The ancient Jews fasted in times of danger or disaster, both as a sign of repentance and in order to avert God's wrath. Modern Jews fast for twenty-four hours as a penitence on Yom Kippur. Priests, holy men and sorcerers of various societies fast in preparation for particular rituals. In most mystical and monastic traditions fasting is practised as a means of purification, especially for novices. Roman Catholics traditionally abstain from meat on days associated with the passion of Christ. In the modern world fasting is sometimes a form of moral protest.

The Islamic fast

After the obligatory prayer, fasting is the most important ritual obligation of the Muslim; it one of the five pillars of Islam. Leaving aside the complex regulations deduced by the Islamic clergy, fasting in Islam consists of deliberately abstaining from all food, drink and sexual relations from the time of the first light before dawn until the last light after sunset. The principal fast occupies the entire month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic year. This fast is binding on all Muslims past the age of puberty, with the exception of those who are travelling or unable to fast for reasons of health, such as sickness, pregnancy, old age or the like. Those who do not fast are obliged to compensate, preferably by fasting on another occasion or else by feeding the poor. Those who deliberately fail to fast or deliberately break the fast must compensate by fasting for two months or feeding sixty poor people. Because the Muslim year is eleven days shorter than the solar year, the fast of Ramadan can occur during any season of the year. The beginning of the month following Ramadan is celebrated as the `Idu'l-Fitr, the holiday of fast-breaking, and is one of the great holy days of the Islamic year. It is observed with feasts and celebrations lasting several days. Fasting is also encouraged at other times of the year, particularly the two months preceding Ramadan, on certain days of the week and month, and on certain anniversaries. Fasting is also prescribed in the Qur'an as expiation for offences ranging from manslaughter to the breaking of an oath. The rules for such fasts are the same as those for the fast of Ramadan. The Qur'an specifically identifies fasting as an obligation that had been imposed in earlier religions. Muslims generally consider the purpose of fasting to be the purification and humbling of the human soul.

The Babi and Bahá'í fast

The Bahá'í fast is established in the Kitab-i-Aqdas1 and occupies much the same preeminent position that it does in Islam. Several passages in the writings of Bahá'u'lláh lay stress on its importance, listing it with the obligatory prayer as among the greatest of the ritual obligations. According to Bahá'u'lláh Himself, the Bahá'í fast is adapted from the fast ordained in the Bayan. The Bab's fast, mentioned in both the Arabic and Persian Bayans, occupied the last month of the Babi calendar, the month of `Ala', roughly 2-20 March. Believers were to fast from the age of eleven (numerically equivalent to huva, `He') until forty-two (bala, `Yea'). Children could fast until noon for the first eleven days. Those over forty-two were exempted from fasting. Those fasting had to abstain from food, drink and sexual relations from sunrise to sunset -- preferably from slightly before sunrise until slightly after sunset. No exemptions are mentioned. The real meaning of the fast, the Bab said, was abstention from the love of other than the Manifestation of God. The continuation of the fast was contingent on the acceptance of Him Whom God shall make manifest.2 Although Bahá'u'lláh accepted the fast of the Bab, He altered the details of its regulations in many important respects. The Bahá'í fast is binding on all believers from the age of maturity, which for Bahá'ís is fifteen, until seventy. There is no provision made for children fasting. The following individuals are exempted from fasting: Travellers, providing their journey is to last at least nine hours or two hours on foot. If they break their journey for more than nineteen days, they are only exempt for the first three days after their arrival. If they return home, they must begin fasting on arrival. The sick. Women who are pregnant or nursing. Women who menstruating, who must instead repeat the phrase `Glorified be God, the Lord of Splendour and Beauty' ninety-five times between one noon and the next.3 Those engaged in heavy labour, who are advised to be discrete and restrained in availing themselves of this exemption. These groups are also exempted from fasting in Islam. Bahá'u'lláh does not require missed days of fasting to be made up later, nor does He mention abstention from sexual relations. An individual who is exempt from fasting at any part of a day is exempt from fasting the entire day. Smoking, `Abdu'l-Bahá explained, is called `drinking smoke' in Arabic, and so smoking is banned while one is fasting.4 The fast is binding on Bahá'ís in all countries but it is an individual obligation, not enforceable by Bahá'í administrative institutions. The secondary regulations of fasting, such as the prohibition on smoking, are at present only binding on Bahá'ís of Middle Eastern background.5 Bahá'ís are allowed to fast at other times of the year but as this is not encouraged, it is rarely done. Bahá'u'lláh permitted the making of vows to fast but preferred that such vows be `directed to such objectives as will profit mankind'.6 While in Edirne Bahá'u'lláh revealed a number of prayers for fasting (munajat or alvah-i-siyam), although one of them contains a reference to `Akka. These prayers, some rather lengthy, are the most important statements on the spiritual meaning of the fast in the Bahá'í scripture: for example, `. . . Thou hast bidden all men to observe the fast, that through it they may purify their souls and rid themselves of all attachment to any one but Thee . . .'7 Fasting itself is only acceptable if it is done purely out of love for God.

1 Bahá'u'lláh, Kitab-i-Aqdas, para. 10.
2 The Bab, Arabic Bayan 8:18; Persian Bayan 8:18.
3 Bahá'u'lláh, Kitab-i-Aqdas, para. 13.
4 Bahá'u'lláh, Kitab-i-Aqdas, n. 32.
5
6 Bahá'u'lláh, Kitab-i-Aqdas, question 71.
7 Bahá'u'lláh, Prayers and Meditations, p. 79.  

Extracts from Letters Written on Behalf of the Universal House of Justice

The Universal House of Justice has received your letter of 7 March 1991 concerning exemption from fasting and obligatory prayers in the case of an individual suffering from alcoholism. We have been asked to convey the following.

Regarding the Fast, as you know, there is exemption for those who are ill. The answer to your question, therefore, should be determined on the basis of competent medical advice. Ultimately, the keeping of the Fast and saying of the obligatory prayers are left to the conscience of the individual.
      (20 May 1991 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer) [5]


In response to your question pertaining to the obligatory prayers and the degree of one's illness in ascertaining whether one is exempt or not, such a determination can only be made by the individual believer, himself. It is therefore a matter of conscience, and is left to the individual's discernment.
      (28 December 1993 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer) [6]


The Universal House of Justice has received your letter of 1 December 1993 in which you explain that complications arising from a chronic heart condition have left you in a weakened state, and request a definition of "ill health" as it relates to the exemption from obligatory prayers and fasting under these circumstances. We have been asked to respond.

The following excerpt from a letter dated 14 April 1947 written on behalf of the Guardian provides instruction for determining whether one should participate in the Fast. As to your question regarding the Fast: if there is any doubt in the mind of a person as to whether it will really be bad for that person's health to keep it, the best doctor's advice should be obtained. Insofar as the exemption from the saying of obligatory prayers is concerned, this is left to the conscience of the individual.
      (9 January 1994 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer) [7]

 Nature of Fasting

According to both Gandhi and the Bahá'í Faith, the purpose of fasting is to bring us closer to God. `Abdu'l-Bahá explains:

Fasting is a symbol. Fasting signifies abstinence from lust. Physical fasting is a symbol of that abstinence, and is a reminder; that is, just as a person abstains from physical appetites, he is to abstain from self-appetites and self-desires. But mere abstention from food has no effect on the spirit. It is only a symbol, a reminder. Otherwise it is of no importance. Fasting for this purpose does not mean entire abstinence from food. The golden rule as to food is, do not take too much or too little. Moderation is necessary. There is a sect in India who practice extreme abstinence, and gradually reduce their food until they exist on almost nothing. But their intelligence suffers. A man is not fit to do service for God with brain or body if he is weakened by lack of food. He cannot see clearly.[13]

Some of these ideas can also be found in the writings of Gandhi:

A genuine fast cleanses the body, mind and soul. It crucifies the flesh and to that extent sets the soul free. A sincere prayer can work wonders. It is an intense longing of the soul for its even greater purity. Purity thus gained, when it is utilized for a noble purpose, becomes prayer.[14]

I believe that there is no prayer without fasting, and there is no real fast without prayer.[14]

I know that the mental attitude is everything. Just as prayer may be merely a mechanical intonation as of a bird, so may a fast be a mere mechanical torture of the flesh   Neither will touch the soul.[14]

---

 FAST (Necessary Permission For)

"With reference to your son's request for advice regarding the observance of

the Bahá'í Fast; much as the Guardian realizes the difficulty which a

believer of his position, attending a military school, will have to encounter

if he wishes to strictly conform to the regulations of the Fast, he

nevertheless would advise him to make every effort to obtain from the school

authorities the necessary permission. In case his request is refused the only

alternative for him would be to obey his superior."
Directives From the Guardian
page 27 no 70

===

71 FASTING (The Ordinance of)

"As regards fasting, it constitutes, together with the obligatory prayers,

the two pillars that sustain the revealed Law of God. They act as stimulants

to the soul, strengthen, revive and purify it, and thus insure its steady

development."

"The ordinance of fasting is, as is the case with these three prayers

(obligatory) a spiritual and vital obligation enjoined by Bahá'u'lláh upon

every believer who has attained the age of fifteen. In the Aqdas He thus

writes: `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 has exempted from this those who are weak from illness or

age, as a bounty from His Presence, and He is the Forgiving, the Generous.'

"And in another passage He says: `We have enjoined upon you fasting during a

brief period, and at its close have designated for you Naw-Rúz as a Feast...

The traveller, the ailing, those who are with child or giving suck, are not

bound by the Fast... Abstain from food and drink, from sunrise to sundown,

and beware lest desire deprive you of this grace that is appointed in the

Book.'

"Also in the `Questions and Answers' that form an appendix to the Aqdas,

Bahá'u'lláh reveals the following: `Verily, I say that God has appointed a

Great station for fasting and prayer. But during good health its benefit is

evident, and when one is ill, it is not permissible to fulfill them.'

Concerning the age of maturity, He reveals in the appendix of that same Book:

`The age of maturity is in the fifteenth year; women and men are alike in

this respect.' Regarding the vital character and importance of the Divine

ordinances and laws, and the necessity of complete obedience to them by the

believers, we thus read in the Gleanings, p. 175:

`Know verily that the essence of justice and the source

thereof are both embodied in the ordinance prescribed by Him

Who is the Manifestation of the Self of God amongst men, if

ye be of them that recognize this truth. He doth verily incarnate

the highest, the infallible standard of justice unto all creation.

Were His law to be such as to strike terror in the

hearts of all that are in heaven and on earth, that law is naught

but manifest justice. The fears and agitation which the revelation

of this law provoke in men's hearts should indeed be

likened to the cries of the suckling babe weaned from his

mother's milk, if ye be of them that perceive...'

"The fasting period, which lasts nineteen days starting as a rule from the

second of March every year and ending on the twentieth of the same month,

involves complete abstention from food and drink from sunrise till sunset. It

is essentially a period of meditation and prayer, of spiritual recuperation,

during which the believer must strive to make the necessary readjustments in

his inner life, and to refresh and reinvigorate the spiritual forces latent

in his soul. Its significance and purpose are, therefore, fundamentally

spiritual in character. Fasting is symbolic, and a reminder of abstinence

from selfish and carnal desires."
Directives From the Guardian
pages 27-29



=====





Directives From the Guardian
72 FAST (THE)

"Regarding your question concerning the Fast: Travellers are exempt from

fasting, but if they want to fast while they are travelling, they are free to

do so. You are exempt the whole period of your travel, not just the hours you

are in a train or car, etc. If one eats unconsciously during the fasting

hours, this is not breaking the Fast as it is an accident. The age limit is

70 years, but if one desires to fast after the age limit is passed, and is

strong enough to, one is free to do so. If during the Fast period a person

falls ill and is unable to fast, but recovers before the Fast period is over,

he can start to fast again and continue until the end. Of course the Fast, as

you know, can only be kept during the month set aside for that purpose."
Directives From the Guardian
page 29====

===

Building Distinctive Baha'i Communities

Building Distinctive Baha'i Communities
http://bahai-library.org/nsa/distinctive.communities.txt

Fifteen is the age at which a child attains spiritual maturity, and thus
it is at the age of fifteen that a Baha'i child assumes the
responsibility for obeying such laws as those of fasting and prayer, and
for affirming of his own volition his faith in Baha'u'llah.
Letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice, dated
July 19, 1982, to a National Spiritual Assembly

The Fast--March 2-March 20
/// Baha'is fast for 19 days from sunrise to sunset. In the West, the
fast period begins at sunrise March 2 and extends until sunset March 20.

15.33 Fasting
LAWS BETWEEN THE INDIVIDUAL AND GOD
15.34 Application of Baha'i Law
The ordinance of fasting is, as in the case with these three prayers, a
spiritual and vital obligation enjoined by Baha'u'llah upon every
believer who has attained the age of 15. In the Aqdas He thus writes:
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.
And in another passage He says:
We have enjoined upon you fasting during a brief period, and at its
close have designated for you Naw-Ruz as a feast. . . . The traveler,
the ailing, those who are with child or giving suck, are not bound by
the Fast; . . . Abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sundown, and
beware lest desire deprive you of this grace that is appointed in the
Book.
Also in the "Questions and Answers" that form an appendix to the Aqdas,
Baha'u'llah reveals the following:
Verily, I say that God has appointed a great station for fasting and
prayer. But during good health its benefit is evident, and when one is
ill, it is not permissible to fulfill them.
Concerning the age of maturity, He reveals in the appendix of that same
book:
The age of maturity is fifteen for both men and women.
The fasting period, which lasts nineteen days, starting as a rule from
the second of March every year and ending on the twentieth of the same
month, involves complete abstention from food and drink from sunrise
till sunset. It is essentially a period of meditation and prayer, of
spiritual recuperation, during which the believer must strive to make
the necessary readjustments in his inner life, and to refresh and
reinvigorate the spiritual forces latent in his soul. Its significance
and purposes are, therefore, fundamentally spiritual in character.
Fasting is symbolic, and a reminder of abstinence from selfish and
carnal desires.
Shoghi Effendi, in Principles of Baha'i Administration, pp. 8-9
Exemptions from Fasting
Regarding your question concerning the Fast: Travelers are exempt from
fasting, but if they want to fast while they are traveling,
15.35 Huququ'llah
they are free to do so. You are exempt the whole period of your travel,
not just the hours you are in a train or car, etc. If one eats
unconsciously during the fasting hours, this is not breaking the Fast as
it is an accident. The age limit is seventy years, but if one desires to
fast after the age limit is passed, and is strong enough to, one is free
to do so. If during the Fast period a person falls ill and is unable to
fast, but recovers before the fast period is over, he can start to fast
again and continue until the end. Of course the Fast, as you know, can
only be kept during the month set aside for that purpose.
Shoghi Effendi, in Baha'i News, #167, January 1944, p. 2
_______________________
* IV.B.(5)(a) The definition of travelers for the purpose of exemption
from fasting. Instead of these definitions the believers in the West
should observe the following guidance given by the beloved Guardian's
secretary on his behalf: "Travelers are exempt from fasting, but if they
do want to fast while they are traveling, they are free to do so. You
are exempt the whole period of your travel, not just the hours you are
in a train or car, etc. . . ."
22. Question: Concerning the definition of a journey. [This relates to the minimum duration of a journey which exempts the traveller from fasting]
Answer: The definition of a journey is nine hours by the clock. Should the traveller stop in a place, anticipating that he will stay there for no less than one month by the Bayán reckoning, it is incumbent on him to keep the Fast; but if for less than one month, he is exempt from fasting. If he arriveth during the Fast at a place where he is to stay one month according to the Bayán, he should not observe the Fast till three days have elapsed, thereafter keeping it throughout the remainder of its course; but if he come to his home, where he hath heretofore been permanently resident, he must commence his fast upon the first day after his arrival. Kitáb-i-Aqdas - Questions and Answers
http://bahai-library.org/writings/bahaullah/aqdas/questions.html
________________________
Smoking in Relation to the Fast
In one of His Tablets, 'Abdu'l-Baha, after stating that fasting consists
of abstinence from food and drink, further indicates that smoking is a
form of "drink." In Arabic the verb "drink" applies equally to smoking.
In the East, therefore, the friends abstain from smoking during the
hours of fasting, and friends from the East living in the West do
likewise. But, as stated in our letter to the National Assembly of New
Zealand, this application of the divine law has not been extended to the
friends in the West for the present, and therefore it should not be made
an issue.
Letter from the Universal House of Justice, dated March 15, 1972, to
an individual believer
The Universal House of Justice has instructed us to say that the
prohibition of smoking as an aspect of fasting, as explained in Note 16
on page 59 of the Synopsis and Codification of the Kitab-i-Aqdas has not
yet been applied in the West and therefore the friends should not make
an issue of it.
Letter written on behaf of the Universal House of Justice, dated
July 17, 1980, to an individual believer

* IV.B.(5)(f) The law regarding the exemption from fasting granted to
women in their courses.
========================================
From: Baha'i World Centre
28 December 1999
To the Baha'is of the World
Subject: Further Application of the Laws of the Kitab-i-Aqdas
"Thus all elements of the laws dealing with obligatory prayer and fasting are, without any exception, now applicable."
http://bahai-library.org/uhj/aqdas.laws.html===



=====



Notes from the Authorized Translation - Notes to Aqdas, Sentence #264
138. All Feasts have attained their consummation in the two Most Great Festivals, and in the two other Festivals that fall on the twin days # 110
This passage establishes four great festivals of the Baha'i year. The two designated by Baha'u'llah as "the two Most Great Festivals" are, first, the Festival of Ridvan, which commemorates Baha'u'llah's Declaration of His Prophetic Mission in the Garden of Ridvan in Baghdad during twelve days in April/May 1863 and is referred to by Him as "the King of Festivals" and, second, the Bab's Declaration, which occurred in May 1844 in Shiraz. The first, ninth and twelfth days of the Festival of Ridvan are Holy Days (Q and A 1), as is the day of the Declaration of the Bab.
The "two other Festivals" are the anniversaries of the births of Baha'u'llah and the Bab. In the Muslim lunar calendar these fall on consecutive days, the birth of Baha'u'llah on the second day of the month of Muharram 1233 A.H. (12 November 1817), and the birth of the Bab on the first day of the same month 1235 A.H. (20 October 1819), respectively. They are thus referred to as the "Twin Birthdays" and Baha'u'llah states that these two days are accounted as one in the sight of God (Q and A 2). He states that, should they fall within the month of fasting, the command to fast shall not apply on those days (Q and A 36). Given that the Baha'i calendar (see notes 26 and 147) is a solar calendar, it remains for the Universal House of Justice to determine whether the Twin Holy Birthdays are to be celebrated on a solar or lunar basis.
http://bahai-library.org/provisionals/aqdas/aqdas264.notes.html





http://bahai-library.org/books/greatest.name/

Fasting: the mercy and grace of God

Fasting: the mercy and grace of God

by Bill Collins

The pillars that sustain the individual's spiritual life in the Baha'i Faith are similar to those in Islam and the other world religions. Prayer, fasting and pilgrimage nourish believers throughout the planet.
These spiritual disciplines are deeply interconnected. They form one seamless web to impel the believer along the path of growth and maturity. The fasting period(1) is intimately connected to prayer and pilgrimage. In the temporary denial of the body's demands, awareness of conversation with God is heightened. The soul is urged along the roads of a spiritual pilgrimage that is the inward mirror of the outward voyage each pilgrim undertakes toward the sacred heart of his or her faith.

There is a Qiblih of the Baha'i world, and there is a Qiblih of the heart. Each points to the other. The conscious decision to forgo food and drink reminds the penitent believer that God has commanded this step. The reminder urges the soul to meditate on the Lord's purposes and to ask the Lord for guidance. God, through His grace and mercy, furthers the faithful ones on their journey to the ultimate goal, to "Turn thy sight unto thyself, that thou mayest find Me standing within thee, mighty, powerful and self-subsisting."(2)

Baha'u'llah's purpose in ordaining the fast is not to mortify the flesh as ascetics would do. Neither is it to compel the believer toward self-hatred and morbidity. Fasting is a symbol, a sign, a reminder of the realities that surround and transcend the workday existence of our usual petty concerns.

Baha'is often refer to fasting as a law. This description is deceptive; it risks demeaning the spirit of the fast by confusing it with our current notion of law as force and compulsion. Baha'u'llah, in His deep wisdom and mercy, ordains the fasting period without making it a burden. This is not simply because He has shortened it in comparison to the Christian and Islamic fasts. He has made fasting a personal obligation, freed from the constraints and dictatorial possibilities of institutional enforcement. Fasting is the responsibility of each individual to undertake to the best of his or her ability, within the requirements of that person's life, work and circumstances.

Baha'u'llah has commanded exemptions to the fast for those whose health, physical growth, or safety might be compromised by adherence to it. These exemptions are as much obligations as is the abstention from food and drink. The Lord of the Age does not compel us to harm ourselves by excessive zeal in fasting.

These thoughts come from 27 years of experience as a Baha'i. I once believed that my own well-being and salvation depended on a punctilious observance of the most stringent and rigid requirements of Baha'u'llah's commandments. Such an attitude led to my attempt to fast even when I became ill. I developed an excessively critical eye toward the attempts of my fellow believers to observe the obligation, including their use of the exemptions. The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States reminded us in a feast letter that we live in a society in which people "pride themselves on being bitterly critical in order to justify their conflicts with others."

I believe that Baha'u'llah's purpose in ordaining the fast goes well beyond our puny conceptions. It was not to create a law by which to parade our good works and piety to others, nor a yardstick to condone the judging of others' sincerity in observance of their private spiritual obligations. Rather, it is Baha'u'llah's map to the moderate path that He so unfailingly recommended. He reveals the following in the Kitab-i-Aqdas:

"Lament not in your hours of trial, neither rejoice therein; seek ye the Middle Way which is remembrance of Me in your afflictions and reflection over that which may befall you in future. Thus informeth you He Who is the Omniscient, He Who is aware."(3)

Whether an individual Baha'i is fasting fully, partially or not at all, the month of Loftiness is a reminder and remembrance. We remember who we are, with Whom we must converse, to Whom we owe our allegiance, and toward Whom we must journey. Thus reminded, we see Baha'u'llah standing before us, always beckoning us forward into the light.

Footnotes:


1. The Baha'i fasting period takes place between March 2-20 inclusive. During this time, Baha'is do not drink or eat between sunrise and sunset.

2. Baha'u'llah, Hidden Words of Baha'u'llah From the Arabic No. 13.

3. Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, no. 43 p. 35.


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