exempted by God as a token of His grace.

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.

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

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”.

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.


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.'

exempted by God as a token of His grace.
Whatsoever God hath revealed is beloved of the soul.  (Bahá’u’lláh,
 Thankfulness feels good,

Blessed is the one who through the heat generated by the Fast increaseth his love, and who, with joy and radiance, ariseth to perform worthy deeds. (Bahá’u’lláh in The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting)

The Fast 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.

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-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 69)

For Baha’is, simply going without food and drink during the daylight hours – a merely physical act of self-denial – doesn’t really constitute a true fast. Instead, as the Baha’i teachings suggest, meditation and prayer act as an integral part of fasting, and make it complete. These contemplative aspects of the Fast have a singular goal — attaining those transcendent moments our souls long for, and finding the spiritual nourishment we need

For some Baha’is fasting is an effortless affair.  They hardly notice
it. For others it can be excruciatingly difficult and they really do
have to struggle with it, and they feel miserable during the entire
month; and for others it is just not possible due to their physical
condition.  For those who cannot fast, the fast is an especially great
test.  Sometimes they struggle with feelings of guilt and
unworthiness.  Sometimes they feel alienated from those Baha’is who
can fast so effortlessly and say so.  I believe that God has specially
tender feelings of loving acceptance for those who struggle in this
way, and they are the ones which receive the greatest benefits from
the fast.


no pain, no gain’ right?

Whatsoever God hath revealed is beloved of the soul.  (Bahá’u’lláh, 

it is not permissible to fulfill them.'

are not bound by the Fast; they have been exempted by God as a token of His grace.

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

Smoking in Relation to the Fast

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


NOT TO MAKE AN ISSUE

note 
 THIS LAW IS APPLICABLE IN GENERAL now to all  Bahais 

I am extremely glad to see you on 

I am extremely glad to see you on this Nau Rooz occasion. This day is the anniversary of many historical events, among them the victory of the Persians over the Arabs who invaded Persia and were successfully repulsed. This day in Persia inaugurates a feast which continues for thirteen days and in which all take part, rich and poor alike. They adorn themselves with new clothes and their houses are open to all. Money is distributed, music is played and the houses are decorated with flowers, for it is a fete; work is put aside and enjoyment invited. Travelers in Persia feel this transformation, for the country is in a state of complete renewal. A town which seemed dead yesterday comes to life today. People who looked anxious yesterday, today have faces shining with gladness. The poor man of yesterday, with sordid garments, is well dressed today and the whole national life is infused with joy. From time immemorial this day has been consecrated, for in this there is a symbol. At this moment the sun appears at the meridian and the day and night are equal. Until today the north pole has been in darkness. This sacred day when the sun illumines equally the whole earth is called the equinox and the equinox is the symbol of the divine messenger. The sun of truth rises on the horizon of divine mercy and sends forth its rays on all. This is the beginning of the spring. When the sun appears at the equinox it causes a movement in all living things. The mineral world is set in motion,, plants begin to sprout, the desert is changed into a prairie, trees bud and every living thing responds, including the bodies of animals and men. The rising of the sun at the equinox is the symbol of life and the human reality is revivified; our thoughts are transformed and our intelligence is quickened. The sun of truth bestows eternal life, just as the solar sun is the cause of terrestrial life. The day of the appearance of God's messenger on earth is ever a sacred day, a day when man commemorates his lord. Among the ancient Persians this day was looked upon as the holy day of the year - a day when hospitals and charitable institutions were founded, collections for the poor were made and every effort put forth that it might not be allowed to pass without leaving some divine trace and throughout Persia one sees these historical traces. I am spending this New Year's day in Paris. I hope for considerable results from this fact. May a powerful influence remain in your hearts, signs of eternal joy and happiness that will illumine the kingdom in this city. May the breezes of the Holy Spirit waft upon you, that your intelligence may progress and your souls rejoice in your lord. Thus will you become eternal beings shining in the divine kingdom.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Divine Philosophy, p. 74-76