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.