tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513718517345046525.post8357603134340686515..comments2023-03-26T01:25:37.406-07:00Comments on Living Waters - The Daily Baha'i Obligatory Prayers : AblutionsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513718517345046525.post-39111062470104987572016-04-15T07:48:30.701-07:002016-04-15T07:48:30.701-07:00Dear Paul,
Thank you for sharing these beautiful q...Dear Paul,<br />Thank you for sharing these beautiful quotes and stories. May the Blessed Beauty bless you in your continual services.<br />Bahai love,<br /><br />Hong Shuen<br />SingaporeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513718517345046525.post-59794369138116209502015-12-13T10:31:14.621-08:002015-12-13T10:31:14.621-08:00In my opinion, you'll need to remove your make...In my opinion, you'll need to remove your makeup and a symbolic face washing is incorrect. Alihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07106166866301463900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513718517345046525.post-14919063766293517512015-12-09T14:22:20.873-08:002015-12-09T14:22:20.873-08:00"Guard it then from meddling with whatsoever ..."Guard it then from meddling with whatsoever doth not belong unto it." Regarding this sentence said during the washing of the hands as part of the ablutions incorporated into the Medium obligatory Prayer, in a recorded talk given at the Baha’i World Centre in 1987, Ali Nakhjavani, referring to the above sentence, stated: “Honesty, trustworthiness, chastity—in my view—are all enshrined here.”Paul Mantlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13267614256408540677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513718517345046525.post-7951378886024110012015-11-04T16:33:53.078-08:002015-11-04T16:33:53.078-08:00I want to correct one incorrect statement I made e...I want to correct one incorrect statement I made earlier above: a couple of weeks ago I rediscovered that Abdu'l-Baha has explained that the morning Obligatory Prayer--of the three-part Medium one--may be said as early as dawn. (In other words, one does not have to wait until sunrise.) See #5 in the Notes section in the Kitab-i-Aqdas.Paul Mantlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13267614256408540677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513718517345046525.post-2060395588340856682015-11-04T16:06:10.701-08:002015-11-04T16:06:10.701-08:00Although Abdu'l-Baha explained that the obliga...Although Abdu'l-Baha explained that the obligatory prayers are not DEPENDENT on a private place, the Universal House of Justice mentions that they are meant to be said in private. Everyone's living situation and work environment is different, so we each have to sort out how to handle it. The Short Obligatory Prayer, for instance, is only 3 sentences long and can be performed anytime between noon and sunset. Regarding "do you pray orally," Shoghi Effendi stated that silently or aloud makes no difference. These answers I've shared are all sourced properly elsewhere on this site. Best wishes!Paul Mantlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13267614256408540677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513718517345046525.post-38156052731509486322015-11-02T03:14:31.050-08:002015-11-02T03:14:31.050-08:00Ok , but do you pray orally , so others can see yo...Ok , but do you pray orally , so others can see you. Their are hostile people, who by association will seek out to kell . Now where when and how do you pray ,when you are at work??? I want to know, I am curiious.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13929003936628116543noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513718517345046525.post-82266223736179889462015-03-16T16:04:03.273-07:002015-03-16T16:04:03.273-07:00When I first started posting this online site in 2...When I first started posting this online site in 2008, I thought about including the passage below. Now I've finally decided to include it, because this brief descriptive account below has had such an enduring effect on me: whenever I say my obligatory prayer(s) I try and make sure my clothes are "presentable," with the thought that I am in the presence of Baha'u'llah.<br /><br />"Haji Mirza Muhammad-Taqi was an embodiment of detachment, humility and servitude. His only aim in life was to serve the Cause he loved so much. He often communed with Bahá'u'lláh in spirit and through prayer. Of him it is reported that every day at home he would put on his best clothes, sit for a few hours in a room by himself and with the utmost devotion and sincerity turn his heart and soul to Bahá'u'lláh, regarding himself as being in the very presence of the Blessed Beauty."<br /><br /> (Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah - vol. 1 - Baghdad 1853-63, p. 200)<br /><br />Paul Mantlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13267614256408540677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513718517345046525.post-59929758033829642292015-01-11T13:05:19.062-08:002015-01-11T13:05:19.062-08:00I had the same question about the makeup. :-) I ...I had the same question about the makeup. :-) I tend to just do a partial or symbolic face washing when I am work. I looked this up because I've been wondering if it's alright. Better than not at all, is my opinion, but not necessarily fulfilling the requirements.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513718517345046525.post-23474435880269729172014-08-04T13:14:58.179-07:002014-08-04T13:14:58.179-07:00Why not just say instead, "In the Name of God...Why not just say instead, "In the Name of God, the Most Pure, the Most Pure" 5 times and pray, I would have to believe it is better to pray with devotion then to skip pray for a trivial reason. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513718517345046525.post-1263839780952310732013-12-12T17:25:37.592-08:002013-12-12T17:25:37.592-08:00Thank you, Paul, for your perspective. I love the ...Thank you, Paul, for your perspective. I love the Medium Prayer because, like Muslims, being called to prayer several times a day is a wonderful connection to God throughout the day. Like you, I work in a medical setting and have to be at work often before the sun rises. Add to that my "makeup problem" and it may be that the Medium Prayer will not work for me on work days; I will need to make use of one or both of the other Obligatory Prayers. In addition, I may want to select one of Bahá'u'lláh's other beautiful prayers to recite three times a day.<br /><br />Thanks again.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513718517345046525.post-88364066322646312792013-12-10T22:10:48.923-08:002013-12-10T22:10:48.923-08:00As you know, observing the law of Obligatory Praye...As you know, observing the law of Obligatory Prayer is a matter of individual conscience.<br /><br />That being stated, I will share a few personal observations, although I am far from being an authority on the subject.<br /><br />Q1: In our present-day Western culture, the choices for ablutions usually are considered to be the bathroom or the kitchen. I perform mine in the bathroom. I speculate that in the future – though probably not in my lifetime - many homes even in our culture will be designed to better accommodate devotional ablutions; even now some homes have a separate washroom, or an alcove for the sink. Will they someday be purposely oriented toward the east? (I’m not saying that this is a requirement or even necessarily desirable.)<br /><br />An appealing option for ablutions might be the use of a pitcher and washbowl on a chest of drawers, nightstand, or low dresser in one’s bedroom. You still see ceramic versions of these around, especially in bed & breakfast lodges, although I think many people consider them merely decorative.<br /><br />Q2: Reiterating that observing the law of Obligatory Prayer is a matter of individual conscience, it seems wonderful to me that Baha’u’llah has given us so much flexibility. We can say any or all three—the Short, the Medium, and/or the Long Obligatory Prayer—each day if we want! You’re right that reciting the Medium Obligatory can seem somewhat complicated within the context of modern life. When I began saying the Medium one, it was only after several weeks that I realized I had been doing the morning recitation most weekdays when it was still dark outside, before sunrise, (due to my hospital job starting at 5:30 am). However, the Kitab-i-Aqdas clearly defines ‘morning’ as ‘sunrise’ to noon. (And ‘dawn’ is not to be mistaken for ‘sunrise’ – they are two different things.) Then there’s the potential issue of calculating 'noon' during Daylight Savings Time in the United States. Moreover, unlike the longer time slots for the morning and noon iterations, the evening session of the Medium Obligatory Prayer is in a narrower window of time between sunset and two hours after sunset. It tends to ‘keep you on your toes.’ But also perhaps, it keeps one more in relation to the sun and in touch with the seasons.<br />Paul Mantlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13267614256408540677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513718517345046525.post-90333744362340383962013-12-09T18:23:13.436-08:002013-12-09T18:23:13.436-08:00I have what will sound like 2 stupid questions, bu...I have what will sound like 2 stupid questions, but I need some help. I love the medium obligatory prayer for what it says, and because it is done three times a day. <br />Q1: because it starts with hand & face washing, do we perform this prayer in the bathroom? :- ( <br />Q2: as a woman who works, am I expected to wash off my makeup during the second time I perform this prayer? <br />It would seem a shame to not be able to do this beautiful prayer throughout my day to come closer to God just because I can't wash my face the second time. Any ideas? (and don't tell me not to wear makeup; I do.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513718517345046525.post-33447334281479152992012-04-23T13:13:10.441-07:002012-04-23T13:13:10.441-07:00"Strengthen my hand" means to help us fr..."Strengthen my hand" means to help us from acting dishonestly.<br /><br />(April 25, 1937, from "NOTES TAKEN IN THE PRESENCE OF SHOGHI EFFENDI IN HAIFA,<br />PALESTINE, by MISS AGNES ALEXANDER")Paul Mantlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13267614256408540677noreply@blogger.com