Becoming a True Bahá'íResponding to God's CallParticipating in Community LifeRelationships in the Day of GodBack to Course OutlineHomeBecoming a True Bahá'íResponding to God's CallParticipating in Community LifeRelationships in the Day of GodBack to Course OutlineHomeWhen we become a Bahá'í it is like a spiritual seed has been planted. It must be watered and nourished daily by the Holy Spirit. This nourishment comes through daily prayer, reading the Word of God morning and evening, meditating, and serving the Faith. By making our lives conform to the Will of God we develop our spiritual life and prepare our soul for life in the next world after our passing. 'Abdu'l-Bahá says a true Bahá'í is one "who strives by day and by night to progress and advance along the path of human endeavor, whose most cherished desire is so to live and act as to enrich and illuminate the world, whose source of inspiration is the essence of Divine virtue, whose aim in life is so to conduct himself as to be the cause of infinite progress. Only when he attains unto such perfect gifts can it be said of him that he is a true Bahá'í." Becoming a true Bahá'í is a process of spiritual transformation, doing our best daily to live up to the divine standard and performing the Will of God.
Bahá'u'lláh prescribed to us two duties: "the recognition of Him Who is the Dayspring of His Revelation" and "to observe every ordinance of Him Who is the Desire of the world." That is, to recognize the Manifestation of God for this Day and to obey Him. The laws are obeyed cheerfully, for they are the greatest means for the achievement of happiness and true liberty.
We all encounter tests and difficulties, suffering and hardship. Bahá'u'lláh explains that each soul is "tested by the touchstone of God" and "the true may be known and distinguished from the false". Difficulties are blessings in disguise. They allow us to grow spiritually and draw closer to God. As 'Abdu'l-Bahá said "The more the ground is ploughed the better the seed will grow."
Bahá'ís may choose one of three daily obligatory prayers, but one must be chosen. For our spiritual health, we pray and meditate upon the Word of God each morning and evening. Bahá'u'lláh wrote that reading a single verse "with joy and radiance" is better for us than reading all the Holy Books of God "with lassitude". The idea is not to burden the soul but uplift it. There are numerous prayers revealed for our benefit. Bahá'u'lláh wrote: "Intone...the verses of God that have been received by Thee, as intoned by them who have drawn nigh unto Him, that the sweetness of the melody may kindle thine own soul, and attract the hearts of all men. Whoso reciteth, in the privacy of his chamber, the verses revealed by God, the scattering angels of the Almighty shall scatter abroad the fragrance of the words uttered by his mouth, and shall cause the heart of every righteous man to throb." Sooner or later, these prayers will have an effect on our souls.
Each year, those in adequate health and between the ages of 15 and 75 participate in a 19 day Fast. We "Abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sundown" from March 2 through 20. There are some exemptions. The importance of the Fast is spiritual. It is a symbolic reminder to avoid selfish desires and prepare for the coming of the new year. It increases our spirituality and focuses our thoughts on God.
The Law of Huququ'llah was revealed by Bahá'u'lláh in the Most Holy Book. It literally means the Rights of God. According to this law, a fixed portion of the value of a believer's wealth, with certain exceptions, is paid to the head of the Faith, i.e. the Universal House of Justice. This is done with the utmost joy and gratitude for it permits one to purify one's possessions, i.e. to confirm one's detachment from material things and attachment to God.
Bahá'u'lláh states that we should "Immerse yourselves in the ocean of My words, that ye may unravel its secrets, and discover all the pearls of wisdom that lie hid in its depths." In the Most Holy Book we are instructed to recite the verses of God "every morn and eventide." This nourishes our soul and opens the door to knowledge. Shoghi Effendi urges us to "strive to obtain a more adequate understanding of the significance of Bahá'u'lláh's stupendous Revelation".
The most vital and urgent of all our obligations as Bahá'ís is to teach the Faith to others. The greatest means for us to assist the plight of our fellow humans is to bring the healing message of Bahá'u'lláh to them. We do this courteously and with tact and wisdom. The process has four steps:
We must have knowledge in order to teach, but we will never be perfect so we teach, relying upon the Will of God to transform the souls. We are but the channel and should not be attached to any result. Teaching attracts Divine confirmations to us and causes us to grow spiritually. Some individuals travel far and wide in order to teach the Faith. In fact, some even resettle in a whole different part of the world to assist the Faith there. This is called pioneering. There is a special blessing for these courageous souls.
Since we live in the physical world, material means are necessary to carry out the work of the Faith, hence giving to the Bahá'í Funds is a great privilege available only to enrolled Bahá'ís. Funds are not accepted from any other source. This permits us to demonstrate our love for God and let us promote His Cause. Shoghi Effendi encourages us to show our faith and courage by being "like the fountain or spring that is continually emptying itself of all that it has and is continually being refilled from an invisible source." Everyone can participate, regardless of how modest their means. The spirit in which we give is the most important factor: it should be a spirit of sacrifice and love. There are four permanent funds: International (supports the Universal House of Justice), Continental (supports the work of the Continental Board of Counselors), National (supports the National Spiritual Assembly and is called the bedrock on which the other institutions rest) and the Local Fund for the Local Spiritual Assemblies. Other temporary funds come into existence, such as the Arc Fund which is being used to build the magnificent edifices of the World Center. Once it is built, the fund will disappear and the opportunity to participate financial will be forever lost.
There are other laws, ordinances and principles, some of which are: consider work as a form of worship, avoid alcoholic drinks and drugs, observe Bahá'í marriage and burial, obey the government and not participate in partisan politics, avoid backbiting and gossip, observe Bahá'í Holy Days, educate your children, write a will, abstain from polygamy, adultery, homosexuality, gambling, and to consult a competent physician when ill.
A great privilege of being Bahá'í is associating with the Bahá'í Community, a growing spiritual family of over five million. You can see a snapshot of local community life here in Boise, Idaho, USA. The cornerstone of community life is the Feast, held every 19 days, during which the Bahá'ís gather for a devotional service, community consultation, and fellowship. Because the consultation period is like a family discussion, it is not open to people other than Bahá'ís. This period of consultation is vitally important. It is the ideal time for an individual to share ideas, views, and make suggestions for consideration by the Local Spiritual Assembly. The relationship between the LSA and the individual is special. The individual abides whole-heartedly by LSA decisions, fully aware that the LSA always acts in the best interest of the Faith. The LSA is regarded like a loving parent. Conversely, the LSA always listens to the community, carefully considers any recommendations, reports any decisions to the community, and provides direction and assistance to the individual and community in achieving whatever goals are appropriate. Since the LSA is responsible for the protection and propagation of the Faith within its jurisdiction, approval is sought from it before any public events occur to ensure the appropriateness of the event. Personal plans and goals are shared with the LSA, just as the LSA shares goals and plans with the community members. Think of it as a two-way street: each helps the other improve.
Teaching is an important part of the daily life of a Bahá'í, hence there are "Fireside" meetings held in virtually all communities, named after the cozy fireside meetings held in the early days of the Faith in Canada. These meetings provide a comfortable atmosphere for people investigating the truth of the Bahá'í Faith to ask questions or just be with Bahá'ís. Education is also very important in the community. Many communities, like Boise, hold weekly classes for the religious education of children, youth and adults. Bahá'ís observe Holy Days throughout the year which have some historical significance. During most of these days, work is suspended. This provides another opportunity for the friends to gather (friends is a term often used to refer to Bahá'í community members, since that is how everyone is regarded, as your friend).
Bahá'í Houses of Worship will eventually be constructed in all communities. Today, there are only seven world-wide. The formal name for them is Mashriqu'l-Adhkar (Dawning -Place of the Praises of God". The seven are in Wilmette (near Chicago Illinois, considered the holiest of the Houses of Worship and the Mother Temple of the West); Kampala, Uganda; Mona Vale (near Sydney) Australia; Langenhain (near Frankfurt) Germany; Panama City, Panama; Apia, Western Samoa; and Bahapur (near New Delhi) India. There was an eighth House of Worship in Ishqabad, Turkistan but it was taken over by the Soviet government in 1932 and demolished in 1962 after being damaged by an earthquake. The Houses of Worship are open to people of all religions. Each is nine-sided representing the nine world religions. They have nine entrances, representing the numerous paths to God. In the future, each House of Worship will be the center of dependencies that will serve the needs of society: social, humanitarian, educational and scientific. Follow the photographs link to see images.
A Chaste and Holy Life
Shoghi Effendi wrote "A chaste and holy life must be made
the controlling principle in the behavior and conduct of all
Bahá'ís." This challenging principle guides our conduct
with all other people. However, Bahá'u'lláh assures us that
"Should a man wish to adorn himself with the ornaments of
the earth, to wear its apparels, or partake of the benefits it
can bestow, no harm can befall him, if he alloweth nothing
whatever to intervene between him and God, for God hath ordained
every good thing, whether created in the heavens or in the earth,
for such of His servants as truly believe in Him." Living a
chaste and holy life does not mean being solemn nor joyless. On
the contrary, a balanced life includes humor, happiness and joy
as well as serious thought, compassion and humble service. A
chaste and holy life implies "modesty, purity, temperance,
decency, and clean-mindedness" according to Shoghi Effendi.
It requires "daily vigilance" in controlling our
sensual desires and corrupt tendencies. It calls for the
abandoning "frivolous conduct" and "excessive
attachment to trivial and often misdirected pleasures." It
condemns all promiscuity, easy familiarity, and extramarital sex.
The end result is a healthier, happier and noble life. The sexual
impulse is viewed as a beautiful and natural desire but may find
expression only within marriage.
Marriage
Living a chaste and holy life preserves the sanctity and
stability of marriage, the bedrock of society. Bahá'í marriage
is a physical and spiritual union. Marriage requires preparation.
We need to take time to get to know our intended partner
thoroughly before marrying. We marry intending an everlasting
union. After choosing a partner, we must obtain our parents'
permission, in the words of Shoghi Effendi, to "strengthen
the social fabric, to knit closer the ties of the home, to place
a certain gratitude and respect in the hearts of the children for
those who have given them life and sent their souls out on the
eternal journey towards their Creator." We are then free to
plan our own wedding as we wish, abiding by civil law but in a
Bahá'í ceremony in front of two witnesses approved by, and
officiated by their Local or National Spiritual Assembly. The
ceremony simply includes the reciting of this verse by bride and
groom to each other: "We will all, verily abide by the will
of God." Anything else added is purely up to the
individuals. The husband and wife are expected to be absolutely
faithful to each other in thought and deed. Should the marriage
fail the two must make every attempt to prayerfully rise above
their differences. They must try to restore harmony while living
separately for at least one year (known as the year of patience)
as supervised by their Local Spiritual Assembly. If
reconciliation is still impossible after the year of patience,
divorce may be allowed as a last resort. Divorce is highly
discouraged because of its disruptive effect on family life and
the discord it creates.
Family Life
The sacred and primary purpose of marriage is to raise a family,
to "bring forth one who will make mention of Me (God) amid
My servants." Child-rearing is a sacred responsibility.
Within the family each member has a role to play, notwithstanding
that some families become single-parent homes. The parents have
the responsibility to educate their children. Children have the
responsibility to obey their parents. The father has the primary
responsibility to provide for and protect the family, while the
mother is the first educator of the children. This does not
exclude men from training children or women from working, but
rather is a statement of primary responsibility and not an
absolute restriction of roles. Families should pray and study the
Bahá'í writings together daily. Children from an early age
should be taught to pray and meditate and to acquire spiritual
and intellectual knowledge. The family should be the center of
unity, affection and harmony.
Freedom from Prejudices of all Kinds
Achieving unity demands the elimination of racism and the
establishment of the equality of the sexes. There is only one
human race. The principle of the oneness of humanity must be
adopted and practiced in our daily lives. We should not mistrust
or distance ourselves from others on the basis of race or color.
Rather, we must demonstrate kindness, genuine love, patience,
humility, tact and wisdom to all. We must abandon any attitudes
of superiority, suspicion or impatience toward all members of the
human race.
In this Great Day, for the first time, a Manifestation of God has proclaimed the equality of women and men. Men and women are equal in the sight of God. This does not mean that we ignore the biological differences nor does it mean women and men have identical functions. According to 'Abdu'l-Bahá, each sex is the "complement of each other" with "negligible" differences. Women, when accorded the same opportunities and education, will prove themselves equals. "The highest social development of mankind is not possible" until gender equality is established. 'Abdu'l-Bahá declares, in comparing man and woman to the two wings of a bird, "Unless both wings are strong...the bird cannot fly heavenwards." Both wings must be of equal strength for the bird of humanity to fly. Bahá'u'lláh explained that "the training and culture of daughters is more necessary" than that of sons because women are the first educators of children, hence the benefits of training are spread through society most quickly. 'Abdu'l-Bahá also links the increased strength of woman to the establishment of peace:
"War and its ravages have blighted the world; the education of woman will be a mighty step toward its abolition and ending, for she will use her whole influence against war. She will refuse to give her sons for sacrifice upon the field of battle. In truth, she will be the greatest factor in establishing universal peace and international arbitration. Assuredly, woman will abolish warfare among mankind."
Fellowship
To create unity, we must practice what we preach: we must
demonstrate loving fellowship with others, that is, with peoples
of all colors, religious convictions, nationalities, etc.
'Abdu'l-Bahá's entire life demonstrated sincere fellowship with
all peoples and provides us with the perfect example to model. He
advises us not to exalt ourselves above others, but to consider
all as our equals and recognize all as servants of one God. He
urges us praise others, not to speak disparagingly of others. We
should treat ill-wishers as well-wishers and beware not to
"offend any heart". He asks each of us to "Be
trustworthy, sincere, affectionate and replete with chastity. Be
illumined, be spiritual, be divine, be glorious, be quickened of
God, be a Bahá'í."
The source for this
material is largely pages 37-76 of "So Great An Honor",
prepared by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of
the United States
and has been abbreviated for this website.
©1999 by the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Boise