How do Bah'ai's pray and worship God?

[didymus]

I'm curious what form a Bah'ai service takes(if there is one) do you read verses from the book and pray and meditate? Do you gather and pray together at all or seperately?

[arthra]

Didymus wrote:

I'm curious what form a Bah'ai service takes(if there is one) do you read verses from the book and pray and meditate? Do you gather and pray together at all or seperately?

My reply:

Baha'is have the revealed prayers of Baha'u'llah, the Bab and Abdul-Baha that are used in worship. So we recite the prayers individually that is one will recite and another and so on. Prayers are said at Baha'i Feasts which are community gatherings held every nineteen days.

Our prayers are not said congregationally as say in the Christian Church where the Lord's Prayer is said in unison, nor do we have a prayer leader or imam as in Islam.

The only prayer said in congregation is the Prayer for the Dead as part of burial or memorial service for a Baha'i.

The prayers revealed by Baha'u'llah, the Bab and Abdul-Baha are believed to have the most potency. One can compose one's own prayer but it is not considered to be as efficacious.

Daily Obligatory Prayers are also said by each Baha'i alone and not congregationally as in Islam. These prayers are preceded by ablutions and postures similar to Islamic obligatory prayers. For the online Baha'i Prayers in English go to:

http://bahai-library.com/compilations/prayers/BP-2.html

- Art

[BruceDLimber]

Hi again! :-)

As was mentioned above, Baha'is generally recite prayers individually. This means that at a meeting, one person may say a prayer; then another, etc..

We Baha'is pray only to God (though praying to Him through one of His Divine Messengers such as Jesus or Baha'u'llah is quite acceptable).

Baha'is don't have "services" as such, although many communities do hold informal devotional meetings....

The primary internal Baha'i meeting is called the Nineteen-day Feast.

The Baha'i calendar has 19 months of 19 days each (plus four or five extra days each year to make the calendar come out even).

Generally on the first day of each Baha'i month, the Baha'is of each community gather together for the Feast.

Its main purpose is a chance for the Local Spiritual Assembly (the local elected administrative body) and the community to consult together.

The Feast has three parts:

- devotions, including prayers, readings, and often music,
- administrative matters, including reading of mail from higher Baha'i bodies, financial reports, and consultation on plans and various upcoming events, and
- light refreshments and fellowship.

This happens every 19 days.

Best,

Bruce

[Bandit]

Originally Posted by arthra

Our prayers are not said congregationally as say in the Christian Church where the Lord's Prayer is said in unison, nor do we have a prayer leader or imam as in Islam.


- Art

Our church does not have any repition or specific written prayer said in unison, but I have seen that where one person says a prayer, then it kind of goes around the circle taking turns.
I am curious, is there any other outward significance that one may take notice during a group prayer or individual prayer?
I am thinking like raising of the hands & arms or the swaying/rocking or even the bowing together at the same time.?.

I also find the daily obligitory prayers interesting in Bah'ai'.

[arthra]

Originally Posted by Bandit

Our church does not have any repition or specific written prayer said in unison, but I have seen that where one person says a prayer, then it kind of goes around the circle taking turns.
I am curious, is there any other outward significance that one may take notice during a group prayer or individual prayer?
I am thinking like raising of the hands & arms or the swaying/rocking or even the bowing together at the same time.?.

I also find the daily obligitory prayers interesting in Bah'ai'.

Well in the Baha'i Faith the obligatory prayers are said privately and we have a choice of three obligatory prayers that can be said in a given day... One of the prayers is said every 24 hours; another is said three times a day and a third one can be said around noon time.

So Baha'is are supposed to practise at least a prayer a day... Spontaneous prayers are not as common I would say as in some Christian circles...however one can compose their own prayer, it's just that we emphasize the prayers revealed by the Manifestation of God as having more efficacy.

When we gather for prayer we'll normally recite or read the prayers in our Baha'i Prayers book and that is each person that wants to can read or recite a prayer.

During our Feasts and Holy Day gatherings however there are usually special prayers selected by the host of the Feast and then follow other prayers as needed.

As to "...raising of the hands & arms or the swaying/rocking or even the bowing together at the same time.?." this is not usually our practise.

Baha'is normally sit or possible stand quietly and reverently and listen to the prayers being recited or offered...

Devotional meetings are sometimes held and again it depends who plans those but they are open to Christians or followers any religion and they may also participate and offer prayers...

There can be readings from the Bible, the Qur'an and other Holy Books at our prayer and devotional meetings.

- Art

[BruceDLimber]

And to answer the other portion of your question, in additional to more conventional forms of worship, the Baha'i scriptures affrim that one's profession, when performed as an act of service to humanity, ranks as worship of God! (The Baha'i phrase is thus "Work is worship!")

Best, :-)

Bruce

[Bandit]

thanks bruce & arthra. i think service to humanity ranks as worship to God too.

i also like, where each person can choose to recite a prayer, giving that opportunity to people.

pretty neat I think.

[smkolins]

There are a number of encouragements and suggestions regarding prayer - here are a few exceprts:

"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...."

"Take heed lest excessive reading and too many acts of piety in the daytime and in the night season make you vainglorious. Should a person recite but a single verse from the Holy Writings in a spirit of joy and radiance, this would be better for him than reciting wearily all the Scriptures of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Recite ye the verses of God in such measure that ye be not overtaken with fatigue or boredom. Burden not your souls so as to cause exhaustion and weigh them down, but rather endeavour to lighten them, that they may soar on the wings of revealed Verses unto the dawning-place of His signs. This is conducive to nearer access unto God, were ye to comprehend."

"One hour's reflection is preferable to seventy years of pious worship."

"Intone, O My servant, the verses of God that have been received by thee, as intoned by them who have drawn nigh unto Him, that the sweetness of thy 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. Though he may, at first, remain unaware of its effect, yet the virtue of the grace vouchsafed unto him must needs sooner or later exercise its influence upon his soul. Thus have the mysteries of the Revelation of God been decreed by virtue of the Will of Him Who is the Source of power and wisdom."

"Worship thou God in such wise that if thy worship lead thee to the fire, no alteration in thine adoration would be produced, and so likewise if thy recompense should be paradise. Thus and thus alone should be the worship which befitteth the one True God."

"Remembrance of God is like the rain and dew which bestow freshness and grace on flowers and hyacinths, revive them and cause them to acquire fragrance, redolence and renewed charm."

"If one friend feels love for another, he will wish to say so. Though he knows that the friend is aware that he loves him, he will still wish to say so.... God knows the wishes of all hearts. But the impulse to prayer is a natural one, springing from man's love to God.
Prayer need not be in words, but rather in thought and attitude. But if this love and this desire are lacking, it is useless to try to force them. Words without love mean nothing. If a person talks to you as an unpleasant duty, with no love or pleasure in his meeting with you, do you wish to converse with him?"