Bahá’í Laws/Teaching
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spiritual as well as a physical being. The Bahá’í Fast lasts nineteen days, from March 2 through March 20. During this time Bahá’ís do not eat or drink between sunrise and sunset.
The spirit in which one approaches the Fast is very important. It is not enough merely to abstain from food and drink. One should spend time in prayer and meditation and consider how he can improve and enrich his life. The Fast is a time when one should devote special attention to cleansing his heart of selfish desires, prejudices, lusts, and other impurities. This spiritual preparation helps one begin the new year, which starts immediately after the Fast, strengthened and refreshed.
The Fast is often a time of great closeness in Bahá’í families and communities. Many Bahá’ís enjoy gathering before dawn or after sunset to pray, eat, and share fellowship.
In some situations Bahá’u’lláh says one should not fast. Bahá’ís who are traveling, sick, pregnant, nursing a child, over seventy years old, or younger than fifteen are not required to fast. All other Bahá’ís should take advantage of the opportunities for spiritual growth and renewal which the Fast offers.
3. Teaching[edit]
One who has fallen in love with Bahá’u’lláh and been blessed with the guidance and inspiration found in His Writings will naturally want to share this gift with others. Teaching others about the Faith is both a privilege and a duty: “Teach ye the Cause of God, O people of Bahá, for God hath prescribed unto every one the duty of proclaiming His Message, and regardeth it as the most meritorious of all deeds.”7
In the past, ministers—who were often the only people able to read holy books—studied scriptures and did most of the teaching. Now there is a new way of spreading the knowledge of His Cause. Since most people around the world can learn to read and write and can think for themselves, ministers are no longer needed. Instead each Bahá’í has the responsibility of studying the Writings himself and teaching the Faith to others.
There are several ways of teaching. Each Bahá’í can try to
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live a life which reflects the Word of God given by Bahá’u’lláh. His deeds and actions will then testify to the spiritual power of the Faith. Each Bahá’í can invite his friends and neighbors to his home to hear about God’s latest Messenger. Bahá’u’lláh says that guiding one’s neighbors to the law of God excels all other acts. He also promises that all who arise to teach will be aided: “Whoso openeth his lips in this Day and maketh mention of the name of his Lord, the hosts of Divine inspiration shall descend upon him from the heaven of My name, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.” 8
It is important to share the knowledge of Bahá’u’lláh with everyone. God has prepared every heart to receive this Message. No Bahá’í can decide who is worthy of knowing about the Faith and who is not. One should teach for the sake of God alone. He should also accept whatever response his words may call forth from his hearer in this same spirit. Each individual must decide for himself whether to accept the Message of Bahá’u’lláh. No one can force another to become a Bahá’í.
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After one has presented the teachings as clearly as possible, the decision must be left between the seeker and God.
4. Learning a Trade or a Profession[edit]
A basic Bahá’í law is the law of work. Each Bahá’í must learn a trade, art, or profession and must work to support himself. Bahá’u’lláh says, “The best of men are they that earn a livelihood by their calling and spend upon themselves and upon their kindred for the love of God, the Lord of all worlds.”9 Any form of honest work is acceptable to God.
More important than the type of work one does is the attitude with which he works. When work is performed in the spirit of service to God and one’s fellowmen, it is raised to the station of worship. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says that even the man who makes a piece of notepaper is worshiping and giving praise to God if he does his work to the best of his ability and with an attitude of service.
The poor and the rich face a similar temptation. The poor may be content to beg while the rich may be content to live off their wealth. Both ways are unacceptable. The command to work applies to everyone. Begging is forbidden by Bahá’u’lláh, and idleness is strongly condemned. Bahá’u’lláh says, “The most despised of men before God is he who sits and begs.”10 He also states that the lowest of men are “they that yield no fruit on earth. Such men are verily counted as among the dead, nay better are the dead in the sight of God than those idle and worthless souls.”11