The requirements for obligatory prayer called for in the Babi and Islamic
Dispensations were more demanding than those for the performance of the
Obligatory Prayer consisting of nine rak'ahs that was prescribed in the
Kitab-i-Aqdas (see note 4).
In the Bayan, the Bab prescribed an Obligatory Prayer consisting of
nineteen rak'ahs which was to be performed once in a twenty-four-hour
period--from noon of one day to noon of the next.
The Muslim prayer is recited five times a day, namely, in the early
morning, at midday, in the afternoon and evening, and at night. While the
number of rak'ahs varies according to the time of recitation, a total of
seventeen rak'ahs are offered in the course of a day.
7. When ye desire to perform this prayer, turn ye towards the Court of My
Most Holy Presence, this Hallowed Spot that God hath ... decreed to be the
Point of Adoration for the denizens of the Cities of Eternity #6
The "Point of Adoration", that is, the point to which the worshipper
should turn when offering obligatory prayer, is called the Qiblih. The
concept of Qiblih has existed in previous religions. Jerusalem in the past
had been fixed for this purpose. Muhammad changed the Qiblih to Mecca. The
Bab's instructions in the Arabic Bayan were:
The Qiblih is indeed He Whom God will make manifest; whenever He
moveth, it moveth, until He shall come to rest.
This passage is quoted by Baha'u'llah in the Kitab-i-Aqdas (# 137) and
confirmed by Him in the above-noted verse. He has also indicated that
facing in the direction of the Qiblih is a "fixed requirement for the
recitation of obligatory prayer" (Q and A 14 and 67). However, for other
prayers and devotions the individual may face in any direction.
8. and when the Sun of Truth and Utterance shall set, turn your faces
towards the Spot that We have ordained for you #6
Baha'u'llah ordains His resting-place as the Qiblih after His passing. The
Most Holy Tomb is at Bahji, Akka. 'Abdu'l-Baha describes that Spot as the
"luminous Shrine", "the place around which circumambulate the Concourse on
High".
In a letter written on his behalf, Shoghi Effendi uses the analogy of the
plant turning in the direction of the sun to explain the spiritual
significance of turning towards the Qiblih:
...just as the plant stretches out to the sunlight--from which it
receives life and growth--so we turn our hearts to the
Manifestation of God, Baha'u'llah, when we pray; ... we turn our
faces ... to where His dust lies on this earth as a symbol of the
inner act.
9. We have set forth the details of obligatory prayer in another Tablet.
#8
The original Obligatory Prayer had "for reasons of wisdom" been revealed
by Baha'u'llah in a separate Tablet (Q and A 63). It was not released to
the believers in His lifetime, having been superseded by the three
Obligatory Prayers now in use.
Shortly after the Ascension of Baha'u'llah, the text of this prayer, along
with a number of other Tablets, was stolen by Muhammad-'Ali, the
Arch-breaker of His Covenant.