With reference to attending dawn prayers in the Mas{~COMBINING MACRON BELOW~}h{~COMBINING MACRON BELOW~}riqu'l-Ad{~COMBINING MACRON BELOW~}h{~COMBINING MACRON BELOW~}kar, the
Baha'i House of Worship, Baha'u'llah has explained that, although the
actual time specified in the Book of God is "the hour of dawn", it is
acceptable at any time from "the earliest dawn of day, between dawn and
sunrise, or even up to two hours after sunrise" (Q and A 15).
143. These Tablets are embellished with the seal of Him Who causeth the
dawn to appear, Who lifteth up His voice between the heavens and the
earth. #117
Baha'u'llah repeatedly affirms the absolute integrity of His Writings as
the Word of God. Some of His Tablets also bear the mark of one of His
seals. The Baha'i World, volume V, p. 4, contains a photograph of a number
of Baha'u'llah's seals.
144. It is inadmissible that man, who hath been endowed with reason,
should consume that which stealeth it away. #119
There are many references in the Baha'i Writings which prohibit the use of
wine and other intoxicating drinks and which describe the deleterious
effect of such intoxicants on the individual. In one of His Tablets,
Baha'u'llah states:
Beware lest ye exchange the Wine of God for your own wine, for it
will stupefy your minds, and turn your faces away from the
Countenance of God, the All-Glorious, the Peerless, the
Inaccessible. Approach it not, for it hath been forbidden unto you
by the behest of God, the Exalted, the Almighty.
'Abdu'l-Baha explains that the Aqdas prohibits "both light and strong
drinks", and He states that the reason for prohibiting the use of
alcoholic drinks is because "alcohol leadeth the mind astray and causeth
the weakening of the body".
Shoghi Effendi, in letters written on his behalf, states that this
prohibition includes not only the consumption of wine but of "everything
that deranges the mind", and he clarifies that the use of alcohol is
permitted only when it constitutes part of a medical treatment which is
implemented "under the advice of a competent and conscientious physician,
who may have to prescribe it for the cure of some special ailment".
145. turn your faces toward Him Whom God hath purposed, Who hath branched
from this Ancient Root #121
Baha'u'llah here alludes to 'Abdu'l-Baha as His Successor and calls upon
the believers to turn towards Him. In the Book of the Covenant, His Will
and Testament, Baha'u'llah discloses the intention of this verse. He
states: "The object of this sacred verse is none other except the Most
Mighty Branch." The "Most Mighty Branch" is one of the titles conferred by
Baha'u'llah on 'Abdu'l-Baha. (See also notes 66 and 184.)