160: PRAYERS (DAILY OBLIGATORY)

"The daily obligatory prayers are three in number. The shortest one

consists of a single verse which has to be recited once in every

twenty-four hours and at midday. The medium (prayer) which begins with the

words: 'The Lord is witness that there is none other God but He,' has to

be recited three times a day, in the morning, at noon and in the evening.

The long prayer which is the most elaborate of the three has to be recited

once in every twenty-four hours, and at any time one feels inclined to do

so.

"The believer is entirely free to choose any one of those three prayers

but is under the obligation of reciting one of them, and in accordance

with any specific directions with which they may be accompanied.

"These daily obligatory prayers, together with a few other specific ones,

such as the Healing Prayer, the Tablet of Ahmad, have been invested by

Baha'u'llah with a special potency and significance, and should therefore

be accepted as such and be recited by the believers with unquestioned

faith and confidence, that through them they may enter into a much closer

communion with God, and identify themselves more fully with His Laws and

precepts."

Directives from the Guardian · 第 162 / 225 题