Prayer is a ladder by which everyone may ascend to Heaven.--MUHAMMAD.
Conversation with God
"Prayer," says 'Abdu'l-Baha, "is conversation with God." In order that God
may make known His Mind and Will to men, He must speak to them in a
language which they can understand, and this He does by the mouths of His
Holy Prophets. While these Prophets are alive in the body They speak with
men face to face and convey to them the Message of God, and after Their
death Their message continues to reach men's minds through Their recorded
sayings and writings. But this is not the only way in which God can
commune with and inspire those whose hearts are seeking after truth,
wherever they are, and whatever their native race or tongue. By this
language the Manifestation continues to hold converse with the faithful
after His departure from the material world. Christ continued to converse
with and inspire His disciples after His crucifixion. In fact He
influenced them more powerfully than before; and with other Prophets it
has been the same. 'Abdu'l-Baha speaks much of this spiritual language. He
says, for instance:--
We should speak in the language of heaven--in the language of the
spirit--for there is a language of the spirit and heart. It is as
different from our language as our own language is different from
that of the animals, who express themselves only by cries and
sounds.
It is the language of the spirit which speaks to God. When, in
prayer, we are freed from all outward things and turn to God, then
it is as if in our hearts we hear the voice of God. Without words
we speak, we communicate, we converse with God and hear the
answer.... All of us, when we attain to a truly spiritual
condition, can hear the Voice of God. (from a talk reported by
Miss Ethel J. Rosenberg).
Baha'u'llah declares that the higher spiritual truths can be communicated
only by means of this spiritual language. The spoken or written word is
quite inadequate. In a little book called The Seven Valleys, in which He
describes the journey of travelers from the earthly dwelling to the Divine
Home, He says, in speaking of the more advanced stages of the journey:--
The tongue is unable to give an account of these, and utterance
falls exceedingly short. The pen is useless in this court, and the
ink gives no result but blackness.... Heart alone can communicate
to heart the state of the knower; this is not the work of a
messenger, nor can it be contained in letters.
The Devotional Attitude
In order that we may attain the spiritual condition in which conversation
with God becomes possible, 'Abdu'l-Baha says:--
We must strive to attain to that condition by being separated from
all things and from the people of the world and by turning to God
alone. It will take some effort on the part of man to attain to
that condition, but he must work for it, strive for it. We can
attain to it by thinking and caring less for material things and
more for the spiritual. The further we go from the one, the nearer
we are to the other. The choice is ours.
Our spiritual perception, our inward sight must be opened, so that
we can see the signs and traces of God's spirit in everything.
Everything can reflect to us the light of the Spirit. (from a talk
reported by Miss Ethel J. Rosenberg).
Baha'u'llah has written:--"That seeker ... at the dawn of every day ...
should commune with God, and, with all his soul, persevere in the quest of
his Beloved. He should consume every wayward thought from the flame of His
loving mention. ..."--Gleaning from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 265.
In the same way, 'Abdu'l-Baha declares:--
When man allows the spirit, through his soul, to enlighten his
understanding, then does he contain all creation.... But on the
other hand, when man does not open his mind and heart to the
blessing of the spirit, but turns his soul towards the material
side, towards the bodily part of his nature, then his he fallen
from his high place and he becomes inferior to the inhabitants of
the lower animal kingdom.
Again, Baha'u'llah writes:--
Deliver your souls, O people, from the bondage of self, and purify
them from all attachment to anything besides Me. Remembrance of Me
cleanseth all things from defilement, could ye but perceive it....
Intone, O My servant, the verses of God that have been received by
thee, ... 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....--Gleanings from the Writings of
Baha'u'llah, pp. 294-295.
Necessity for a Mediator
According to 'Abdu'l-Baha:--
A mediator is necessary between man and the Creator--one who
receives the full light of the Divine Splendor and radiates it
over the human world, as the earth's atmosphere receives and
diffuses the warmth of the sun's rays.
If we wish to pray, we must have some object on which to
concentrate. If we turn to God, we must direct our hearts to a
certain center. If man worships God otherwise than through His
Manifestation, he must first form a conception of God, and that
conception is created by his own mind. As the finite cannot
comprehend the Infinite, so God is not to be comprehended in this
fashion. That which man conceives with his own mind he
comprehends. That which he can comprehend is not God. That
conception of God which a man forms for himself is but a phantasm,
an image, an imagination, an illusion. There is no connection
between such a conception and the Supreme Being.
If a man wishes to know God, he must find Him in the perfect
mirror, Christ or Baha'u'llah. In either of these mirrors he will
see reflected the Sun of Divinity.
As we know the physical sun by its splendor, by its light and
heat, so we know God, the Spiritual Sun, when He shines forth from
the temple of Manifestation, by His attributes of perfection, by
the beauty of His qualities and by the splendor of His light.
(from a talk to Mr. Percy Woodcock, at Akka, 1909).
Again He says:
Unless the Holy Spirit become intermediary, one cannot attain
directly to the bounties of God. Do not overlook the obvious
truth, for it is self-evident that a child cannot be instructed
without a teacher, and knowledge is one of the bounties of God.
The soil is not covered with grass and vegetation without the rain
of the cloud; therefore the cloud is the intermediary between the
divine bounties and the soil.... The light hath a center and if
one desire to seek it otherwise than from the center, one can
never attain to it.... Turn thine attention to the days of Christ;
some people imagine that without the Messianic outpourings it was
possible to attain to truth, but this very imagination became the
cause of the deprivation.
A man who tries to worship God without turning to His Manifestation is
like a man in a dungeon trying through his imagination to revel in the
glories of the sunshine.
Prayer Indispensable and Obligatory
The use of prayer is enjoined upon Baha'is in no uncertain terms.
Baha'u'llah says in the Kitab-i-Aqdas:--
Chant (or recite) the Words of God every morning and evening. The
one who neglects this has not been faithful to the Covenant of God
and His agreement, and he who turns away from it today is of those
who have turned away from God. Fear God, O my people! Let not too
much reading (of the Sacred Word) and actions by day or night make
you proud. To chant but one verse with joy and gladness is better
for you than reading all the Revelations of the Omnipotent God
with carelessness. Chant the Tablets of God in such measure that
ye be not overtaken with fatigue and depression. Burden not the
soul so as to cause exhaustion and languour, but rather refresh it
that thus it may soar on the wings of Revelation to the
Dawning-place of proofs. This brings you nearer to God, were ye of
those who understand.--Kitab-i-Aqdas
'Abdu'l-Baha says to a correspondent:--"O thou spiritual friend! Know thou
that prayer is indispensable and obligatory, and man under no pretext
whatever is excused therefrom unless he be mentally unsound or an
insurmountable obstacle prevent him."
Another correspondent asked: "Why pray? What is the wisdom thereof, for
God has established everything and executes all affairs after the best
order--therefore, what is the wisdom in beseeching and supplicating and in
stating one's wants and seeking help?"
'Abdu'l-Baha replied:--
Know thou, verily it is becoming in a weak one to supplicate to
the Strong One, and it behooveth a seeker of bounty to beseech the
Glorious Bountiful One. When one supplicates to his Lord, turns to
Him and seeks bounty from His Ocean, this supplication brings
light to his heart, illumination to his sight, life to his soul
and exaltation to his being.
During thy supplications to God and thy reciting, "Thy Name is my
healing," consider how thine heart is cheered, thy soul delighted
by the spirit of the love of God, and thy mind attracted to the
Kingdom of God! By these attractions one's ability and capacity
increase. When the vessel is enlarged the water increases, and
when the thirst grows the bounty of the cloud becomes agreeable to
the taste of man. This is the mystery of supplication and the
wisdom of stating one's wants. (from a tablet to an American
believer, translated by 'Ali Kuli _Kh_an, October 1908).
Baha'u'llah has revealed three daily obligatory prayers. The believer is
free to choose any one of these three prayers, but is under the obligation
of reciting one of them, and in the manner Baha'u'llah has prescribed.
Congregational Prayer
The prayers which Baha'u'llah has ordained as a daily obligation for
Baha'is are to be said privately. Only in the case of the Prayer for the
Dead has Baha'u'llah commanded congregational prayer, and the only
requirement is that the believer who reads it aloud, and all others
present, should stand. This differs from the Islamic practice of
congregational prayer in which the believers stand in rows behind an imam,
who leads the prayer, which is prohibited in the Baha'i Faith.
These ordinances, which are in accordance with Baha'u'llah's abolition of
professional clergy, do not mean that He attached no value to meetings for
worship. Regarding the value of gathering for prayer, 'Abdu'l-Baha spoke
as follows:--
Man may say: "I can pray to God whenever I wish, when the feelings
of my heart are drawn to God; when I am in the wilderness, when I
am in the city, or wherever I may be. Why should I go where others
are gathered upon a special day, at a certain hour, to unite my
prayers with theirs, when I may not be in a frame of mind for
praying?"
To think in this way is useless imagination, for where many are
gathered together their force is greater. Separate soldiers
fighting alone and individually have not the force of a united
army. If all the soldiers in this spiritual war gather together,
then their united spiritual feelings help each other, and their
prayers become acceptable. (from notes taken by Miss Ethel J.
Rosenberg).
Prayer the Language of Love
To someone who asked whether prayer was necessary, since presumably God
knows the wishes of all hearts, 'Abdu'l-Baha replied:--
If one friend loves another, is it not natural that he should wish
to say so? Though he knows that that friend is aware of his love,
does he still not wish to tell him of it? ... It is true that God
knows the wishes of all hearts; but the impulse to pray is a
natural one, springing from man's love to God.
... Prayer need not be in words, but rather in thought and action.
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, finding neither love nor enjoyment
in the meeting, do you wish to converse with him? (article in
Fortnightly Review, Jul.-Dec. 1911, p. 784 by Miss E. S. Stevens).
In another talk He said:--
In the highest prayer, men pray only for the love of God, not
because they fear Him or hell, or hope for bounty or heaven. ...
When a man falls in love with a human being, it is impossible for
him to keep from mentioning the name of his beloved. How much more
difficult is it to keep from mentioning the Name of God when one
has come to love Him.... The spiritual man finds no delight in
anything save in commemoration of God. (from notes of Miss Alma
Robertson and other pilgrims, November and December 1900).
Deliverance from Calamities
According to the teaching of the Prophets, disease and all other forms of
calamity are due to disobedience to the Divine Commands. Even disasters
due to floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes are attributed by 'Abdu'l-Baha
indirectly to this cause.
The suffering that follows error is not vindictive, however, but educative
and remedial. It is God's Voice proclaiming to man that he has strayed
from the right path. If the suffering is terrible, it is only because the
danger of wrongdoing is more terrible, for "the wages of sin is death."
Just as calamity is due to disobedience, so deliverance from calamity can
be obtained only be obedience. There is no chance or uncertainty about the
matter. Turning from God inevitably brings disaster, and turning to God as
inevitably brings blessing.
As the whole of humanity is one organism, however, the welfare of each
individual depends not only on his own behavior, but on that of his
neighbors. If one does wrong, all suffer in greater or less degree; while
if one does well, all benefit. Each has to bear his neighbor's burdens, to
some extent, and the best of mankind are those who bear the biggest
burdens. The saints have always suffered abundantly; the Prophets have
suffered superlatively. Baha'u'llah says in the Book of Iqan:--"You must
undoubtedly have been informed of the tribulations, the poverty, the ills,
and the degradation that have befallen every Prophet of God and His
companions. You must have heard how the heads of their followers were sent
as presents unto different cities. ..."--Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 73.
This is not because the saints and Prophets have merited punishment above
other men. Nay, they often suffer for the sins of others, and choose to
suffer, for the sake of others. Their concern is for the world's welfare,
not for their own. The prayer of the true lover of humanity is not that
he, as an individual, may escape poverty, ill-health or disaster, but that
mankind may be saved from ignorance and error and the ills that inevitably
flow from them. If he wishes health or wealth for himself, it is in order
that he may serve the Kingdom, and if physical health and wealth are
denied him, he accepts his lot with "radiant acquiescence," well knowing
that there is a right wisdom in whatever befalls him in the Path of God.
'Abdu'l-Baha says:--
Grief and sorrow do not come to us by chance; they are sent by the
Divine Mercy for our perfecting. When grief and sorrow come, then
will a man remember his Father Who is in Heaven, Who is able to
deliver him from his humiliations. The more a man is chastened,
the greater is the harvest of spiritual virtues shown forth by
him.
At first sight it may seem very unjust that the innocent should suffer for
the guilty, but 'Abdu'l-Baha assures us that the injustice is only
apparent and that, in the long run, perfect justice prevails. He writes:--
As to the subject of babes and children and weak ones who are
afflicted by the hands of the oppressors ... for those souls there
is a recompense in another world ... that suffering is the
greatest mercy of God. Verily that mercy of the Lord is far better
than all the comfort of this world and the growth and development
appertaining to this place of mortality.
Prayer and Natural Law
Many find a difficulty in believing in the efficacy of prayer because they
think that answers to prayer would involve arbitrary interference with the
laws of nature. An analogy may help to remove this difficulty. If a magnet
be held over some iron filings the latter will fly upwards and cling to
it, but this involves no interference with the law of gravitation. The
force of gravity continues to act on the filings just as before. What has
happened is that a superior force has been brought into play--another force
whose action is just as regular and calculable as that of gravity. The
Baha'i view is that prayer brings into action higher forces, as yet
comparatively little known; but there seems no reason to believe that
these forces are more arbitrary in their action than the physical forces.
The difference is that they have not yet been fully studied and
experimentally investigated, and their action appears mysterious and
incalculable because of our ignorance.
Another difficulty which some find perplexing is that prayer seems too
feeble a force to produce the great results often claimed to it. Analogy
may serve to clear up this difficulty also. A small force, when applied to
the sluice gate of a reservoir, may release and regulate an enormous flow
of water-power, or, when applied to the steering gear of an ocean liner,
may control the course of the huge vessel. In the Baha'i view, the power
that brings about answers to prayer is the inexhaustible Power of God. The
part of the suppliant is only to exert the feeble force necessary to
release the flow or determine the course of the Divine Bounty, which is
ever ready to serve those who have learned how to draw upon it.
Baha'i Prayers
Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha have revealed innumerable prayers for the use
of Their followers at various times and for various purposes. The
greatness of conception and depth of spirituality revealed in these
utterances must impress every thoughtful student, but only by making their
use a regular and important part of one's daily life can their
significance be fully appreciated and their power for good realized.
Unfortunately, considerations of space prevent our giving more than a very
few short specimens of these prayers. For further examples the reader must
be referred to other works.
O my Lord! Make Thy beauty to be my food, and Thy presence my
drink, and Thy pleasure my hope, and praise of Thee my action, and
remembrance of Thee my companion, and the power of Thy sovereignty
my succorer, and Thy habitation my home, and my dwelling-place the
seat Thou hast sanctified from the limitations imposed upon them
who are shut out as by a veil from Thee.
Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the Most
Powerful.--BAHA'U'LLAH.
I bear witness, O my God, that Thou hast created Me to know Thee
and to worship Thee. I testify, at this moment, to my
powerlessness and to Thy might, to my poverty and to Thy wealth.
There is none other God but Thee, the Help in Peril, the
Self-Subsisting.--BAHA'U'LLAH.
O my God! O my God! Unite the hearts of Thy servants and reveal to
them Thy great purpose. May they follow Thy commandments and abide
in Thy law. Help them, O God, in their endeavor, and grant them
strength to serve Thee. O God! leave them not to themselves, but
guide their steps by the light of knowledge, and cheer their
hearts by Thy love. Verily, Thou art their Helper and their
Lord.--BAHA'U'LLAH.
O Thou kind Lord! Thou has created all humanity from the same
stock. Thou hast decreed that all shall belong to the same
household. In Thy Holy Presence they are all Thy servants, and all
mankind are sheltered beneath Thy Tabernacle; all have gathered
together at Thy Table of Bounty; all are illumined through the
light of Thy Providence.
O God! Thou art kind to all, Thou hast provided for all, dost
shelter all, conferrest life upon all, Thou hast endowed each and
all with talents and faculties, and all are submerged in the Ocean
of Thy Mercy.
O Thou kind Lord! United all. Let the religions agree and make the
nations one, so that they may see each other as one family and the
whole earth as one home. May they all live together in perfect
harmony.
O God! Raise aloft the banner of the oneness of mankind.
O God! Establish the Most Great Peace.
Cement Thou, O God, the hearts together.
O Thou kind Father, O God! Gladden our hearts through the
fragrance of Thy love. Brighten our eyes through the Light of Thy
Guidance. Delight our ears with the melody of Thy Word, and
shelter us all in the Stronghold of Thy Providence.
Thou art the Might and Powerful. Thou art the Forgiving and Thou
art the One Who overlookest the shortcomings of all mankind!
--'ABDU'L-BAHA.
O Thou Almighty! I am a sinner, but Thou art the Forgiver! I am
full of shortcomings, but Thou art the Compassionate! I am in
darkness of error, but Thou art the Light of Pardon!
Therefore, O Thou Benevolent God, forgive my sings, grant Thy
Bestowals, overlook my faults, provide for me a shelter, immerse
me in the Fountain of Thy Patience and heal me of all sickness and
disease.
Purify and sanctify me. Give me a portion from the outpouring of
holiness, so that sorrow and sadness may vanish, joy and happiness
descend, despondency and hopelessness be changed into cheerfulness
and trustfulness, and courage take the place of fear.
Verily Thou art the Forgiver, the Compassionate, and Thou art the
Generous, the Beloved! --'ABDU'L-BAHA.
O compassionate God! Thanks be to Thee for Thou hast awakened and
made me conscious. Thou hast given me a seeing eye and favored me
with a hearing ear; hast led me to Thy Kingdom and guided me to
Thy Path. Thou hast shown me the right way and caused me to enter
the Ark of Deliverance. O God! Keep me steadfast and make me firm
and staunch. Protect me from violent tests and preserve and
shelter me in the strongly fortified fortress of Thy Covenant and
Testament. Thou art the Powerful! Thou art the Seeing! Thou art
the Hearing! O Thou the Compassionate God! Bestow upon me a heart
which, like unto glass, may be illumined with the light of Thy
love, and confer upon me a thought which may change this world
into a rose-garden through the spiritual bounty. Thou art the
Compassionate, the Merciful! Thou art the Great Beneficent God!
--'ABDU'L-BAHA.
Baha'i prayer is not, however, confined to the use of prescribed forms,
important as those are. Baha'u'llah teaches that one's whole life should
be a prayer, that work done in the right spirit is worship, that every
thought, word and deed devoted to the Glory of God and the good of one's
fellows is prayer, in the truest sense of the world.(24)