Baha"u"llah confirms the injunction in the Arabic Bayan regarding the renewal, every nineteen years, of the furnishings of one"s home, provided one is able to do so. "Abdu"l-Baha relates this ordinance to the promotion of refinement and cleanliness. He explains that the purpose of the law is that one should change those furnishings that become old, lose their l.u.s.tre and provoke repugnance. It does not apply to such things as rare or treasured articles, antiques or jewellery.
167. Wash your feet #152
The believers are exhorted in the Kitab-i-Aqdas to bathe regularly, to wear clean clothes and generally to be the essence of cleanliness and refinement. The Synopsis and Codification, section IV.D.3.y.i.-vii., summarizes the relevant provisions. In relation to the washing of the feet, Baha"u"llah states that it is preferable to use warm water; however, washing in cold water is also permissible (Q and A 97).
168. Ye have been prohibited from making use of pulpits. Whoso wisheth to recite unto you the verses of his Lord, let him sit on a chair placed upon a dais #154
These provisions have their antecedent in the Persian Bayan. The Bab forbade the use of pulpits for the delivery of sermons and the reading of the Text. He specified, instead, that to enable all to hear the Word of G.o.d clearly, a chair for the speaker should be placed upon a platform.
In comments on this law, "Abdu"l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi have made it clear that in the Mas_h_riqu"l-Ad_h_kar (where sermons are prohibited and only the words of Holy Scripture may be read) the reader may stand or sit, and if necessary to be better heard, may use a low moveable platform, but that no pulpit is permitted. In the case of meetings in places other than the Mas_h_riqu"l-Ad_h_kar, it is also permissible for the reader or speaker to sit or stand, and to use a platform. In one of His Tablets, when reiterating the prohibition of the use of pulpits in any location, "Abdu"l-Baha has stressed that when Baha"is deliver their speeches in gatherings, they are to do so in an att.i.tude of utmost humility and self-abnegation.
169. Gambling #155
The activities that are included in this prohibition have not been outlined in the Writings of Baha"u"llah. As both "Abdu"l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi have indicated, it is left to the Universal House of Justice to specify the details of this prohibition. In response to questions about whether lotteries, betting on such things as horse races and football games, bingo, and the like, are included under the prohibition of gambling, the Universal House of Justice has indicated that this is a matter that will be considered in detail in the future. In the meantime, the a.s.semblies and individuals are counselled not to make an issue of these matters and to leave it to the conscience of the individual believers.
The House of Justice has ruled that it is not appropriate for funds for the Faith to be raised through lotteries, raffles, and games of chance.
170. the use of opium ... any substance that induceth sluggishness and torpor #155
This prohibition of the use of opium is reiterated by Baha"u"llah in the final paragraph of the Kitab-i-Aqdas. In this connection, Shoghi Effendi stated that one of the requirements for "a chaste and holy life" is "total abstinence ... from opium, and from similar habit-forming drugs". Heroin, hashish and other derivatives of cannabis such as marijuana, as well as hallucinogenic agents such as LSD, peyote and similar substances, are regarded as falling under this prohibition.
"Abdu"l-Baha has written:
As to opium, it is foul and accursed. G.o.d protect us from the punishment He inflicteth on the user. According to the explicit Text of the Most Holy Book, it is forbidden, and its use is utterly condemned. Reason showeth that smoking opium is a kind of insanity, and experience attesteth that the user is completely cut off from the human kingdom. May G.o.d protect all against the perpetration of an act so hideous as this, an act which layeth in ruins the very foundation of what it is to be human, and which causeth the user to be dispossessed for ever and ever. For opium fasteneth on the soul so that the user"s conscience dieth, his mind is blotted away, his perceptions are eroded. It turneth the living into the dead. It quencheth the natural heat. No greater harm can be conceived than that which opium inflicteth. Fortunate are they who never even speak the name of it; then think how wretched is the user.
O ye lovers of G.o.d! In this, the cycle of Almighty G.o.d, violence and force, constraint and oppression, are one and all condemned.
It is, however, mandatory that the use of opium be prevented by any means whatsoever, that perchance the human race may be delivered from this most powerful of plagues. And otherwise, woe and misery to whoso falleth short of his duty to his Lord.
In one of His Tablets "Abdu"l-Baha has stated concerning opium: "the user, the buyer and the seller are all deprived of the bounty and grace of G.o.d".
In yet another Tablet, "Abdu"l-Baha has written:
Regarding hashish you have pointed out that some Persians have become habituated to its use. Gracious G.o.d! This is the worst of all intoxicants, and its prohibition is explicitly revealed. Its use causeth the disintegration of thought and the complete torpor of the soul. How could anyone seek the fruit of the infernal tree, and by partaking of it, be led to exemplify the qualities of a monster? How could one use this forbidden drug, and thus deprive himself of the blessings of the All-Merciful? Alcohol consumeth the mind and causeth man to commit acts of absurdity, but this opium, this foul fruit of the infernal tree, and this wicked hashish extinguish the mind, freeze the spirit, petrify the soul, waste the body and leave man frustrated and lost.
It should be noted that the above prohibition against taking certain cla.s.ses of drugs does not forbid their use when prescribed by qualified physicians as part of a medical treatment.
171. the "mystery of the Great Reversal in the Sign of the Sovereign" #157
S_h_ayk_h_ A?mad-i-Ahsa"i (1753-1831), who was the founder of the S_h_ayk_h_i School and the first of the "twin luminaries that heralded the advent of the Faith of the Bab", prophesied that at the appearance of the Promised One all things would be reversed, the last would be first, the first last. Baha"u"llah in one of His Tablets refers to the "symbol and allusion" of the "mystery of the Great Reversal in the Sign of the Sovereign". He states: "Through this reversal He hath caused the exalted to be abased and the abased to be exalted", and He recalls that "in the days of Jesus, it was those who were distinguished for their learning, the men of letters and religion, who denied Him, whilst humble fishermen made haste to gain admittance into the Kingdom" (see also note 172). For additional information about S_h_ayk_h_ A?mad-i-Ahsa"i see The Dawn-Breakers, chapters 1 and 10.
172. the "Six" raised up by virtue of this "Upright Alif" #157
In his writings, S_h_ayk_h_ A?mad-i-Ahsa"i placed great emphasis on the Arabic letter "Vav". In The Dawn-Breakers, Nabil states that this letter "symbolized for the Bab the advent of a new cycle of Divine Revelation, and has since been alluded to by Baha"u"llah in the Kitab-i-Aqdas in such pa.s.sages as "the mystery of the Great Reversal" and "the Sign of the Sovereign"".
The name for the letter "Vav" consists of three letters: Vav, Alif, Vav.
According to the abjad reckoning, the numerical value of each of these letters is 6, 1 and 6 respectively. Shoghi Effendi in a letter written on his behalf to one of the believers in the East provides an interpretation of this verse of the Aqdas. He states that the "Upright Alif" refers to the advent of the Bab. The first letter with its value of six, which comes before the Alif, is a symbol of earlier Dispensations and Manifestations which predate the Bab, while the third letter, which also has a numerical value of six, stands for Baha"u"llah"s supreme Revelation which was made manifest after the Alif.
173. It hath been forbidden you to carry arms unless essential #159
Baha"u"llah confirms an injunction contained in the Bayan which makes it unlawful to carry arms, unless it is necessary to do so. With regard to circ.u.mstances under which the bearing of arms might be "essential" for an individual, "Abdu"l-Baha gives permission to a believer for self-protection in a dangerous environment. Shoghi Effendi in a letter written on his behalf has also indicated that, in an emergency, when there is no legal force at hand to appeal to, a Baha"i is justified in defending his life. There are a number of other situations in which weapons are needed and can be legitimately used; for instance, in countries where people hunt for their food and clothing, and in such sports as archery, marksmanship, and fencing.
On the societal level, the principle of collective security enunciated by Baha"u"llah (see Gleanings from the Writings of Baha"u"llah, CXVII) and elaborated by Shoghi Effendi (see the Guardian"s letters in The World Order of Baha"u"llah) does not presuppose the abolition of the use of force, but prescribes "a system in which Force is made the servant of Justice", and which provides for the existence of an international peace-keeping force that "will safeguard the organic unity of the whole commonwealth". In the Tablet of Bis_h_arat, Baha"u"llah expresses the hope that "weapons of war throughout the world may be converted into instruments of reconstruction and that strife and conflict may be removed from the midst of men".
In another Tablet Baha"u"llah stresses the importance of fellowship with the followers of all religions; He also states that "the law of holy war hath been blotted out from the Book".
174. and permitted you to attire yourselves in silk #159
According to Islamic practice, the wearing of silk by men was generally forbidden, except in times of holy war. This prohibition, which was not based on the verses of the Qur"an, was abrogated by the Bab.
175. The Lord hath relieved you ... of the restrictions that formerly applied to clothing and to the trim of the beard. #159