Singing during the devotional portion of the Feast; Use of devotional movement or dance during the devotions of the Feast

March 1994

Dear Bahá'í Friends,

The Universal House of Justice has received your letter dated 19 February 1994 in which you raise two questions about the Nineteen Day Feast.

Regarding your question about singing during the devotional portion of the Feast, you are correct in your suggestion that the lyrics in such music should be drawn from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, the Báb and 'Abdu'l-Bahá. The friends are welcome to use music containing non-scriptural lyrics to enrich and enliven other parts of their Feasts.

You have also asked about the use of devotional movement or dance during the devotions of the Feast. Shoghi Effendi has pointed out in a letter dated 15 June 1935 written on his behalf:

“The important thing that should always be borne in mind is that with the exception of certain specific obligatory prayers Bahá'u'lláh has given us no strict or special ruling in matters of worship whether in the Temple or elsewhere. Prayer is essentially a communion between man and God, and as such transcends all ritualistic forms and formulae.”

It is perfectly acceptable for a prayer to be interpreted in the form of movement or dance. As you know, in many parts of the world there are certain tribal and traditional dances which are performed in glorification of God. Just as a composer can create a piece of music as a result of inspiration by some passage in the Writings, so can a person perform a reverential dance, which is another form of art, to interpret a passage from a prayer or from the Writings. However, to avoid that such expressions of prayer become gradually ritualized, it is preferable that they not be accompanied by reading the words of the prayers.

Through the revealed prayers we seek communion with God; hence they must be offered with the utmost reverence and dignity. In teaching children to say prayers, it is desirable, even where an attitude of devotion prevails, not to use gestures and movement lest they become habitual accompaniments to those prayers.

With loving Bahá'í greetings,

For Department of the Secretariat

(Baha’i Library Online)

Importance of Nonviolence in Families

23 November 1993

Dear Bahá'í friend,

Further to our letter of 14 November 1991, the Universal House of Justice has now completed its consideration of your letter of 21 September 1991, in which you raised a number of questions pertaining to violence and to the sexual abuse of women and children. We have been instructed to provide the following response to your questions.

As you know, the principle of the oneness of mankind is described in the Bahá'í Writings as the pivot round which all the Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh revolve. It has widespread implications which affect and remold all dimensions of human activity. It calls for a fundamental change in the manner in which people relate to each other, and the eradication of those age-old practices which deny the intrinsic human right of every individual to be treated with consideration and respect.

Within the family setting, the rights of all members must be respected. 'Abdu'l-Bahá has stated:

“The integrity of the family bond must be constantly considered and the right of the individual members must not be transgressed. The rights of the son, the father, the mother - none of them must be transgressed, none of them must be arbitrary. Just as the son has certain obligations to his father, the father, likewise has certain obligations to his son. The mother, the sister, and other members of the household have their certain prerogatives. All these rights and prerogatives must be conserved...”

The use of force by the physically strong against the weak, as a means of imposing one's will and fulfilling one's desires, is a flagrant transgression of the Bahá'í Teachings. There can be no justification for anyone compelling another, through the use of force or through the threat of violence, to do that to which the other person is not inclined. 'Abdu'l-Bahá has written, "O ye lovers of God! In this, the cycle of Almighty God, violence and force, constraint and oppression, are one and all condemned." Let those who, driven by their passions or by their inability to exercise discipline in the control of their anger, might be tempted to inflict violence on another human being, be mindful of the condemnation of such disgraceful behaviour by the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh.

Use of the Term "Bahá’í Scholarship”

19 October 1993

Dear Bahá’í Friend,

The Universal House of Justice has received your letter . . . inquiring about the term "Bahá’í scholarship.” . . .

The House of Justice suggests that the issues raised in your letter might best be considered in light of the statements in the Bahá’í Writings which disclose the relationship between the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh and the knowledge which is acquired as a result of scholarly endeavors. Bahá’u’lláh asserts that:

“Unveiled and unconcealed, this Wronged One hath, at all times, proclaimed before the face of all the peoples of the world that which will serve as the key for unlocking the doors of sciences, of arts, of knowledge, of well-being, of prosperity and wealth. . . .”

It is evident that the Bahá’í Writings illuminate all areas of human endeavor and all academic disciplines. Those who have been privileged to recognize the station of Bahá’u’lláh have the bounty of access to a Revelation which casts light upon all aspects of thought and inquiry, and are enjoined to use the understanding which they obtain from their immersion in the Holy Writings to advance the interests of the Faith. 

Those believers with the capacity and opportunity to do so have repeatedly been encouraged in their pursuit of academic studies by which they are not only equipped to render much-needed services to the Faith, but are also provided with the means to acquire a profound insight into the meaning and the implications of the Bahá’í Teachings. They discover also that the perceptions gained from a deeper understanding of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh clarify the subjects of their academic inquiry.

Laws regarding hair and manner of dress

15 August 1993

Dear Bahá’í Friend,

The Universal House of Justice has received your letter of 16 July 1993 expressing your concern over the wearing of long hair and earrings by some of the students of the ... School, and conveying your view that the… School should enforce Bahá’í standards as a condition for enrollment. We have been instructed to send you the following reply.

As you are aware, the Blessed Perfection Himself advised that the utmost wisdom should be exercised in applying the Sacred Laws, and it is only gradually that these have been enforced in the Bahá’í community. Indeed, as the beloved Guardian stated, certain of the laws are designed for a future state of society.

The law of the Aqdas that, in the case of men, "...itis not seemly to let the hair pass beyond the limit of the ears" has not yet been universally applied. Bahá’u’lláh’s statement is in the Most Holy Book for all to read, but its application should be left to the discretion of each individual. It is not fitting at this time for either Bahá’í institutions or individual believers to make an issue of this matter or attempt to enforce it on other believers.

As for the wearing of earrings, nothing at all has been found in the Holy Texts on this matter beyond the general counsel given by Bahá’u’lláh in paragraph 159 of the Aqdas, namely:

Applicability of Baha’i laws to Western believers

4 July 1993

Dear Bahá'í Friend,

... conveyed to the Universal House of Justice the inquiries contained in your letter to him dated 14 June 1993, and we have been instructed to send the following response.

The reason that the term "the Bahá'ís in the West" was left unchanged in the letter of 9 June 1974 addressed to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Iceland when it was circulated to all National Spiritual Assemblies on 9 May 1993, is that it is a term the significance of which is generally understood by the friends, while to elucidate it exactly would have raised unnecessary complications in such a context.

As you are aware, many of the laws of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas were applied in Iran and the neighboring lands of the Middle East from very early days, and others were progressively enforced by Shoghi Effendi. He used to comment to pilgrims that he was raising the pillar of the administration of the Cause in the West and the pillar of the laws in the East.

As the Faith spread in Europe and the Western Hemisphere, certain laws were applied there also, but fewer than were already current in Iran. The Faith continued to spread around the world, and the terms "east" and "west" in this context acquired specialized meanings. While the "east" continued to designate Iran, Iraq and other countries of the older Bahá’í communities of the Middle East, the term "west" came to include the rest of the world. Thus, Persian pilgrims in the time of Shoghi Effendi would stay in the "Eastern" Pilgrim House, while Australian and Chinese pilgrims would stay in the "Western" Pilgrim House.

Personal sacrifice in giving to the Fund

1 July 1993

Dear Bahá’í Friend,

The Universal House of Justice was touched to receive your letter of 11 June 1993 which evinces such devotion to the Cause of God. It has asked us to send you the following reply.

The House of Justice has never gone to the extreme of telling the friends that now is the time to give their long-range savings to the Fund. It sets forth the needs of the Cause, and calls upon the believers to sacrifice, but the degree and manner of his sacrifice depends on each believer’s own faith and good judgment in light of his responsibilities. Again and again in His Writings Bahá’u’lláh emphasizes the need for moderation in all things, and He upholds the importance of using wisdom in all we do and say.

Devoted believers in every age have found it challenging to decide how much of their worldly wealth they should give to the Cause of God, and how much they should use to meet their many responsibilities of life, such as educating their children, preparing for their old age so that they will not be a burden on others, and so forth. You will recall the story of the Muslim who asked Muhammad whether he should tie up his camel or trust in God that it would not run away. Muhammad’s answer was that he should tie up the camel and trust in God! In this Dispensation, by the institution of Huqúqu’lláh, Bahá’u’lláh has provided us with a measure. We are all obliged to pay that portion of our savings that is God’s Right. What remains thereafter is ours to use at our own discretion, for the promotion of the work of the Cause and for helping others less fortunate than ourselves.

In the Hidden Words Bahá’u’lláh revealed: