The Baha'i Fast
Suzanne
We've been having a lot of discussions lately about laws, and tomorrow
morning starts the nineteen-day Baha'i fast. The first time I
discovered that there is a fast period was the night before it started
when I was a new Baha'i. As we were leaving the Nineteen-Day Feast
someone wished everyone well with their fasting. I quit asked about
it and found out that I was going to have to fast from sun up to sun
down for 19 days. I was pretty shocked at that, but I made it. And I
really think that I grew as a Baha'i immensely because of that.
I was wondering if anyone had any questions or comments about the
fast, or stories or insights to share about it? Besides the Muslims,
I think we're the only Religion to have such a long fast period.
All best wishes,
Suzanne
Suzanne
fast:
"There is an Islamic tradition which states: `The are as many ways to
God as there are breaths.’ This is how I feel about the fast.
Fasting is a “way to God”, and each individual experiences it in his
or her own way. The way of the individual may also change from year
to year or even from moment to moment depending on the
circumstances.
I well remember my first fast as a new Baha’i. Nobody had even
thought to mention to me that Baha’is have a fast. The first I knew
of it was when, on departing from the Nineteen-Day Feast on the
evening before, one of the friends called out, “Good luck with
fasting!” When I found out what they were talking about I experienced
sensations of panic, dismay, dread, excitement and exhilaration in
rapid succession.
The next morning I was wide awake at 5:30 a.m. preparing for myself an
enormous breakfast. That was what I thought you had to do in those
days. Cram as much food as possible in during the hours when you were
allowed to eat, so that I wouldn’t starve in between
Fasting is learning to surrender one’s will to the will of God.
Eventually I learned that no special physical preparation was
necessary. What benefited me most was the spiritual nourishment I got
from the fast prayers. They are filled with all sorts of insights
into the deep spiritual benefits of fasting and they always make me
determined to succeed in my fast. One of my favorite lines is:
“These are Thy servants, O my Lord, who have entered with Thee in
this, the Most Great Prison, who have kept the fast within its walls
according to what Thou hadst commanded them in the Tablets of Thy
decree and the Books of Thy behest.”
(Baha'u'llah: Prayers and Meditations, Page: 145)
So by fasting it is as if we have accepted to enter into the Most
Great Prison with Baha’u’llah! What a glorious surrender of one’s
will to the will of the Beloved; and what incredible nearness that
involves.
Every year since that first year I have approached the fast in a
different way; each way reflecting different mental, emotional,
spiritual and physical states as well as work and family
circumstances. Some years I felt it was necessary to treat myself at
the end of each day with a nice dessert. I think there were years I
actually gained weight during the fast! Other years I concentrated on
eating smaller, more healthful meals to maintain health and stamina.
Some years I felt that it was important that I limit my outside
activities during the fast, and spend a great deal of time meditating
and communing with God. Other years I’ve felt it was better to go on
with my life as usual and make use of the spiritual energies which are
released in my interactions with other people.
From the very first year I was determined to follow this law to the
letter, and not let anything pass my lips during the fasting hours –
even if I was feeling tired or weak; or something important was
happening at the end of the day which I needed stamina for.
However one year I was ill, and, even though I knew I wasn’t required
to fast, I still tried. I knew I could do it. I could just refuse to
eat anything until the end of each day; as always. However, I became
weaker and weaker and felt more and more miserable. I was not a
“happy and radiant being.” I felt cranky and unhappy. I remembered
the line in the Naw Ruz prayer: “Shoudst Thou regard him who has
broken the fast as one who hath observed it, such a man would be
reckoned among them who from eternity had been keeping the fast. And
shouldst Thou decree that he who hath observed the fast hath broken
it, that person would be numbered with such as have caused the Robe of
Thy Revelation to be stained with dust…” I realized that my
particular test that year might not be in keeping the fast, but in
learning to break it when I was allowed to do so. I needed to trust
that God would understand and accept my sincere wish to fast, even if
it was not possible for me to do that completely on a physical level
at that time. My heart was still with the fast and fixed on God; and
I still refrained from eating and drinking much of the time; and I
still said the beautiful fast prayers. But at times I did eat and
drink something. I didn’t eat everything I might have. Just as much
as was needed for the sake of my health.
For some Baha’is fasting is an effortless affair. They hardly notice
it. For others it can be excruciatingly difficult and they really do
have to struggle with it, and they feel miserable during the entire
month; and for others it is just not possible due to their physical
condition. For those who cannot fast, the fast is an especially great
test. Sometimes they struggle with feelings of guilt and
unworthiness. Sometimes they feel alienated from those Baha’is who
can fast so effortlessly and say so. I believe that God has specially
tender feelings of loving acceptance for those who struggle in this
way, and they are the ones which receive the greatest benefits from
the fast.
Nobody knows whether their fast will be accepted by God; but I believe
that it will be if it is motivated by the will to show one’s love and
obedience to God, wherever one happens to be on their paths, and
whatever conditions they might be facing that year."
Suzanne
mike
> I needed to trust that God would understand and accept my sincere >wish to fast, even if it was not possible for me to do that >completely on a physical level at that time.
You raise a very good point. When your health is at risk, you are
actually being disobedient by fasting. But for the majority of people
who can fast its good to know that there are also alot of potential
health benefits to it. Check this out.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/04/28/health/main551400.shtml
Happy Fasting!
Sizwe Cawe
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23:34:00
Dear Suzanne
I appreciate the spiritual aspectsof the fast and have no problems
with them. However, I sometimes wonder if, on a material level, the
fast is not somewhat overrated. Basically the fast means having an
early breakfast, skipping luch then having supper: two instead of
three meals a day. After a few days the body adjusts to the new regime
and that's it. In this part of the world there are many people who
habitually have two meals a day (the lucky ones) and quite a few who
have to do with only one meal, and even that meal is not assured. In
the light of these harsh realities, I fast basically for the love of
the Blessed Beauty.
Best regards
Sizwe.
Suzanne
> You raise a very good point. When your health is at risk, you are
> actually being disobedient by fasting.
Yes. This is true. However, even if a person is unable to fast
materially, they can adapt the fast so that the true intent of it is
still achieved. 'Abdu'l-Baha said that the person of the fast is
spiritual:
"Ye had written of the fasting month. Fortunate are ye to have obeyed
the commandment of God, and kept this fast during the holy season. For
this material fast is an outer token of the spiritual fast; it is a
symbol of self-restraint, the withholding of oneself from all
appetites of the self, taking on the characteristics of the spirit,
being carried away by the breathings of heaven and catching fire from
the love of God."
(Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 69)
What I learned from when I couldn't fast is that I could still get up
early and say my prayers and eat before dawn. I could still say all
the fast prayers, which help one to draw closer to God. I could still
figure out what I could do safely and stick to that. In other words,
I could still submit my will to God's will and take part in the
spiritual fast. I could still feel unity with my fellow Baha'is in
their fast, and not eat in front of them and hold my peace about not
being able to fast. I could still become enkindled with the love of
God and prepared to carry that forward into the rest of my year.
Here's one of the passages from a fast prayer which I have find
especially inspiring::
"These are, O my God, the days whereon Thou didst enjoin Thy servants
to observe the fast. With it Thou didst adorn the preamble of the Book
of Thy Laws revealed unto Thy creatures, and didst deck forth the
Repositories of Thy commandments in the sight of all who are in Thy
heaven and all who are on Thy earth. Thou hast endowed every hour of
these days with a special virtue, inscrutable to all except Thee,
Whose knowledge embraceth all created things. Thou hast, also,
assigned unto every soul a portion of this virtue in accordance with
the Tablet of Thy decree and the Scriptures of Thine irrevocable
judgment."
(Baha'u'llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 143)
If what Baha'u'llah has revealed is exact spiritual truth, as I
believe it is, then I would want to get the benefit of these precious
hours of fasting, since each hour has been endowed with a special
virtue.
Best wishes,
Suzanne
Suzanne
But for the majority of people
> who can fast its good to know that there are also alot of potential
> health benefits to it. Check this out.
>
> http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/04/28/health/main551400.shtml
>
> Happy Fasting!
Hi Mike,
Intersting article. Thanks for sharing. I googled the health
benefits of fasting, and found many sites. Here's a good one:
http://hubpages.com/hub/benefits_of_fasting. It seems like it's a
good thing for your body's digestive system to rest from time to time
so that the healing energies of the body can go to other areas. Also,
a bit of stress from fasting makes the body able to withstand stress
in other forms. It promotes health.
It's interesting how laws given by the Manifestations of God which are
intended as spiritual laws, can also have profoundly good effects in
the material realm as well. I remember a story I once heard from an
Islamic scholar about the implications of Muhammad's law of
pilgrimage: Hajj.
In the early days of Islam there were no newspapers and no instant
communications as now. Muhammad had stressed the importance of
knowledge and told his followers to collect it, even from China, and,
because this came from the lips of a Manifestation of God, they were
intent on doing this.
Once in a lifetime they also needed to go on pilgrimage. This often
took months of travel on foot in both directions. The travellers
would go from village to village and enjoy the hospitality of the
people there and would share with them the new knowledge they had
learned and hear from them about their new knowledge. All along their
travels this process of exchange of knowledge would take place, and
again, to a supreme degree it would happen at Mecca, where all the
pilgrims would gather and speak with each other about what they had
learned. Then they would travel back along the same route bringing
the new knowledge they had learned on their Hajj to the people in the
villages they passed through. In this way knowledge increased
massively during a time when there was very limited means, otherwise,
of spreading it.
So I guess the moral is, follow the laws of the Manifestations for
spiritual benefits, and also for mysterious physical benefits which
have not been promised but which happen just the same.
All best wishes,
Suzanne
Suzanne
<<I appreciate the spiritual aspectsof the fast and have no problems
with them. However, I sometimes wonder if, on a material level, the
fast is not somewhat overrated. Basically the fast means having an
early breakfast, skipping luch then having supper: two instead of
three meals a day. After a few days the body adjusts to the new regime
and that's it. In this part of the world there are many people who
habitually have two meals a day (the lucky ones) and quite a few who
have to do with only one meal, and even that meal is not assured. In
the light of these harsh realities, I fast basically for the love of
the Blessed Beauty.>>
Dear Sizwe,
Interesting points you make. It's possible that there may be a
cultural element involved. As you say, some people are used to having
very little, and for them fasting would be no challenge. But
relatively affluent people often eat and drink quite regularly
throughout the day without even thinking about it, and their bodies
are used to that. So for those who have plenty, the fast gives them
times in their lives when they need to abstain and can reflect on
their hunger, and sensitize them to those who go without food much of
the time. So from a physical standpoint, it's the affluent over-
eaters who probably have more to gain from the fast.
However, I don't think that that's all of it. For most of my life I
experienced the fast as you do; just having an early breakfast and
skipping lunch. I never suffered with the fast in the slightest.
But I did also have the experience of being ill and fasting just the
same, and that sensitized me to what some people may be experiencing
who are unable (or less able) to fast. There is a good reason for
exemptions which we may be oblivious of if we haven't experienced them
ourselves. I'm reminded of this quote by 'Abdu'l-Baha about the fact
that we need to experience many things in order to understand them;
"Man must walk in many paths and be subjected to various processes in
his evolution upward...Suppose he had the power to remain young
throughout his life. He then would not understand the meaning of old
age and could not believe it existed. .."
(Abdu'l-Baha, Foundations of World Unity, p. 78)
So if we've only had an easy time fasting, we could not really
understand that some people really do struggle. The year that I was
sick but fasted anyway, I was absolutely exhausted -- day and nigh.
God doesn't mean to cripple people with this law, and some people
actually do need to take a bit of nourishment and/or water throughout
the day to maintain their stamina. And it requires some humility to
admit this; especially when most other people have absolutely no
problem with fasting.
The fact that it's easy for some people and impossible for others is
the reason, in my opinion, that Baha'u'llah says in the Naw Ruz prayer
that some people who have fasted will not be accounted as having
fasted, and others who have not fasted will have been accounted as
having fasted:
"...Shouldst Thou regard him who hath broken the fast as one who hath
observed it, such a man would be reckoned among them who from eternity
had been keeping the fast. And shouldst Thou decree that he who hath
observed the fast hath broken it, that person would be numbered with
such as have caused the Robe of Thy Revelation to be stained with
dust, and been far removed from the crystal waters of this living
Fountain..."
(Baha'u'llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 67)
Whether or not they can physically fast, it's the spirit in which
people approach this law that counts. It's for the individual to
strive and for God to judge. And like you said, whatever they do it
should be for the love of God.
All best wishes,
Suzanne
mike
>So I guess the moral is, follow the laws of the Manifestations for
>spiritual benefits, and also for mysterious physical benefits which
>have not been promised but which happen just the same.
I guess this raises in my mind a question. Do you think that the
manifestation simply recognizes what is best for humanity in terms of
social laws _or_ by his pronouncement, those social laws become what
is best for humanity.
Ie. Muhammad recognized that eating pork in his day could cause
disease and accordingly forbade his followers to eat it, or by
forbidding his followers from consuming pork, pork became something
that was prone to causing disease.
I raise this point because in the Tabernacle of Unity there were two
places where Baha'u'llah mentions this. In one part, he mentions that
were he to pronounce water to be bad, it would become even as a
poison. In another area, he goes on to state that where the next
manifestation to pronounce wine to be good, it too would so.
Douglas McAdam
My understanding is that the Manifestation of God actually recreates
Creation and endows it with a new potential. In order to do this He
must know all there is to know about Creation, how it all works etc.
So if He makes a law, gives a Teaching, etc. then that is what is best
for all Creation, including social laws, etc. In other words He is
incapable of doing anything that is improper or against the overall
Purpose of God for Creation. God is a Creator, and the Manifestation
does what God Wills.
regards,
doug
Suzanne
> places where Baha'u'llah mentions this. In one part, he mentions that
> were he to pronounce water to be bad, it would become even as a
> poison. In another area, he goes on to state that where the next
> manifestation to pronounce wine to be good, it too would so.
Hi Mike,
Baha'u'llah says that the Manifestations of God are like divine
Physicians.
They prescribe the remedies that people in their age need. They are
the
only ones who know what the disease is and why certain things need to
be
prescribed at one time and not at another. Their knowing is not as
individuals human beings, but they are revealing the knowledge of
God. God
would never play tricks on us. He wouldn't say that something is bad
for us
which is actually good or vice versa. But we need to follow what the
Manifestation says to the letter, whether we understand or don't
understand;
whether we agree or disagree; because we don't know what is best for
us.
They know.
I don't know the passages which you mention. Could you please give
references for them.
All best wishes,
Suzanne
mike
> I don't know the passages which you mention. Could you please give
> references for them.
>
> All best wishes,
>
> Suzanne
Tabernacle of Unity doesn't appear to be online yet. But here are some
quotes, there are more, but I think these are to the point.
"For instance, were He to pronounce water itself to be unlawful, it
would indeed become unlawful." P.36 Tabernacle of Unity
"For instance, some believe that wine hath ever been and shall remain
forbidden. Now, were one to inform them that it might one day be made
lawful, they would arise in protest and opposition. In truth, the
people of the world have yet not grasped the meaning of "He doeth
whatsoever He willeth". p.37 Tabernacle of Unity
The part that I wonder about is whether or not the Manifestation of
God redefines our reality which in turn grows to reflect his
definitions, or whether he simply reveals social laws that are better
suited to our changing times.
Larry Gusaas
> Tabernacle of Unity doesn't appear to be online yet.
It's available at
http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/TU/
Also at
http://www.bahairesearch.com/
--
Larry I. Gusaas
Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan Canada
Website: http://larry-gusaas.com
"An artist is never ahead of his time but most people are far behind theirs." - Edgard Varese
Suzanne
You cite:
> "For instance, were He to pronounce water itself to be unlawful, it
> would indeed become unlawful." P.36 Tabernacle of Unity
>
> "For instance, some believe that wine hath ever been and shall remain
> forbidden. Now, were one to inform them that it might one day be made
> lawful, they would arise in protest and opposition. In truth, the
> people of the world have yet not grasped the meaning of "He doeth
> whatsoever He willeth". p.37 Tabernacle of Unity
Hi Mike,
I somehow missed the Book, Tabernacle of Unity, but I have read these
themes in almost the same words in other Writings of Baha'u'llah.
What I get from them is that the Manifestation of God is not bound by
any expectations or laws of the religions they come from, but can
abrogate or institute whatever laws they see fit; "He doeth whatsoever
He willeth." It's the people who need to conform to the laws brought
by the Manifestation of God, and not the other way around, as many
among the clergy have always seemed to think. Remember the religious
authorities in the time of Christ saying that He couldn't be the
Messiah because He broke the Sabbath Day? They were judging the
Manifestation of God by their own human standards, whereas the
Manifestation of God has complete freedom to do what He wants, and
whatever He does, it's from God.
Mike wrote:
> The part that I wonder about is whether or not the Manifestation of
> God redefines our reality which in turn grows to reflect his
> definitions, or whether he simply reveals social laws that are better
> suited to our changing times.
I think it's both. Humanity develops and is ready for more
development, so in that sense, the Manifestation of God is giving us
what we need. But also He re-defines our reality. Lets look at
Baha'u'llah's social laws. Things like the oneness of humanity, the
oneness of religion, the equality of the sexes, the need for global
governance, a universal auxiliary language and common currency must
have seemed really bizarre in the Nineteenth Century when they were
enunciated. They certainly weren't the laws needed in that day. But
gradually the world became a global village and we grew into these
laws until they are coming to be seen as common sense to many. They
are the spirit of the age in which we live. Baha'u'llah said them,
and humanity, as if following His instructions, started moving in that
direction. So in that sense he created our reality. Of course it was
the will of God for this age, and everything the previous
Manifestations of God had taught us were preparing us as well, but the
Word of God created a new reality within our human world.
Best wishes,
Suzanne
Douglas McAdam
I concur with Suzanne and would add a few specifics about redefining
our reality.
Until the Baha'i Revelation man defined reality from a basically
physical condition. Most people even today still will say "I have a
soul", when in reality, according to the Baha'i Writings, they are
souls which have been given bodies and minds to serve them in their
overall goal of service to God and humanity, to know and love God,
etc. In addition the specifics of reality have been revealed which
appear to correspond to our dual nature, or our three natures if we
consider the Intellect to be in between the lower or animal nature and
our higher or divine nature. The specific aspects of reality that
correspond to these three natures are Purpose and Powers, Life
Pattern, Names, Immediate Acts and Qualities. In addition we can now
see and understand how the Knowing and Loving Powers are manifested in
augmentative degrees unique to each nature, i.e. body, mind and soul.
And there are more specifics that we now have knowledge about that
were revealed to us by Baha'u'llah.
In short then we now have a more complete knowledge of the reality of
who we are, to what purpose we exist, how to live our lives and get
along with others that we never had before.
regards,
doug
nikjoo...@yahoo.com
40 days. Hindus have a similar fast I believe -- one day a week of
fasting.
Its the principle that counts. My fast started at 8:00am and lasted
till 6:00pm.
19days of abstinence.
Suzanne
> Chrsitians have a simlar fast called 'Lent'. Its bread and water for
> 40 days. Hindus have a similar fast I believe -- one day a week of
> fasting.
Yes. I think that most (or maybe all) religions have some sort of
fasting. I always liked this quote from Jesus about fasting:
6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad
countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto
men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6:17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy
face; 6:18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father
which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall
reward thee openly.
(King James Bible, Matthew)
Best wishes,
Suzanne