Islam Rules for Baha'i

Thanks for your question Talib-al-kalim!

As to prayer Baha'is have three obligatory prayers ... a short, medium or long obligatory prayer... Baha'is are free to choose the prayer they wish to use and the prayer is recited alone and not in congregation.

Fasting is refraining from food and drink during daylight for nineteen days prior to Naw-Ruz March 21st.

There are no restrictions as to diet in the Baha'i Faith.

Baha'is have their own Holy Days and the calendar is solar rather than lunar.
 
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talib-al-kalim said:
To what extent do Baha'i follow the basic practices of Islam, as is

Salat prayer, five times a day
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Good morning Talib-il-kalim, I hope all is well, happy and safe for you.

Arthra gave some quick replies, I would like to expand on Prayer, as I was not brought up in prayer routines and have found the bounty given in prayer later in life.

With the 3 Obligatory prayers, of which we can choose one of each day, or all if we so choose, there are stipulations as to when they are said.

The Short prayer is to be said at noon (Noon to Sunset)
The Medium is to be said morning noon and evening.
The Long is to be said once per day.

Prayer is also encouraged in the morning and evening, as we are encouraged to partake of a prayerful attitude all our waking hours, bring God to mind / mention as often as we can, even if it is saying a short invocation such as Ya Baha'ul Abha.

Also work in the Baha'i Faith has also been raised to the level of Worship, if we do that work in the Spirit of Service to our family, community and humanity as a whole. This is a great bounty for me, as it enables us to be trustworthy, truthful and honest employees or business persons.

I would like to expand on a couple of others as well.

All the best, Regards Tony
 
talib-al-kalim said:
Halal nutrition
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This is a great topic of discussion. There are some laws as to what can not be eat, when hunting, I will post links for brevity.

Hunting - Bahai9

bahai9.com bahai9.com

There is also a lot given on what diet humans should eat, and also how we should use foods for healing, it is a massive topic, so one short link again for brevity.

Lights of Guidance/Diet and Nutrition - Bahaiworks, a library of works about the Bahá’í Faith

bahai.works bahai.works

What I offer is that as Baha'u'llah and Abdul'baha have offered this, Baha'i of the future will definitely try to implement this advice into their daily lives.

All the best, Regards Tony
 
talib-al-kalim said:
Obey commonly agreed Sharia rules
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Baha'u'llah has given us the Kitáb-i-Aqdas and given power to the Universal House of Justice to set and repeal law.

So as the future unfolds, Baha'i will embrace those laws and submit to the laws that are consulted upon and set by the Universal House of Justice.

Regards Tony
 
talib-al-kalim said:
I expected Baha'i faith to be somehow understanding themselves as a succession to Islam, but there doesn't seem to be anything left. Thanks for the answers.
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I see the law enables us to Submit unto the Oneness of God in the knowledge that God is the creator of all things and enables us to embrace Muhammad and all the Prophets (Peace be upon them). This submission results in the love of all humanity and the desire to serve each other.

Is that not true Islam? What else is needed beside prayer and fasting?

Regards Tony
 
muhammad_isa said:
Ask the law courts? 😐
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The law courts can be full of innocent people when man gets hold of the law. History has proven this to be so, especially if driven by fanatical element's.

In the end we have to ask ourselves what laws are from the Prophets and the Messengers, the laws we are to submit to and what is from man's own law?

Then we must consider, can God change the Laws?

Regards Tony
 
wil said:
Succession often leads to many changes...

Once you climb the ladder the first steps are not needed unless you come back down eh?
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Another good metaphor is what the Messengers use. Water as Life and Knowledge.

Water is in a constant cycle when it supports life. Stagnate water supports death.

All the rivers flow from the sources into the Ocean of God's Word.

We can now see what happens to Faiths when they are taken out of that cycle and become pools of men's own understanding.

Regards Tony
 
Tony Bristow-Stagg said:
We can now see what happens to Faiths when they are taken out of that cycle and become pools of men's own understanding.
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Unless it's 'my' man's understanding of the scriptures of other religions -- as truth for the whole of mankind for for the next 800 years?
 
RJM said:
Unless it's 'my' man's understanding of the scriptures of other religions -- as truth for the whole of mankind for for the next 800 years?
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All the best RJM, civilization as we know it is now rapidly changing.

Stay well, stay safe.

Regards Tony
 
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Tony Bristow-Stagg said:
The law courts can be full of innocent people when man gets hold of the law. History has proven this to be so, especially if driven by fanatical element's.

In the end we have to ask ourselves what laws are from the Prophets and the Messengers, the laws we are to submit to and what is from man's own law?

Then we must consider, can God change the Laws?

Regards Tony
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This is indeed an important point when studying Shariah, which has the aim to understand God's Will and Recommendations:
to discern the important from the details,
to discern situation dependent advise from universal principles,
to discern an insignificant remark of a prophet from divine advice,
to evaluate the significance and the reliability of a tradition in the frame of the whole.
The majority opinion of the ulema is not necessarily correct as many follow the (man-made) rules of their Madhab without such background consideration.

Can God change the laws?

We can only observe whether God does change the laws; we cannot know what changes may be possible if God wills.
It seems that God does not change the natural laws.
God did modify His recommendations, which are seen as prescriptions or laws to the believers.
There are explicit changes from Judaism to Islam which are marked as such in the Quran and reliable Ahadith, e.g. the abolition of Shabbat and the introduction of 5 instead of 3 daily prayers, and the restriction of death penalty to three cases in non -martial law (rape, adultery murder).
I see the conditions of the execution formulated by the Muslim scholars critically: Jesus, according to a rather weak tradition, spoke a conditional penalty to an adultress whereas Muslim scholars consider it obligatory to execute provided that the harsh conditions of proof are fulfilled. The look on the prior revelation may modify the understanding of God's recommendations.
Alike, as you accept two more prophets, you should still consider whether the prior messages are really changed.
 
talib-al-kalim said:
I see the conditions of the execution formulated by the Muslim scholars critically: Jesus, according to a rather weak tradition, spoke a conditional penalty to an adultress whereas Muslim scholars consider it obligatory to execute provided that the harsh conditions of proof are fulfilled.
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It's not at all easy to prove adultery, to satisfy sharia.

I feel sure that G-d is not looking for mass slaughter of adulterers,
but more fear of Him i.e. fear of consequences of immoral behaviour
 
muhammad_isa said:
It's not at all easy to prove adultery, to satisfy sharia.

I feel sure that G-d is not looking for mass slaughter of adulterers,
but more fear of Him i.e. fear of consequences of immoral behaviour
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What would be the reason that one would one not submit to God's Love, mercy, grace and bounty? Fear is conquered by our level of submission.

A prayer that reflects what you have offered.

"..Before the throne of Thy oneness, amid the blaze of the beauty of Thy countenance, cause me to abide, for fear and trembling have violently crushed me. Beneath the ocean of Thy forgiveness, faced with the restlessness of the leviathan of glory, immerse me, for my sins have utterly doomed me..."

Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, p. 234

Regards Tony
 
talib-al-kalim said:
To what extent do Baha'i follow the basic practices of Islam, as is

Salat prayer, five times a day
Day fasting during Ramadan
Traditional holiday
Halal nutrition
Obey commonly agreed Sharia rules
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Why is Baha'i allowing Islam to dictate what Baha'i is and is not? Is Baha'i just another faction of Islam? (GOD I hope not!)
 
The fourth commandment Sabbath day of rest is emphasised time and again in the Old Testament; it is a most important observance for Jews. It has entered Christianity too, though less strictly observed.

However it is much less a feature of Islam, in most cases reduced to a special call for prayer on Friday afternoon -- and Baha’i seem to discard the sabbath observance altogether as a weekly day of rest from earthly labour?
 
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