The Baha'i Fast (aka why is it called the fast when the day goes by so slow? jk)
“We have commanded you to pray and fast from the beginning of maturity [15 years]; this is ordained by God, your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers... The traveler, the ailing, those who are with child or giving suck, are not bound by the fast... Abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sundown, and beware lest desire deprive you of this grace that is appointed in the Book.” (The Kitab-i-Aqdas)
With the fast coming up I remember my favourite story about a new Baha'i (told to me by a friend), who very excited participated in her first fast some years ago. Her friends were surprised at the ease with which she participated in this fast. One day, they gathered together at this new Baha'is home for prayers. After prayers, she offered everyone a drink, ready to get cups of tea from the kitchen. With great surprise, her friends exclaimed saying, "but it's the fast!". Turns out, this new Baha'i hadn't realized that the fast involved abstinence from food *and drink*, so everytime she was hungry/thirsty, she had been making a milkshake to drink. They all got to laugh over this, and deepen further regarding the nature of the fast.
The fast brings back memories of my first fast, and even when I was fourteen, waking up eagerly to have breakfast together with my mother and older brother. My mum used to toast banana on bread with cinnamon and sugar for us. To this day, that breakfast will conjure memories of the family together having breakfast before the sunrise. |
"Fasting is the cause of awakening man. The heart becomes tender and the spirituality of man increases. This is produced by the fact that man's thoughts will be confined to the commemoration of God, and through this awakening and stimulation surely ideal advancements follow... Fasting is of two kinds, material and spiritual. The material fasting is abstaining from food or drink, that is, from the appetites of the body. But spiritual, ideal fasting is this, that man abstain from selfish passions, from negligence and from satanic animal traits. Therefore, material fasting is a token of the spiritual fasting. That is: `O God! As I am fasting from the appetites of the body and not occupied with eating and drinking, even so purify and make holy my heart and my life from aught else save Thy Love, and protect and preserve my soul from self-passions... Thus may the spirit associate with the Fragrances of Holiness and fast from everything else save Thy mention." ('Abdu'l-Baha)
"Fasting is a symbol. Fasting signifies abstinence from lust. Physical fasting is a symbol of that abstinence, and is a reminder; that is, just as a person abstains from physical appetites, he is to abstain from self-appetites and self-desires. But mere abstention from food has no effect on the spirit. It is only a symbol, a reminder. Otherwise it is of no importance." ('Abdu'l-Baha)
Extracts from Baha'i Prayers for the Fast (month of LOFTINESS)
Prayers for the fast are easy to find, and they are a beautiful source of deepening on the fast itself.
"This is, O my God, the first of the days on which Thou hast bidden Thy loved ones to observe the Fast. I ask of Thee by Thy Self and by him who hath fasted out of love for Thee and for Thy good-pleasure—and not out of self and desire, nor out of fear of Thy wrath—and by Thy most excellent names and august attributes, to purify Thy servants from the love of aught except Thee and to draw them nigh unto the Dawning-Place of the lights of Thy countenance and the Seat of the throne of Thy oneness." (Baha'u'llah) "The days of fasting have arrived wherein those servants who circle round Thy throne and have attained Thy presence have fasted. Say: O God of names and creator of heaven and earth! I beg of Thee by Thy Name, the All-Glorious, to accept the fast of those who have fasted for love of Thee and for the sake of Thy good-pleasure and have carried out what Thou hast bidden them in Thy Books and Tablets." (Baha'u'llah) |
This is the hour, O my Lord, which Thou hast caused to excel every other hour, and hast related to the choicest among Thy creatures. I beseech Thee, O my God, by Thy Self and by them, to ordain in the course of this year what shall exalt Thy loved ones. Do Thou, moreover, decree within this year what will enable the Daystar of Thy power to shine brightly above the horizon of Thy glory, and to illuminate by Thy sovereign might, the whole world." (Baha'u'llah)
"Glory be to Thee, O Lord my God! These are the days whereon Thou hast bidden all men to observe the Fast, that through it they may purify their souls and rid themselves of all attachment to anyone but Thee, and that out of their hearts may ascend that which will be worthy of the court of Thy majesty and may well beseem the seat of the revelation of Thy oneness. Grant, O my Lord, that this fast may become a river of life-giving waters and may yield the virtue wherewith Thou hast endowed it...
" I have fasted for love of Thee and in pursuance of Thine injunction, and have broken my fast with Thy praise on my tongue and in conformity with Thy pleasure. Suffer me not, O my Lord, to be reckoned among them who have fasted in the daytime, who in the night-season have prostrated themselves before Thy face, and who have repudiated Thy truth, disbelieved in Thy signs, gainsaid Thy testimony, and perverted Thine utterances." (Baha'u'llah)
"We have fasted this day, O my Lord, by Thy command and Thy bidding in accordance with what Thou hast revealed in Thy perspicuous Book. We have withheld our souls from passion and from whatsoever Thou abhorest until the day drew to an end and the time arrived to break the Fast...
"All glory be to Thee, O my God, for Thou hast graciously enabled me to fast during this month which Thou hast related to Thy Name, the Most Exalted, and called ‘Alá (Loftiness). Thou hast commanded that Thy servants and Thy people should fast therein and seek thereby to draw nearer unto Thee. The days and months of the year have culminated with the Fast, even as the first month began with Thy Name, Bahá, that all might testify that Thou art the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden, and be well assured that the glory of all names is conferred only through the glory of Thy Cause and the word expounded by Thy will and revealed through Thy purpose. Thou hast ordained that this month be a remembrance and honor from Thee, and a sign of Thy presence amongst them, that they may not forget Thy grandeur and Thy majesty, Thy sovereignty and Thy glory, and may be well assured that from time immemorial Thou hast ever been and wilt ever be Ruler over the entire creation. Nothing created in the heavens or on the earth can hinder Thee in Thy governance, nor can anyone in the realms of Revelation and creation prevent Thee from fulfilling Thy purpose." (Baha'u'llah)
"Glory be to Thee, O Lord my God! These are the days whereon Thou hast bidden all men to observe the Fast, that through it they may purify their souls and rid themselves of all attachment to anyone but Thee, and that out of their hearts may ascend that which will be worthy of the court of Thy majesty and may well beseem the seat of the revelation of Thy oneness. Grant, O my Lord, that this fast may become a river of life-giving waters and may yield the virtue wherewith Thou hast endowed it...
" I have fasted for love of Thee and in pursuance of Thine injunction, and have broken my fast with Thy praise on my tongue and in conformity with Thy pleasure. Suffer me not, O my Lord, to be reckoned among them who have fasted in the daytime, who in the night-season have prostrated themselves before Thy face, and who have repudiated Thy truth, disbelieved in Thy signs, gainsaid Thy testimony, and perverted Thine utterances." (Baha'u'llah)
"We have fasted this day, O my Lord, by Thy command and Thy bidding in accordance with what Thou hast revealed in Thy perspicuous Book. We have withheld our souls from passion and from whatsoever Thou abhorest until the day drew to an end and the time arrived to break the Fast...
"All glory be to Thee, O my God, for Thou hast graciously enabled me to fast during this month which Thou hast related to Thy Name, the Most Exalted, and called ‘Alá (Loftiness). Thou hast commanded that Thy servants and Thy people should fast therein and seek thereby to draw nearer unto Thee. The days and months of the year have culminated with the Fast, even as the first month began with Thy Name, Bahá, that all might testify that Thou art the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden, and be well assured that the glory of all names is conferred only through the glory of Thy Cause and the word expounded by Thy will and revealed through Thy purpose. Thou hast ordained that this month be a remembrance and honor from Thee, and a sign of Thy presence amongst them, that they may not forget Thy grandeur and Thy majesty, Thy sovereignty and Thy glory, and may be well assured that from time immemorial Thou hast ever been and wilt ever be Ruler over the entire creation. Nothing created in the heavens or on the earth can hinder Thee in Thy governance, nor can anyone in the realms of Revelation and creation prevent Thee from fulfilling Thy purpose." (Baha'u'llah)
“This Fast leadeth to the cleansing of the soul from all selfish desires, the acquisition of spiritual attributes, attraction to the breezes of the All-Merciful, and enkindlement with the fire of divine love." ('Abdu'l-Baha)
Nineteen Days - a blog that chronicles, with photography + quotations + reflections each of the nineteen days of the fast.
The commentary for the photos above:
shahriar erfanian/left (vancouver, canada): Every year during the fast, I reflect on how I can be a better person. This year is a special one since it is the first fast with my son in my life. Having him makes me want to try even harder to be a better person so I can be a good example for him as he grows. I can’t wait for the time when I can fast with him too, since I have such fond memories of waking with my parents and sisters in the mornings to have breakfast together, and sharing this important time of year with one another. I look forward to experiencing this special time with my own kids one day. I love the fast, and hope that they will too.
kat eghdamian/right: I have a headache. Fasting should come with a warning: dehydration probable. That point aside, and a few cups of water later, I feel grateful for these blessed days. 2013 is the year of renewal.
shahriar erfanian/left (vancouver, canada): Every year during the fast, I reflect on how I can be a better person. This year is a special one since it is the first fast with my son in my life. Having him makes me want to try even harder to be a better person so I can be a good example for him as he grows. I can’t wait for the time when I can fast with him too, since I have such fond memories of waking with my parents and sisters in the mornings to have breakfast together, and sharing this important time of year with one another. I look forward to experiencing this special time with my own kids one day. I love the fast, and hope that they will too.
kat eghdamian/right: I have a headache. Fasting should come with a warning: dehydration probable. That point aside, and a few cups of water later, I feel grateful for these blessed days. 2013 is the year of renewal.
Here is another amazing 19 day blog - of art and inspiration generated during the fast. (from 2013).
Listen to the first song: Raise Me Up.
There are some moments in the fasting prayers that carry us straight to the realm of mystic wonderment, a place where we can reach across the line separating our world from the world of pure spirit. If you haven’t had a chance to meditate on these prayers this year, it’s not too late – the next few days are the perfect opportunity. Here is but a tiny excerpt, which inspired the song ‘Raise Me Up.’
I beseech Thee, O my God,
by Thy hair which moveth across Thy face,
even as Thy most exalted pen moveth
across the pages of Thy Tablets,
shedding the musk of hidden meanings
over the kingdom of Thy creation,
so to raise me up to serve Thy Cause
that I shall not fall back,
nor be hindered by the suggestions
of them who have caviled at Thy signs
and turned away from Thy face.
Thou seest me, O my God,
holding to Thy Name, the Most Holy,
the Most Luminous, the Most Mighty,
the Most Great, the Most Exalted, the Most Glorious,
and clinging to the hem of the robe
to which have clung all in this world
and in the world to come.
- Bahá’u'lláh
There are some moments in the fasting prayers that carry us straight to the realm of mystic wonderment, a place where we can reach across the line separating our world from the world of pure spirit. If you haven’t had a chance to meditate on these prayers this year, it’s not too late – the next few days are the perfect opportunity. Here is but a tiny excerpt, which inspired the song ‘Raise Me Up.’
I beseech Thee, O my God,
by Thy hair which moveth across Thy face,
even as Thy most exalted pen moveth
across the pages of Thy Tablets,
shedding the musk of hidden meanings
over the kingdom of Thy creation,
so to raise me up to serve Thy Cause
that I shall not fall back,
nor be hindered by the suggestions
of them who have caviled at Thy signs
and turned away from Thy face.
Thou seest me, O my God,
holding to Thy Name, the Most Holy,
the Most Luminous, the Most Mighty,
the Most Great, the Most Exalted, the Most Glorious,
and clinging to the hem of the robe
to which have clung all in this world
and in the world to come.
- Bahá’u'lláh
10 articles about the fast
http://bahaiblog.net/site/2014/03/10-great-articles-bahai-fast/#more-10958
http://bahaiblog.net/site/2014/03/10-great-articles-bahai-fast/#more-10958