Baha\'u\'llah - The Kitab i Aqdas

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by Baha'u'llah

Edition 1, (June 21, 2005)

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CONTENTS

Baha'i Terms of Use
Preface
Introduction
A Description of the Kitab-i-Aqdas by Shoghi Effendi
The Kitab-i-Aqdas
Some Texts Revealed By Baha'u'llah Supplementary To The Kitab-i-Aqdas
The Tablet of Ishraqat
Long Obligatory Prayer
Medium Obligatory Prayer
Short Obligatory Prayer
Prayer For The Dead
Questions And Answers
Synopsis And Codification Of The Laws And Ordinances Of The Kitab-i-Aqdas
Summary Of Contents
Synopsis And Codification
Notes
1. the sweet-smelling savour of My garment #4
2. We have unsealed the choice Wine with the fingers of might and
power. #5
3. We have enjoined obligatory prayer upon you #6
4. nine rak'ahs #6
5. at noon and in the morning and the evening #6
6. We have relieved you of a greater number #6
7. When ye desire to perform this prayer, turn ye towards the Court of
My Most Holy Presence, this Hallowed Spot that God hath ... decreed to
be the Point of Adoration for the denizens of the Cities of Eternity #6
8. and when the Sun of Truth and Utterance shall set, turn your faces
towards the Spot that We have ordained for you #6
9. We have set forth the details of obligatory prayer in another
Tablet. #8
10. the Prayer for the Dead #8
11. six specific passages have been sent down by God, the Revealer of
Verses #8
12. Hair doth not invalidate your prayer, nor aught from which the
spirit hath departed, such as bones and the like. Ye are free to wear
the fur of the sable as ye would that of the beaver, the squirrel, and
other animals #9
13. We have commanded you to pray and fast from the beginning of
maturity #10
14. He hath exempted from this those who are weak from illness or age
#10
15. God hath granted you leave to prostrate yourselves on any surface
that is clean, for We have removed in this regard the limitation that
had been laid down in the Book # 10
16. Let him that findeth no water for ablution repeat five times the
words "In the Name of God, the Most Pure, the Most Pure", and then
proceed to his devotions. #10
17. In regions where the days and nights grow long, let times of prayer
be gauged by clocks and other instruments that mark the passage of the
hours. #10
18. We have absolved you from the requirement of performing the Prayer
of the Signs. #11
19. Save in the Prayer for the Dead, the practice of congregational
prayer hath been annulled. #12
20. God hath exempted women who are in their courses from obligatory
prayer and fasting. #13
21. When travelling, if ye should stop and rest in some safe spot,
perform ye--men and women alike--a single prostration in place of each
unsaid Obligatory Prayer #14
22. Upon completing your prostrations, seat yourselves cross-legged #14
23. Say: God hath made My hidden love the key to the Treasure #15
24. O Pen of the Most High! #16
25. We have enjoined upon you fasting during a brief period #16
26. and at its close have designated for you Naw-Ruz as a feast #16
27. Let the days in excess of the months be placed before the month of
fasting. #16
28. We have ordained that these ... shall be the manifestations of the
letter Ha #16
29. these days of giving that precede the season of restraint #16
30. The traveller ... not bound by the Fast #16
31. The traveller, the ailing, those who are with child or giving suck,
are not bound by the Fast; they have been exempted by God as a token of
His grace. #16
32. Abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sundown #17
33. It hath been ordained that every believer in God ... shall, each
day ... repeat "Allah-u-Abha" ninety-five times. #18
34. Perform ye ... ablutions for the Obligatory Prayer #18
35. Ye have been forbidden to commit murder #19
36. or adultery #19
37. backbiting or calumny #19
38. We have divided inheritance into seven categories #20
39. to the brothers, five parts ... to the sisters, four parts #20
40. the teachers #20
41. When We heard the clamour of the children as yet unborn, We doubled
their share and decreased those of the rest. #20
42. the House of Justice #21
43. Should the deceased leave offspring, but none of the other
categories of heirs #22
44. We have assigned the residence and personal clothing of the
deceased to the male, not female, offspring, nor to the other heirs.
#25
45. Should the son of the deceased have passed away in the days of his
father and have left children, they will inherit their father's share
#26
46. If the deceased should leave children who are under age, their
share of the inheritance must be entrusted to a reliable individual #27
47. Division of the estate should take place only after the Huququ'llah
hath been paid, any debts have been settled, the expenses of the
funeral and burial defrayed #28
48. This is that hidden knowledge which shall never change, since its
beginning is with nine #29
49. The Lord hath ordained that in every city a House of Justice be
established #30
50. the number of Baha #30
51. It behoveth them to be the trusted ones of the Merciful among men
#30
52. take counsel together #30
53. Build ye houses of worship throughout the lands #31
54. The Lord hath ordained that those of you who are able shall make
pilgrimage to the sacred House #32
55. and from this He hath exempted women as a mercy on His part #32
56. to engage in some occupation #33
57. The kissing of hands hath been forbidden in the Book. #34
58. To none is it permitted to seek absolution from another soul #34
59. Amongst the people is he who seateth himself amid the sandals by
the door whilst coveting in his heart the seat of honour. #36
60. And among the people is he who layeth claim to inner knowledge #36
61. How many a man hath secluded himself in the climes of India, denied
himself the things that God hath decreed as lawful, imposed upon
himself austerities and mortifications #36
62. Whoso layeth claim to a Revelation direct from God, ere the
expiration of a full thousand years #37
63. This is that of which We gave you forewarning when We were dwelling
in 'Iraq, then later while in the Land of Mystery, and now from this
Resplendent Spot. #37
64. Amongst the people is he whose learning hath made him proud ...
who, when he heareth the tread of sandals following behind him, waxeth
greater in his own esteem #41
65. Nimrod #41
66. Aghsan #42
67. revert to the people of Baha #42
68. Shave not your heads #44
69. it is not seemly to let the hair pass beyond the limit of the ears
#44
70. Exile and imprisonment are decreed for the thief #45
71. on the third offence, place ye a mark upon his brow so that, thus
identified, he may not be accepted in the cities of God and His
countries #45
72. Whoso wisheth to make use of vessels of silver and gold is at
liberty to do so. #46
73. Take heed lest, when partaking of food, ye plunge your hands into
the contents of bowls and platters. #46
74. Adopt ye such usages as are most in keeping with refinement. #46
75. He Who is the Dawning-place of God's Cause hath no partner in the
Most Great Infallibility. #47
76. Unto every father hath been enjoined the instruction of his son and
daughter in the art of reading and writing #48
77. God hath imposed a fine on every adulterer and adulteress, to be
paid to the House of Justice #49
78. nine mithqals of gold, to be doubled if they should repeat the
offence #49
79. We have made it lawful for you to listen to music and singing. #51
80. O ye Men of Justice! #52
81. The penalties for wounding or striking a person depend upon the
severity of the injury; for each degree the Lord of Judgement hath
prescribed a certain indemnity. # 56
82. Verily, it is enjoined upon you to offer a feast, once in every
month #57
83. If ye should hunt with beasts or birds of prey, invoke ye the Name
of God when ye send them to pursue their quarry; for then whatever they
catch shall be lawful unto you, even should ye find it to have died.
#60
84. hunt not to excess #60
85. He hath granted them no right to the property of others. #61
86. Should anyone intentionally destroy a house by fire, him also shall
ye burn; should anyone deliberately take another's life, him also shall
ye put to death. #62
87. Should ye condemn the arsonist and the murderer to life
imprisonment, it would be permissible according to the provisions of
the Book. #62
88. God hath prescribed matrimony unto you. #63
89. Beware that ye take not unto yourselves more wives than two. Whoso
contenteth himself with a single partner from among the maidservants of
God, both he and she shall live in tranquillity. #63
90. he who would take into his service a maid may do so with propriety
#63
91. This is My bidding unto you; hold fast to it as an assistance to
yourselves. #63
92. We have conditioned it ... upon the permission of their parents #65
93. No marriage may be contracted without payment of a dowry #66
94. for city-dwellers at nineteen mithqals of pure gold, and for
village-dwellers at the same amount in silver #66
95. Whoso wisheth to increase this sum, it is forbidden him to exceed
the limit of ninety-five mithqals... If he content himself, however,
with a payment of the lowest level, it shall be better for him
according to the Book.
96. should any one of His servants intend to travel, he must fix for
his wife a time when he will return home #67
97. it behoveth her to wait for a period of nine months, after which
there is no impediment to her taking another husband #67
98. she should choose the course that is praiseworthy #67
99. two just witnesses #67
100. Should resentment or antipathy arise between husband and wife, he
is not to divorce her but to bide in patience throughout the course of
one whole year #68
101. The Lord hath prohibited ... the practice to which ye formerly had
recourse when thrice ye had divorced a woman. #68
102. He who hath divorced his wife may choose, upon the passing of each
month, to remarry her when there is mutual affection and consent, so
long as she hath not taken another husband ... unless, clearly, her
circumstances change. #68
103. semen is not unclean # 74
104. Cleave ye unto the cord of refinement #74
105. Wash ye every soiled thing with water that hath undergone no
alteration in any one of the three respects #74
106. God hath ... abolished the concept of "uncleanness", whereby
divers things and peoples have been held to be impure. #75
107. first day of Ridvan #75
108. the Bayan #77
109. the destruction of books #77
110. We have permitted you to read such sciences as are profitable unto
you, not such as end in idle disputation #77
111. He Who held converse with God #80
112. Sinai #80
113. the Spirit of God #80
114. Carmel ... Zion #80
115. the Crimson Ark #84
116. O Emperor of Austria! He Who is the Dayspring of God's Light dwelt
in the prison of Akka at the time when thou didst set forth to visit
the Aqsa Mosque. #85
117. O King of Berlin! #86
118. the one whose power transcended thy power, and whose station
excelled thy station #86
119. O people of Constantinople! #89
120. O Spot that art situate on the shores of the two seas! #89
121. O banks of the Rhine! #90
122. O Land of Ta #91
123. within thee was born the Manifestation of His Glory #92
124. O Land of Kha!
125. Should anyone acquire one hundred mit{~COMBINING MACRON BELOW~}h{~COMBINING MACRON BELOW~}qals of gold, nineteen
mit{~COMBINING MACRON BELOW~}h{~COMBINING MACRON BELOW~}qals thereof are God's and to be rendered unto Him #97
126. Various petitions have come before Our throne from the believers,
concerning laws from God... We have, in consequence, revealed this Holy
Tablet and arrayed it with the mantle of His Law that haply the people
may keep the commandments of their Lord. #98
127. crimson Spot #100
128. the Sadratu'l-Muntaha #100
129. the Mother Book #103
130. Whoso interpreteth what hath been sent down from the heaven of
Revelation, and altereth its evident meaning #105
131. approach not the public pools of Persian baths #106
132. Avoid ye likewise the malodorous pools in the courtyards of
Persian homes #106
133. It is forbidden you to wed your fathers' wives. #107
134. the subject of boys #107
135. To none is it permitted to mutter sacred verses before the public
gaze as he walketh in the street or marketplace #108
136. Unto everyone hath been enjoined the writing of a will. #109
137. the Most Great Name #109
138. All Feasts have attained their consummation in the two Most Great
Festivals, and in the two other Festivals that fall on the twin days
#110
139. the first day of the month of Baha #111
140. The Most Great Festival is, indeed, the King of Festivals #112
141. God had formerly laid upon each one of the believers the duty of
offering before Our throne priceless gifts from among his possessions.
Now ... We have absolved them of this obligation. #114
142. the hour of dawn #115
143. These Tablets are embellished with the seal of Him Who causeth the
dawn to appear, Who lifteth up His voice between the heavens and the
earth. #117
144. It is inadmissible that man, who hath been endowed with reason,
should consume that which stealeth it away. #119
145. turn your faces toward Him Whom God hath purposed, Who hath
branched from this Ancient Root #121
146. In the Bayan it had been forbidden you to ask Us questions. #126
147. The number of months in a year, appointed in the Book of God, is
nineteen. #127
148. the first hath been adorned with this Name which overshadoweth the
whole of creation #127
149. The Lord hath decreed that the dead should be interred in coffins
#128
150. the Point of the Bayan #129
151. the deceased should be enfolded in five sheets of silk or cotton
#130
152. It is forbidden you to transport the body of the deceased a
greater distance than one hour's journey from the city #130
153. God hath removed the restrictions on travel that had been imposed
in the Bayan. #131
154. Raise up and exalt the two Houses in the Twin Hallowed Spots, and
the other sites wherein the throne of your Lord ... hath been
established. #133
155. Take heed lest ye be prevented by aught that hath been recorded in
the Book from hearkening unto this, the Living Book #134
156. tribute to this Revelation, from the Pen of Him Who was My Herald
#135
157. "The Qiblih is indeed He Whom God will make manifest; whenever He
moveth, it moveth, until He shall come to rest." #137
158. It is unlawful to enter into marriage save with a believer in the
Bayan. Should only one party to a marriage embrace this Cause, his or
her possessions will become unlawful to the other #139
159. The Point of the Bayan #140
160. Verily, there is none other God besides Me #143
161. payment of Zakat #146
162. It is unlawful to beg, and it is forbidden to give to him who
beggeth. #147
163. A fine ... had formerly been prescribed ... for anyone who was the
cause of sadness to another #148
164. the sacred Lote-Tree # 148
165. Recite ye the verses of God every morn and eventide. #149
166. Ye have been enjoined to renew the furnishings of your homes after
the passing of each nineteen years #151
167. Wash your feet #152
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
169. Gambling #155
170. the use of opium ... any substance that induceth sluggishness and
torpor #155
171. the "mystery of the Great Reversal in the Sign of the Sovereign"
#157
172. the "Six" raised up by virtue of this "Upright Alif" #157
173. It hath been forbidden you to carry arms unless essential #159
174. and permitted you to attire yourselves in silk #159
175. The Lord hath relieved you ... of the restrictions that formerly
applied to clothing and to the trim of the beard. #159
176. O Land of Kaf and Ra! #164
177. We perceive that which secretly and stealthily diffuseth from
thee. #164
178. Call ye to mind the s{~COMBINING MACRON BELOW~}h{~COMBINING MACRON BELOW~}ayk{~COMBINING MACRON BELOW~}h{~COMBINING MACRON BELOW~} whose name was Muhammad-Hasan #166
179. a sifter of wheat and barley # 166
180. Take heed lest the word "Prophet" withhold you from this Most
Great Announcement #167
181. any reference to "Vicegerency" debar you from the sovereignty of
Him Who is the Vicegerent of God #167
182. Call ye to mind Karim #170
183. O ye the learned ones in Baha #173
184. refer ye whatsoever ye understand not in the Book to Him Who hath
branched from this mighty Stock #174
185. the School of Transcendent Oneness #175
186. We accepted the verses of God ... which He presented unto Us #175
187. O people of the Bayan! #176
188. the letters B and E were joined and knit together #177
189. this new World Order #181
190. O source of perversion! #184
191. remember how We nurtured thee by day and by night for service to
the Cause #184
192. God hath laid hold on him who led thee astray. #184
193. Select ye a single language ... adopt ye ... a common script. #189
194. We have appointed two signs for the coming of age of the human
race #189
Glossary

PREFACE

In 1953 Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, included as one
of the goals of his Ten Year Plan the preparation of a Synopsis and
Codification of the Laws and Ordinances of the Kitab-i-Aqdas as an
essential prelude to its translation. He himself worked on the
codification, but had not finished it when he died in 1957. The task was
continued on the basis of his work, and the resulting volume was released
in 1973. That publication included, in addition to the Synopsis and
Codification itself and explanatory notes, a compilation of the passages
from the Kitab-i-Aqdas which had already been translated by Shoghi Effendi
and published in various books. The Synopsis and Codification covered the
text of both the Kitab-i-Aqdas and the Questions and Answers which
constitutes an appendix to the Aqdas. In 1986 the Universal House of
Justice decided that the time had come when the preparation of an English
translation of the complete text of the Most Holy Book was both possible
and essential and made its accomplishment a goal of the Six Year Plan
1986-1992. Its publication in English will be followed by translations in
other languages.

It has been recognized that the Kitab-i-Aqdas, being Sacred Scripture,
should be presented in a form which can be read with ease and inspiration,
uncluttered with the footnotes and index numbers that are common in
scholarly texts. Nonetheless, to assist the reader in following the flow
of the text and its changing themes, paragraph divisions have been
added--such divisions not being common in works of Arabic literature--and
these paragraphs have then been numbered for ease of access and indexing,
as well as for uniformity of reference in all the languages in which the
work will be published.

Following the text of the Aqdas is a brief compilation of Writings of
Baha'u'llah which are supplementary to the Most Holy Book, and a
translation of the Questions and Answers published here for the first
time.

Shoghi Effendi had stated that the English translation of the Aqdas should
be "copiously annotated". The policy followed in preparing the notes has
been to concentrate on those points which might strike a
non-Arabic-speaking reader as obscure or which, for various reasons,
require elucidation or background information. They are not intended to be
a comprehensive commentary on the text beyond these fundamental
requirements.

The notes, which are placed following the Synopsis and Codification, are
numbered sequentially. Each is preceded by a quotation of the passage to
which it relates, and indicates the number of the paragraph in which this
appears. This facilitates cross-reference between the text and the notes,
while making it possible for readers to study the notes without repeatedly
consulting the text, if they so prefer. It is hoped in this way to meet
the needs of readers of a wide range of backgrounds and interests.

The index provides a guide to subjects in all sections of the volume.

The significance and character of the Kitab-i-Aqdas and the range of
subjects it contains have been graphically depicted by Shoghi Effendi in
his history of the first Baha'i century entitled God Passes By. As an
assistance to the reader, these passages are provided in the section that
immediately follows the introduction. The Synopsis and Codification, which
is republished in this volume, serves as another aid for obtaining an
overview of the Book.

INTRODUCTION

This year, the 149th of the Baha'i era, marks the Centenary of the
Ascension of Baha'u'llah, Bearer of the universal Revelation of God
destined to lead humanity to its collective coming of age. That this
occasion should be observed by a community of believers representing a
cross-section of the entire human race and established, in the course of a
century and a half, in the most remote corners of the globe, is a token of
the forces of unity released by Baha'u'llah's advent. A further testimony
to the operation of these same forces can be seen in the extent to which
Baha'u'llah's vision has prefigured contemporary human experience in so
many of its aspects. It is a propitious moment for the publication of this
first authorized translation into English of the Mother Book of His
Revelation, His "Most Holy Book", the Book in which He sets forth the Laws
of God for a Dispensation destined to endure for no less than a thousand
years.

Of the more than one hundred volumes comprising the sacred Writings of
Baha'u'llah, the Kitab-i-Aqdas is of unique importance. "To build anew the
whole world" is the claim and challenge of His Message, and the
Kitab-i-Aqdas is the Charter of the future world civilization that
Baha'u'llah has come to raise up. Its provisions rest squarely on the
foundation established by past religions, for, in the words of
Baha'u'llah, "This is the changeless Faith of God, eternal in the past,
eternal in the future." In this Revelation the concepts of the past are
brought to a new level of understanding, and the social laws, changed to
suit the age now dawning, are designed to carry humanity forward into a
world civilization the splendours of which can as yet be scarcely
imagined.

In its affirmation of the validity of the great religions of the past, the
Kitab-i-Aqdas reiterates those eternal truths enunciated by all the Divine
Messengers: the unity of God, love of one's neighbour, and the moral
purpose of earthly life. At the same time it removes those elements of
past religious codes that now constitute obstacles to the emerging
unification of the world and the reconstruction of human society.

The Law of God for this Dispensation addresses the needs of the entire
human family. There are laws in the Kitab-i-Aqdas which are directed
primarily to the members of a specific section of humanity and can be
immediately understood by them but which, at first reading, may be obscure
to people of a different culture. Such, for example, is the law
prohibiting the confession of sins to a fellow human being which, though
understandable by those of Christian background, may puzzle others. Many
laws relate to those of past Dispensations, especially the two most recent
ones, those of Muhammad and the Bab embodied in the Qur'an and the Bayan.
Nevertheless, although certain ordinances of the Aqdas have such a focused
reference, they also have universal implications. Through His Law,
Baha'u'llah gradually unveils the significance of the new levels of
knowledge and behaviour to which the peoples of the world are being
called. He embeds His precepts in a setting of spiritual commentary,
keeping ever before the mind of the reader the principle that these laws,
no matter the subject with which they deal, serve the manifold purposes of
bringing tranquillity to human society, raising the standard of human
behaviour, increasing the range of human understanding, and spiritualizing
the life of each and all. Throughout, it is the relationship of the
individual soul to God and the fulfilment of its spiritual destiny that is
the ultimate aim of the laws of religion. "Think not", is Baha'u'llah's
own assertion, "that We have revealed unto you a mere code of laws. Nay,
rather, We have unsealed the choice Wine with the fingers of might and
power." His Book of Laws is His "weightiest testimony unto all people, and
the proof of the All-Merciful unto all who are in heaven and all who are
on earth".

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