the Place of Human Unity in Obligatory Prayer

Daily obligatory Prayer is closely tied into Bahá’i identity by the simple fact that it is enjoined on Bahá’is as soon as the enter the faith. The Long Obligatory Prayer is not itself obligatory. It is only one of the three options that the performer can choose from on any given day. But one of these must be performed. For this reason, obligatory prayer should be expected to contain certain features whose purpose is to build up a faith community.

One of these is that all three prayers have a standardized text. Although they are performed in a number of languages, the basic ideas are held in common by all performers. The uniformity of obligatory prayers can provide a starting point for discussions about differences in interpretation across cultural and linguistic lines. This is particularly opportune for the Bahá’i faith. Despite its small size in comparison to the major world religions, it is easily one of the most diverse communities on the planet. Sizable Baha’i communities are present in almost every nation on earth, coming from all walks of life and a wide variety of religious backgrounds. Baha’i obligatory prayer contains fascinating potential for cross-cultural dialogue inasmuch as its spirituality is a part of daily life for almost every one of these Baha’is, no matter their location. The possibility of such discussions gives concrete form to the unity in diversity of the community.

Another feature of obligatory prayer is that it performed facing a single point on the Earth surface. This is in Northern Israel where Baha’u’llah is buried. It is known as the Qiblih, or point of adoration. For Muslims, the Qiblih is in Mecca. In both cases, the practice represents a form of global solidarity and a world-wide demonstration that God cannot be monopolized by any one nation. At their most immediate level these two features of Baha’i obligatory prayer manifest the unity in diversity of the Baha’i community. But a minimum amount of reflection leads to a broader conclusion: that the unity in diversity of the international Baha’i community is only possible on the basis of the underlying unity of the human race. In this way, the performance of obligatory prayer is tied in concretely to any emercence of global citizenship, and the transformation in human affairs that this necessarily implies.

Finally, obligatory prayer builds up a faith community inasmuch as it is to be performed every day. There are exceptions when one is sick or travelling. But for the most part it is a part of the performer’s daily routine. On the one hand, this runs the risk of undermining the prayer’s spiritual power. If it is performed every day the prayer may have little more impact on one’s life than the grim satisfaction of getting it out of they way. On the other hand, when the prayer is performed with proper reverence it has the power to awaken the performer to his or her duties and responsibilities as a Bahá’i to God and humanity. The daily cultivation of this power holds out the promise of one day breaking the molds that bind us to unjust social arrangements. Like a wedding vow, obligatory prayer is performed to express commitment. But unlike a wedding vow it is said every day. Imagine how marriages might turn out differently if married couples renewed their vows daily, or at least regularly. Such a practice would remind people of the commitments they have made to each other and spur thought on how best to keep them.