Baha'i Laws

The following are some examples of the Laws which Baha'u'llah has revealed for this day and age. These laws are the basis of Baha'i life.

First among the Laws of Baha'u'llah is the recognition of the Oneness of God, and worship of Him.

Recognition that the foundation of all the world's religions is one. That the religions appear to differ is due only to the different times, places, and cultural contexts each Manifestation of God appeared in, the particular Message that Manifestation was meant to deliver, and the accretion over time of tradition and dogma which men have created that was not part of the original revelation.

Baha'is are exhorted to pray and meditate daily. Every Baha'i over the age of 15 is obligated to say certain Obligatory Prayers every day.

There is no clergy in the Baha'i Faith, and likewise there are no rituals except for the Obligatory Prayers which are to be said in private.

Baha'is have a duty to study and deepen their understanding of the sacred Writings. Their objective should always be to improve their own character and take right actions to acquire perfections throughout their life in preparation for the life to come. This is based on the principle of independent investigation of the truth.

Baha'is are exhorted to "consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship, to proclaim that which the Speaker on Sinai hath set forth and to observe fairness in all matters."
-- from the Tablet of Tarazat (Ornaments).

Baha'is have a sacred obligation to be loyal to the government of the country in which they live, and to obey the laws of that land.

Baha'is are enjoined from engaging in political activities. One is free to exercise their right to vote, however, one should not join a political party, nor engage in political discussions. The following quote from the Guardian of the Faith explains why this is so important...

"The cardinal principle which we must follow ... is obedience to the government prevailing in any land in which we reside....
"We see therefore that we must do two things - Shun politics like the plague, and be obedient to the Government in power in the place where we reside... We must obey in all cases except where a spiritual principle is involved, such as denying our Faith. For these spiritual principles we must be willing to die. What we Baha'is must face is the fact that society is disintegrating so rapidly that moral issues which were clear a half century ago are now hopelessly confused and what is more, thoroughly mixed up with battling political interests. That is why the Baha'is must turn all their forces into the channel of building up the Baha'i Cause and its Administration. They can neither change nor help the world in any other way at present. If they become involved in the issues the Governments of the world are struggling over, they will be lost. But if they build up the Baha'i pattern they can offer it as a remedy when all else has failed."
-- Shoghi Effendi: Directives of the Guardian, Page: 57

Baha'is are exhorted to eliminate racism and prejudice of all kinds from their lives.

Baha'is are enjoined from the use of alcohol and drugs, except for medical purposes.

Baha'is are enjoined to teach the Faith in a loving and considerate manner. Proselytizing is completely forbidden.

Baha'i law considers men and women to be completely equal in every respect.

Baha'is are enjoined from backbiting and malicious gossip.

Baha'is are enjoined to be chaste. For unmarried persons this means abstention from sexual activity. For married persons this means fidelity to their spouse. The principle involved is that of having a spiritual focus as opposed to obsession with material life. The Guardian writes:

"The Baha'i Faith recognizes the value of the sex impulse, but condemns its illegitimate and improper expressions such as free love, companionate marriage and others, all of which it considers positively harmful to man and to the society in which he lives. The proper use of the sex instinct is the natural right of every individual, and it is precisely for this purpose that the institution of marriage has been established. The Baha'is do not believe in the suppression of the sex impulse but in its regulation and control."
--From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual
believer, September 5, 1938: Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1968-1973, p. 108

Marriage, being the joining of two families, is conditioned upon the consent of each living parent. It does not matter what the age of the prospective bride and groom are. The parents, however, have no right to dictate to whom their children must wed.

Homosexuality is forbidden. The Guardian writes on this subject as follows:

"No matter how devoted and fine the love may be between people of the same sex, to let it find expression in sexual acts is wrong. To say that it is ideal is no excuse. Immorality of every sort is really forbidden by Baha'u'llah, and homosexual relationships he looks upon as such, besides being against nature.
"To be afflicted this way is a great burden to a conscientious soul. But through the advice and help of doctors, through a strong and determined effort, and through prayer, a soul can overcome this handicap.
"God judges each soul on its own merits. The Guardian cannot tell you what the attitude of God would be towards a person who lives a good life in most ways, but not in this way. All he can tell you is that it is forbidden by Baha'u'llah, and that one so afflicted should struggle and struggle again to overcome it. We must be hopeful of God's Mercy but not impose upon it."
-- From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual
believer, March 26, 1950

Baha'is are enjoined from communal prayer, the sole exception being the Prayer for the Dead, and are commanded to be cautious about engaging in activities that could become rituals.

Education is mandatory. It is essential to the life and health of humanity and its affairs, to the principle of the full equality of women with men, the elimination of racism and prejudice, and in particular to the abolition of war. 'Abdu'l-Baha explains:

"In proclaiming the oneness of mankind He (Baha'u'llah) taught that men and women are equal in the sight of God and that there is no distinction to be made between them. The only difference between them now is due to lack of education and training. If woman is given equal opportunity of education, distinction and estimate of inferiority will disappear. The world of humanity has two wings, as it were: One is the female; the other is the male. If one wing be defective, the strong perfect wing will not be capable of flight. The world of humanity has two hands. If one be imperfect, the capable hand is restricted and unable to perform its duties. God is the Creator of mankind. He has endowed both sexes with perfections and intelligence, given them physical members and organs of sense, without differentiation or distinction as to superiority; therefore, why should woman be considered inferior? This is not according to the plan and justice of God. He has created them equal; in His estimate there is no question of sex. The one whose heart is purest, whose deeds are most perfect, is acceptable to God, male or female. Often in history women have been the pride of humanity - for example, Mary, the mother of Jesus. She was the glory of mankind. Mary Magdalene, Asiyih, daughter of Pharaoh, Sarah, wife of Abraham, and innumerable others have glorified the human race by their excellences. In this day there are women among the Baha'is who far outshine men. They are wise, talented, well-informed, progressive, most intelligent and the light of men. They surpass men in courage. When they speak in meetings, the men listen with great respect. Furthermore, the education of women is of greater importance than the education of men, for they are the mothers of the race, and mothers rear the children. The first teachers of children are the mothers. Therefore, they must be capably trained in order to educate both sons and daughters. There are many provisions in the words of Baha'u'llah in regard to this.
He promulgated the adoption of the same course of education for man and woman. Daughters and sons must follow the same curriculum of study, thereby promoting unity of the sexes. When all mankind shall receive the same opportunity of education and the equality of men and women be realized, the foundations of war will be utterly destroyed. Without equality this will be impossible because all differences and distinction are conducive to discord and strife. Equality between men and women is conducive to the abolition of warfare for the reason that women will never be willing to sanction it. Mothers will not give their sons as sacrifices upon the battlefield after twenty years of anxiety and loving devotion in rearing them from infancy, no matter what cause they are called upon to defend. There is no doubt that when women obtain equality of rights, war will entirely cease among mankind.
--`Abdu'l-Baha:

Promulgation of Universal Peace, Pages: 174-175