What is Prayer?
Intone, O My servant, the verses of God that have been received by thee, as intoned by them who have drawn nigh unto Him, that the sweetness of thy melody may kindle thine own soul, and attract the hearts of all men.
Baha’u’llah
We have all heard of the heroes of the Baha’i Faith who, in its early days, did extraordinary things in service to God. This is the story of a young boy, Ruhu’llah Varqa, who lived during the time of Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l-Baha. So great was Ruhu’llah’s love for God, and so absolute his dedication to His Cause, that whenever we hear his name we think of a life of devotion and servitude.
When Ruhu’llah was about seven years old, he traveled with his father to the Holy Land. There, he had the great privilege of meeting Baha’u’llah, Who had brought to humanity God’s message for this day. Ruhu’llah’s heart became filled with love for Baha’u’llah, and he wanted nothing more than to serve Him. Upon returning home to Persia, he spent his time sharing with others news of Baha’u’llah’s coming. Ruhu’llah was truthful, honest, courteous, and kind, and his words had a great effect on all who heard him. He rose at every dawn to pray and, with his heart turned towards God, passed each day in servitude to Him.
One day, Ruhu’llah was summoned to appear before an official. At that time, many people were fearful of the new message that was being spread throughout the land. They clung to the beliefs of the past, and the followers of the new Faith often became victims of harsh punishments. For this reason, Ruhu’llah’s father was in great danger. As proof that he had raised his sons in this new Faith, Ruhu’llah was asked to say a prayer in the presence of the official. This, it was hoped, would be enough to convince the official to condemn his father. Calmly, Ruhu’llah prepared his heart to offer supplication to God. Then, in a melodious voice, he chanted a Baha’i prayer of exquisite beauty. The official was deeply moved. He dismissed the matter immediately, saying he would not condemn a man who had raised a child so wonderful. And so Ruhu’llah’s father was saved.
Later, when Ruhu’llah was about twelve years old, he would once again set out with his father to visit the Holy Land. This time, he would be blessed to pass his days in the presence of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, who loved Ruhu’llah very much and especially enjoyed hearing him chant in his beautiful voice the many prayers he knew by heart. Ruhu’llah would leave the Holy Land ablaze with Divine love, ready to sacrifice his all for the Cause of God.
Why do we pray?
It is the greatest longing of every soul who is attracted to the Kingdom of God to find time to turn with entire devotion to his Beloved, so as to seek His bounty and blessing and immerse himself in the ocean of communion, entreaty and supplication. ‘Abdu’l-Baha
This is the story of one of the early Baha’is in the West, Lua Getsinger, and an important lesson she learned about prayer. Lua loved God very much, and she often turned to Him in supplication, that she might be enabled to live a life of service. She prayed, too, that her eager and enthusiastic spirit would learn to be patient. Of course, she wanted to learn it quickly, without having to wait too long!
Lua knew that ‘Abdu’l-Baha also wanted her to learn patience. One day, when she was visiting Him in the Holy Land, He helped her to see that there are some things for which we must always make time, no matter how hurried we might feel. Rushing off to breakfast without having said her usual morning prayers, Lua met ‘Abdu’l-Baha in the hallway. He looked at her, staring deeply into her eyes. And what do you think He said to her? “Lua,” He said, “you must never eat material food in the morning until you have had spiritual food”. So it was that Lua learned she must never fail to draw sustenance from God’s heavenly bounties, the source of true strength.
How should we pray?
O Son of Light! Forget all save Me and commune with My spirit. This is of the essence of My command, therefore turn unto it. Baha’u’llah
During His travels in America, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá once accepted to teach a very devoted Bahá’í how to pray. He told him to come to His home at daybreak the next day. The believer’s heart was filled with joy. He rose at dawn and rushed to the home of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. When he entered the room of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, he found Him already in prayer. Realizing that he could not ask ‘Abdu’l-Bahá any questions, he decided to do the same. So he kneeled on the floor and began to pray. He prayed silently for his relatives, for his friends and for himself. When he finished, he looked up and saw that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was still deep in prayer. So he decided to pray some more. He repeated all the prayers he knew over and over. Still there was no movement from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
Now the believer noticed that one of his knees was beginning to ache and that his back was feeling uncomfortable. Next he heard the birds singing outside. Glancing around the room, he observed a large crack in the wall. Then he looked at ‘Abdu’l-Bahá again and, all of a sudden, the expression on ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s face created in him a strong desire to pray. He forgot everything else. The only desire in his heart was to be close to God and to converse with Him. He began to pray in a way he had never prayed before. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had taught him how to pray.
At that very moment ‘Abdu’l-Bahá arose, approached him with a smile and said: “When you pray, you must not think of your aching body, nor of the birds outside the window, nor of the cracks in the wall! When you wish to pray you must first know that you are standing in the presence of the Almighty!”
Songs
