The Kitab-i-Aqdas (Laws) - Bahá'u'lláh
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Page 166 of  251

For example, in the Qur'an the righteous are promised that they will be given to drink of the "choice sealed wine". In His Tablets, Baha'u'llah identifies the "choice Wine" with His Revelation whose "musk-laden fragrance" has been wafted "upon all created things". He states that He has "unsealed" this "Wine", thereby disclosing spiritual truths that were hitherto unknown, and enabling those who quaff thereof to "discern the splendours of the light of divine unity" and to "grasp the essential purpose underlying the Scriptures of God". (166:1)

In one of His meditations, Baha'u'llah entreats God to supply the believers with "the choice Wine of Thy mercy, that it may cause them to be forgetful of any one except Thee, and to arise to serve Thy Cause, and to be steadfast in their love for Thee". (166:2)

3. We have enjoined obligatory prayer upon you
In Arabic, there are several words for prayer. The word "salat", which appears here in the original, refers to a particular category of prayers, the recitation of which at specific times of the day is enjoined on the believers. To differentiate this category of prayers from other kinds, the word has been translated as "obligatory prayer". (166:3)

Baha'u'llah states that "obligatory prayer and fasting occupy an exalted station in the sight of God" (Q and A 93). Abdu'l-Baha affirms that such prayers are "conducive to humility and submissiveness, to setting one's face towards God and expressing devotion to Him", and that through these prayers "man holdeth communion with God, seeketh to draw near unto Him, converseth with the true Beloved of his heart, and attaineth spiritual stations". (166:4)

The Obligatory Prayer (see note 9) referred to in this verse has been superseded by the three Obligatory Prayers later revealed by Baha'u'llah (Q and A 63). The texts of the three prayers currently in use, together with instructions regarding their recital, are to be found in this volume in Some Texts Supplementary to the Kitab-i-Aqdas. (166:5)

A number of the items in Questions and Answers deal with aspects of the three new Obligatory Prayers. Baha'u'llah clarifies that the individual is permitted to choose any one of the three Obligatory Prayers (Q and A 65). Other provisions are elucidated in Questions and Answers, numbers 66, 67, 81, and 82. (166:6)

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