131. approach not the public pools of Persian baths
Baha'u'llah prohibits the use of the pools found in the traditional public bath-houses of Persia. In these baths it was the custom for many people to wash themselves in the same pool and for the water to be changed at infrequent intervals. Consequently, the water was discoloured, befouled and unhygienic, and had a highly offensive stench. (222:1)

132. Avoid ye likewise the malodorous pools in the courtyards of Persian homes
Most houses in Persia used to have a pool in their courtyard which served as a reservoir for water used for cleaning, washing and other domestic purposes. Since the water in the pool was stagnant and was not usually changed for weeks at a time, it tended to develop a very unpleasant odour. (222:2)

133. It is forbidden you to wed your fathers' wives.
Marriage with one's stepmother is here explicitly prohibited. This prohibition also applies to marrying one's stepfather. Where Baha'u'llah has expressed a law between a man and a woman it applies mutatis mutandis as between a woman and a man unless the context should make this impossible. (222:3)

Abdu'l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi confirmed that, while stepmothers are the only category of relatives mentioned in the text, this does not mean that all other unions within a family are permissible. Baha'u'llah states that it devolves upon the House of Justice to legislate "concerning the legitimacy or otherwise of marrying one's relatives" (Q and A 50). Abdu'l-Baha has written that the more distant the blood-relationship between the couple the better, since such marriages provide the basis for the physical well-being of humanity and are conducive to fellowship among mankind. (222:4)

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