Individual Laws: The Nineteen-Day Feast
Nineteen Day Feast
“Verily, it is enjoined upon you to offer a feast, once in every month, though only water be served; for God hath purposed to bind hearts together, albeit through both earthly and heavenly means.” 1
“QUESTION: "A feast hath been enjoined upon you..." Is this obligatory or not?
ANSWER: It is not obligatory.” 2
“The nineteen-day fast is a duty to be observed by all. All should abstain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset. This fast is conducive to the spiritual development of the individual. The Greatest Name should be read every day.” 3
"...The main purpose of the Nineteen Day Feasts is to enable individual believers to offer any suggestion to the Local Assembly which in its turn will pass it to the National Spiritual Assembly. The Local Assembly is, therefore, the proper medium through which local Baha'i communities can communicate with the body of the national representatives ..." 4
"We have your letter of October 12, 1971, concerning the date for the holding of the Nineteen Day Feast. It is preferable that Nineteen Day Feasts be held on the first day of the Baha'i month, but if it should be difficult to do so, it is permissible to hold it on a succeeding day of the Bahá'í month. The matter is left to the discretion of the Local Spiritual Assembly." 5
"The matter of where the Nineteen Day Feasts should be held is certainly one for the Spiritual Assembly to decide; but the Haziratu'l-Quds seems the logical place on most occasions. Until the friends have a place of worship ... this building will also be used for devotional meetings, as well as for administrative purposes.
"If under some circumstances, some special Feast is offered in the home of one of the believers, with the approval of the Spiritual Assembly, there can be no objection; but, generally speaking, he feels it is better to use the Haziratu'l-Quds." 6
“The Writings of the Bab and Bahá'u'lláh can certainly be read any time at any place; likewise the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha are read freely during the spiritual part of the Feast. The Guardian has instructed that during the spiritual part of the Feast, his own writings should not be read. In other words, during the spiritual part of the Feast, readings should be confined to the Writings of the Bab, Bahá'u'lláh and to a lesser extent, of the Master; but during that part of the Feast the Guardian's writings should not be read. During the period of administrative discussion of the Feast, then the Guardian's writings may be read. Of course, during the administrative part of the Feast there can be no objection to the reading of the Writings of the Bab, Baha'u'llah or Abdu'l-Baha.” 7
"During the devotional part of the Nineteen Day Feast any part of the writings of the Bab, Baha'u'llah and the Master can be read, also from the Bible and Qur'an, as these are all sacred scriptures. This part of the meeting need not be confined to prayers, though prayers can and should be read during it." 8
“This injunction has become the basis for the holding of monthly Bahá'í festivities and as such constitutes the ordination of the Nineteen Day Feast. In the Arabic Bayan the Báb called upon His followers to gather together once every nineteen days to show hospitality and fellowship. Bahá'u'lláh here confirms this and notes the unifying role of such occasions.
Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi after Him have gradually unfolded the institutional significance of this injunction. 'Abdu'l-Bahá emphasized the importance of the spiritual and devotional character of these gatherings. Shoghi Effendi, besides further elaborating the devotional and social aspects of the Feast, has developed the administrative element of such gatherings and, in systematically instituting the Feast, has provided for a period of consultation on the affairs of the Baha'í community, including the sharing of news and messages.
In answer to a question as to whether this injunction is obligatory, Bahá'u'lláh stated it was not (Q and A 48). Shoghi Effendi in a letter written on his behalf further comments: Attendance at Nineteen Day Feasts is not obligatory but very important, and every believer should consider it a duty and privilege to be present on such occasions.” 9
Other references: Lights of Guidance 795 – 834
Babi Dispensation
“Every nineteen days one time, you must invite nineteen persons; and, if you do not have the capacity to do so, invite them even if it be only to drink water. If you cannot do this either, give to drink water, outside of your homes to nineteen persons.” 10
Islamic Dispensation
“O you who have believed, when [the adhan] is called for the prayer on the day of Jumu'ah [Friday], then proceed to the remembrance of Allah and leave trade. That is better for you, if you only knew.” 11
Christian & Jewish Dispensation
The Bible does not explicitly mention Sunday as a day of worship.
Jewish Dispensation
Day of rest: Saturday (Exodus 20:8-11)
Day of community worship: Saturday (Exodus 20:8-11)
Footnotes
Baha’u’llah, The Most Holy Book, para 57 ↩
Baha’u’llah, Question & Answers no. 48 ↩
Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of Abdu'l-Bahá, p. 57 ↩
From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada, November 18, 1933: The Nineteen Day Feast, pp. 24, A Compilation from the Universal House of Justice, Lights of Guidance, no. 795 ↩
From a letter of the Universal House of Justice to the National Teaching Committee of Iceland, October 28, 1971, Australian Bahá'í Bulletin, No. 213, May 1972, pp. 7, Lights of Guidance, no. 811 ↩
From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, February 18, 1954: The Nineteen Day Feast, pp. 31, Lights of Guidance, no. 807 ↩
From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, April 27, 1956: cited in a letter from the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer, October 15, 1972, pp. 9, Lights of Guidance, no. 819 ↩
In a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, 18 October 1948 to an individual believer; The Nineteen Day Feast, no. 69 ↩
Notes to the Kitab-i-Aqdas no. 82 ↩
The Bab, Arabic Bayan, Wahid IX, Chapter XVII (Provisional Translation) ↩
The Holy Qura, Al-Jumu’ah 62:9 ↩