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Prayer in the Bahá'í Faith refers to two distinct concepts: ''obligatory prayer'' and ''devotional prayer'' (general prayer). Both types of prayer are composed of reverent words which are addressed to God, and the act of prayer is one of the most important Bahá'í laws for individual discipline. The purpose of prayer in the Bahá'í Faith is to get closer to God and to Bahá'u'lláh and to help better one's own conduct and to request divine assistance. Bahá'ís between the ages of 15 and 70 are required to perform one of three prescribed obligatory prayers daily and individually, according to a set form and in accordance with specific laws. In addition to the daily obligatory prayer, Bahá'í scripture directs believers daily to offer devotional prayer as well as to meditate and study sacred scripture. There is no set form for devotions and meditations. Devotional prayers may be offered in the believer's own words. In addition, there is a large corpus of devotional prayers written by the Báb, Bahá'u'lláh, `Abdu'l-Bahá, the central figures of the Bahá'í Faith, which are used extensively by Bahá'ís in their devotional life.〔 These prayers, encompassing many topics that include meetings, times of day, and healing, are held in high esteem. The specific words are believed by many Bahá'ís to have special power. Group reading from prayer books is a common feature of Bahá'í gatherings. Commonly, Bahá'ís gather informally in each other's homes to read prayers in events known as ''devotionals''. Participants in a devotional gathering take turns reading aloud from a prayer book, while the others listen in reverent silence. ==General teachings== Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, encouraged Bahá'ís to pray frequently; he wrote that prayer should be used both individually as an act of worship in turning to God, and collectively in meetings.〔 The Bahá'í writings state that prayer is essential to the development of spirituality, and that it is natural to have the impulse to pray. The benefit of prayer, however, is not obtained by the act of praying itself, but the spiritual state induced by prayer. In that regard, Bahá'u'lláh wrote that a brief prayer that is joyful is better to a long prayer which does not induce a spiritual state;〔 that it is the spirit in which the prayer is offered that is important.〔 In the Bahá'í writings, the purpose of prayer is to get closer to God and to Bahá'u'lláh and to help better their own conduct and to request divine assistance. Prayer is used to express an individual's love of God and to affect their inner self.〔 Prayer can also be used to obtain specific material ends, but the Bahá'í writings state that it is more important to pray for the love of God without any other hope or fear. Bahá'u'lláh wrote that prayer is essential to any undertaking, and that it attracts confirmations from God.〔 The Bahá'í teachings state that individual prayer should be performed when one is alone, and when free of distractions such as early in the morning or late at night. Collective prayers, which usually are performed by individuals taking turns in reading prayers, are also encouraged; collective prayers are usually performed at the beginning of meetings such as Nineteen Day Feasts, and Bahá'í administrative meetings.〔 Shoghi Effendi, the head of the Bahá'í Faith in the first half of the 20th century, wrote that prayers may be addressed to God, Bahá'u'lláh, `Abdu'l-Bahá, or other messengers from God; he recommended, however, that the prayers be addressed to Bahá'u'lláh.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Prayer in the Bahá'í Faith」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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