It hath been enjoined upon you to pare your nails, to bathe yourselves each
week in water that covereth your bodies, and to clean yourselves with
whatsoever ye have formerly employed. Take heed lest through negligence ye
fail to observe that which hath been prescribed unto you by Him Who is the
Incomparable, the Gracious. Immerse yourselves in clean water; it is not
permissible to bathe yourselves in water that hath already been used. See
that ye approach not the public pools of Persian baths; whoso maketh his way
toward such baths will smell their fetid odour ere he entereth therein.
Shun them, O people, and be not of those who ignominiously accept such
vileness. In truth, they are as sinks of foulness and contamination, if ye
be of them that apprehend. Avoid ye likewise the malodorous pools in the
courtyards of Persian homes, and be ye of the pure and sanctified. Truly,
We desire to behold you as manifestations of paradise on earth, that there
may be diffused from you such fragrance as shall rejoice the hearts of the
favoured of God. If the bather, instead of entering the water, wash himself
by pouring it upon his body, it shall be better for him and shall absolve
him of the need for bodily immersion. The Lord, verily, hath willed, as a
bounty from His presence, to make life easier for you that ye may be of
those who are truly thankful.
(Baha'u'llah: The Kitab-i-Aqdas, Pages: 57-58)I am not sure I fully understand the application of laws in the Aqdas that were obviously made at a time when conditions were different. There are a couple questions that might arise from this passage. Firstly, this passage requires that we bathe weekly in water that covers our bodies. A literal understanding of this passage, not factoring in the change of conditions since the time of the Aqdas was written, would have a Baha'i taking at last one bath (literally, a bath) a week, taking showers the rest of the time as desired. I know that hand-powered showers came in during the 1800's, and am not sure when any type of showers were introduced to the Middle East. This passage obviously clearly knows only of baths. I know that laws of the Aqdas cannot be changed. Neither Shoghi Effendi or the House of Justice can change laws in the Aqdas. There is this letter from the House on something not covered in the Aqdas:
"The laws of burial as revealed by Baha'u'llah in the Kitab-i-Aqdas do not
refer to the occurrence of death at sea. Until such time as the Universal
House of Justice legislates on these matters, the friends when faced with
such incidents should be guided by whatever civil or maritime law is
applicable under the circumstances. Should land be reached, however,
obviously the body must be buried on land in the nearest suitable place."
(From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice
to
an individual, quoted in a letter written on behalf of the
Universal
House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of New
Zealand,
October 20, 1974)
(Multiple Authors: Lights of Guidance, Page: 196)My understanding is that the injunction to bathe weekly in water that covers our bodies is a law that cannot be changed. If I understand correctly, the House cannot overrule this law, saying something like "When Baha'u'llah made this law showers hadn't been invented yet. Surely He would have allowed one to shower instead of bathe, had the shower been around earlier, providing that the entire body was immersed during the course of the shower. Due to the change in conditions, showering weekly is permissible in upholding the law of Baha'u'llah, though the law says the water must cover our bodies." So I guess what I'm trying to say is: does the non-existence of showers in Iran at the time of Baha'u'llah mean that Baha'is must, over the course of the next thousand years, have at least one good old-fashioned bath every week? Does anyone have the authority to change the law so that a shower is sufficient to fulfill the law, and if so, where are they given this authority? One might appeal to: "If the bather, instead of entering the water, wash himself by pouring it upon his body, it shall be better for him and shall absolve him of the need for bodily immersion" as allowing showers, as what is described here is like a shower. I would agree that it does allow for showers, but this is obviously referring back to the foul water in the Persian baths and pools. I've never seen anything saying that the laws of the Aqdas aren't for everyone. Baha'u'llah allows what is basically a shower for people in Persia when the water is foul. But there are other people in the world, and these people do have clean water. If what He says is referring to what to do when the water is dirty only, surely He has not given any allowance in the Aqdas for people who have access to clean water to shower. They must have a bath each week for the next thousand years, because the Aqdas says so. Am I right here?
I'm a little confused by the part I quoted above, as why would pouring dirty water on oneself be better than bodily immersion in it? Context shows that dirty water is being referred to. How is it a "bounty," and how does it make life easier for us? Are Baha'is allowed to swim in public pools or oceans merely for recreation. A certain interpretation of the passage from the Aqdas would say not. Obviously one isn't allowed to go into the baths and pools in Iran, so is there a good reason why we could go into other places in which the water isn't clean and has been used? Does it depend on the level of chlorine in the pool?
Regards,
David
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