Risálíy-i-Suál va Javáb (Epistle of Questions and Answers)

Questions 1-10

1. **Question:** Regarding the Greatest Festival.

**Answer:** The Greatest Festival begins on the afternoon of the thirteenth day of the second month of the Badi calendar. Work is forbidden on the first, ninth, and twelfth days of the festival.

2. **Question:** Regarding the Festival of the Twin Birthdays.

**Answer:** The Most Holy Birth took place at dawn on the second day of the month of Muharram, while the birth of the Herald occurred on the first day of the same month. These two days are considered as one day in the sight of God.

3. **Question:** Regarding the marriage verses.

**Answer:** For men: “We are all content with God,” and for women: “We are all content with God.”

4. **Question:** If someone travels without setting a time for their return and their whereabouts become unknown, what is the ruling for their spouse if they lose contact?

**Answer:** If the person was aware of the ruling in the Kitab-i-Aqdas and left it, the spouse must wait for a full year, after which she has the choice to either remain as she is or take another husband. If the person was not aware of the ruling, the spouse must wait until God reveals the fate of the husband. The term “remain as she is” in this context means to show patience.

5. **Question:** Regarding the blessed verse “When we heard the cries of the offspring in the loins, we increased their share and decreased that of others.”

**Answer:** In the Book of God, inheritances are divided into 2,520 shares, which is the lowest common multiple of the numbers one through nine. These shares are distributed among seven classes of heirs, as mentioned in the book. For instance, the share for offspring is equivalent to the letter “ṭ,” which is nine shares, each of sixty parts, totaling 540 parts. The phrase “we increased their share” means the offspring’s share is increased by nine more shares, making a total of eighteen shares, each of sixty parts. This increase is deducted from the shares of the other heirs. For example, the book states that “the spouses’ share is equivalent to the letters ‘t’ and ‘f’,” meaning eight shares, each of sixty parts, totaling 480 parts. However, with the redistribution, one and a half shares are deducted from the spouses’ share, which is ninety parts added to the offspring’s share. This redistribution affects all other classes of heirs until the total decrease equals nine shares, which are added to the offspring’s share.

6. **Question:** Concerning the inheritance of a brother, does the full brother inherit, or does a half-brother on the father’s or mother’s side inherit?

**Answer:** If the brother is from the father’s side, he inherits as mentioned in the book. If he is from the mother’s side, one-third of his share goes to the House of Justice, and he keeps two-thirds. The same rule applies to a sister.

7. **Question:** According to the inheritance law, if there is no offspring, their share goes to the House of Justice. If none of the other classes of heirs (such as parents, siblings, or teacher) are present, does their share also go to the House of Justice, or is there a different ruling?

**Answer:** The blessed verse is sufficient, as it states: “If one dies without offspring, their rights revert to the House of Justice,” and “those who have offspring but no other specified heirs, two-thirds of their share goes to the offspring and one-third to the House of Justice.” This means if there are no offspring, their share in the inheritance goes to the House of Justice. If there are offspring but no other heirs, two-thirds of their share goes to the offspring, and one-third goes to the House of Justice. This rule applies whether some or all heirs are absent; if any of the other heirs are absent, two-thirds of their share goes to the offspring, and one-third goes to the House of Justice.

8. **Question:** Regarding the threshold for the payment of God’s Right.

**Answer:** The threshold for the payment of God’s Right is nineteen mithqals of gold, meaning when money reaches this amount, it becomes subject to God’s Right. God’s Right is also due on other properties if their value, not their number, reaches this threshold. God’s Right is only due once. For example, if someone owns a thousand mithqals of gold and pays God’s Right on it, this money is no longer subject to God’s Right again. However, any profit from trading or transactions that reaches the threshold is subject to God’s Right. If the original property changes hands, it becomes subject to God’s Right again as it was the first time. The writings of the Primal Point state that God’s Right is due on all possessions, but in this Most Great Manifestation, we have exempted dwellings and household furnishings to the extent necessary.

9. **Question:** Which obligations take precedence: God’s Right, the deceased’s debt, or their funeral and burial expenses?

**Answer:** Funeral and burial expenses take precedence, followed by debt repayment, and then the payment of God’s Right. If the deceased’s estate is insufficient to cover all debts, the remaining funds are divided among the debts proportionally.

10. **Question:** The Kitab-i-Aqdas forbids shaving the head, while the Surah of Pilgrimage commands it.

**Answer:** Everyone is commanded to follow the Kitab-i-Aqdas; all that is revealed in it is God’s decree for the servants. Those traveling to the House are exempt from shaving the head.

Questions 11-20

11. **Question:** If a man has intercourse with his wife during the year of patience, and then discord reoccurs between them, do they start the year over, or do the previous days count towards the year? Is a waiting period required after divorce?

**Answer:** If harmony is achieved between the spouses during the year of patience, the marriage remains valid, and they must adhere to the book’s ruling. If the days of patience pass and the decree of God is fulfilled, there is no need for a waiting period. Intercourse with the wife during the year of patience is forbidden, and anyone who commits this act must seek God’s forgiveness and pay nineteen mithqals of gold to the House of Justice as a penalty.

12. **Question:** If there is aversion between the spouses after the recitation of the marriage verses and payment of the dowry, is divorce allowed without patience or not?

**Answer:** If divorce is desired after the recitation of the verses and payment of the dowry, before consummation, divorce is allowed, and there is no need for the days of patience. However, the dowry cannot be reclaimed.

13. **Question:** Is marriage dependent on the consent of both parents for both the man and the woman, or is one side’s consent sufficient? Does this apply equally to virgins and non-virgins?

**Answer:** Marriage is dependent on the consent of both the father and mother for both the man and the woman, and this applies equally to virgins and non-virgins.

14. **Question:** The command to face the Qiblih during prayer has been revealed. In which direction should one face when reciting prayers?

**Answer:** The rule of facing the Qiblih is fixed for prayers. However, for reciting prayers, the guidance revealed in the Quran applies: “Whichever way you turn, there is the face of God.”

15. **Question:** Regarding the mention of “the Mashriq of the remembrances at dawn.”

**Answer:** Although the word “dawn” is mentioned in the Book of God, the remembrance at dawn, at sunrise, after sunrise until the sun reaches two hours past, and even after that, is acceptable to God.

16. **Question:** Does the ruling on carrying corpses, where it is stated “It is forbidden to carry the dead more than an hour’s distance from the city,” apply to both land and sea?

**Answer:** The ruling applies equally to both land and sea. Whether it is an hour’s journey by steamship or by railway, the intent is an hour’s duration by any means. However, prompt burial of the deceased is preferable and better.

17. **Question:** What is the ruling on lost property if it is something missing?

**Answer:** If the lost property is found in a city, it should be announced once by a crier. If the owner appears, it should be returned to them; otherwise, wait for a year. If the owner appears within that time, the property should be given to them after deducting the crier’s expenses. If a year passes without the owner appearing, the property can be used. If the value of the lost property is less than or equal to the crier’s expenses, wait one day after finding it. If the owner does not appear, the property can be used. If the lost property is found in the wilderness, wait for three days. If the owner does not appear, the property can be used.

18. **Question:** Regarding ablution, if someone goes to the bathhouse and washes their entire body, do they still need to perform ablution?

**Answer:** The rule of ablution must be observed in all circumstances.

19. **Question:** If someone decides to leave their homeland and their wife does not accept it, leading to divorce, and the preparation for travel takes a full year, does this period count towards the year of patience, or does the year start from the day the couple separates?

**Answer:** The count starts from the day of separation. If the couple separates a year before the travel and no scent of love has been detected between them, the divorce is completed. Otherwise, the count starts from the day of travel and ends after a year according to the conditions revealed in the Kitab-i-Aqdas.

20. **Question:** What is the age of maturity for religious duties?

**Answer:** The age of maturity is fifteen, for both males and females equally.

Questions 21-30

21. **Question:** Regarding the blessed verse “In journeys, when you stop and rest, let every place of rest be a place of prostration for each prayer.”

**Answer:** This prostration compensates for the prayer missed during travel in unsafe locations. However, if the time for prayer arrives while the traveler is resting in a safe place, the prayer must be performed on time. The rule of compensation applies both in travel and at home.

22. **Question:** Regarding the determination of the duration of travel.

**Answer:** Travel is defined as nine hours by mechanical clocks. If a traveler stops in a place and expects to stay for a full Badi month, they must observe the fast. If the stay is less than a month, fasting is not required. If a traveler arrives at a location during the fast and expects to stay there for a month according to the Badi calendar, they may break the fast for three days and then resume fasting for the remaining days. If they return to their permanent home, they must fast from the first day of their arrival.

23. **Question:** Regarding the punishment for adultery.

**Answer:** The punishment for the first offense is nine mithqals of gold, the second offense is eighteen mithqals, the third offense is thirty-six mithqals, and so forth, with the penalty doubling each subsequent time. A mithqal is equivalent to nineteen “nukhd” as stated in the Bayan.

24. **Question:** Regarding hunting.

**Answer:** Other means such as rifles, bows, and other hunting instruments fall under the ruling “when you send out hunting animals…” as stated in the verse, but eating game is forbidden if traps are used and the animal dies before being reached.

25. **Question:** Regarding pilgrimage.

**Answer:** Pilgrimage to either of the two blessed houses is obligatory, and the choice is left to the pilgrim.

26. **Question:** Regarding the dowry.

**Answer:** The intended amount for the dowry at the first degree is nineteen mithqals of silver.

27. **Question:** Regarding the blessed verse: “And if news of death reaches her…” to the end of the verse.

**Answer:** The period referred to as “a few months” means nine months.

28. **Question:** There was a further inquiry regarding the teacher’s share in the inheritance.

**Answer:** If the teacher is deceased, one-third of their share reverts to the House of Justice, and the remaining two-thirds go to the deceased’s offspring, not to the teacher.

29. **Question:** There was a further inquiry regarding pilgrimage.

**Answer:** The intended pilgrimage to the designated house for men refers to the Most Great House in Baghdad and the House of the Primal Point in Shiraz. Pilgrimage to either of these houses suffices, and pilgrims should go to the house closest to their location.

30. **Question:** Regarding the blessed verse: “There is no harm in taking a maiden for service.”

**Answer:** This is solely for service, such as tasks typically performed by other servants, whether adults or children, for a wage. The maiden has the freedom to choose her husband if she wishes to marry, as acquiring concubines is forbidden. It is also forbidden to have more than two wives.

Questions 31-40

31. **Question:** Regarding the blessed verse: “God has forbidden you what you did after three pronouncements of divorce.”

**Answer:** This refers to the previous law requiring a divorced woman who has been divorced three times to marry another man before she can remarry her former husband. This has been prohibited in the Kitab-i-Aqdas.

32. **Question:** Regarding the elevation of the two houses in the places where the throne was established.

**Answer:** The two houses referred to are the Most Great House and the House of the Primal Point. As for other places, the people of the country where they are located have the choice to preserve every house where the throne was established or to preserve one of them that they choose.

33. **Question:** There was a further inquiry about the teacher’s inheritance.

**Answer:** If the teacher is not of the Bahá’í Faith, they do not inherit. If there are multiple teachers, they share the portion equally. If the teacher is deceased, their children do not inherit; instead, two-thirds of the inheritance goes to the deceased’s offspring, and the remaining third goes to the House of Justice.

34. **Question:** Regarding the house designated for male children.

**Answer:** When there are multiple houses, the intended one is the best and most honored house. The other houses are to be divided among the heirs like other properties. Any heir who is not a follower of God’s Faith is treated as non-existent and does not inherit.

35. **Question:** Regarding Naw-Rúz.

**Answer:** Naw-Rúz is on the day when the sun enters the sign of Aries, even if it is one minute before sunset, that day is the festival day.

36. **Question:** What is the ruling if the Twin Birthdays or the Day of the Declaration falls during the days of fasting?

**Answer:** If the Twin Birthdays or the Day of the Declaration falls during the days of fasting, the fast is suspended for that day.

37. **Question:** The divine laws of inheritance state that the residence and personal clothing are the right of the male offspring. Does this apply only to the father’s property, or does it also apply to the mother’s property?

**Answer:** The mother’s used clothing is to be equally divided among the daughters, and all other properties, jewelry, and unused clothing are to be divided among all according to what is revealed in the Kitab-i-Aqdas. In the absence of daughters, all the property is to be divided as specified for men.

38. **Question:** In the matter of divorce where patience for a year is required before it takes effect, what is the ruling if only one party is inclined to reconciliation?

**Answer:** The ruling in the Kitab-i-Aqdas requires the consent of both parties. If both parties do not agree, there is no reconciliation.

39. **Question:** What is the ruling on the dowry if it is not paid in cash in full but is given as a promissory note at the time of the contract, to be paid when possible?

**Answer:** The Source of Command has permitted this.

40. **Question:** If the scent of love appears during the year of patience, but is followed by discord, and the situation fluctuates between affection and aversion throughout the year, ending in aversion, does the divorce take effect?

**Answer:** In any case, whenever aversion occurs, the year of patience begins from the day it happens, and the full year must be completed.

Questions 41-50

41. **Question:** The residence and personal clothing have been designated for the male offspring, excluding females and other heirs. What is the ruling if there are no male offspring?

**Answer:** God said, “Whoever dies without offspring, their rights revert to the House of Justice…” In accordance with this blessed verse, the residence and personal clothing revert to the House of Justice.

42. **Question:** The laws of the Right of God have been revealed in the Kitab-i-Aqdas. Are the residence and its furnishings and belongings among the properties subject to these rights, or are they exempt?

**Answer:** The Persian laws state that in this Most Great Manifestation, we have exempted the residence and its furnishings, meaning the belongings necessary for use.

43. **Question:** Regarding the betrothal of a minor.

**Answer:** The Source of Command has forbidden it. Mentioning the engagement before marriage by ninety-five days is also forbidden.

44. **Question:** If someone’s wealth reaches a hundred “tumans” and they pay the Right of God, then they lose half of this amount in business, and later gain enough to bring their wealth back to the threshold, do they have to pay the Right of God again?

**Answer:** In this case, the Right of God is not applicable.

45. **Question:** If the entire amount mentioned is lost after paying the Right of God, and then it is regained through earnings and business, must the Right of God be paid again?

**Answer:** In this case as well, the Right of God is not required.

46. **Question:** Regarding the blessed verse: “Marriage is enjoined upon you,” is this command obligatory or not?

**Answer:** It is not obligatory.

47. **Question:** If someone marries a virgin, pays her dowry, and upon consummation finds that she is not a virgin, should the dowry and wedding expenses be refunded or not? If virginity is a condition of the marriage, does the contract become void if the condition is unmet?

**Answer:** In this case, the dowry and expenses should be refunded, and the failure to meet the condition voids the contract. However, if covering the matter and forgiving it prevails, this would earn a great reward from God.

48. **Question:** “Hospitality is enjoined upon you.” Is this command obligatory or not?

**Answer:** It is not obligatory.

49. **Question:** Regarding the punishment for adultery, sodomy, and theft, and their amounts?

**Answer:** The determination of the amounts for these punishments is referred to the House of Justice.

50. **Question:** Regarding the prohibition and permission of marriage between relatives.

**Answer:** These matters are also referred to the Trustees of the House of Justice.

Questions 51-60

51. **Question:** It is mentioned in the section on ablutions that if water is not available, one should recite “In the Name of God, the Most Pure, the Most Pure” five times. Is it permissible to recite this invocation in cases of severe cold or wounds on the hands or face?

**Answer:** Using warm water in cases of severe cold is permissible. However, if there are wounds on the hands or face, or other hindrances such as illnesses that make the use of water harmful, it is permissible to recite this invocation instead of performing ablutions.

52. **Question:** Is the recitation of the revealed invocation as a substitute for the Prayer of the Signs obligatory?

**Answer:** It is not obligatory.

53. **Question:** Regarding inheritance, do half-siblings on the mother’s side inherit along with full siblings?

**Answer:** They have no share.

54. **Question:** God said, “If someone dies during the lifetime of their father and has offspring, those inherit their father’s share.” What is the ruling if a daughter dies during her father’s lifetime?

**Answer:** Her inheritance is divided according to the Book among the seven classes of heirs.

55. **Question:** If the deceased is a woman, to whom does the wife’s share go?

**Answer:** The wife’s share goes to the husband.

56. **Question:** The command regarding the shroud for the deceased states that it should be five garments. Does this mean five garments as previously practiced, or five wrappings, each inside the other?

**Answer:** It means five garments.

57. **Question:** Regarding the differences found between some verses.

**Answer:** Many Tablets were sent out to the regions immediately after being revealed, in their initial form, without review. Therefore, by command, and to prevent objections from the deniers, they were re-read in the Sacred Court and matched to the accepted grammatical standards. There is another wisdom in this: there was a significant gap between the new style in the Bayan of the Herald, may the spirit of all else be a sacrifice to Him, and the accustomed grammatical rules. Hence, the blessed verses were revealed in a manner mostly conforming to the prevailing usage for ease and brevity.

58. **Question:** Concerning the blessed verse: “In journeys, when you stop and rest, let every place of rest be a place of prostration for each prayer,” is the prostration a compensation for the prayer missed due to insecurity, or does the prayer drop altogether during travel, with prostration taking its place?

**Answer:** If the time for prayer arrives and there is no security, a single prostration is performed for each missed prayer upon reaching a safe place. After the final prostration, while sitting in the posture of unity, the specific invocation is recited. Prayer does not drop during travel if a safe place is available.

59. **Question:** If the time for prayer arrives after the traveler has stopped and rested, must they perform the prayer, or can they substitute it with a prostration?

**Answer:** Prayer must not be omitted except in unsafe locations.

60. **Question:** If there are multiple prostrations for missed prayers, must the specific invocation be repeated after each prostration?

**Answer:** It is sufficient to recite the invocation after the final prostration; it is not necessary to repeat it after each prostration.

Questions 61-70

61. **Question:** If a prayer is missed while at home, is it necessary to perform a prostration as a substitute for the missed prayer?

**Answer:** The ruling on this matter has been mentioned in previous answers: compensatory prayer applies equally both at home and while traveling.

62. **Question:** If someone performs ablutions for a purpose other than prayer, and the time for prayer arrives, is the same ablution sufficient, or must it be renewed?

**Answer:** The same ablution is sufficient; it does not need to be renewed.

63. **Question:** The Kitab-i-Aqdas prescribes nine rak’ahs to be performed at noon, morning, and evening. The Tablet of Prayer appears to have a different prescription. How should this be understood?

**Answer:** What is revealed in the Kitab-i-Aqdas pertains to a different prayer. Wisdom dictated in previous years that some laws of the Kitab-i-Aqdas, including that prayer, be written on a separate paper and sent along with some blessed writings to a specific location for preservation. Subsequently, the three prayers were revealed.

64. **Question:** Is it permissible to rely on clocks to determine the times for prayers?

**Answer:** It is permissible to rely on clocks.

65. **Question:** The “Prayer Tablet” prescribes three prayers. Is it obligatory to perform all three?

**Answer:** It is obligatory to perform one of these three prayers, and performing any one of them is sufficient.

66. **Question:** Is the ablution for the morning prayer valid for the noon prayer, and similarly, is the ablution for the noon prayer valid for the evening prayer?

**Answer:** Ablution is connected to the prayer, and it must be renewed for each prayer.

67. **Question:** In the Greater Prayer, the worshiper is instructed to stand facing God. Could this be understood to mean that facing the Qiblih is not necessary?

**Answer:** It means facing the Qiblih.

68. **Question:** Regarding the blessed verse “Recite the verses of God every morning and evening.”

**Answer:** This refers to all that has been revealed from the Kingdom of Utterance. The first condition is the love and inclination of pure souls to recite the verses. Reciting one verse or one word with spirit and joy is better than reading many books.

69. **Question:** Can a person allocate part of their wealth in their will for charitable purposes, aside from paying the Right of God and the rights of people, or is their right limited to funeral expenses, shrouding, and transporting the body, with the remaining wealth to be divided among the heirs as prescribed by God?

**Answer:** A person is free in regard to their wealth. If they have fulfilled the Right of God and have no debts to people, everything written, decreed, and acknowledged in their will is accepted. God has permitted them to use what He has entrusted to them as they wish.

70. **Question:** Is the law revealed in the Kitab-i-Aqdas concerning placing a ring on the deceased’s finger limited to adults, or does it also apply to children?

**Answer:** It is specific to adults. Similarly, the Prayer for the Dead is also specific to adults only.

Questions 71-80

71. **Question:** Is it permissible for someone to fast outside the month of ‘Alá’? If they make a vow or pledge to God to fast, does that become obligatory?

**Answer:** The ruling on fasting is as previously revealed. However, if someone vows to fast for God to fulfill a need or for another purpose, there is no harm. But God, exalted be His glory, prefers vows and pledges to be made for matters that benefit humanity.

72. **Question:** When there are no male children, do the residence and personal clothing revert to the House of Justice, or are they divided like other properties?

**Answer:** Two-thirds of the residence and personal clothing revert to the female offspring, and the remaining third goes to the House of Justice, which God has designated as the treasury of the nation.

73. **Question:** If the period of patience has ended and the husband refuses to divorce, what is the ruling for the wife?

**Answer:** Divorce takes effect at the end of the period of patience, but witnesses must be present at the beginning and end of the period to assist if needed.

74. **Question:** Regarding the definition of old age.

**Answer:** Among the Arabs, it is considered the utmost age, and in the Bahá’í context, it is beyond seventy years.

75. **Question:** Regarding the ruling on fasting for a traveler on foot.

**Answer:** The limit is two hours; if the travel exceeds that, breaking the fast is permitted.

76. **Question:** Regarding fasting for those performing strenuous work.

**Answer:** They are exempt from fasting, but out of respect for God’s law and the station of fasting, discretion and modesty during those days are preferred and recommended.

77. **Question:** Is it permissible to recite the Greatest Name ninety-five times with the same ablution used for prayer, or not?

**Answer:** There is no need to renew the ablution.

78. **Question:** Regarding the clothes and jewelry bought by the husband for his wife, are they to be divided among the heirs upon his death, or do they belong solely to the wife?

**Answer:** Apart from used clothing, everything else, whether jewelry or other items, belongs to the husband unless it is proven that they were gifts to the wife.

79. **Question:** What is the definition of justice in the context of proving testimony by two just witnesses?

**Answer:** The standard of justice is good reputation among people, and the testimony of the servants of God, from any group, is acceptable before the throne.

80. **Question:** If the deceased had debts, should the debts be paid from the residence, personal clothing, and other properties, or do the male offspring retain the residence and personal clothing, with debts paid from other properties? What if the remaining estate does not cover the debts?

**Answer:** Debts and rights are to be paid from other properties. If these are insufficient, payment is to be made from the residence and personal clothing.

Questions 81-90

81. **Question:** Is the third prayer to be performed sitting or standing?

**Answer:** Standing with humility is preferable and more beloved.

82. **Question:** Is the first prayer, which is to be performed when one feels inclined and submissive, to be done once a day and night, or does it have other times?

**Answer:** Once a day and night is sufficient, this is what the Tongue of Command has spoken.

83. **Question:** Regarding the definition of morning, noon, and evening.

**Answer:** Morning is at sunrise, noon at its zenith, and evening at sunset. The times for prayer are from morning until noon, from noon until sunset, and from sunset until two hours after. The matter is in the hands of God, the Possessor of the two names.

84. **Question:** Is it permissible to marry non-Bahá’ís?

**Answer:** Both giving and taking are permissible; this is what God has decreed as He sits upon the throne of grace and generosity.

85. **Question:** Regarding the time of the Prayer for the Dead, is it to be performed before or after burial, and is it necessary to face the Qiblih?

**Answer:** The Prayer for the Dead should be performed before burial. As for the Qiblih: “Whichever way you turn, there is the face of God.”

86. **Question:** At noon, there are two prayers: one at noon and the obligatory prayer for morning, noon, and evening. Is it necessary to perform ablutions twice, or is one ablution sufficient?

**Answer:** It is not necessary to renew ablution.

87. **Question:** Regarding the dowry for rural residents specified in silver, should it be based on the residence of the husband or the wife, or both? What is the ruling if their residences differ, one being from a city and the other from a village?

**Answer:** The dowry is determined according to the husband’s residence. If he is from a city, the dowry is in gold; if he is from a village, the dowry is in silver.

88. **Question:** What is the criterion for determining whether a person is urban or rural? If an urbanite migrates to a village or a villager to a city with the intention of settlement, what is their status? Or is the criterion their place of birth?

**Answer:** The criterion is settlement. Wherever the residence is, the law of the book applies.

89. **Question:** It has been revealed in the sacred Tablets that whoever owns the equivalent of nineteen mithqals of gold must pay the Right of God on it. Please clarify what should be paid for these nineteen mithqals.

**Answer:** The decree of God is nineteen percent. The calculation is based on this rate to determine what must be paid on nineteen mithqals.

90. **Question:** If the wealth exceeds nineteen mithqals, must the excess amount reach another nineteen mithqals for the Right of God to apply, or does the right apply to any excess amount?

**Answer:** The Right of God does not apply to the excess unless it reaches nineteen mithqals.

Questions 91-100

91. **Question:** Regarding pure water and determining used water.

**Answer:** A small amount of water, such as a cupful or two or three cupfuls, is considered used after washing the hands and face in it. However, a measure of a “kurr” or more of water does not change after washing one or two faces in it, and it is permissible to use it. Water is considered used if one of its three attributes changes; for example, if the color of the water changes, it is considered used.

92. **Question:** In the Persian Questions, the age of maturity is set at fifteen years. Is maturity a condition for marriage, or is marriage allowed before that age?

**Answer:** Since the consent of both parties is a condition for marriage in the Book of God, and the presence or absence of consent is not known before maturity, marriage is therefore conditional on maturity and not permitted before it.

93. **Question:** Regarding fasting and prayer for the sick.

**Answer:** Truly, fasting and prayer hold a great station before God, but they are to be performed when health is present and their benefits can be realized. Performing them during illness is not permissible; this is the decree of God, exalted be His glory, from before and after. Blessed are the listeners and doers. Praise be to God, the revealer of verses and the manifestor of proofs.

94. **Question:** Regarding mosques, shrines, and temples.

**Answer:** All buildings constructed as mosques, shrines, or temples specifically for the mention of God should not be used for any other mention. This is God’s limit, and whoever exceeds it is among the transgressors. However, there is no harm to those who built them, as their work was for the sake of God, and they have received and will receive their reward.

95. **Question:** Are the tools necessary for performing a profession or craft subject to the Right of God, or are they considered like household goods?

**Answer:** They are subject to the same ruling as household goods.

96. **Question:** Regarding the substitution of a deposit with cash or another equivalent to preserve it from loss.

**Answer:** What was written in the question regarding the substitution of the actual deposit to preserve it from loss is permissible, provided that the replacement is equivalent to the trust. Your Lord is the elucidator, the knowledgeable, and the ancient commander.

97. **Question:** Regarding the washing of the feet in summer and winter.

**Answer:** The ruling is the same in both cases, and lukewarm water is preferable, although the use of cold water is permissible.

98. **Question:** There was a further inquiry about divorce.

**Answer:** Because God, exalted be His glory, abhors divorce, nothing specific was revealed about it. However, two or more witnesses are required from the beginning of the separation until the end of the year. If reconciliation does not occur by the end of the year, the divorce takes place. This must be recorded in the register of the religious judge appointed for the area by the House of Justice. This practice is necessary so that the hearts of the wise are not grieved.

99. **Question:** Regarding consultation.

**Answer:** If the opinions of the gathered souls initially differ, additional members should be included, and from among them, a number equal to the Greatest Name (or fewer or more) should be elected by ballot to consult anew. Whatever emerges from them is binding. If they differ again, the same process is repeated a third time, and then the majority opinion is followed, as it guides whoever wills to the right path.

100. **Question:** Regarding inheritance.

**Answer:** Concerning inheritance, everything commanded by the Primal Point, may the spirit of all else be a sacrifice to Him, is beloved. The property of those entitled to a share should be divided among the living, and anything else should be presented to the Sacred Court. The matter is in His hands; He rules as He wills. A ruling was revealed regarding the Land of Mystery in this context, where the share of those missing was temporarily divided among the existing heirs until the establishment of the House of Justice, at which time the ruling for this situation will be revealed. However, the inheritance of those who migrated in the year of the migration of the Beauty of the Ancient returns to their heirs; this is from the grace of God upon them.

Questions & Statements 101-107

101. **Question:** Regarding the ruling on buried treasure.

**Answer:** If buried treasure is found, one-third belongs to the finder, and the remaining two-thirds are to be used by the members of the House of Justice for the welfare of the public. This applies after the establishment of the House of Justice; before that, it should be entrusted to trustworthy individuals in each country and region. He is the wise, the knowledgeable, and the commanding.

102. **Question:** Regarding the rights on property that yields no benefit.

**Answer:** God has decreed that property which yields no benefit, i.e., produces no income, is not subject to the Right of God. He is the generous, the ruling.

103. **Question:** Regarding the blessed verse: “And for the lands where the nights and days are prolonged, let them pray by the hours…” to the end of the verse.

**Answer:** This refers to those remote lands. As for these regions, the difference is minimal, and this ruling does not apply to them.

104. **Statement:** In the Tablet of “Abá Badí,” this blessed verse was revealed: “Indeed, We have decreed for every son to serve his father, thus have We ordained the matter in the Book.”

105. **Statement:** In one of the Tablets, the following words of God were revealed: “O Muhammad, the Face of Eternity is turned towards you, remembering you and enjoining the Party of God to nurture the children. If a parent neglects this most great matter revealed by the Pen of the Ancient in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, their right to parenthood is forfeited, and they are counted among the deficient in the sight of God. Blessed is the servant who firmly establishes what God has enjoined in his heart and clings to it. He commands the servants with what will support and benefit them and draw them closer to Him. He is the ancient commander.”

106. **Statement:** “He is God, exalted be His majesty and power. God, exalted be His glory, has commanded all the Prophets and saints to water the tree of human existence with the rivers of manners and knowledge, so that what is stored within their inner beings, a trust from God, may manifest. For every tree has fruit, and what bears no fruit is fit for fire. What they spoke and taught was to preserve the ranks and stations of the human world. Blessed is the soul that clings in the Day of God to the roots of God and does not deviate from the paths of truth. Trustworthiness, piety, truthfulness, and purity are the fruits of the tree of existence. Greater than all of these, after acknowledging the unity of God, is the care of one’s parents. This word has been mentioned in all the Books of God and inscribed by the Supreme Pen. Consider what the All-Merciful has revealed in the Quran: ‘Worship God and do not associate anything with Him, and be kind to parents.’ Note that kindness to parents is linked with the oneness of God. Blessed is every wise and knowledgeable person who witnesses and sees, reads and understands, and acts upon what God has revealed in the previous Books and in this wondrous Tablet.”

107. **Statement:** In one of the Tablets, the following words of God were revealed: “Regarding the subject of zakat, We have commanded adherence to what was revealed in the Quran.”