The Nineteen Day Feast

With regard to your question concerning the use of music in the Nineteen Day Feast, he wishes you to assure all the friends that he not only approves of such a practice, but thinks it even advisable that the believers should make use in their meetings of hymns composed by the Bahá’ís themselves, and also of such hymns poems and chants as are based on the Holy Words.

Regarding your questions: the Devotional part of the Nineteen Day Feast means the reading of prayers by Bahá’u’lláh and the Master. If, after this, there is a period of reading of the teachings, his [the Guardian’s] writings may be included, but this does not form part of the devotional aspect of the meeting.

Regarding the question you asked him about the Bahá’í sacred writings: these should be regarded as the writings of the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and only these should be read during the purely devotional part of the Feast.

During the devotional part of the Nineteen Day Feast any part of the writings of the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh and the Master can be read, also from the Bible and Qur’án, as these are all sacred scripture. This part of the meeting need not be confined to prayers, though prayers can and should be read during it.

The question regarding the devotional part of the Feast has been obscured because once he used the term “devotional” in its strict sense, which of course means prayer, and once loosely, in the sense in which Bahá’ís usually understand it, and that is the meeting together and reading from the teachings which precedes the administrative — or consultative — aspect of the Nineteen Day Feast. The two statements in no way change the method of holding this part of the Feast which, in the East at any rate, is always opened with prayers and afterwards Tablets and excerpts from Bahá’u’lláh’s, or the Master’s or the Guardian’s, writings may be read or, for that matter, the Bible or Qur’án quoted.

Music is permitted during the spiritual part — or any part — of the Nineteen Day Feast.

Regarding the questions you raised in your letter:

First, he feels that, although in principle there is certainly no reason why excerpts from other Sacred Scriptures should not be read in the spiritual part of our Feasts, as this is particularly an occasion when Bahá’ís get together to deepen their own spiritual life, it is, generally speaking, advisable for them to read from their own holy Writings in the spiritual part of the Feast.

The Writings of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh can certainly be read any time at any place; likewise the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá 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 Báb, 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 Báb, Bahá’u’lláh or ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

Instrumental music may be used at the Bahá’í Feasts.

There is no objection to showing appreciation by the clapping of hands.

If an individual has a teaching appointment on the same evening as a Nineteen Day Feast, it is left to the individual to judge which is the most important.

We have noted in your Minutes of 27 December, page 1, a statement, “It was agreed to advise the friends in … that it was not correct to sing a song composed by a Bahá’í at the devotional part of the Nineteen Day Feast.”

It is not clear what your framework of reference for consultation happened to be, nor if a direct question was referred to your National Assembly for decision. However, we feel it will be helpful to you to know that songs whose words are the primary Writings of the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh or ‘Abdu’l-Bahá are all quite fitting for the devotional portion of the Feast. Indeed, the Persian chants are such songs, out of a different tradition; they are a way of giving music to the holy Word, and each person who chants does it in a way which mirrors his feeling and expression of the Words he is uttering. As for songs whose words are poetic and the composition of other than Figures of the Faith, these may be desirable but in their proper place, for, as you know, “music is the language of the spirit”.

Inasmuch as the spirit of our gathering is so much affected by the tone and quality of our worship, of our feeling and appreciation of the Word of God for this day, we would hope that you would encourage the most beautiful possible expression of the human spirits in your communities, through music among other modes of feeling.

Moreover, it should be borne in mind that the Persian writings of Shoghi Effendi are unique in nature, and many of them, unlike his English letters and messages addressed to the western believers, are interspersed with supplications, prayers and homilies of a devotional character which are suitable for the spiritual part of Bahá’í Feasts.