Prayer

“Prayer is the service of the heart”

– Judaism

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Hinduism c. 3000 BC
When all the senses are stilled, when the mind is at rest, when
the intellect waves not—then, say the wise, is reached the
highest state. This calm of the senses and the mind has been
defined as yoga. He who attains it is freed from delusion.
— Katha Upanishad 2.6.10-11
O Father of the Earth, by fixed laws ruling,
O Father of the Heavens, pray protect us,
O Father of the great and shining Waters!
What God shall we adore with our oblation?
O Lord of Creatures, Father of all beings,
you alone pervade all that has come to birth.
Grant us our heart's desire for which we pray.
May we become the lords of many treasures!
— Rig Veda 10.121
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The Bahá'í Faith 1844 AD
Intone, O My servant, the verses of God that have been
received by thee, as intoned by them who have drawn nigh
unto Him, that the sweetness of thy melody may kindle thine
own soul, and attract the hearts of all men. Whoso reciteth, in
the privacy of his chamber, the verses revealed by God, the
scattering angels of the Almighty shall scatter abroad the
fragrance of the words uttered by his mouth, and shall cause
the heart of every righteous man to throb. Though he may, at
first, remain unaware of its effect, yet the virtue of the grace
vouchsafed unto him must needs sooner or later exercise its
influence upon his soul. Thus have the mysteries of the
Revelation of God been decreed by virtue of the Will of Him
Who is the Source of power and wisdom.
— Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 295
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The Bahá'í Faith 1844 AD Judaism c. 1500 BC

We should speak in the language of heaven – in the language of
the spirit – for there is a language of the spirit and heart. It is as
different from our language as our own language is different
from that of the animals, who express themselves only by cries
and sounds. It is the language of the spirit which speaks to God.
When, in prayer, we are freed from all outward things and turn
to God, then it is as if in our hearts we hear the voice of God.
Without words we speak, we communicate, we converse with
God and hear the answer. ... All of us, when we attain to a truly
spiritual condition, can hear the Voice of God.
—`Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era, p. 99
The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He will also hear their cry and will save them.
The Lord keeps all who love Him.
— Psalms 145:18-20
Create me a clean heart, O God; and renew a steadfast spirit
within me.
Case me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy
holy spirit from me.
Restore unto me they joy of Thy salvation; and let a
willing spirit uphold me.

— Psalm 51:12-14

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Buddhism c. 400 BC The Bahá'í Faith 1844 AD
Take heed lest excessive reading and too many acts of piety in
And now, O Ananda, stand up, facing westward, and having
the daytime and in the night season make you vainglorious.
taken a handful of flowers, fall down. This is the quarter where
Should a person recite but a single verse from the Holy Writings
that Bhagavat Amitabha, the Tathagata, holy and fully
in a spirit of joy and radiance, this would be better for him than
enlightened, dwells, remains, supports himself, and teaches the
reciting wearily all the Scriptures of God, the Help in Peril, the
Dharma, whose spotless and pure name, famed in every quarter
Self-Subsisting. Recite ye the verses of God in such measure that
of the whole world with its ten quarters, the blessed Buddhas,
ye be not overtaken with fatigue or boredom. Burden not your
equal to the grains of the sand of the river Ganges, speaking and
souls so as to cause exhaustion and weigh them down, but
answering again and again without stopping, extol, praise, and
rather endeavour to lighten them, that they may soar on the
eulogize [praise].
wings of revealed Verses unto the dawning-place of His signs.
This is conducive to nearer access unto God, were ye to
— The Larger Sukhavati-Vyuha 39, in Fozdar, Buddha, p. 463
comprehend.

—Bahá'u'lláh Kitab-i-Aqdas K-149

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The Bahá'í Faith 1844 AD
If one friend feels love for another, he will wish to say so.
Though he knows that the friend is aware that he loves him, he
will still wish to say so.... God knows the wishes of all hearts. But
the impulse to prayer is a natural one, springing from man's
love to God. Prayer need not be in words, but rather in thought
and attitude. But if this love and this desire are lacking, it is
useless to try to force them. Words without love mean nothing.
If a person talks to you as an unpleasant duty, with no love or
pleasure in his meeting with you, do you wish to converse with
him?
—'Abdu'l-Baha's words as quoted in J. E. Esslemont,
Baha'u'llah and the New Era, p. 94
In the highest prayer, men pray only for the love of God, not
because they fear Him or hell, or hope for bounty or heaven. ...
When a man falls in love with a human being, it is impossible for
him to keep from mentioning the name of his beloved. How
much more difficult is it to keep from mentioning the Name of
God when one has come to love Him. ... The spiritual man finds
no delight in anything save in commemoration of God.
—`Abdu'l-Bahá cited in
Spiritual Foundations: Prayer, Meditation and the Devotional Attitude
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Christianity 1 AD
And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they
love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street
corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they
have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your
room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret;
and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And in
prayer do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they
think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be
like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask
Him.
— Matthew 6.5-8
And I say unto you, ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye
shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one
that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him
that knocketh it shall be opened.
— Luke 11:9-10
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Islam c. 613 AD
O my son! Verily, God will bring everything to light, though it
were but the weight of a grain of mustard-seed, and hidden in a
rock or in the heavens or in the earth; for God is Subtile,
informed of all.
O my son! Observe prayer, and enjoin the right and forbid
the wrong, and be patient under whatever shall betide thee: for
this is a bounden duty.
— Qur’án, 31: 15-16
There is a polish for everything that becomes rusty, and the
polish for the heart is the remembrance of God.
—Islam: Hadith of Tirmidhi
Your Lord says, “Call on Me; I will answer your prayer.
When My servants ask you concerning Me, I am indeed close
to them. I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calls
on Me.”
— Qur’án, 40.60, 2.186
When we show favour to a man, he withdraws and turns aside,
but when ill touches him then he abounds in prayer.
— Qur’án, 41:51
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The Bahá'í Faith 1844 AD
The wisdom of prayer is this: That it causeth a connection
between the servant and the True One, because in that state,
man with all heart and soul turneth his face towards His
Highness the Almighty, seeking His association and desiring His
love and compassion. The greatest happiness for a lover is to
converse with his beloved, and the greatest gift for a seeker is
to become familiar with the object of his longing; that is why
with every soul who is attracted to the Kingdom of God, his
greatest hope is to find an opportunity to entreat and
supplicate before his Beloved, appeal for His mercy and grace
and be immersed in the ocean of His utterance, goodness and
generosity.
— `Abdu'l-Bahá, cited in Bahá'í World Faith, p. 368
There is nothing sweeter in the world of existence than prayer.
Man must live in a state of prayer. The most blessed condition is
the condition of prayer and supplication. Prayer is conversation
with God. The greatest attainment or the sweetest state is none
other than conversation with God. It creates spirituality, creates
mindfulness and celestial feelings, begets new attractions of the
Kingdom and engenders the susceptibilities of the higher
intelligence.
—`Abdu'l-Bahá Star of the West p. 41
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