ounter if he wishes to strictly conform to the regulations of the Fast,
he nevertheless would advise him to make every effort to obtain from the
school authorities the necessary permission. In case his request is
refused the only alternative for him would be to obey his superior."

71: FASTING (THE ORDINANCE OF)

"As regards fasting, it constitutes, together with the obligatory prayers,
the two pillars that sustain the revealed Law of God. They act as
stimulants to the soul, strengthen, revive and purify it, and thus insure
its steady development."

"The ordinance of fasting is, as is the case with these three prayers
(obligatory) a spiritual and vital obligation enjoined by Baha'u'llah upon
every believer who has attained the age of fifteen. In the Aqdas He thus
writes: 'We have commanded you to pray and fast from the beginning of
maturity; this is ordained by God, your Lord and the Lord of your
forefathers. He has exempted from this those who are weak from illness or
age, as a bounty from His Presence, and He is the Forgiving, the
Generous.'

"And in another passage He says: 'We have enjoined upon you fasting during
a brief period, and at its close have designated for you Naw-Ruz as a
Feast... The traveller, the ailing, those who are with child or giving
suck, are not bound by the Fast... Abstain from food and drink, from
sunrise to sundown, and beware lest desire deprive you of this grace that
is appointed in the Book.'

"Also in the 'Questions and Answers' that form an appendix to the Aqdas,
Baha'u'llah reveals the following: 'Verily, I say that God has appointed a
Great station for fasting and prayer. But during good health its benefit
is evident, and when one is ill, it is not permissible to fulfill them.'
Concerning the age of maturity, He reveals in the appendix of that same
Book: 'The age of maturity is in the fifteenth year; women and men are
alike in this respect.' Regarding the vital character and importance of
the Divine ordinances and laws, and the necessity of complete obedience to
them by the believers, we thus read in the Gleanings, p. 175:

'Know verily that the essence of justice and the source thereof are both
embodied in the ordinance prescribed by Him Who is the Manifestation of
the Self of God amongst men, if ye be of them that recognize this truth.
He doth verily incarnate the highest, the infallible standard of justice
unto all creation. Were His law to be such as to strike terror