"We have found in the Holy Writings no explicit references to masturbation, but there are a number of principles and teachings which can guide a Baha'i to the correct attitude towards it. In a letter to an individual believer, written by the Guardian's secretary on his behalf, it is pointed out that:

'The Baha'i Faith recognizes the value of the sex impulse, but condemns its illegitimate and improper expressions such as free love, companionate marriage and others, all of which it considers positively harmful to man and to the society in which he lives. The proper use of the sex instinct is the natural right of every individual, and it is precisely for this very purpose that the institution of marriage has been established. The Baha'is do not believe in the suppression of the sex impulse but in its regulation and control.'

"In response to another letter enquiring if there were any legitimate way in which a person could express the sex instinct if, for some reason, he were unable to marry or if outer circumstances such as economic factors were to cause him to delay marriage, the Guardian's secretary wrote on his behalf:

'Concerning your question whether there are any legitimate forms of expression of the sex instinct outside of marriage: According to the Baha'i Teachings no sexual act can be considered lawful unless performed between lawfully married persons. Outside of marital life there can be no lawful or healthy use of the sex impulse. The Baha'i youth should, on the one hand, be taught the lesson of self-control which, when exercised, undoubtedly has a salutary effect on the development of character and of personality in general, and on the other should be advised, nay even encouraged, to contract marriage while still young and in full possession of their physical vigour. Economic factors, no doubt, are often a serious hindrance to early marriage but in most cases are only an excuse, and as such should not be over stressed.'

"In another letter on the Guardian's behalf, also to an individual believer, the secretary writes:

'Amongst the many other evils afflicting society in this spiritual low water mark in history is the question of immorality, and over-emphasis of sex...'

"This indicates how the whole matter of sex and the problems related to it have assumed far too great an importance in the thinking of present-day society.

"Masturbation is clearly not a proper use of the sex instinct, as this is understood in the Faith. Moreover it involves, as you have pointed out, mental fantasies, while Baha'u'llah, in the Kitab-i-Aqdas, has exhorted us not to indulge our passions and in one of His well-known Tablets Abdu'l-Baha encourages us to keep our 'secret thoughts pure'. Of course many wayward thoughts come involuntarily to the mind and these are merely a result of weakness and are not blameworthy unless they become fixed or even worse, are expressed in improper acts. In 'The Advent of Divine Justice', when describing the moral standards that Baha'is must uphold both individually and in their community life, the Guardian wrote:

'Such a chaste and holy life, with its implications of modesty, purity, temperance, decency, and clean-mindedness, involves no less than the exercise of moderation in all that pertains to dress, language, amusements, and all artistic and literary avocations. It demands daily vigilance in the control of one's carnal desires and corrupt inclinations.'

"Your problem, therefore, is one against which you should continue to struggle, with determination and with the aid of prayer. You should remember, however, that it is only one of the many temptations and faults that a human being must strive to overcome during his lifetime, and you should not increase the difficulty you have by over-emphasising its importance. We suggest you try to see it within the whole spectrum of the qualities that a Baha'i must develop in his character. Be vigilant against temptation, but do not allow it to claim too great a share of your attention. You should concentrate, rather, on the virtues that you should develop, the services you should strive to render, and, above all, on God and His attributes, and devote your energies to living a full Baha'i life in all its many aspects."

(From a letter of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer, a copy of which was sent to the compiler with a letter dated March 8, 1981; quoted in Lights of Guidance, no. 1220)

In a number of religious traditions and in Shí'ih Muslim practice semen has been declared ritually unclean. Bahá'u'lláh has here dispelled this concept. See also note 106 below.

in my opinion: (as we as female or male)
- we must masturbate for hygenic reasons
- we must masturbate to know better our body and feelings, and to increase our curiousity about the body of the one(s) we like, and to having the sex as a nirvana reach
- we must masturbate for the good health of our mind - for de-stressing
- foreplay is very important on a sexual relationship, and this is not much more than discorvering the body feelings of the one we like by their masturbation needs
- having sex, physiologically, is not much more than sharing masturbation!

This is not in reference to hygienic cleanliness. 'Abdu'l-Bahá, in the Secret of Divine Civilization, on the contrary, confirms that one should in fact perform ablutions (washing) after intercourse.

My friend Guest, I am wondering, are you a Baha'i? You know, just because you do not understand a law does not automatically mean that it doesn't make any sense. Besides, technically laws don't have to make sense. The Writings say that if God instructs us not to drink water, we should abstain from water if we love God, even though we will die. However, all the laws are very rational. It would be a more accurate thing to say, "I am much less than God. His wisdom surpasses that of mine. Maybe, since God is wiser than me, His laws actually do makes sense, even though I do not understand them."
Technically, laws must make sense, or there is lack of justice. So in all cases, the reason the law exists is just not clear to us. Still, I can't help but not understand why the UHJ would say such a thing.

Yes, you are "doomed until you marry," if you want to put it that way. But, I didn't catch which part of that law did not make any sense. You have impulses for a lot of things; some good, some bad. Some are not inherently "bad," like sex, but are only legitimatly expressed between two married people. The UHJ: "Bahá'ís do not believe that the sex impulse should be suppressed but that it should be regulated and controlled." And the Guardian: "Outside of marital life there can be no lawful or healthy use of the sex impulse." As you can see, since masturbation is use of the sex impulse (outside of marriage), you should not do that either. It is not forbidden, and not even comparable to that of fornication, but it is still not beneficial to one's spiritual development.
I don't see how occasional (say 1/3 times) releasing of sexual tension in the form of masturbation is "unlawful or unhealthy". If anything, its healthier than keeping the tension built-up and acting as a constant stressor. I can't help but feel this is a law tailored to the masses who would probably abuse the right to masturbate outside of marriage, if the writings said somewhere that it was lawful, even in moderation.

As you know, cleanliness is a virtue. Cleanliness is so important that Baha'u'llah states:

"Should the garb of anyone be visibly sullied, his prayers shall not ascend to God, and the celestial Concourse will turn away from him."
To me, the Baha'i Faith is all common sense at the very base of it. Hence, I don't take the above statement literally. Say I'm a homeless person with dirt on my shirt that I can't get out. God knows, and you know, if you've done your best to keep your shirt clean and be as clean as possible for the prayer session in question. I don't get why it doesn't work the same way with masturbation. If I know I'm doing it purely for stressor reasons, and not to fantasize or what not, then what's the big deal. It's funny how God gives me this impulse that is totally dominating my physical being because He made it that way, in terms of hormones and such, and He expects me not to relieve the tension in a purest-possible fashion. I'm not gonna just sit the stress out days after days.

Now let me ask you, is dirt itself "unclean," or is it rather considered unclean having dirt on your clothes? Dirt is good if it stays in the pot, bad if it gets on your clothes. Or are stains inherently "evil," or is it just that having a stain on your shirt is not in accordance with cleanliness? Being clean, though material, has a great spiritual effect. 'Abdu'l-Baha says that organization is very important; things have to be in their proper places and have to be clean. Order and cleanliness are very important things.
You're talking to a super clean, super organized person. Everything should have its place. This does pertain to sexual things as well, but I really don't see why masturbation is a bad thing, for the purposes mentioned above.

You said: "Anything ritualized just doesn't make sense." Again, if I were you I'd try to be open-minded and reexamine what you are saying, especially if you are a Baha'i. If you are going to say something doesn't make "sense" without any kind of logic, perhaps you shouldn't say it.
I feel that ritualizing anything can sometimes lead to superstitious outlook in people over time. "Hey baby, that was great, but sorry I can't cuddle now, I gotta go shower, so do you... we're dirty, and that's bad." So God gives us this gift of sexual impulse, yet we can't even express it to the fullest without having to worry about staying physically clean?

This is not in reference to hygienic cleanliness. 'Abdu'l-Bahá, in the Secret of Divine Civilization, on the contrary, confirms that one should in fact perform ablutions (washing) after intercourse.

...the purpose of His consummate wisdom was to free the people from the chains of fanaticism which had bound them hand and foot, and to forestall those very objections which today confuse the mind and trouble the conscience of the simple and helpless.

(page 29)

"Should the garb of anyone be visibly sullied, his prayers shall not ascend to God, and the celestial Concourse will turn away from him."
To me, the Baha'i Faith is all common sense at the very base of it. Hence, I don't take the above statement literally. Say I'm a homeless person with dirt on my shirt that I can't get out. God knows, and you know, if you've done your best to keep your shirt clean and be as clean as possible for the prayer session in question.

Cleave ye unto the cord of refinement with such tenacity as to allow no trace of dirt to be seen upon your garments. Such is the injunction of One Who is sanctified above all refinement. Whoso falleth short of this standard with good reason shall incur no blame. God, verily, is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

Thanks BW for the welcome back, and your comments here as well.I should make a disclaimer that I still may not be able to stay consistetly.

To respond to one tangential point of one of the guests...


Baha'u'llah refers to this in effect in paragraph 74:



best wishes,
Brett