tag name Burial (funeral) type: Practices web link bahai-library.com/tags/Burial_(funeral) variations or mis-spellings Burial laws related tags Death referring tags Cemeteries and graves; Cremation; Funeral; Gravestones; Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Selected topics; Prayers for the dead; Respect; Shroud (funeral cloth); Su'al va Javab (Questions and Answers, Kitáb-i-Aqdas) Inventory subject Law of burial and cremation notes "The body is the temple of the spirit, therefore it must be respected and treated with honour. Its burial in the earth after death and its gradual decomposition is natural. Thus, according to Bahá'í law, cremation of the dead is forbidden and the body must not be transported more than one hour's journey from the place of death. The body should be wrapped in a shroud of silk or cotton, and on its finger should be placed a ring bearing the inscription, ''I came forth from God, and return unto Him, detached from all save Him, holding fast to His Name, the Merciful, the Compassionate''; and that the coffin should be of crystal, stone or hard fine wood. A specific Prayer for the Dead is ordained, to be said before interment...The formal prayer and the ring are meant to be used for those who have attained the age of maturity."
– from A Basic Bahá'í Dictionary (1989)
See also:
– BWC compilation Bahá'í Burial
– Covenant Library Unified Index
selected quotations
(authoritative sources)These quotations reflect common presentations of Bahá’í views; the materials below may show a wider range of interpretations and contexts:
"... In brief, the Bahá’í law for the burial of the dead states that it is forbidden to carry the body for more than one hour’s journey from the place of death; that the body should be wrapped in a shroud of silk or cotton, and on its finger should be placed a ring bearing the inscription “I came forth from God, and return unto Him, detached from all save Him, holding fast to His Name, the Merciful, the Compassionate”; and that the coffin should be of crystal, stone or hard fine wood. A specific Prayer for the Dead (see note 10) is ordained, to be said before interment. As affirmed by ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá and the Guardian, this law precludes cremation of the dead. The formal prayer and the ring are meant to be used for those who have attained the age of maturity, i.e. 15 years of age (Q&A 70). With regard to the material from which the coffin is to be made, the spirit of the law is that coffins should be of as durable a material as possible. Hence, the Universal House of Justice has explained that, in addition to the materials specified in the Aqdas, there is no objection to using the hardest wood available or concrete for the casket. For the present, the Bahá’ís are left free to make their own choices in this matter."
– Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Note 149, referring to ¶128From the index of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas:
Burial, 155
burial rings, K128-K129, Q70, n149
coffin, K128, n149
cremation prohibited, n149
expenses, K28, Q9, Q69, n47
one hour's journey, K130, Q16, n149, n152
prayer, 102. See also Prayer for the Dead
shroud, K130, Q56, n149, n151
"... make the necessary provision in your will, stipulating that ..., being a Bahá’í, you request that your remains not be cremated and not be taken more than an hour’s journey from the place you die.”
The spirit has no more connection with the body after it departs, but as the body was once the temple of the spirit, we Bahá’ís are taught that it must be treated with respect."
– Shoghi Effendi, Directives of the Guardian, p. 87 (1973 edition)
"As this physical frame is the throne of the inner temple, whatever occurs to the former is felt by the latter. In reality that which takes delight in joy or is saddened by pain is the inner temple of the body, not the body itself. Since this physical body is the throne whereon the inner temple is established, God hath ordained that the body be preserved to the extent possible, so that nothing that causeth repugnance may be experienced. The inner temple beholdeth its physical frame, which is its throne. Thus, if the latter is accorded respect, it is as if the former is the recipient. The converse is likewise true.
Therefore, it hath been ordained that the dead body should be treated with the utmost honor and respect."
– The Báb, Persian Bayán, V, 12
references en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burial#Burial_in_the_Baháʼí_Faith; bahai9.com/wiki/Burial; bahaiquotes.com/subject/burial; bahaiquotes.com/subject/death-burial; www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/search#q=Burial
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