THE BAHÁ'Í COMMUNITY AND THE ROLE OF HOSPITAL CHAPLAINCIES

Bahá'ís believe in the healing power of modern medicine for both physical and mental ills, while recognizing the role of the spirit, of prayer and of turning to God.

The Bahá'í Faith has no clergy and community affairs at local and national levels are in the hands of elected councils, the Spiritual Assemblies. Each Bahá'í takes responsibility for his or her own spiritual life and development, and the context for this development is provided by the life of the Bahá'í community and by the authority of the Spiritual Assemblies. Bahá'ís in hospital will miss attendance at important community gatherings, such as the Nineteen Day Feast, which are central to the community's spiritual, administrative and social life.

Bahá'í patients will be ministered to by friends, by family and by those appointed as spiritual care-givers by the Local Spiritual Assembly or the National Spiritual Assembly, who will visit, give comfort to and pray with and for the patient. Because the Bahá'í Faith has no sacraments, these spiritual care givers do not have a sacramental or priestly/ministerial role nor do they have any authority over the patient. They are loving supporters.

Incurable illness and death

If an illness is incurable, Bahá'ís can accept palliative treatment if they wish, details of which can be discussed with the appropriate medical professionals as well as with the spiritual care-givers. Whenever possible it is up to the patient to decide, in co-operation with his or her doctors, what course of action to take. If the patient is unable to take decisions on his or her own behalf, the family should consult with the medical professionals.

Bahá'ís recognize death as a transition to a further stage of life akin to the transition made when a baby is born. It is not for one person actively to end the life of another, so euthanasia is not permitted, although it is recognized that steps to ease suffering may, as a side effect, shorten life and this is accepted. There may come a time in the life of the patient when it becomes appropriate to withhold treatment, other than the palliation of suffering; the family will wish to discuss this with the relevant medical professionals.

Of course, Bahá'ís and their families are just as prone to fear death, or at least the bereavement that death brings, as anyone else. An important part of the role of the spiritual care giver at this stage will be to lovingly remind the Bahá'í patient of Bahá'u'lláh's teachings about the joy that he or she will experience in the next life and to help the patient, through prayer and love, to accept the transition. The spiritual care giver may also offer comfort to the bereaved family.

The body of the deceased is treated with respect and should be buried, not cremated, within an hour's journey of the place of death. A Bahá'í who is near death does not require the intervention of a spiritual care giver or chaplain, but clearly they will want to have their loved ones around them at that time. There is no ritual or sacrament associated with death. If there is time to prepare for death, it is very much up to the individual and those close to him or her to choose how to approach this.

Bahá'ís in hospital

Bahá'ís have a number of requirements for their daily spiritual life. These are simple personal responsibilities and do not require the intervention of another Bahá'í:

1. Reading a passage from the Bahá'í scriptures each night and morning.
2. Daily obligatory prayer: there are three, from which the individual chooses one - a short prayer to be said between noon (by the sun) and sunset, a medium prayer to be said three times a day, and a long prayer to be said once in twenty-four hours. These prayers can be recited silently and the individual should stand whilst saying them. Clearly this may be difficult for the bedridden patient and we believe that God accepts the prayers of those who are in difficulty, whatever their physical position.
   1. The Bahá'í should wash hands and face before saying any of these prayers, but this can be done in an ordinary wash basin or bowl. The point of this is physical cleanliness rather than 'ritual purity' (a concept which makes no sense in the Bahá'í scheme of things); the Bahá'í teachings place great emphasis on refinement - physical, moral, mental and spiritual.
   2. The person saying the obligatory prayer should face the 'point of adoration', the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh, which is situated in Akko in Israel and is in an approximately south easterly direction from the UK. It is helpful if staff can point out the correct direction.
   3. The short prayer requires no other facilities.
   4. The medium prayer involves ablutions and various movements of the hands during the recital of the prayer and really needs to be done in a private place, but the place does not have to be in any way 'consecrated'.
   5. The long prayer involves a number of prostrations and movements of arms and hands. Like the medium prayer, it would be preferable for the Bahá'í to be able to say this in a private place.
   6. We understand that privacy may well be difficult to achieve in hospital. We have no objection to using spaces that are also used by people of other faiths.
3. Personal prayer (in addition to the obligatory prayer) may be offered by a Bahá'í at any time and does not require any special setting.
4. There is an annual period of fasting (refraining from eating or drinking from sunrise to sunset) from 2nd to 20th March, but those who are ill are exempt from this requirement.
5. There are nine holy days and one or two other special periods throughout the year. These are usually celebrated in the community and are regarded as days on which acts of charity and hospitality are particularly appropriate. The Bahá'í in hospital may well wish to receive visitors from the local Bahá'í community on these days.
6. Bahá'ís do not use alcohol (unless directed by a doctor) or recreational drugs. This prohibition does not, of course, apply to medication prescribed by an appropriate medical professional.
7. There are no religiously required food restrictions, although some Baháís are vegetarian as a matter of personal preference.
8. Bahá'ís have no problems with blood transfusions.

Any questions about the Bahá'í perspective on spiritual care giving or about the needs of Bahá'ís receiving medical care can be addressed to:

The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United Kingdom
27 Rutland Gate, London SW7 1PD. Tel: 0207-584 2566. Fax: 0207-584 9402.
E-mail: oea@bahai.org.uk

The nine Bahá'í Holy Days

The Bahá'í day starts at sunset. Bahá'ís usually refrain from working on their Holy Days, but they are considered good days for charitable work and hospitality.

The days from 26^th February to 1^st March are known as the Ayyám-i-Há (sometimes referred to as the Intercalary Days). These are not Holy Days, but they are special days for hospitality in Bahá'í communities and families. The Bahá'í period of fasting follows, from 2^nd to 21^st March. Bahá'ís who are ill need not keep the fast.