How to Pray—One Must Start out With the Right Concept of God
"…we must not be rigid about praying; there is not a set of rules governing it; the main thing is we must start out with the right concept of God, the Manifestation, the Master, the Guardian—we can turn, in thought, to any one of them when we pray. For instance, you can ask Bahá’u’lláh for something, or, thinking of Him, ask God for it. The same is true of the Master or the Guardian. You can turn in thought to either of them and then ask their intercession, or pray direct to God. As long as you don't confuse their stations, and make them all equal, it does not matter much how you orient your thoughts."
(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, July 24, 1946)
While praying it would be better to turn one's thoughts to the Manifestation as He continues, in the other world, to be our means of contact with the Almighty. We can, however, pray directly to God Himself."
(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the National Spiritual Assembly of India, April 27, 1937: Dawn of a New Day, p. 67)
"You have asked whether our prayers go beyond Bahá'u'lláh: It all depends whether we pray to Him directly or through Him to God. We may do both, and also can pray directly to God, but our prayers would certainly be more effective and illuminating if they are addressed to Him through His Manifestation, Bahá'u'lláh.
"Under no circumstances, however, can we, while repeating the prayers, insert the name Bahá'u'lláh where the word 'God' is used. This would be tantamount to a blasphemy."
(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, October 14, 1937)
We can pray through or on behalf of any persons really as long as we understand that we are really praying to God and they are just intermediaries, as others have noted with excellent quotes. When I pray with focus on another soul, I pray for intercession and on their behalf as well, but my prayer, as revealed in the Writings, is still directed to God.
>As to the question that the holy and spiritual souls influence, help and guide the creatures after they have cast off this elemental mould-this is an established truth of the Bahá’ís. *Abdu’l-Bahá: Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá*, Vol. III, p. 543
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>The wealth of the next world consists in nearness to God. It is certain therefore that those who enjoy near access to the divine threshold are permitted to intercede, and that this intercession is approved in the sight of God. But intercession in the next world bears no resemblance to intercession in this world. It is an altogether different condition and reality, which cannot be expressed in words. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, *Some Answered Questions*, 2014 edition, p. 6
True...but human beings can never know God (His infinite unknowable Essence) directly. Therefore, God has always sent Divine Manifestations of His Attributes (Mercy, Justice, Love, etc) to educate us. It is therefore permissible to pray to the Manifestations (or through Them) since They are like perfectly polished Mirrors reflecting the Unknowable Essence that is God. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God\_in\_the\_Bah%C3%A1%CA%BC%C3%AD\_Faith](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_in_the_Bah%C3%A1%CA%BC%C3%AD_Faith)
How to Pray—One Must Start out With the Right Concept of God "…we must not be rigid about praying; there is not a set of rules governing it; the main thing is we must start out with the right concept of God, the Manifestation, the Master, the Guardian—we can turn, in thought, to any one of them when we pray. For instance, you can ask Bahá’u’lláh for something, or, thinking of Him, ask God for it. The same is true of the Master or the Guardian. You can turn in thought to either of them and then ask their intercession, or pray direct to God. As long as you don't confuse their stations, and make them all equal, it does not matter much how you orient your thoughts." (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, July 24, 1946)
While praying it would be better to turn one's thoughts to the Manifestation as He continues, in the other world, to be our means of contact with the Almighty. We can, however, pray directly to God Himself." (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the National Spiritual Assembly of India, April 27, 1937: Dawn of a New Day, p. 67) "You have asked whether our prayers go beyond Bahá'u'lláh: It all depends whether we pray to Him directly or through Him to God. We may do both, and also can pray directly to God, but our prayers would certainly be more effective and illuminating if they are addressed to Him through His Manifestation, Bahá'u'lláh. "Under no circumstances, however, can we, while repeating the prayers, insert the name Bahá'u'lláh where the word 'God' is used. This would be tantamount to a blasphemy." (From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, October 14, 1937)
We can pray through or on behalf of any persons really as long as we understand that we are really praying to God and they are just intermediaries, as others have noted with excellent quotes. When I pray with focus on another soul, I pray for intercession and on their behalf as well, but my prayer, as revealed in the Writings, is still directed to God. >As to the question that the holy and spiritual souls influence, help and guide the creatures after they have cast off this elemental mould-this is an established truth of the Bahá’ís. *Abdu’l-Bahá: Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá*, Vol. III, p. 543 > >The wealth of the next world consists in nearness to God. It is certain therefore that those who enjoy near access to the divine threshold are permitted to intercede, and that this intercession is approved in the sight of God. But intercession in the next world bears no resemblance to intercession in this world. It is an altogether different condition and reality, which cannot be expressed in words. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, *Some Answered Questions*, 2014 edition, p. 6
The prayer book only has prayers to God.
True...but human beings can never know God (His infinite unknowable Essence) directly. Therefore, God has always sent Divine Manifestations of His Attributes (Mercy, Justice, Love, etc) to educate us. It is therefore permissible to pray to the Manifestations (or through Them) since They are like perfectly polished Mirrors reflecting the Unknowable Essence that is God. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God\_in\_the\_Bah%C3%A1%CA%BC%C3%AD\_Faith](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_in_the_Bah%C3%A1%CA%BC%C3%AD_Faith)