Prayers are used and taught in God’s various religious teachings.

 

177. Prayers are taught in the different religions and in many cases some of those prayers along with fasting are obligatory: This seems to be a standard that seems to be expected in all of God’s religions.  Judaism: Tobias 12:8 “Prayer is good with fasting and alms and righteousness. A little with righteousness is better than much with unrighteousness. It is better to give alms than to lay up gold: (Apocrypha) Psalms 23:1 “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” 23:2 “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.” 23:3 “He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” 23:4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” 23:5 “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.” 23:6 “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of The LORD forever.” This is a prayer out of Judaism taught from King David.  Christianity: 1 Corinthians 7:5 “Give yourselves to fasting and prayer;” Matthew 6:9 “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.” 6:10 “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” 6:11 “Give us this day our daily bread.” 6:12 “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” 6:13 “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” This is a prayer from Jesus Christ found in Christianity. Colossians 4:1 “Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.” 4:2 “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;”  “Fasting and prayer, etc., may indeed be an external preparation and discipline for children, that the body may keep and bear itself modestly and reverently towards the body.”

          (Christianity, Martin Luther, Large Catechism)

 ISLAM: “Allah’s (God‘s) Apostle said, ‘You have to offer prayers perfectly five times in a day and night (24 hours).”’

          (Hadith, Bukhari Vol 1)

Islam: 183. “O ye who believe! fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint.”

          (The Qur’an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surah   2)

Islam: 14. “Verily, I am Allah: there is no god but I: so serve thou Me (only), and establish regular prayer for celebrating My praise. Recite what is sent of the Book by inspiration to thee, and establish Regular Prayer: for Prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds; and remembrance of Allah is the greatest (thing in life) without doubt. And Allah knows the (deeds) that ye do. 78. Establish regular prayers — at the sun’s decline till the darkness of the night, and the morning prayer and reading: for the prayer and reading in the morning carry their testimony.”

          (The Qur’an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surahs 17, 20 and 29)

 ZOROASTRIANISM: “They offered prayers 5 times a day. They were all equal, which means that there was no caste distinction.”(ZOROASTER, Hymns of Atharvan) 

 Zoroastrianism: “When you are in need of moral succor, pray to Mazda (God). He alone can give help.” “Whatever may be the end of your life; duty, power, pleasure or salvation, Mazda is the ultimate dispensator of them all. It is hopeless to try to evade Him. (ZOROASTER, Hymns of Atharvan pp. 628 and 629) 

 Zoroastrianism: “Mazda is very kind; but how could there be any scope for showing His kindness, unless there were needy persons praying for His help? Mazda is in need of needy persons in order to manifest His kindness. He is only waiting for your prayer.” “Constant prayer and song are the easiest way of reaching Mazda. Do not be silent, your affairs thrive through prayer.” (ZOROASTER, Hymns of Atharvan pp. 688 and 698) 

 Zoroastrianism: “It is not proper to pray for material things; one should learn to be content with what he has got. But prayer for spiritual benefit is permissible.” (Zoroaster, Hymns of Atharvan p. 713)

 HINDUISM: “Eating or sacrificing, giving gifts, Praying or fasting, let it all be done For Me, as Mine.”

          (Hindu, Bhagavad Gita (Edwin Arnold tr) chapter 9)

 Hinduism: “Hearing mighty Keshav’s word, Trembling that helmed Lord Clasped his lifted palms, and- praying Grace of Krishna- stood there, saying, With bowed brow and accents broken, These words, timorously spoken: Arjuna. Worthily, Lord of Might! The whole world hath delight In Thy surpassing power, obeying Thee; The Rakshasas, in dread At sight of Thee, are sped To all four quarters; and the company Of Siddhas sound Thy name. How should they not proclaim Thy Majesties, Divinest, Mightiest? Thou Brahm, than Brahma (God) greater! Thou Infinite Creator! Thou God of gods, Life’s Dwelling-place and Rest. Thou, of all souls the Soul! The Comprehending Whole! Of being formed, and formless being the Framer; O Utmost One! O Lord! Older than old, Who stored The worlds with wealth of life! O Treasure-Claimer, Who wottest all, and art Wisdom Thyself! O Part In all, and All; for all from Thee have risen Numberless now I see The aspects are of Thee! Vayu Thou art, and He who keeps the prison.”

          (Hindu, Bhagavad Gita (Edwin Arnold tr) chapter 11)

 BUDDHISM: “Good disciples, whether man or woman, should thus arrange their thoughts instinct or intelligence,–from these changeful conditions of being, I urge you to (prayerfully) seek deliverance in the transcendental concept of Nirvana. Thus shall disciples be delivered from the immeasurable, innumerable, and illimitable world of sentient life, but, in reality, there is no world of sentient life from which to seek deliverance. And why? Because, in the minds of enlightened disciples there have ceased to exist such arbitrary concepts of phenomena as an entity, a being, a living being, a personality.” (Buddha, Diamond Sutra)

 Buddhism: “Buddha instituted the saying of obligatory prayers.” (Buddhist Bible)

  SABEANISM: “Do not neglect the night prayer.” (Sabeanism, Instruction of Adam)

Sabeanism: “Recite the hymn and recite the dedicatory prayer for the Jordan.” (Sabeanism Ginza Rba chapter 18)

Sabeanism: “Devotions’, I.e. the prayers prescribed for the three prayer- times daily, i.e. at sunrise, at noon and before sunset; each day of the week having its own set of prayers. These must be got by heart, and their correct recitation is an essential part of every priest’s training. It is time to pray the ‘Devotions’ The great moment for humble worship For offering up propitiatory prayer s To my lord, Manda-d-Hiia,” (Sabeanism Ginza Rba chapters 105 and 118)

Sabeanism: “I sought in prayer The First Life (Haiyi, God), and, in the presence of The Mighty Sublime Life, Then pray a prayer and Rahmia for thyself, and say ‘In the name of the Life! I worship The First Life and praise my lord Manda-d-Hiia and that great Presence of Splendour which emanated from Itself” offer up the prayer “Good is the good for the good.”’ (Sabeanism Ginza Rba chapters 11, 30 and 70)

 BABI RELIGION: “The most acceptable prayer is the one offered with the utmost spirituality and radiance; its prolongation hath not been and is not beloved by God. The more detached and the purer the prayer, the more acceptable is it in the presence of God.”

          (The Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 78)

 Babi Religion: “RID thou thyself of all attachments to aught except God, enrich thyself in God by dispensing with all else besides Him, and recite this prayer:” “Say: God sufficeth all things above all things, and nothing in the heavens or in the earth or in whatever lieth between them but God, thy Lord, sufficeth. Verily, He is in Himself the Knower, the Sustainer, the Omnipotent.”

          (The Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 121)

 Babi Religion: “I BEG Thy forgiveness, O my God, and implore pardon after the manner Thou wishest Thy servants to direct themselves to Thee. I beg of Thee to wash away our sins as befitteth Thy Lordship, and to forgive me, my parents, and those who in Thy estimation have entered the abode of Thy love in a manner which is worthy of Thy transcendent sovereignty and well beseemeth the glory of Thy celestial power.”

“O my God! Thou hast inspired my soul to offer its supplication to Thee, and but for Thee, I would not call upon Thee. Lauded and glorified art Thou; I yield Thee praise inasmuch as Thou didst reveal Thyself unto me, and I beg Thee to forgive me, since I have fallen short in my duty to know Thee and have failed to walk in the path of Thy love.”

          (The Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 209)

BAHA’I FAITH: “O thou spiritual friend! Thou hast asked the wisdom of prayer. Know thou that prayer is indispensable and obligatory, and man under no pretext whatsoever is excused from performing the prayer unless he be mentally unsound, or an insurmountable obstacle prevent him. The wisdom of prayer is this: That it causeth a connection between the servant and the True One, because in that state man with all heart and soul turneth his face towards His Highness the Almighty, seeking His association and desiring His love and compassion. The greatest happiness for a lover is to converse with his beloved, and the greatest gift for a seeker is to become familiar with the object of his longing; that is why with every soul who is attracted to the Kingdom of God, his greatest hope is to find an opportunity to entreat and supplicate before his Beloved, appeal for His mercy and grace and be immersed in the ocean of His utterance, goodness and generosity. Besides all this, prayer and fasting is the cause of awakening and mindfulness and conducive to protection and preservation from tests…”

(Bahá’í Faith, Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i World Faith – Abdu’l-Baha Section, p. 368)

There are also obligatory prayers found within the Bahá’í Faith.

Baha’i Faith: “I bear witness, O my God, that Thou hast created me to know Thee and to worship Thee. I testify, at this moment, to my powerlessness and to Thy might, to my poverty and to Thy wealth. There is none other God but Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

[Short obligatory prayer, to be recited once in twenty-four hours, at noon.]

(Bahá’í Faith, Baha’u’llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u’llah, p. 313)