rds, not to deny or contend with the authoritative
interpretation, and not to engage in controversy; rather they should offer
their thoughts as a contribution to knowledge, making it clear that their
views are merely their own.

131. approach not the public pools of Persian baths #106

Baha'u'llah prohibits the use of the pools found in the traditional public
bath-houses of Persia. In these baths it was the custom for many people to
wash themselves in the same pool and for the water to be changed at
infrequent intervals. Consequently, the water was discoloured, befouled
and unhygienic, and had a highly offensive stench.

132. Avoid ye likewise the malodorous pools in the courtyards of Persian
homes #106

Most houses in Persia used to have a pool in their courtyard which served
as a reservoir for water used for cleaning, washing and other domestic
purposes. Since the water in the pool was stagnant and was not usually
changed for weeks at a time, it tended to develop a very unpleasant odour.

133. It is forbidden you to wed your fathers' wives. #107

Marriage with one's stepmother is here explicitly prohibited. This
prohibition also applies to marrying one's stepfather. Where Baha'u'llah
has expressed a law between a man and a woman it applies mutatis mutandis
as between a woman and a man unless the context should make this
impossible.

'Abdu'l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi confirmed that, while stepmothers are the
only category of relatives mentioned in the text, this does not mean that
all other unions within a family are permissible. Baha'u'llah states that
it devolves upon the House of Justice to legislate "concerning the
legitimacy or otherwise of marrying one's relatives" (Q and A 50).
'Abdu'l-Baha has written that the more distant the blood-relationship
between the couple the better, since such marriages provide the basis for
the physical well-being of humanity and are conducive to fellowship among
mankind.

134. the subject of boys #107

The word translated here as "boys" has, in this context, in the Arabic
original, the implication of paederasty. Shoghi Effendi has interpreted
this reference as a prohibition on all homosexual relations.

The Baha'i teachings on sexual morality centre on marriage and the family
as the bedrock of the whole structure of human society and are designed to
protect and strengthen that divine institution. Baha'i law thus restricts
permissible sexual i