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Prayer books are books that consist wholly or mostly of compiled prayers. Because Bahá'ís are encouraged to use the words of the Manifestations of God when praying due to their special spiritual potency, prayer books are commonly used by Bahá'ís.
Arrangement of prayer books[edit]
As the Central Figures of the Faith revealed so many prayers, the compiler of a prayer book has a wide choice of material to choose from. In practice, this will be restricted by the actual number of prayers which have been translated into the compiler's language, and by what books s/he has available to her/him.
The compiler of a prayer book is faced with a number of practical decisions as to the arrangement of the book. Most compilers divide the prayers using a simple system. For example, the prayers can be divided by author/revealer (i.e. the Báb, Bahá'u'lláh or 'Abdu'l-Bahá), but most often the division is based on the perceived likely use of the prayer: whether it is most obviously suitable for someone seeking Assistance, Forgiveness, Strength, or for Children, etc. In the prayer books produced by the Publishing Trust in the United States of America, the primary division is by prayer content, and each individual prayer has a footing attributing it to its author. As this system is clearly arbitrary and personal, some prayer books also list the prayers alphabetically by their first lines, enabling the user to locate a prayer which they half-remember.
Certain prayers are customarily arranged in a separate section, such as the Tablet of Ahmad or the Tablet of the Holy Mariner. These tend to be those prayers which do not, on first sight, appear to be concerned with a general human emotion or need, and appear instead to have a specific purpose or power. The volume "Bahá'í Prayers" formerly produced by the Bahá'í Publishing Trust in the United Kingdom once existed as two separate prayer books: "Bahá'í Prayers" for general use, and "Occasional Prayers" for the more specific ones. The Obligatory prayers appeared in the "Occasional" prayer book. Over time, these two volumes became one. Now, presumably because the general public in English-speaking countries is less hostile to long prayers in unfamiliar formats, the Obligatory prayers often appear as the first prayers in a book!
Specialized prayer books[edit]
Prayer books of a specialised nature also exist. For example, so many of the prayers of the Báb have now been translated into English that Global Perspective publishes a book specifically consisting of the Báb's prayers. Kalimát Press produce a prayer book for women, and Special Ideas also publish a small book of them. Compilations exist for youth, for Junior Youth and for men.
Some publishers still produce books of prayers devoid of the special "occasional" prayers. Warwick Bahá’í Bookshop produces one entitled "Bahá'í Prayers for everyday use".
Many western believers remain unaware that the Guardian of the Faith also composed prayers of his own; as such, most prayer books do not include them.
For children[edit]
A number of different collections of prayers have been made for children. In the English language, these include two collections with the title, "O God, Guide Me!", then "A Treasury of Bahá’í Prayers" and "A Pocketful of Pearls". "My Book of Prayers" arranges the prayers in a question-and-response format. "O God! Educate These Children" and "Blessed is the Spot" exist as "board books", less easily damaged by infants.
