Note 82

82. Verily, it is enjoined upon you to offer a feast, once in every month # 57

This injunction has become the basis for the holding of monthly &Baha'i festivities and as such constitutes the ordination of the Nineteen Day Feast. In the Arabic &Bayan the &Bab called upon His followers to gather together once every nineteen days to show hospitality and fellowship. &Baha'u'llah here confirms this and notes the unifying role of such occasions. &Abdu'l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi after Him have gradually unfolded the institutional significance of this injunction. &Abdu'l-Baha emphasized the importance of the spiritual and devotional character of these gatherings. Shoghi Effendi, besides further elaborating the devotional and social aspects of the Feast, has developed the administrative element of such gatherings and, in systematically instituting the Feast, has provided for a period of consultation on the affairs of the &Baha'i community, including the sharing of news and messages.

In answer to a question as to whether this injunction is obligatory, &Baha'u'llah stated it was not (Q and A 48). Shoghi Effendi in a letter written on his behalf further comments:

Attendance at Nineteen Day Feasts is not obligatory but very important, and every believer should consider it a duty and privilege to be present on such occasions.