8 Mar | a.m.

Thou seest, O God of Mercy, Thou Whose power pervadeth all created things, these servants of Thine, Thy thralls, who, according to the good-pleasure of Thy Will, observe in the daytime the fast prescribed by Thee, who arise, at the earliest dawn of day, to make mention of Thy Name, and to celebrate Thy praise, in the hope of obtaining their share of the goodly things that are treasured up within the treasuries of Thy grace and bounty.

- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 299

The nineteen-day fast is a duty to be observed by all.... This fast is conducive to the spiritual development of the individual. The Greatest Name should be read every day.

- Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of Abdu’l-Bahá v1, p. 56