34. QUESTION: Concerning the residence which hath been assigned exclusively to the male offspring.
ANSWER: If there are several residences, the finest and noblest of these dwellings is the one intended, the remainder being distributed amongst the whole body of the heirs like any other form of property. Any heir, from whichever category of inheritors, who is outside the Faith of God is accounted as non-existent and doth not inherit.
35. QUESTION: Concerning Naw-Rúz.
ANSWER: The Festival of Naw-Rúz falleth on the day that the sun entereth the sign of Aries,[16] even should this occur no more than one minute before sunset.
36. QUESTION: If the anniversary either of the Twin Birthdays or of the Declaration of the Báb occurreth during the Fast, what is to be done?
ANSWER: Should the feasts celebrating the Twin Birthdays or the Declaration of the Báb fall within the month of fasting, the command to fast shall not apply on that day.
37. QUESTION: In the holy ordinances governing inheritance, the residence and personal clothing of the deceased have been allotted to the male offspring. Doth this provision refer only to the father’s property, or doth it apply to the mother’s as well?
ANSWER: The used clothing of the mother should be divided in equal shares among the daughters, but the remainder of her estate, including property, jewellery, and unused clothing, is to be distributed, in the manner revealed in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, to all her heirs. If, however, the deceased hath left no daughters, her estate in its entirety must be divided in the manner designated for men in the holy Text.
38. QUESTION: Concerning divorce, which must be preceded [pg 119]by a year of patience: if only one of the parties is inclined toward conciliation, what is to be done?
ANSWER: According to the commandment revealed in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, both parties must be content; unless both are willing, reunion cannot take place.