the motions and gestures are symbolic and are used to help concentration during the prayers. Furthermore, the obligatory prayer is to be preceded by ablutions — the cleaning of the hands and face. During obligatory prayers Baháʼís face the Qiblih, which is the Shrine of Baháʼu'lláh, comparable in practice to Muslims facing the Kaaba during daily prayer, or Christians/Jews facing Jerusalem. The Báb changed the direction of prayer to He whom God shall make manifest, a role claimed by Baháʼu'lláh. Baháʼís during his lifetime prayed facing the person of Bahá'u'lláh, until the spot became fixed when he was buried. A Tablet explaining this existed but had been stolen by Covenant-breakers. Corpus of general prayers Baháʼu'lláh, the Báb — who told of Baháʼu'lláh's coming — and ʻAbdu'l-Baha wrote hundreds of prayers; many of these prayers were originally included in letters to individuals. Most of these prayers were written in Arabic and Persian, and ʻAbdu'l-Baha wrote a few in Turkish. In 1900 the first English language prayer book was published under the title Tablets, Communes and Holy Utterances. Since then, a large number of prayers have been translated into English and many hundreds of languages; by 1983 the short obligatory prayer has been translated into 501 languages. Prayers have been written for awakening, for travelling, healing, spiritual growth, detachment, protection, forgiveness, assistance, and unity, among others. The prayers may be said aloud, sung and/or repeated, and the text should not be changed. When saying a general prayer, one does not need to face the Qiblih. Baháʼí prayers vary considerably in form; however a typical prayer starts with the supplication of the attributes of God, then a statement of praise, and then a request such as guidance or protection. The end of the prayer is usually composed of a list of God's attributes. The prayers often use imagery, including references to Islamic literature and Persian poetry. Other special prayers There also exist a number of prayers which can be said in specific circumstances or occasions, and they include prayers for the fast, and specific Baháʼí holy days; these prayers, while not obligatory, have an importance nearly equal to that of the obligatory prayers. Three other prayers are often seen by Baháʼís to have particular power, including the Báb's short prayer for the removal of difficulties, and the Tablet of Ahmad and the Long Healing Prayer, both by Baháʼu'lláh. There is also a prayer