…these dawning places of His remembrance [Mashriqu’l-Adhkárs]
represent the rising influence of the Faith of God in society.… From the
earliest days following the revelation of this law, the friends in the Cradle
of the Faith became aware of its significance and committed to its realization
within the limited means that their circumstances allowed them. In time, not
only did they become the principal force for the construction of the
Mashriqu’l-Adhkár in ‘Ishqábád, but within Iran too the practice of regular dawn
prayers took root and inspired service to humankind, with the vision that the seed
they were planting would in time flower into tangible reality, yielding its
fruit not only in the construction of these centres of worship, but in the
creation of dependencies for humanitarian service which that worship would
inspire.
And so it was that, under the guiding hand of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,
a pattern of communal worship — the
unity it engenders and the desire to be of service that it inspires — became an
integral part of many a local Bahá’í community in Iran. In this regard, the
Master’s vision provided for a variety of settings and circumstances in which
the concept of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár could, in its embryonic form, be
expressed. Consider His words in this regard:
As to the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, it is of the utmost importance.… It may assume any form, for even if it be an underground pit, that pit shall become a sheltering paradise, an exalted bower, and a garden of delight. It shall become a centre wherein the spirits are gladdened and the hearts attracted to the Abhá Kingdom.
Indeed, as your own experience demonstrates, a broad range
of possibilities for the expression of this law and its organic unfoldment in a
particular locality can be imagined.
In the Bahá’í writings, the term “Mashriqu’l-Adhkár” has variously
been used to designate the gathering of the believers for prayers at dawn; a
structure where the divine verses are recited; the entire institution of the
Mashriqu’l-Adhkár and its dependencies; and the central edifice itself, often
also referred to as a “Temple” or a “House of Worship”. All these can be
regarded as aspects of the gradual implementation of the law set out for
humankind by Bahá’u’lláh in His Most Holy Book.
The Mashriqu’l-Adhkár is a unique concept in the annals of
religion and symbolizes the teachings of the new Day of God. A collective
centre of society to promote cordial affection, the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár stands as
a universal place of worship open to all the inhabitants of a locality
irrespective of their religious affiliation, background, ethnicity, or gender
and a haven for the deepest contemplation on spiritual reality and foundational
questions of life, including individual and collective responsibility for the
betterment of society. Men and women, children and youth, are held in its
embrace as equals. This singular and integral universality is captured in the
very structure of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, whose design as a nine-sided edifice
conveys a sense of completeness and perfection symbolized by that number.
As the place from which spiritual forces are to radiate, the
Mashriqu’l-Adhkár is the focal point for dependencies to be raised up for the
well-being of humanity and is the expression of a common will and eagerness to
serve. These dependencies — centres of education and scientific learning as well as cultural and humanitarian
endeavor -- embody the ideals of social and spiritual progress to be achieved
through the application of knowledge, and demonstrate how, when religion and
science are in harmony, they elevate the station of the human being and lead to
the flourishing of civilization. As your lives amply demonstrate, worship,
though essential to the inner life of the human being and vital to spiritual
development, must also lead to deeds that give outward expression to that inner
transformation. This concept of worship — inseparable from service — is
promulgated by the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár.
(The Universal House of Justice, from a
message dated 18 December 2014 to the Baha’is in Iran)
