A Baháʼí House of Worship, or Baháʼí temple, is a place of worship in the Baháʼí Faith. It is also referred to as Mashriqu'l-Adhkár (Arabic: "Dawning-place of the remembrances of God").
Each House of Worship features a nine-sided design surrounded by nine gardens and pathways, reflecting the symbolic significance of the number nine, which Baháʼís associate with unity and completeness. The interior comprises a prayer hall in which the seats face the direction of the Shrine of Baháʼu'lláh. Houses of Worship are open throughout the week to both Baháʼís and non-Baháʼís for prayer and reflection, with some having scheduled weekly devotional services. While scriptural texts from any religion may be recited or chanted, the temples prohibit sermons, ritual ceremonies, and the reading of non-scriptural texts. In addition, several Houses of Worship have formed choirs which sing music based on the Baháʼí writings. At present, most Baháʼí devotional meetings occur in individuals' homes or local Baháʼí centres rather than in Houses of Worship.
History
The Baháʼí House of Worship was first mentioned under the name Mashriqu'l-Adhkár (; Arabic for "Dawning-place of the remembrance of God") in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, the book of laws of Baháʼu'lláh, founder of the Baháʼí Faith. Baháʼu'lláh wrote: O people of the world! Build ye houses of worship throughout the lands in the name of Him Who is the Lord of all religions. Make them as perfect as is possible in the world of being, and adorn them with that which befitteth them, not with images and effigies. Then, with radiance and joy, celebrate therein the praise of your Lord, the Most Compassionate.
The first Baháʼí House of Worship, in what is now Turkmenistan, was planned during the lifetime of Baháʼu'lláh and then designed and constructed in Ashgabat during the ministry of his son and successor, ʻAbdu'l-Bahá. The Temple was designed by Ustad 'Ali-Akbar Banna during a visit to Abdu'I-Baha in 'Akka in 1893, with construction beginning in 1902 and the official inauguration taking place in 1919; a pilgrim house as well as schools for girls and boys were also built. In 1928, as a result of the Russian Revolution in 1917, a new law was passed requisitioning religious buildings, and although the Baháʼí community was permitted to use the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár as a House of Worship until 1938, it was then confiscated completely and converted into an art gallery. It was badly damaged by an earthquake in 1948, and demolished in 1963 due to further deterioration.
The first Baháʼí House of Worship still in existence is in the United States; when news reached the Baháʼí community in North America of the construction of the House of Worship in Ashgabat, the Baháʼís of Chicago successfully petitioned ʻAbdu’l-Bahá in 1903 for the House of Worship to be built there. The cornerstone was laid by ʻAbdu’l-Bahá on 1 May 1912 during his journey to North America, and the building was dedicated in 1953 during the ministry of his grandson and successor, Shoghi Effendi.
Following the completion of the temple in North America, Shoghi Effendi announced plans for a multiplication of continental Mashriqu’l-Adhkárs which would be referred to as "Mother temples" or continental temples, and intended as the first of many temples in their regions. Although Shoghi Effendi died in 1957 his plans for the construction of Baháʼí Houses of Worship were continued by the Universal House of Justice, a body which was first elected in 1963 has led the world Baháʼí community since that time. The Universal House of Justice has included constructing Houses of Worship in the goals of some of its teaching plans. By the end of the twentieth century, further continental Houses of Worship were completed in Uganda, Australia, Germany, Panama, Samoa, and India. In 2001, the Universal House of Justice wrote in its Ridván Message to the Baháʼís of the world that "with profound thankfulness and joy... we announce at this auspicious moment the decision to proceed" with the construction in Chile of the eighth and final continental House of Worship. It was completed in 2016.
Meanwhile, in the Ridván message of 2012, the Universal House of Justice announced the locations for the first local and national Baháʼí Houses of Worship. The first two national Houses of Worship were planned for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Papua New Guinea, with the first five local Houses of Worship situated in Cambodia, India, Kenya, Colombia, and Vanuatu. Since the announcement, the two national Houses of Worship and four of the local Houses of Worship have been completed, and there has been a groundbreaking ceremony for the fifth local House of Worship. In addition, more than 120 national Baháʼí communities have now acquired properties for the eventual construction of Baháʼí Houses of Worship, compared to 84 national communities that had done so by 1988. Plans are currently underway for national Houses of Worship in Brazil, Canada, Malawi, and the Philippines, with local Houses of Worship under construction in Batouri, Cameroon; Bihar Sharif, India; Kanchanpur, Nepal; and Mwinilunga, Zambia.
Architecture
All Baháʼí Houses of Worship share certain architectural elements, some of which are specified in Baháʼí scripture. ‘Abdu'l-Baha's instructions to the architect of the first House of Worship, in Turkmenistan, were that the design should feature nine aspects of the building which each incorporate the number nine, with nine sides, nine columns, nine piers, nine doors, nine gardens, nine paths, nine pools, nine covered walkways and nine loggias. A circular shaped building with nine sides, nine gardens, and nine paths has been retained as a requirement for all subsequent Houses of Worship. The number nine is symbolically significant in Baháʼí belief, in which it represents completeness, perfection, and the Baháʼí teaching of the unity of religion. The number nine also holds significance in the Baháʼí Faith due its numerical value of Bahá according to the abjad numeral system. In a letter dated 20 April 1955 referencing the House of Worship to be built in Germany, Shoghi Effendi indicated via his secretary that nothing in the Baháʼí teachings required a dome for the building. Just a few months later, however, in a letter written on his behalf, he stated, "the Guardian feels that at this time all Baháí temples should have a dome." The Greatest Name, a Baháʼí symbol, appears in calligraphy in each temple, often at the top of the dome. All Baháʼí Houses of Worship have a central area for prayer with seats facing the direction of the Shrine of Baháʼu'lláh in present-day Acre, Israel, which is the Qiblih, which Baháʼís face when saying their obligatory prayers. Pulpits or altars are not permitted as architectural features, although readers can stand behind a simple, portable lectern.
Although sharing certain essential architectural elements, Baháʼí Houses of Worship nevertheless differ in other aspects of design, with proposals being accepted by Baháʼí and non-Baháʼí architects alike, and some completed Houses of Worship having been designed by non-Baháʼís. The Baháʼí Houses of Worship which were designed while Shoghi Effendi led the Baháʼí community include many classical architectural elements and generally avoid modern styles, which he described as "for the most part ugly, and altogether too utilitarian in aspect for a House of Worship". To varying degrees the design of Baháʼí Houses of Worship also reflect the indigenous cultural, social, and environmental elements of their locations. This element is generally more prominent in the more recent Houses of Worship.
Purpose and activities Baháʼí Houses of Worship are spaces in which both Baháʼís and non-Baháʼís can express devotion to God, are open to all people regardless of religion, race, gender, or any other distinction, and are often referred to by Baháʼís as 'silent teachers'. Baháʼí law states that a temple should be built with high aesthetic standards in each town and village. Furthermore, only scriptural texts from the Baháʼí Faith or other religions may be read or chanted inside, in any language, and that since there are no pulpits, readers are permitted to use a simple portable lectern. Baháʼí law also states that no pictures, statues, or images may be displayed within Houses of Worship, that no sermons may be delivered or ritualistic ceremonies practiced, and that although no musical instruments may be played inside, readings and prayers that have been set to music may be sung by choirs. Several Baháʼí Houses of Worship have established choirs that sing music based on the Baháʼí writings (scriptures). Memorial services are sometimes held in Bahá'í Houses of Worship, and whilst wedding ceremonies are not permitted inside, they are often held in the gardens of the temples. In mainly Christian countries, Baháʼí Houses of Worship offer weekly devotional services on Sundays, with the Baháʼí calendar not yet implemented for temple worship. The only requirements for entry to a Baháʼí House of Worship are modest attire and quiet behavior.
Shoghi Effendi stressed that the Baháʼí House of Worship is not solely a place of worship, but that it has to be linked with humanitarian, social, educational and scientific services which would benefit humanity. ‘Abdu'l-Bahá states that facilities including a hospital, medical center, dispensary, traveler's hostel, school for orphans and the poor, a home for the disabled and incapacitated, and a university, should be situated around the House of Worship. In this regard Shoghi Effendi stated that the future interaction between the House of Worship and its dependencies would provide "the essentials of Baháʼí worship and service, both so vital to the regeneration of the world". The Haziratu'l-Quds (commonly known as a Baháʼí centre) for Baháʼí administration and general Baháʼí purposes should also be in the vicinity of the House of Worship, Shoghi Effendi viewing their functions as being complimentary. At present, Baháʼí devotional meetings in most communities take place in homes or Baháʼí centres, but Elham Afnan notes that such activities "evoke the spirit" of a House of Worship with the goal that it can eventually be constructed.
Funding and administration In regard to funding for the building of Baháʼí Houses of Worship, both ʻAbdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi viewed these as international projects involving the global Baháʼí community, thereby bringing the Baháʼí world together and fostering bonds of unity. The cost of building Baháʼí Houses of Worship is covered by the voluntary contributions of Baháʼí communities throughout the world, which are expressly forbidden to accept monetary contributions for the promotion or advancement of the religion by non-Baháʼís. The maintenance and administration of Houses of Worship are overseen by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼís of the country in which they are situated. Worldwide, expenses associated with Houses of Worship (and with the buildings at the Baháʼí World Centre) constitute a significant part of Baháʼí administration spending
In general, a Baháʼí House of Worship and the grounds on which it stands are the property of the Baháʼí National Spiritual Assembly of the country in which they are situated, with the properties being held in a financial endowment. The House of Worship's activities and affairs are administered by a committee of the relevant country's National Spiritual Assembly, which spiritually serves as custodian of a temple which belongs to Baháʼís throughout the world.
Continental Houses of Worship