The Bahá’í House of Worship is dedicated to the praise of
God. The House of Worship forms the central edifice of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár
(the Dawning-place of the Praise of God), a complex which, as it unfolds in the
future, will comprise in addition to the House of Worship a number of
dependencies dedicated to social, humanitarian, educational, and scientific
pursuits. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá describes the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár as “one of the most
vital institutions in the world”, and Shoghi Effendi indicates that it
exemplifies in tangible form the integration of “Bahá’í worship and service”.
Anticipating the future development of this institution, Shoghi Effendi
envisages that the House of Worship and its dependencies “shall afford relief
to the suffering, sustenance to the poor, shelter to the wayfarer, solace to
the bereaved, and education to the ignorant”. In the future, Bahá’í Houses of
Worship will be constructed in every town and village.
- The Universal House of
Justice (The ‘Notes’ section of the Kitab-i-Aqdas)
