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"As a community we organize a monthly "Mediatative Moment" - an inter-faith gathering in a small chapel in the centre of Leiden" Bahá´í Worship "Make my prayer, O my Lord, a fountain of living waters whereby I may live as long as Thy sovereignty endures, and may make mention of Thee in every world of Thy worlds." Bahá'u'lláh, Prayers and Meditations, page 318. |
| As a community we meet every nineteen days, beginning this event with devotions, which are sometimes, spoken prayers from books, silence, |  The Leiden Turfmarkt street, 2003. |
| listening to music, live music, singing, theatre and / or dance combined with visuals.
"We have made music a ladder by which souls may ascend to the realm on high..." |
 At a Unity Feast in Leiden in 2003, where the meditative part consisted of live music, movement, slide projections, and five torches (and ten pairs of children's hands). |
Bahá'u'lláh, Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 31. The Bahá'í Faith is a 'Faith', that is, a community of people united in remembering God. It is, as Shoghi Effendi remarked, "fundamentally mystic in character". Prayer and meditation play an important role in our individual lives, and regular devotional meetings are the centre of community life. |
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Except for the obligatory prayers and a daily meditation known as dhikr, Bahá'í worship is not bound to follow any prescribed forms.
This means that each group of people can shape their worship for themselves. Readings from scriptures and prayers, especially the prayers revealed by Bahá'u'lláh or given to us by `Abdu'l-Bahá, often play a prominent role, but Bahá'í worship could also be in any form. |
 Some members of the Congo Bahá´í Dawn of Carmel Choir |
| "It is perfectly acceptable for a prayer to be interpreted
in the form of movement or dance. As you know, in many parts of the world
there are certain tribal and traditional dances which are performed in
glorification of God. Just as a composer can create a piece of music as
a result of inspiration by some passage in the Writings, so can a person
perform a reverential dance, which is another form of art, to interpret
a passage from a prayer or from the Writings..." Letter from the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the U.S.A.,
March 1994. The use of music and singing is encouraged, but it is not obligatory. Meetings for worship are referred to as the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár [mashri-qol-azkar], an Arabic name literally meaning 'the place from which the remembrance of God ascends'. |
| The same name is used to refer to buildings dedicated to worship. These Houses of Worship intended for all in the world are sometimes called Bahá'í Temples. |  Looking up to the ceiling of the Bahá´í House of Worship in Wilmette (Chicago), U.S.A. Photo: Brian Averill, The Netherlands. |
| More about Bahá'í houses of worship on the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár page (link to Mashriqu'l-Adhkár page to come) |
| Bahá'í worship is open to all, and the scriptures of other religions may be used. Bahá'ís are also encouraged to share in the life and worship of other religions: |  A Meditative Moment gathering in a chapel in Leiden, 2003. |
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`Abdu'l-Bahá frequently attended mosques and churches. Bahá'ís often participate in multi-faith worship and the ecumenical movement.
"Study the Holy Words, read your Bible, read the Holy Books, especially study the Holy Utterances of Baha'u'llah; Prayer and Meditation, take much time for these two. Then will you know this Great Thirst, and then only can you begin to Live the Life!"
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