The term Mashriqu'l-Adhkar is used in the Writings to
describe various things, such as the gathering of the friends for dawn prayers;
a building where this activity takes place; the complete institution of the
Mashriqu'l-Adhkar with its dependencies; the central edifice of that
institution, often described as a "Temple". These variants in use and
meaning "can all be seen as denoting stages or aspects of the gradual
introduction of Bahá'u'lláh's concept as promulgated in the
Kitab-i-Aqdas."
(The Research Department of the Universal House of
Justice, Memorandum on ‘Functions and Importance of the Haziratu'l-Quds’)
