Symbols of the Baha'i religion
In Babismus and Bahaitum different symbols were and are used depending on the occasion .
Five-pointed star
The five-pointed star ( Arabic : haykal , temple) was used by the Bab and Baha'ullah to design letters and tablets.
The Arabic word "haykal" is a loan word from the Hebrew word hek'l , which translates as temple and refers to the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem . The Arabic word "haykal" means something like "human body". In the Baha'i tradition, the use goes back to the Bab, who used the five-pointed star as a symbol for the human body with head, arms and legs.
Baha'ullah also used the five-pointed star as a symbol for the human body, especially in his "Tablet of the Temple" ( Suriy-i-Haykal ), but as a symbol for the manifestations of God and as a symbol of his revelation . The simultaneous meaning of the five-pointed star as a temple and human body is supposed to represent the human body as a temple for the soul and as a symbol for the manifestations of God.
Nine-pointed star
The nine-pointed star symbolizes perfection and unity, as nine is the highest single-digit number. In the Abdschad number mystery, the Arabic word Baha has the numerical value nine. The nine-pointed star was not widely used as a symbol of the Baha'i until after the time of Shoghi Effendi .
See also
Web links
- The nine-pointed star, history and symbol. Research Department of the Baha'i World Center, 1999, accessed September 24, 2009 .