Regarding the overall
purpose and function of the Haziratu'l-Quds, we attach a selection of extracts
from the writings of the Guardian and from letters written on his behalf and on
behalf of the Universal House of Justice. In the first extract, from "God
Passes By", the beloved Guardian links the institution of the
Haziratu'l-Quds to that of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar and names several component
parts that will comprise the Haziratu'l-Quds of the future, whether local or
national. It will, he states, "be increasingly regarded as the focus of
all Bahá'í administrative activity, and symbolize, in a befitting manner, the
ideal of service animating the Bahá'í community in its relation alike to the
Faith and to mankind in general". Succeeding extracts suggest that the
process towards fulfilling Shoghi Effendi's vision of the Haziratu'l-Quds will
be evolutionary (Extracts 5, 14, 17), and that the evolving institution has
three main functions:
• to provide an efficient administrative centre (Extracts
3, 4, 8, 12, 14, 17);
• to be the centre of Bahá'í social activities and of the
"greatest unity and loving co-operation among the friends" (Extracts
3, 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15); and
• to facilitate the spread of the Faith by enhancing its
prestige, and acting as a "magnet for attracting the public" and a
"rallying-centre" for teaching activities (Extracts 3, 4, 6, 9, 10,
11, 13, 15, 16).
(Memorandum from the
Research Department of the Universal House of Justice dated October 1997)
[1] The number refer to a
compilation entitled ‘The Haziratu'l-Quds: Uses and Functions’, prepared by the
Research center of the Universal House of Justice
