Revealed soon after Baha'u'llah had been transferred to the
house of 'Udi Khammar[1] (circa 1873), at a time when He was still encompassed
by the tribulations that had afflicted Him, through the acts committed by His
enemies and the professed adherents of His Faith, this Book, [The Kitab-i-Aqdas]
this treasury enshrining the priceless gems of His Revelation, stands out, by
virtue of the principles it inculcates, the administrative institutions it
ordains and the function with which it invests the appointed Successor of its
Author, unique and incomparable among the world's sacred Scriptures. For, . . .
the Kitab-i-Aqdas, revealed from first to last by the Author of the
Dispensation Himself, not only preserves for posterity the basic laws and
ordinances on which the fabric of His future World Order must rest, but
ordains, in addition to the function of interpretation which it confers upon
His Successor, the necessary institutions through which the integrity and unity
of His Faith can alone be safeguarded.
- Shoghi Effendi (‘God Passes By)
[1] This house was later joined to the adjacent
house of 'Abbud, by which name both are now known.
