From the Universal House of Justice: “As is well known, the beloved Guardian has already given in God Passes By, pp. 214-15, a summary of the contents of this Most Holy Book…” (Letter dated 6 December 1965 to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963 to 1986’)
From God Passes By:
Revealed soon after Bahá’u’lláh had been transferred to the house of ‘Údí Khammár (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, 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, unlike the Old Testament and the Holy Books which preceded it, in which the actual precepts uttered by the Prophet Himself are non-existent; unlike the Gospels, in which the few sayings attributed to Jesus Christ afford no clear guidance regarding the future administration of the affairs of His Faith; unlike even the Qur’án which, though explicit in the laws and ordinances formulated by the Apostle of God, is silent on the all-important subject of the succession, the Kitáb-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.
In this Charter of the future world civilization its Author—at once the Judge, the Lawgiver, the Unifier and Redeemer of mankind—
- announces to the kings of the earth the promulgation of the “Most Great Law”;
- pronounces them to be His vassals;
- proclaims Himself the “King of Kings”;
- disclaims any intention of laying hands on their kingdoms;
- reserves for Himself the right to “seize and possess the hearts of men”;
- warns the world’s ecclesiastical leaders not to weigh the “Book of God” with such standards as are current amongst them; and affirms that the Book itself is the “Unerring Balance” established amongst men.
In it He
- formally ordains the institution of the “House of Justice,” defines its functions, fixes its revenues, and designates its members as the “Men of Justice,” the “Deputies of God,” the “Trustees of the All-Merciful,”
- alludes to the future Center of His Covenant, and invests Him with the right of interpreting His holy Writ;
- anticipates by implication the institution of Guardianship;
- bears witness to the revolutionizing effect of His World Order;
- enunciates the doctrine of the “Most Great Infallibility” of the Manifestation of God;
- asserts this infallibility to be the inherent and exclusive right of the Prophet; and rules out the possibility of the appearance of another Manifestation ere the lapse of at least one thousand years.
In this Book He, moreover,
- prescribes the obligatory prayers;
- designates the time and period of fasting;
- prohibits congregational prayer except for the dead;
- fixes the Qiblih;
- institutes the Huqúqu’lláh (Right of God);
- formulates the law of inheritance;
- ordains the institution of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár;
- establishes the Nineteen Day Feasts, the Bahá’í festivals and the Intercalary Days;
- abolishes the institution of priesthood;
- prohibits
- slavery,
- asceticism,
- mendicancy,
- monasticism,
- penance,
- the use of pulpits and
- the kissing of hands;
- prescribes monogamy;
- condemns
- cruelty to animals,
- idleness and sloth, backbiting and calumny;
- censures divorce;
- interdicts
- gambling,
- the use of opium,
- wine and other intoxicating drinks;
- specifies the punishments for
- murder,
- arson,
- adultery and
- theft;
- stresses the importance of marriage and lays down its essential conditions;
- imposes the obligation of engaging in some trade or profession, exalting such occupation to the rank of worship;
- emphasizes the necessity of providing the means for the education of children; and
- lays upon every person the duty of writing a testament
- and of strict obedience to one’s government.
Apart from these provisions Bahá’u’lláh exhorts His followers
- to consort, with amity and concord and without discrimination, with the adherents of all religions;
- warns them to guard against fanaticism, sedition, pride, dispute and contention;
- inculcates upon them
- immaculate cleanliness,
- strict truthfulness,
- spotless chastity,
- trustworthiness;
- hospitality,
- fidelity,
- courtesy,
- forbearance,
- justice and fairness;
- counsels them to be “even as the fingers of one hand and the limbs of one body”;
- calls upon them to arise and serve His Cause;
- and assures them of His undoubted aid.
- He, furthermore, dwells upon the instability of human affairs;
- declares that true liberty consists in man’s submission to His commandments;
- cautions them not to be indulgent in carrying out His statutes;
- prescribes the twin inseparable duties of recognizing the “Dayspring of God’s Revelation” and of observing all the ordinances revealed by Him, neither of which, He affirms, is acceptable without the other.
- The significant summons issued to the Presidents of the Republics of the American continent to seize their opportunity in the Day of God and to champion the cause of justice;
- the injunction to the members of parliaments throughout the world, urging the adoption of a universal script and language;
- His warnings to William I, the conqueror of Napoleon III;
- the reproof He administers to Francis Joseph, the Emperor of Austria;
- His reference to “the lamentations of Berlin” in His apostrophe to “the banks of the Rhine”;
- His condemnation of “the throne of tyranny” established in Constantinople, and His prediction of the extinction of its “outward splendor” and of the tribulations destined to overtake its inhabitants;
- the words of cheer and comfort He addresses to His native city, assuring her that God had chosen her to be “the source of the joy of all mankind”;
- His prophecy that “the voice of the heroes of Khurásán” will be raised in glorification of their Lord;
- His assertion that men “endued with mighty valor” will be raised up in Kirmán who will make mention of Him; and finally,
- His magnanimous assurance to a perfidious brother who had afflicted Him with such anguish, that an “ever-forgiving, all-bounteous” God would forgive him his iniquities were he only to repent—
all these further enrich the contents of a Book designated by its Author as
- “the source of true felicity,” as
- the “Unerring Balance,” as
- the “Straight Path” and as
- the “quickener of mankind.”
