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requirements.

The notes, which are placed following the Synopsis and Codification, are
numbered sequentially. Each is preceded by a quotation of the passage to
which it relates, and indicates the number of the paragraph in which this
appears. This facilitates cross-reference between the text and the notes,
while making it possible for readers to study the notes without repeatedly
consulting the text, if they so prefer. It is hoped in this way to meet
the needs of readers of a wide range of backgrounds and interests.

The index provides a guide to subjects in all sections of the volume.

The significance and character of the Kitab-i-Aqdas and the range of
subjects it contains have been graphically depicted by Shoghi Effendi in
his history of the first Baha'i century entitled God Passes By. As an
assistance to the reader, these passages are provided in the section that
immediately follows the introduction. The Synopsis and Codification, which
is republished in this volume, serves as another aid for obtaining an
overview of the Book.

INTRODUCTION

This year, the 149th of the Baha'i era, marks the Centenary of the
Ascension of Baha'u'llah, Bearer of the universal Revelation of God
destined to lead humanity to its collective coming of age. That this
occasion should be observed by a community of believers representing a
cross-section of the entire human race and established, in the course of a
century and a half, in the most remote corners of the globe, is a token of
the forces of unity released by Baha'u'llah's advent. A further testimony
to the operation of these same forces can be seen in the extent to which
Baha'u'llah's vision has prefigured contemporary human experience in so
many of its aspects. It is a propitious moment for the publication of this
first authorized translation into English of the Mother Book of His
Revelation, His "Most Holy Book", the Book in which He sets forth the Laws
of God for a Dispensation destined to endure for no less than a thousand
years.

Of the more than one hundred volumes comprising the sacred Writings of
Baha'u'llah, the Kitab-i-Aqdas is of unique importance. "To build anew the
whole world" is the claim and challenge of His Message, and the
Kitab-i-Aqdas is the Charter of the future world civilization that
Baha'u'llah has come to raise up. Its provisions rest squarely on the
foundation established by past religions, for, in the words of
Baha'u'llah, "This is the ch