his history of the first Bahá’í 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 Bahá’í era, marks the Centenary of the
Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh, 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 Bahá’u’lláh’s advent. A further testimony
to the operation of these same forces can be seen in the extent to which
Bahá’u’lláh’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
Bahá’u’lláh, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas is of unique importance. "To build anew the