ns 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'an 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 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.

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;