… the institution of the Hazíratu'l-Quds—the seat of the
Bahá'í National Assembly and pivot of all Bahá'í administrative activity in
future—must rank as one of the most important. Originating first in Persia, now
universally known by its official and distinctive title signifying “the Sacred
Fold,” ... this institution, still in the early stages of its development, has
already lent its share to the consolidation of the internal functions of the
organic Bahá'í community, and provided a further visible evidence of its steady
growth and rising power. Complementary in its functions to those of the
Mashriqu'l-Adhkár—an edifice exclusively reserved for Bahá'í worship—this
institution, whether local or national, will, as its component parts, such as
the Secretariat, the Treasury, the Archives, the Library, the Publishing
Office, the Assembly Hall, the Council Chamber, the Pilgrims' Hostel, are
brought together and made jointly to operate in one spot, be increasingly
regarded as the focus of all Bahá'í administrative activity, and symbolize, in
a befitting manner, the ideal of service animating the Bahá'í community in its
relation alike to the Faith and to mankind in general.
- Shoghi Effendi (‘God
Passes By’)
