Upon Bahá'u'lláh's death in 1892, His written provision for 'Abdu'l- Bahá, His eldest son, to succeed Him as the leader of the Bahá'í Faith was, quite naturally, also accepted by those who remained faithful to His Cause. This written provision--the ordination and appointment of the Center of the Covenant--is, as 'Abdu'l-Bahá Himself has said, "the most great characteristic of the revelation of Bahá'u'lláh."
As the Center of Bahá'u'lláh's Covenant, 'Abdu'l-Bahá wrote a Will and Testament in which he transferred the powers that were conferred upon Him by Bahá'u'lláh to Shoghi Effendi, his successor, whom he identified as the Center of the Cause and called him the "guardian of the Cause" and made it incumbent upon him to appoint his own successor. Thus, the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh for His followers is a continuing one carried through a line of divinely-guided Guardians of the Faith. Among the many statements made by 'Abdu'l-Bahá regarding the Covenant and its operation are the following:
ABOUT THE COVENANT
"By this appointment and provision [of an appointed Center] He [Bahá'u'lláh] has safeguarded and protected the religion of God against differences and schisms, making it impossible for anyone to create a new sect or faction of belief. To insure unity and agreement He has entered into a Covenant with all the peoples of the world including the Interpreter and Explainer of His teachings so that no one may interpret or explain the religion of God according to his own view or opinion and thus create a sect founded upon his individual understanding of the divine words. The Book of the Covenant or Testament of Bahá'u'lláh is the means of preventing such a possibility, for whosoever shall speak from the authority of himself alone shall be degraded."
"...in this Dispensation of the Blessed Beauty [Bahá'u'lláh] among its distinctions is that He did not leave people in perplexity. He entered into a Covenant and Testament with the people. He appointed a Center of the Covenant."
"Today, the most important affair is firmness in the Covenant, because firmness in the Covenant wards off differences."
"...we must all turn our faces to the appointed Center in order that Bahá'í unity might be preserved; otherwise in one year the Bahá'ís would be divided into a thousand sects."
"...the power of the Covenant will protect the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh from the doubts of the people of error."
"Today no power can conserve the oneness of the Bahá'í world save the Covenant of God; otherwise differences like unto a most great tempest will encompass the Bahá'í world."
"Had the Covenant not come to pass, had it not been revealed from the Supreme Pen [Bahá'u'lláh], and had not the Book of the Covenant, like unto lthe rays of the Sun of Reality, illumined the world, the forces of the Cause of God would have been utterly scattered..."
"Misunderstanding cannot be eliminated by any power save that of the Covenant..."
THE MANNER IN WHICH THE COVENANT CONTINUES FROM GUARDIAN TO GUARDIAN (AS PROVIDED BY 'ABDU'L-BAHÁ'S WILL AND TESTAMENT)
"He [the Guardian] is the expounder of the words of God..."
"It is incumbent upon the guardian of the Cause of god to appoint in his own life-time him that shall become his successor, that differences may not arise after his passing."
"...should the first-born of the guardian of the Cause of God not manifest in himself the truth of the words:--"The child is the secret essence of its sire,"...and his glorious lineage not be matched with a goodly character, then must he, (the guardian of the Cause of God) choose another branch to succeed him."
THE SPHERE AND POWERS OF THE GUARDIAN AS GIVEN IN 'ABDU'L-BAHÁ'S WILL
"Unto this body [the Universal House of Justice] all things must be referred. It enacteth all ordinances and regulations that are not to be found in the explicit Holy Text. By this body all the difficult problems are to be resolved and the guardian of the Cause of God is its sacred head and the distinguished member for life of that body."
"Should any of the members [of the Universal House] commit a sin, injurious to the common weal, the guardian of the Cause of God hath at his own discretion the right to expel him..."
"It is incumbent upon the members of the House of Justice...to show their obedience, submissiveness and subordination unto the guardian of the Cause of God, to turn unto him and be lowly before him. He that opposeth him hath opposed the True One, will make a breach in the Cause of God, will subvert His word and will become a manifestation of the Center of Sedition."
"This body of the Hands of the Cause of God is under the direction of the guardian of the Cause of God. He must continually urge them to strive and endeavor to the utmost of their ability to diffuse the sweet savors of God, and to guide all the peoples of the world, for it is the light of Divine Guidance that causeth all the universe to be illumined."
"The Lord, as a sign of His infinite bounties, hath graciously favored His servants by providing for a fixed money offering (Huquq), to be dutifully presented unto Him, though He, the True One and His servants have been at all times independent of all created things, and God verily is the All-Possessing, exalted above the need of any gift from His Creatures. This fixed money offering, however, causeth the people to become firm and steadfast and draweth Divine increase upon them. It is to be offered through the guardian of the Cause of God..."