# The Covenant of Baha'u'llah

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-18 — 1 clipping.*

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Boris Handal, The Covenant of Baha'u'llah, bahai-library.com.
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> 
> The Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh *
> Boris Handal
> 
> Accepting the Manifestation of God and following His commands are two inseparable
> duties, as instructed in the very first paragraph of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Bahá’u’lláh’s Book
> of Laws. Foremost among these commandments were Bahá’u’lláh’s first allusions to His
> Covenant through the designation of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as His successor, the establishment of
> the institution of the Guardianship as a hereditary office and of the Universal House of
> Justice as an infallible governing body. These and other ordinances were characterised by
> Bahá’u’lláh as “the lamps of My loving providence among My servants, and the keys of
> My mercy among My creatures” 1 being part of the eternal Covenant of God with
> humanity. This article describes Bahá’u’lláh’s Covenant, the nature of Covenant-
> breaking as well as the spiritual foundation for being firm in such a fundamental
> principle.
> 
> The Kitáb-i-‘Ahd
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh, the Supreme Manifestation of God, passed away in ‘Akká on the morning of 29th
> May 1892. Nine days later, His Will and Testament was read to the believers, including pilgrims
> and members of the families of Bahá’u’lláh and the Báb. In that document, also known as Kitáb-
> i-‘Ahd (The Book of Covenant), ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was appointed as the Centre of Bahá’u’lláh’s
> Covenant and the authorized Interpreter of His teachings, to whom all believers should turn.
> Never before in religious history a Manifestation of God had formulated such an explicit
> Covenant with His followers, assuring not only the continuity of divine guidance, but also the
> unity of the Bahá’í Faith in light of His promise that this is the “day which will not be followed
> by night”. 2
> 
> In the same document, Bahá’u’lláh clearly and explicitly places the rank and station of His
> second son, Muhammad-‘Alí after ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. This did not come as a surprise for most
> believers who were already familiar with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s noble character and vast knowledge.
> Almost twenty years before, as stated before, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had been appointed the successor of
> the Manifestation of God. In the Most Holy Book, we read:
> 
> *
> A modified version of this paper was published in the Australian Bahá’í Bulletin, 2008.
> 
> When the ocean of My presence hath ebbed and the Book of My Revelation is ended, turn
> your faces toward Him Whom God hath purposed [‘Abdu’l-Bahá], Who hath branched
> from this Ancient Root. 3
> 
> Muhammad-‘Alí’s Rebellion
> 
> What followed after Bahá’u’lláh’s ascension was a sad history of intrigues and machinations
> protagonised by Muhammad-‘Alí. He fiercely engaged in a rebellious and destructive power-
> seeking behaviour, tried to usurp ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s authority and to gain control of the Faith for
> himself. He had hoped to succeed in creating a faction and assume the role of leadership. For
> several years after this, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá concealed His brother’s faults, until such time that
> Muhammad–‘Ali’s conduct became so evident, virulent and damaging that the Master had no
> choice but to declare Muhammad-‘Alí as a breaker of Bahá’u’lláh’s Covenant and, therefore,
> expel him from the ranks of the believers.
> 
> The Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, a document that all Bahá’ís should study, exposes
> Muhammad-‘Ali’s evil deeds leading to his excommunication, including an attempt on the life of
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, forging Bahá’u’lláh’s writings, joining the enemies of the Faith to attack and
> destroy it, maliciously misrepresenting ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to the government through falsifying
> documents and handing out Bahá’u’lláh‘s original tablets. All these misdeeds and attacks on the
> part of Muhammad-‘Alí towards the Centre of Baha’u’llah’s Covenant caused the government to
> once again imprison ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Muhammad-‘Alí died unrepentant in 1937 at the age of 85,
> only to see the futility of his discordant efforts. Such was his spiritual confusion and misery that
> he was buried with Muslim rituals, abandoned by many who initially supported his claims. Of
> him Bahá’u’lláh had warned: “Should he for a moment pass out from under the shadow of the
> Cause, he surely shall be brought to nothing”. 4
> 
> Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá passed away in 1921 appointing His eldest grandson Shoghi Effendi, ‘the sacred
> and youthful branch”, 5 as the first Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith and as the authorized interpreter
> of the Bahá'í scriptures. In His Will and Testament, the Master instructed that: “He that obeyeth
> him not, hath not obeyed God; he that turneth away from him, hath turned away from God and
> he that denieth him, hath denied the True One. Beware lest anyone falsely interpret these
> words...” 6 Shoghi Effendi laboured ceaselessly for thirty-six years to establish the
> administrative order of the Bahá’í Faith throughout the world until his death in 1957. His
> ministry was crowned with the election of the Universal House of Justice in 1963.
> 
> Shoghi Effendi passed away without a successor. According to the provisions of the Will and
> Testament, Shoghi Effendi had to appoint during his lifetime one of his linear descendants as the
> next guardian, or choose one of the Bahá’u’lláh‘s direct male descendants. However, Shoghi
> Effendi did not have children and all the other Bahá’u’lláh‘s male descendants, also known
> Aghsán (“branches”), had broken the Covenant by the time of his death by allying to
> Muhammad-‘Alí. Therefore, Shoghi Effendi himself was in a position where he could not to
> appoint a second Guardian in a way that satisfy the provisions of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Will and
> Testament.
> 
> This interruption in the hereditary line of guardians had been foreseen in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas.
> Bahá’u’lláh Himself had anticipated that the line of Aghsán with conferred authority might
> eventually terminate with the supreme authority of the Faith resting finally on the Universal
> House of Justice:
> 
> Endowments dedicated to charity revert to God, the Revealer of Signs. None hath the
> right to dispose of them without leave from Him Who is the Dawning-place of Revelation.
> After Him, this authority shall pass to the Aghsán, and after them to the House of
> Justice—should it be established in the world by then... Otherwise, the endowments shall
> revert to the people of Bahá who speak not except by His leave… 7
> 
> These verses allude to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi who were the two Aghsán with
> authority in the line of succession. The people of Bahá cited in the above passage refers to the
> ministry of the Custodians (1957-1963), immediately after Shoghi Effendi’s deaths. In such
> capacity, the Hands of the Cause of God, in their capacity as “chief stewards of Bahá’u’lláh’s
> embryonic world order”, 8 carried forward Shoghi Effendi’s work until the election of the
> Universal House of Justice in 1963. By chief steward is meant the second-in-charge who, in the
> captain’s absence, keeps the ship on its course and brings safe it to port. 9
> 
> No Second Guardian
> 
> Given that Shoghi Effendi did not leave written instructions about his succession, the Hands of
> the Cause of God left the decision on the issue of a second guardian to the Universal House of
> Justice. This was so because it within the divine prerogatives of that body to deal with “matters
> that are not expressly recorded in the Book” 10. In ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s words:
> 
> It is incumbent upon these members (of the Universal House of Justice) to gather in a
> certain place and deliberate upon all problems which have caused difference, questions
> that are obscure and matters that are not expressly recorded in the Book. Whatsoever
> they decide has the same effect as the Text itself. 11
> 
> In October 1963, few months after its first election, the Universal House of Justice pronounced
> that,
> 
> After prayerful and careful study of the Holy Texts … and after prolonged consideration
> … the Universal House of Justice finds that there is no way to appoint or to legislate to
> make it possible to appoint a second Guardian to succeed Shoghi Effendi. 12
> 
> The possibility of the Universal House of Justice functioning without a Guardian was also
> considered in the second part of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Will and Testament, where the supreme body is
> portrayed operating only through its nine elected members, and yet its conferred infallibility
> being uncompromised. “God will verily inspire them with whatsoever He willeth…,” 13 is
> Bahá’u’lláh’s assurance of permanent divine guidance. According to the supreme body, “a
> careful study of the Writings and interpretations on any subject on which the House of Justice
> proposes to legislate always precedes its act of legislation”. 14 One can only ponders on the
> enormous amount of interpretations on Bahá’u’lláh’s Writings produced by the two interpreters,
> the Master and the beloved Guardian, over a period of sixty-five years. While ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
> revealed approximately 16 000 tablets in addition to records of His talks in the western
> hemisphere, Shoghi Effendi wrote about 36 000 letters, messages books and various translations
> of major Bahá’u’lláh’s works.
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh’s descendants
> 
> As per Bahá’u’lláh’s descendants, they all had shamelessly broken the Covenant, joined
> Muhammad-‘Alí and his associates and were all expelled from the Faith by the time of Shoghi
> Effendi’s passing. By being cut off from the Holy Tree, 15 all Bahá’u’lláh’s branches fell onto
> the ground, dried out, ceased to exist as such and lost forever their glorious lineage. Having
> forfeited their birthrights for their faithlessness, the kinship simply vanished and therefore a
> family of Bahá’u’lláh does not exist as such. He Himself has indicated: “Know thou of a truth:
> He that biddeth men be just and himself committeth iniquity is not of Me, even though he bear
> My name”. 16 In brief, the only surviving member of Bahá’u’lláh’s family who remained loyal to
> the Covenant was the Hand of the Cause ‘Amatu’l-Bahá Ruhíyyih Khánum, Shoghi Effendi’s
> widow, who passed away in the year 2000.
> 
> Similarly to Muhammad-‘Alí’s ambition for leadership at the passing of Bahá’u’lláh, there were
> individuals who appointed themselves guardians after the passing of Shoghi Effendi and were
> therefore expelled from the Faith. 17 What is evident from these accounts of defection and
> betrayal was the strong foundation upon which the Bahá’í Faith has been designed. Bahá’u’lláh
> has said:
> 
> The Hand of Omnipotence hath established His Revelation upon an enduring foundation.
> Storms of human strife are powerless to undermine its basis, nor will men’s fanciful
> theories succeed in damaging its structures. 18
> 
> What is Covenant-breaking?
> 
> A Covenant breaker is a Bahá’í who defies the authority of the head of the Faith which at
> different periods were Bahá'u'lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi and nowadays the
> Universal House of Justice. According to the supreme body,
> 
> When a person declares his acceptance of Bahá'u'lláh as a Manifestation of God he
> becomes a party to the Covenant and accepts the totality of His Revelation. If he then
> turns round and attacks Bahá'u'lláh or the Central Institution of the Faith he violates the
> Covenant. 19
> 
> The breaking of this important spiritual principle by a person who has become a Bahá’í
> intertwines with sentiments of ego, selfishness and leadership. It is also due to lack of faith in
> Bahá'u'lláh’s revelation which comprises the institutions designed and envisioned by Him. It has
> nothing to do with the principle of independent investigation of truth but rather with the principle
> of obedience. Becoming a member of the Bahá’í Faith requires total acceptance of the
> institutions and teachings, because the Bahá’í Faith comes in only one package and one version,
> so to speak. Firmness in the Covenant also means abiding by the instructions of the Universal
> House of Justice, “the source of all good and freed from all error” 20 In ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s words:
> 
> To none is given the right to put forth his own opinion or express his particular
> conviction. All must seek guidance and turn unto the Center of the Cause and the House
> of Justice. And he that turneth unto whatsoever else is indeed in grievous error… Unto
> the Most Holy Book every one must turn and all that is not expressly recorded therein
> must be referred to the Universal House of Justice. That which this body, whether
> unanimously or by a majority doth carry, that is verily the Truth and the Purpose of God
> Himself. 21
> 
> In general, the Universal House of Justice recommends:
> 
> The best countermeasure to Covenant-breaker initiatives and the greatest protection for
> the Cause is for the believers to acquire a deeper appreciation of the station and purpose
> of Bahá'u'lláh and to become well-grounded in His Covenant”. 22
> 
> Firmness in the Covenant
> 
> The first condition is firmness in the Covenant of God”, says ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. “For the power of
> the Covenant will protect the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh from the doubts of the people of error. It is
> the fortified fortress of the Cause of God and the firm pillar of the religion of God. 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. It is evident that the
> axis of the oneness of the world of humanity is the power of the Covenant and nothing else…
> Therefore, in the beginning the believers must make their steps firm in the Covenant so that the
> confirmations of Bahá’u’lláh may encircle them from all sides, the cohorts of the Supreme
> Concourse may become their supporters and helpers, and the exhortations and advices of
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, like unto the pictures engraved on stone, may remain permanent and ineffaceable
> in the tablets of all hearts. 23
> 
> References
> 
> 1. Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 22. Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, 1993.
> 2. God Passes By, p. 245. Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, 1974.
> 3. Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 63. Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, 1993.
> 4. Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 6. Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, 1994.
> 5. Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 11. Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, 1994.
> 6. Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 25-26. Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, 1994.
> 7. Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 36. Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, 1993.
> 8. Message from Shoghi Effendi to the Bahá’í World, dated 8 October 1957.
> 9. The Universal House of Justice, Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1963-1986: The Third Epoch of
> the Formative Age, p. 6. Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, 1996.
> 10. Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 20. Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, 1994.
> 11. Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 20. Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, 1994.
> 12. Message from the Universal House of Justice to all National Spiritual Assembles, 6 October 1963.
> 13. Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 68. Bahá’í World Centre, 1978.
> 14. Message from the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer, 27 May 1966.
> 15. Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 11. Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, 1994.
> 16. Hidden Words, p. 10. Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, 1985.
> 17. The Universal House of Justice, Mason Remey and Those Who Followed Him, 31 January 1997.
> 18. The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, p. 123. Bahá’í Publications Australia, 1991.
> 19. From a letter of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer, 23 March 1975.
> 20. Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 14. Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, 1994.
> 22. From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual, October 7, 1997.
> 23. Tablets of the Divine Plan, p. 51. Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, 1993.
>
> — *The Covenant of Baha'u'llah (Used by permission of the curator)*