…the Greater Covenant which every Manifestation of God makes
with His followers, promising that in the fulness of time a new Manifestation
will be sent, and taking from them the undertaking to accept Him when this
occurs. … the Lesser Covenant that a Manifestation of God makes with His
followers that they will accept His appointed successor after Him. If they do
so, the Faith can remain united and pure. If not, the Faith becomes divided and
its force spent. It is a Covenant of this kind that Bahá'u'lláh made with His
followers regarding 'Abdu'l-Bahá and that 'Abdu'l-Bahá perpetuated through the
Administrative Order...
- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated 23
March 1975, to an individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I,
Covenant)
