role of the Covenant in preserving unity
Editorial introduction
A Zoroastrian, a Siyyid, a mulla and a Jew seated together as one spirit: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá points to such gatherings as the plain evidence of what the Covenant can do. Bahá’u’lláh, He explains, saw how every religion of the past had splintered as each believer attributed his own new idea to God, and so with His own pen He appointed a Centre to whom all must turn, closing the door through which a thousand sects had once poured. The images He gives this provision are alive rather than merely legal: an artery pulsing through the body of the world, an ocean whose vastness invites the mightiest storms, a sheltering tree, a fortress no axe can reach. Yet the same guidance insists that no one can fully grasp revelation, that diversity of understanding is excellent, and that consultation is the community’s mainspring. Paul’s question to the Corinthians, whether Christ is divided, names the same danger of loyalties built around persons [1]. To go further is to consider firmness in the Covenant, the station and authority of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and what it means to answer the call to unity.
Consider what the power of the Covenant has done! It was an impossibility for a Zoroastrian to unite with a Siyyid and a mulla with a Jew. And for these to assemble with a Christian was an absolute impossibility. But the power of the Covenant has even so gathered them that they are accounted as one spirit. Although the bodies are numerous, the spirit is one.
Be ye assured: I shall not forget you. All of us are beneath the shadow of Baha'u'llah, and under the shade of the pavilion of His Covenant and Testament. Therefore separation hath no reality. The essential thing is the love of the heart, which is ever with us and is eternal. May we all be gathered in the Kingdom of Baha'u'llah, in the divine world. That meeting is everlasting.
O friends! The call is the call of the Covenant and the melody is the melody of unity.
The believers must realize that the Power of the Covenant is for the protection of the Cause of God, the promulgation of the religion of God and the brotherhood of the East and the West.
Today the greatest of all affairs is the unity and oneness of the friends of God, and this unity and oneness is not possible except under the shadow of the standard of the Covenant. The unity of the Covenant is what causes the unity of the horizons.
But Baha'u'llah has shut the door to such differences. By His appointing the Expounder of the Holy Word, by setting up the Institution of the House of Justice, which is the legislative body elected by the people, and by enjoining non-interference in matters of belief and conscience, Baha'u'llah has barred the way that would lead to disruption in the Faith.
For the sincere belief of 'Abdu'l-Baha is this: that the Primal Point, His Holiness the Exalted One - may my spirit be sacrificed for Him - is the Manifestation of Supreme Lordship and the Herald of the Beauty of Abha and the Sun of Truth and the Essence of Singleness and the Revelation of Divinity, the Most Great Luminary of the higher world, the Beauty of Abha, and 'Abdu'l-Baha is the weak, mortal servant of those two peerless Stars. This is the essence of my reality, the substance of my being, and the very nature of my identity.
Abdul Baha: First of all, the Blessed Beauty made this Covenant so that there should remain no differences. If there remain any disagreements amongst the friends, or differences as to the meaning of the Book - in whatever way there may arise any difference, Baha'u'llah says explicitly, 'turn to him (i.e., to the Center of the Covenant), whatever he says is correct; and after him to the House of Justice.' What is this for? It is to dispel differences.
The friends must always act according to the apparent meaning of the divine texts and all be united and in agreement, otherwise each soul will interpret the divine verses according to their own desire and become the cause of differences.
Either one must say that the Blessed Beauty was, God forbid, ignorant and made a mistake in commanding all to obey the Center of the Covenant and explicitly confining the interpretation of the Book to the Center of the Covenant, or one must obey and turn to Him.
As for the matter of the Covenant, steadfastness in the Covenant means obedience - that no one should say "my opinion is this," rather they must obey whatever proceeds from the pen and tongue of the Center of the Covenant.
If a soul shall utter a word without the sanction of the Covenant, he is not firm. Baha'u'llah appointed a Covenant in order to ward off dissensions, so that no one should give his own opinion, but that the Center should be referred to.
Baha'u'llah appointed a Covenant to ward off dissensions: so that no one can have his own opinion--so that the Center can be referred to. There were dissensions in the time of Christ because there was no Center.
The Blessed Beauty has left no room for any one to weaken (the Cause). He entered into this Covenant to preserve the Baha'i Unity so that no one might say anything on his own behalf.
You see how many sects and religions appeared after Christ. Now the Blessed Beauty has designated one point so that no differences would remain.
The point to which all eyes should turn is One. All eyes must turn their attention to the Center of the Covenant while the presence of the Covenant is among us. No other soul should have any existence. All others save the Center of the Covenant are equal. (Signed--Abdul-Baha Abbas.)
To turn to the Covenant is to obey the Blessed Beauty which is a cause of gathering together the people of Baha.
Therefore attention must be paid to the appointed Center so that Baha'i unity may be preserved, otherwise in one year the Baha'is would be divided into a thousand sects.
Were it not for the protecting power of the Covenant to guard the impregnable fort of the Cause of GOD there would arise among the Bahais, in a day, a thousand different sects as was the case in former ages, but in this Blessed Dispensation, for the sake of the permanency of the Cause of GOD and the avoidance of dissension amongst the people of GOD, the Blessed Beauty (May my soul be a sacrifice to HIM), has through the Supreme Pen written the Covenant and Testament; He appointed a Center, the Exponent of the Book and the Annuller of disputes.
The power of the Covenant firmly establishes and preserves Baha'i unity; otherwise the Baha'i Cause would be completely disrupted, each soul would find a particular opinion, and the Cause of God would be totally obliterated and destroyed.
The protection of the Cause of God and the unity of the people of Baha are dependent on firmness in the Covenant of God and adherence to the writings of the Expounder of the divine verses. Apart from this, every hope will end in despair, and every remark will lead to toil and abasement.
For firmness in the Covenant will preserve the unity of the religion of God and the foundation of the religion of God will not be shaken.
Today, the most important affair is firmness in the Covenant, because firmness in the Covenant wards off differences...
For this Divine Covenant is the Institution of the Lord. The Blessed Perfection in all the Tablets, Books, epistles and supplication has begged confirmation for and has praised and commended those who are firm in this Covenant and the Testament and has asked the wrath of God and woe and desolation and His Vengeance unto the violators. For firmness in this Covenant will preserve the unity of the religion of God and the Foundation of the religion of God will not be shaken.
Now is the time for the field of action and testing of men, for the mighty edifice of God's Cause rests upon the pillar of the Covenant and Testament, and the heaven of God's religion is illumined and radiant through the star of the Covenant.
God forbid that if some ungrateful person should assault this pillar, not a single nail would remain to uphold the divine pavilion and the merciful tabernacle, not a single lamp would remain lit in the divine gathering. The House of God would be buried from its very foundation, the Cycle would become futile and the laws nullified.
God forbid that if any weakness or languor should occur in the Center of the Covenant, how would Baha'i unity be preserved and how would the teachings of the Blessed Beauty be promoted?
[The blessed discourse delivered that day in the gathering of the friends concerned the internal dissensions that arise within religions after the ascension of the Dawning-Places of the bounties of God, and how the Blessed Beauty had closed the doors to such divisions, referring all matters to the Most Great House of Justice, that whatsoever it might decree all should obey. Even if the Baha'is were to split up into two groups, 'Abdu'l-Baha has warned, each forming a House of Justice of its own, one in opposition to the other, both would be false. Pending the formation of the House of Justice, Baha'u'llah has appointed the Centre of the Covenant, affirmed His infallibility and, with His blessed Pen, has solemnly secured His Covenant.]
True Religion has nothing to do with human imagination. God's Will is independent of human opinion.Personal ideas and mere human prejudice are the great obstacles to spiritual growth. … When there is difference of view there is absence of the Spirit. The Word is the only Standard of Truth. Discord and disagreement are impossible among those who adhere to the Manifestation and sever themselves from human opinion.'
The Blessed Beauty entered into this Covenant for obedience and not for opposition. I say this merely for the protection of the Cause of God and for the purpose of safeguarding unity among the friends. Were it not for the removal of vain imaginings and the eradication of differences, I should not have asserted that I am 'the Center of the Covenant'.
However, you must be so firm and steadfast in the Covenant and Testament that the Covenant-breakers cannot draw a breath in any gathering where you are present. Today, the magnet that attracts the confirmations of the Kingdom of God is firmness in the Covenant and Testament, and all else is delirious talk. For by what means can Baha'i unity be preserved? Is it through the nonsensical utterances of some? God forbid!
Similarly, had it not been for the power of the Covenant after the ascension of the Ancient Beauty, it is evident what the people would have done, how they would have spent their time, like Mirza Yahya, taking many wives and satisfying their lusts and desires. They would have destroyed the divine standard.
The Covenant is like an ocean that preserves Baha'i unity, and these souls are like foam - they make temporary movements but like Judas Iscariot and Judas' helpers and those who agreed with Judas, they will soon be forgotten like the foam of the sea. But the ocean of the Covenant remains established, for it preserves Baha'i unity.
It is clear and evident that every mighty cause in existence must face intense opposition, and every sturdy ship must encounter massive waves. Similarly, such a Covenant will find violators of utmost strength, and such an ancient Testament will face opponents of greatest power. The vaster the ocean, the mightier its tempests; the firmer the edifice, the more exposed it is to the force of hurricanes.
That brave lion is the Lion of the Covenant who with one movement caused that creature filled with hatred to fall to the ground, and the Blessed Tree remained established in its place.
If all the world should combine to overthrow the Covenant, it could not succeed. 'Abdu'l-Baha loves all no matter how they turn away from Him. Whether they love or hate Him, go or come, He never changes in His love for them. The Blessed Perfection has left nothing undone. What He ordained can never be set aside.
And that instantaneously effective compound is the Covenant, whose sanctifying lights shine forth upon the horizons.
The specifically designated Center of Authority was established, the clear and manifest Interpreter of verses was made known, the Remover of differences was mentioned, and the medicine and remedy were entrusted to the designated skilled Physician.
We praise and thank Him for His grace, His generosity, and His beneficence, and for having made clear to us His straight path, expanded for us the upright way, given us a light by which we are guided in the darkest night, ordained for us the mighty Covenant, and clearly established through His Supreme Pen the appointed Center, firm as an impregnable fortress, the Interpreter of His verses, the Expositor of His words, the Solver of complex problems, the Remover of doubts of both past and present, the Eliminator of differences from all directions.
O my Lord! Strengthen the structure of the Hands of Thy Cause, reinforce the backs of the defenders of Thy Covenant, illuminate the faces of the heralds of Thy Testament, expand the breasts of the promulgators of Thy verses, make the hearts of the believers drawn to them and the hearts of the seekers incline toward them, open before their faces the gates of triumph, and make them victorious over all nations and peoples, that Thy word of unity may be exalted throughout all regions and the lights of the Sun of the Covenant may shine forth.
O servant of God! Thanks be to the Most Great Unity that thou hast been gathered beneath the shade of the Tree of the Covenant, that He hath illumined thy heart with the light of the bounty of the Luminary of the horizons, and that thou hast become assured of the verses of divine unity.
Further quotations · supplied wording and references
To direct and canalize these forces let loose by this Heaven-sent process, and to insure their harmonious and continuous operation after His ascension, an instrument divinely ordained, invested with indisputable authority, organically linked with the Author of the Revelation Himself, was clearly indispensable. That instrument Baha'u'llah had expressly provided through the institution of the Covenant, an institution which He had firmly established prior to His ascension.
Baha'u'llah, the Revealer of God's Word in this Day, the Source of Authority, the Fountainhead of Justice, the Creator of a new World Order, the Establisher of the Most Great Peace, the Inspirer and Founder of a world civilization, the Judge, the Lawgiver, the Unifier and Redeemer of all mankind, has proclaimed the advent of God's Kingdom on earth, has formulated its laws and ordinances, enunciated its principles, and ordained its institutions. To direct and canalize the forces released by His Revelation He instituted His Covenant, whose power has preserved the integrity of His Faith, maintained its unity and stimulated its world-wide expansion throughout the successive ministries of 'Abdu'l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi. It continues to fulfil its life-giving purpose through the agency of the Universal House of Justice whose fundamental object, as one of the twin successors of Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha, is to ensure the continuity of that divinely-appointed authority which flows from the Source of the Faith, to safeguard the unity of its followers, and to maintain the integrity and flexibility of its teachings.
Above all the Covenant that was to perpetuate the influence of that Faith, insure its integrity, safeguard it from schism, and stimulate its world-wide expansion, had been fixed on an inviolable basis.
...an institution which protects the Cause from individuals who, through the assertion of their own wills, would try to force God's Cause into the paths of their own preference and thus divide the faithful and subvert the world-wide establishment of divine justice.
The Youth must ponder deeply over the significance and implications of the Covenants of Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha, for these form the hub of the Baha'i wheel, so to speak, the point of unity and strength for all the believers all over the world. Without these Covenants the Divine Protection of God over this new world Faith would not exist. Obedience to these Covenants is the stronghold of all the Baha'is, everywhere. The Youth must grasp this fundamental truth, for this will strengthen them in their service to the Cause, as nothing else can or will.
Without the bright light of the Covenant, this Faith, like all those before it, would be torn to pieces by the conflicting opinions of scholars applying limited human reasoning to divinely revealed truths.
The Covenant is the "axis of the oneness of the world of humanity" because it preserves the unity and integrity of the Faith itself and protects it from being disrupted by individuals who are convinced that only their understanding of the Teachings is the right one -- a fate that has overcome all past Revelations. The Covenant is, moreover, embedded in the Writings of Baha'u'llah Himself. Thus, as you clearly see, to accept Baha'u'llah is to accept His Covenant; to reject His Covenant is to reject Him.
Independent investigation of truth recognizes that no human being can have a full and correct understanding of the revelation of God; it places upon each individual the duty to strive for an ever greater understanding of the Teachings of Baha'u'llah, to apply them to the whole of his life; it is the mainspring of mature consultation, by which all the affairs of the community are conducted; it leads men to discover the secrets of the universe and promote the sciences. As you point out, this will produce great diversity of views on a wide variety of subjects, and this is excellent. What it cannot and must not do is to produce "sects" in relation to the Teachings of the Faith; the Covenant provides the centre of guidance which is to prevent such a degeneration.
For thought and discussion