Part of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s role as the Centre of Bahá’u’lláh’s Covenant is to give humanity an understanding of what it means to be one global civilization. This, in turn, challenges us to ever better understand the nature of unity and its implications for creating this civilization.

Discussion ideas:

• For those early believers who thought that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had invented a new religion, what implications did their assumption have for their relationship to the Bahá’í Faith?
• Would there be a Bahá’í community now without ‘Abdu’l-Bahá?
• Would there be a Bahá’í community without the Guardian or the Universal House of Justice?
• What attributes will the Bahá’í community have to develop in order to become “the very soul of the world”?

Further reading:

• The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, pages 131–134
• Materials for the Study of the Bábí Religion, page xix
• Selections From the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, page 3
• Selections From the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, page 20
• Selections From the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, page 34