From: Baha’i Glossary
A pact that involves obligations by both parties. According
to Baha’u’llah, God has always guided and instructed humanity through a
succession of Divine Messengers, Whom humanity has the obligation to accept and
obey. This is called the Greater Covenant. The Lesser Covenant is that made
between a Messenger and His followers. A reference to the provisions made in
the Baha’i writings concerning the succession of authority in the Baha’i Faith
after the passing of Baha’u’llah and the structure of the Baha’i Administrative
Order. Baha’u’llah’s Covenant with His followers designates ‘Abdu'l-Baha as the
perfect exemplar, and the Center of the Covenant and confers upon him the
authority to interpret Baha’u’llah’s writings. The Covenant also formally established
the institutions of the Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice as the
twin successors of Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu'l-Baha.
