Christ, referring to Peter, said: “Thou art a Rock and upon this Rock I shall build My Church.” This statement is not recorded by the pen of Christ, nor doth it clearly call for turning to Peter, nor hath it been revealed by Christ in His Book. It is but a tradition handed down by the apostles. This tradition, however, caused everyone to obey, and eliminated misunderstandings among the apostles and the Christians. Now here is the Book of the Covenant, and not a tradition. It hath been inscribed by the Supreme Pen of Bahá’u’lláh and is not conveyed by word of mouth. Therein He hath explicitly enjoined that after His passing all must turn to the Centre of the Covenant, and that for anything not understood in the Book, He is the authorised Interpreter and whatsoever He uttereth is right. On Him alone hath this authority been conferred. The Book of the Covenant is the last Tablet revealed by the Supreme Pen before His ascension, and all previous Tablets are subordinate to the Book of the Covenant, which is the last emanation of His Will, whereas all other Tablets were revealed prior to this One, and He hath named it the “Book of the Covenant”. Therefore reflect ye carefully. Should the friends be firm in the Covenant, could misunderstandings arise among them? By God, that cannot be, except among those individuals who harbour evil intentions and malice, who cherish the idea of leadership and partisanship.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a Tablet; Additional Tablets, Extracts and Talks; online Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)
