"Bahá’u’lláh's eldest and only surviving son, Abbas Effendi, later designated by His Father as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (Servant of Glory) was appointed by Him as His lawful successor and the authorized Interpreter of His teachings. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá served His father His for forty years from the age of nine, and bore all the hardship and deprivation this entailed until His (Bahá’u’lláh's) death in May, 1892. He was released from captivity in 1908 as a result of the Revolution of the Young Turks. After His release from confinement He made His home in the Haifa, Israel. He soon after embarked on a three year journey to Egypt, Europe, and North America during the course of which He expounded before vast audiences the teachings of His Father and predicted the approach of that catastrophe that was soon to befall mankind. He returned to His home on the eve of the First World War, in the course of which He was exposed to constant danger, until the liberation of Palestine by the forces under the command of General Allenby, who extended the utmost consideration to Him and to the small band of His fellow exiles in 'Akka and Haifa. In 1921 he passed away and was buried in a vault in the mausoleum erected on Mount Carmel. This mausoleum was erected at the express instruction of Bahá’u’lláh for the remains of the Báb which had previously been transferred from Tabriz to the Holy Land after having been preserved and concealed for no less than sixty years."

(Paraphrased from the writings of Shoghi Effendi, Guidance for Today and Tomorrow, pp 6-7)

‘Abdu’l-Bahá has a special station in the Baha'i Faith. While not a Manifestation of God, He was appointed by His Father in His Covenant and Testament, as His successor, the Centre of His Covenant, to safeguard the infant Baha'i Faith from schism as the institutions prescribed by Bahá’u’lláh were not ready for their formation. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, also known as the Master, was and is the Exemplar, the one human who lived a perfect life as an example of what we can all be. In any situation a Baha'i can ask herself or himself, "What would ‘Abdu’l-Bahá do in a situation like this?"

‘Abdu’l-Bahá's writings are characterized by clarity, logic, and straightforwardness as well as spirituality. All His life He worked tirelessly for the Faith, often as His Fathers deputy, and was instrumental in defining the administrative order of the Baha'i Faith. The following is a prayer written by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for the Baha'i's of the Western United States: