Bahaipedia:Today's featured individual/November 28

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Center of the Covenant

‘Abdu’l-Bahá was the eldest son of Bahá’u’lláh and successor to Him as leader of the Bahá’í Faith; he was appointed by Bahá’u’lláh as the authoritative expounder and perfect exemplar of the Bahá’í teachings and as the Center of Bahá’u’lláh's Covenant. The most memorable event in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's childhood was the imprisonment of His father following the attempt made on the life of the Shah on 15 August 1852. After four months Bahá’u’lláh was released from prison but ordered into exile, the first in a series of future exiles. Bahá’u’lláh passed away on 29 May 1892 and in such works as the Kitáb-i-Aqdas and the Tablet of the Branch, Bahá’u’lláh had indicated that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was to be His successor. For nearly thirty years ‘Abdu’l-Bahá personally supervised almost every aspect of the growth and development of the Bahá’í Faith. At the beginning of His ministry, the Faith was confined to the Middle East and appeared to any outside observer to be merely a persecuted Muslim sect. By the time of His passing, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had supervised its transformation into a religion that encircled the globe, with believers from many different religious backgrounds and the respect of a large number of prominent people in the Middle East, Europe, and North America.