The Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is the document which called into being, outlined the features and set in motion the processes of the Administrative Order of Bahá’u’lláh. It is a document which proclaims the fundamental beliefs of the Bahá’í community; reveals the twofold character of the Mission of the Báb; discloses the station of Bahá’u’lláh; establishes the institution of the Guardianship as a hereditary office and outlines its essential functions; provides the measures for the election of the Universal House of Justice, defines its scope and sets forth its relationship to the institution of the Guardianship; prescribes the obligations, and emphasizes the responsibilities, of the Hands of the Cause of God; and extolls the virtues of the indestructible Covenant established by Bahá’u’lláh.

The Tablet of Carmel, the Tablets of the Divine Plan, and the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá are identified by Shoghi Effendi as three charters informing the development of the Bahá’í World Centre; the global expansion of the Bahá’í community; and the evolution of the Bahá’í administration respectively.