In his Will and Testament on page 11, `Abdu’l-Bahá says:

“…as he [Shoghi Effendi] is the sign of God, the chosen branch, the Guardian of the Faith, he unto whom all the Aghsán, the Afnán, the Hands of the Faith and His loved ones must turn. He is the Interpreter of the Word of God and after him will succeed his descendants bakran ba’d-a-bakr“

‘Bakran ba’d a bakr’ literally means ‘the eldest son after the eldest son’, or the first-born son of one’s lineal descendants.

In the Will and Testaments on page 12, `Abdu’l-Bahá continues about successorship of the Guardian of the Bahá’i Faith:

“O ye beloved of the Lord! It is incumbent upon the Guardian of the Faith to appoint in his own life-time him that shall become his successor, that differences may not arise after his passing. He that is appointed must manifest in himself detachment from all worldly things, must be the essence of purity, must show in himself the fear of God, knowledge, wisdom and learning. Thus, should the first-born of the Guardian of the Faith not manifest in himself the truth of the words:—“The child is the secret essence of its sire,” that is, should he not inherit of the spiritual within him [the Guardian of the Faith] and his glorious lineage not be matched with a goodly character, then must he, [the Guardian of the Faith] choose another branch to succeed him.”

Now, compare these statements with the following one.

In his Interpretation of the Book of Revelation, `Abdu’l-Bahá says the following about the verses describing the twenty four elders sitting on seats round about the throne of the Lord,

“And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, …((Book of Revelation; 4, 4))”

Yes! `Abdu’l-Bahá was hoping that Shoghi Effendi and his descendants, ‘bakran ba’d-a-bakr‘, turn out to be those 24 persons. But, unfortunately, Shoghi Effendi turned out to be infertile instead and the Bahá’i Faith encountered a serious challenge, especially about the legitimacy of the Universal House of Justice…

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