According to Sobhi’s statements, Shoqi Effendi (The first and the last guardian of the Baha’ism creed) couldn’t be Abdul Baha’s promised successor; because regardless from Shoqi’s sedition his succession was against Baha and even Abdul Baha’s will. On other side, his succession was a definite sign concerning the basis of the Baha’ism cult to be non-divine.
After Abdul Baha’s death, there were serious doubts for his succession. In one side, Hussein Ali Baha’s will in which Ali Muhammad (another son of the self-proclaimed prophet of Baha’ism) was identified as Abdul Baha’s successor[1] had been violated and on the other side Abdul Baha didn’t consider anyone else as a merited successor for himself.
Reported by Fadhlullah Sobhi (Abdul Baha’s author), after Abdul Baha’s death there was a great confusion concerning his succession. As he writes: “Most Baha’is were sad about this issue (Abdul Baha’s death) and were saying nobody can be found like Abdul Baha to be dominated on the affairs and to proceed the Baha’s faith. Meanwhile, no Baha’i person thought Abdul Baha elect a person as his successor after himself because several years after his death, when Abdul Hamid, the Ottoman king had suspected him and wanted to exile him from Acre to Khizan Abdul Baha wrote to the Baha’is:
Nobody would call the followers to himself and ask for a base. The affairs would be done by the universal house of justice informed by Baha. In this way, the Baha’is would elect nine people to do the affairs…[۲]”
Sobhi writes surprised by Abdul Baha’s promise which was against the self-proclaimed prophet of Baha’ism’s will: “While Baha himself wrote a will called Ketab-e-Ahdi and gave it to Abdul Baha two years ago. Nobody was aware of it. In the will, he said: After me, Abbas Effendi would be my successor and after him
Muhammad Ali Afnan would be the successor. Consequently; according to Baha’s order, Mirza Muhammad Ali was taken over the affairs after Abdul Baha. However, a telegraph was suddenly received in which the succession of Shoqi Effendi had been mentioned instead of Ali Muhammad’s…[۳]
Thus; according to the Excellency Sobhi’s remarks, Shoqi Effendi (the first and the last guardian of Baha’ism faith) couldn’t be considered as the successor of Abdul Baha’s promised one; because, despite of Shoqi’s sedition, his succession was against Baha and Abdul Baha’s wills.
[۱] Ishraq Khawari, the tablets after the Aqdas, Bija: Bina: Bita, p. 135.
[۲] A group of authors, when we were the Baha’is (An analysis of Sobhi’s life), p. 15.
[۳] Ibid.
