UNEQUIVOCALLY AND UNDENIABLY YES!
The question
as to whether Shoghi Effendi had foreseen his early passing is asked by
those Baháís who, in their lack of faith in the indestructibility of
the Covenant of Baháulláh and the immutability of the Will and
Testament of Abdul-Bahá, have inexcusably never taken the time or
made the effort to search for an affirmative answer, which, otherwise,
they would have been certain they would find, if they were to undertake
a thorough review of the actions taken by Shoghi Effendi and
particularly of the historic messages he had dispatched to the Baháí
World during the latter years of his ministry. Had they retained an
unwavering faith in the Covenant and complete assurance that Shoghi
Effendi would have remained faithful to every clause of the Wlll and
Testament of Abdul-Bahá, their earnest search would have been rewarded
and they would have not only unquestionably and conclusively found a
clear and undeniable answer to this question but in the process have
discovered, even more importantly, the identity of his successor and
realized that he had chosen to obscure his identity at the time for the
very reason that he had known that his passing was imminent and that it
was essential that this frightful prospect be veiled from the believers
(and so well, as it tragically turned out, that, upon his passing, the
Baháí World, not only failed to recognize his successor but came to
incredibly believe that the Guardianship of the Cause of God had come to
a premature end).
On the other
hand, their research need have gone no further than to read Shoghi
Effendis message, dated 23 November 1951, issued some eleven months
following the issuance of his one and only Proclamation of 9 January of
the same year in which he had proclaimed in glowing and unprecedented
terms his historic decision marking the most significant milestone in
the evolution of the Administrative Order in constituting at long
last the International Baháí Councilthis first embryonic
International Institution (an initial and provisional designation in
his projected four-fold stage of evolution of this embryonic Universal
House of Justice). He had then subsequently and significantly
identified, in his message of 2 March 1951, the identity of the
permanent President thereof, the eminently distinguished believer, Mason
Remey, whose exemplary devotion to the Covenant, and outstanding and
unique record of manifold and unsurpassed services to the Cause of God
for more than half a century had been repeatedly eulogized by
Abdul-Bahá during His ministry (as recorded and published at the time
in The Star of the West).
All Baháís
are certainly still familiar with the fact that Shoghi Effendi had
initiated a Ten Year Global Crusade that took place between Ridván 1953
and Ridvan 1963 in implementation of the Tablets of the Divine Plan of
Abdul-Bahá that involved establishment of the Faith throughout all
virgin areas of the world and in which he had assigned specific goals
for each of the existing National Spiritual Assemblies to achieve.
Whereas the opening years of this Crusade would be carried out under the
direction of Shoghi Effendi, himself, his message of 23 November 1951
cited above, significantly stated that this Master Plan designed by
Abdul-Bahá will embrace all the continents of the earth, and will
bring the Central body [i.e. the International Baháí Council] directing
these widely ramified operations into direct contact with all the
National Assemblies of the Baháí world . . . now, for the first time,
an active role for this supreme body that had been previously retained,
of necessity, in an inactively functioning status during the concluding
years of Shoghi Effendis ministry, for the President of the Universal
House of Justice, under the provisions of the Will and Testament of
Abdul-Bahá, even in its initial embryonic form, could be none other
than the second Guardian-to-be (for as Abdul-Bahá has affirmed: the
embryo possesses from the first all perfections . . . in one word, all
the powers . . . (BWF p.313). With the International Baháí Council
now performing this projected active role, Mason Remey would, as the
Presidentthe sacred head of this embryonic Universal House of
Justice appointed by Shoghi Effendi, automatically, unquestionably and
rightfully inherit the Guardianship. Shoghi Effendi, therefore had
clearly prophesied that his passing would take place during the period
of the Ten Year Global Crusade which, in fact, it did at midpoint, on 4
November 1957.
The further
fact that in Shoghi Effendis appointment of a believer who was almost a
quarter of a century older than himself, and notwithstanding was
destined to become his successor is further definite evidence that he
knew that his passing was near at hand.