“O’ divine friends. The guardian must elect the next guardian after him when he is alive in order for any difference to be created. The elected person must be the source of sanctification, the divine virtue, science, erudition and maturity. Thus, if the elder son isn’t the guardian, he must elect the other son…”
The Excellency Abdul Baha wished Shoqi and his generation (24 sons) to be the guardians; but Shoqi was abortive and Baha’ism encountered a serious challenge specially regarding the legitimacy of the universal house of justice and the lack of guardian.