Shoghi Effendi
was just a wide-eyed kid when his grandfather realized this child would one day be the leader of the Baha'i Faith. He did
not disappoint. He grew up expecting a long career as his grandfather's assistant and secretary. To prepare, he attended the
American School in Beirut and then Oxford University where he learned impeccable English while studying history and Western
ways.
Then, without
warning, 'Abd'ul-Baha died and Shoghi Effendi went from a responsible young scholar to the head of an emerging world religion.
It was too much to take in. He spent several months in grief and profound shock before he was able to take on those duties.
Then,
he began a process that led the Baha'is of the world through an unprecedented expansion that eventually established the beginnings
of Baha'i community almost everywhere in the world. Soon after his own death, according to plan, the Baha'is of the world
elected it's first international governing body, called the Universal House of Justice.
Shoghi
Effendi happened to be in England when he, too, died unexpectedly after a short illness. Baha'i burial law is clear: we are
buried within one hour's journey from the place of death. So, he is rests in London.
To get to
the grave site, you take a long "tube" ride out to the suburbs, then walk into the heart of a large, beautiful cemetery. The
grave is located inside a fenced yard (about the size of a middle sized house lot in North America). In the center is a beautiful
tower with an eagle on it. Outside the enclosure, an elderly Persian man sits in a small building and makes tea and conversation
with visitors.
It's all quite beautiful and serene and, for Baha'is, at least, well worth
visiting.
