To catch even a glimpse of what must have transpired in
'Abdu'l-Bahá's heart when this first grandson (Shoghi Effendi) was born to Him
at the age of fifty-three, one must remember that He had already lost more than
one son, the dearest and most perfect of them, Husayn, a beautiful and very
dignified little boy, having passed away when only a few years old. Of the four
surviving daughters of 'Abdu'l-Bahá three were to bear Him thirteen grandchildren,
but it was this oldest one who bore witness to the saying "the child is
the secret essence of its sire", not to be taken to mean in this case the
heritage of his own father, but rather that he was sired by the Prophets of God
and inherited the nobility of this grandfather 'Abdu'l-Bahá. - Ruhiyyih Khanum (‘The Priceless Pearl’)
