September 7. On this date in 1908, Hasan Balyuzi, a Hand of the Cause of God, was born in Shiraz.

 

September 7. On this date in 1908, Hasan Balyuzi, a Hand of the Cause of God, was born in Shiraz.

He was born in 1908 in Shiraz and was an Afnan from both sides of his family. In 1925, he met Shoghi Effendi while traveling to Lebanon to study at the American University of Beirut, where he was present at the same time as some his cousins Munib Shahid and Soheil Afnan. In 1932 Balyuzi went to London where he studied diplomatic history at the London School of Economics. He would make his career as a broadcaster in the Persian Section of the BBC.

In 1933 he was elected as a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Great Britain, a post he held until he retired in 1960. He was, later, also a member of the Auxiliary Board and in 1957 was appointed a Hand of the Cause of God.

In 1941 he married professional ballerina Mary (Molly) Brown with whom he had five sons (Hushang, Robert, Felix, Richard and Simeon).

On February 12, 1980 Hasan Balyuzi died in London.

On February 15 he was buried at the New Southgate Cemetary, near Shoghi Effendi's grave. On February 12, 2015, Hasan Balyuzi's wish that his enormous collection of papers and books be made available in a research library “for the benefit of all who seek knowledge” was fulfilled with the opening of the Afnan Library.