Hasan M. Balyuzi

Hasan M. Balyuzi (7 September 1908 – 12 February 1980) was a prominent Iranian member of the Baháʼí Faith. He served in administrative institutions of the religion for decades, worked for the BBC, and was a prolific writer. He produced innumerable articles and a series of scholarly books on Muhammad and the central figures of the Bahá'í dispensation: the Báb, Bahá'u'lláh and ʻAbdu'l-Bahá. His consecration to serving the Faith, and his deep spirituality led to his being named a Hand of the Cause in 1957. He established a trust and a library for Bahá'í research and donated his works to it. The library contains more than 10 thousand items and continues to grow.

Biography Balyuzi was born in Shiraz, Iran, but he spent most of his life in Britain. Balyuzi was an Afnán, a descendant of the Báb, on both sides of his family. His father became governor of the Persian Gulf ports. The family was exiled to India during WWI where he spent from about age 8 through 16, and there was tutored in Persian, Arabic, went to "Bishops College" of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Poona. Later Balyuzi's family moved back to Iran when his father became Minister of the Interior; Balyuzi attended school in Cyprus. His father died in 1921, his mother moved to Shiraz, and Edward G. Browne assisted in arranging his education in London about a year before his father died. Balyuzi then went on to Beirut and prepared for college.

While living in Beirut, Balyuzi met Shoghi Effendi at a time he considered himself a Muslim. It was also in 1938 that he began to publish a biographical article on Baháʼu'lláh, followed by the Báb and ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, and used as part of lectures and in discussions.

Balyuzi died in London on 12 February 1980.

Establishments in his memory Afnan Library He left instructions that an Afnan Library Trust for Baháʼí Faith research be established and contributed his own library of materials to it.

Memorial Lectures of the Association of Baháʼí Studies A memorial lecture series was named after him held by the Association of Baháʼí Studies for North America.

Previous Hasan M. Balyuzi lecturers:

2016: Farzam Arbab 2015: Nazila Ghanea 2014: Vahid Rafati 2013: Layli Miller-Muro 2012: Shapour Rassekh 2011: Nader Saiedi 2010: Julio Savi 2009: Otto Don Rogers 2008: Houshmand Fatheazam 2007: Will van den Hoonaard 2006: Janet Khan 2005: John Hatcher 2004: Ali Nakhjavani 2003: Suheil Bushrui 2002: Udo Schaefer 2001: Fariborz Sahba and Hossein Amanat 2000: Bahiyyih Nakhjavani 1999: Richard Thomas 1998: William S. Hatcher 1997: Dorothy Nelson 1996: Ross Woodman 1995: Amin Banani 1994: David Ruhe 1993: Abbas Amanat 1991: David Hofman 1990: Helen Elsie Austin 1988: Moojan Momen 1986: Adib Taherzadeh 1985: Dorothy Freeman 1984: David Hofman 1983: Firuz Kazemzadeh 1982: Gayle Morrison 1981: Douglas Martin, Glenford Mitchell 1980: Abbas Afnan, Muhammad Afnan

Works