Hassan Jalal Shahid

Hassan Jalal Shahid (1916-2015)

He was the last of the 13 grandchildren of Abdul Baha and the great-grandchildren of Baha’u’llah to leave us.

Due to circumstances over which he had no control, he did not play any role in the affairs of the Baha’i Community, despite his closeness to its founders, Baha’u’llah (his great-grandfather), and Shoghi Effendi (his cousin).

Once, when his mother, Rouha Khanum, had the temerity to ask Shoghi Effendi what Hassan’s fault was that he was shunted out of the Cause, Shoghi Effendi’s answer was that he “smoked too many cigarettes!” Hassan had not yet married me (Shoghi Effendi’s niece), but soon that plan was – in Shoghi Effendi’s opinion – a better sword of Damocles to hang over his head.