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SAEED NAHVI
(Sa‘ id Nahvi) Knight of Bahá’u’lláh 1910—1987
Sa‘id Nahvi was born on 28 April 1910 in Mashhad, Persia. His father was ‘Ali-Akbar Nahvi, a descendent of the scholarly Faycl family. His mother was Munirih ghaqlré’i. His parents were both devout Muslims.
Sa‘id obtained his primary education in Maflhad and his secondary education at the Tarbiyat Bahá’í School in Tihran, which was owned and managed by the National Spiritual Assembly of Persia. He graduated in about 1925, then went to Toulouse, France, for advanced studies in physics and mathematics. While in France he associated very closely with Bahá’í students, including his dear friend ‘Abdu’lláh Misbah, a wellknown fellow Persian believer.
In 1935, he went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land and attained the presence of the beloved Guardian. This was the most significant event in his life, and he related many loving and inspiring stories of that Visit to people around the world. Other pilgrims present during those meetings affirmed the deep emotion Sa‘id felt in the Guardian’s presence.
On 18 December 1943, he manied Shawkat ‘Ala’i, (Shokat Alai) sister of Shu‘é‘u’lláh ‘Ala’i, who was later named a Hand of the Cause of God. Sa‘id and fiawkat had two children, Asad (Randy) and Susan.
Sa‘id studied law, and became a lawyer of ‘The First Class’ entitled to appear in all courts and tribunals throughout the country—tribunals of First Instance, Courts of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Privy Council. He also provided translation services to the Persian Government (and to Bahá’í institutions) because of his knowledge of Persian, Arabic, French, English and German.
He was a member of the National Teaching Committee of him. When the Guardian’s call for pioneers came at the beginning of the Ten Year Crusade, he and his family left
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Saeed Nahvi
Persia for India on the Twelfth Day of Riḍván 1953. In Bombay, Sa‘id was advised by the National Spiritual Assembly of India to settle in a Virgin territory, so he took his family to Pondicherry, a French colony in southern India, because of his fluency in French. He arrived at his goal on 22 July 1953 and received the following telegram from the Guardian on 28 July 1953: ‘Assure Nahvi of my loving prayers—Shoghi’. For this move, both Sa‘id and Shawkat were named Knights of Baha’u’llah.
The Nahvis stayed in Pondicherry for seven years, making many friends for the Faith including Mr. Kheval Singh, the Governor, and Mr. Goudon, the French Consul. In 1960, upon the request of the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran, they moved to Sri Lanka to provide assistance with the establishment of that county’s firstrNational Spiritual Assembly. The Nahvis were the first pioneers to Kandy, Sri Lanka. The National Assembly was elected in 1963.
In 1964, Sa‘id and his wife returned to Tihran, Iran. In 1969, he was elected to the Local Spiritual Assembly of Ṭihrán and
THE Bahá’í WORLD
served as its secretary, and from 1974 to 1979 he served as a member of the Administrative Committee of the Abas Abad region. He often taught classes at Bahá’í schools.
In 1979, the Nahvis moved to the United States of America, settling in southern California. From 1979 to 1986 he served on the Local Spiritual Assembly of Dana Point, and from 1986 to 1987 he was a member of the Local Assembly of Huntington Beach.
From the United States, Sa‘id travelled widely to serve the Faith. Among his teaching destinations were French Guiana in 1980, and American and Western Samoa, the Cook Islands, Fiji, the Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Tonga, and Vanuatu in 1982.
The events surrounding Sa‘id’s passing are living testimony to his steadfastness, devotion, and purity of motive in serving the Cause until the end. His daughter, Susan Fothergill, recounts the following:
On Friday, 27 February 1987, the second night of Ayyém—i—Ha, BB. 143, my father was scheduled to speak at the Bahá’í fireside held at Dr. Roshan’s home in Newport Beach, California. That evening he took his shower, said his prayers, ate dinner and drove to the Roshan’s home around 8 pm.
Following his arrival, he was greeted warmly by the friends. The Roshans were very happy that he had come because they said every time he attended the fireside there would be a declaration. This was to be true to his very final visit.
After the opening prayer was recited the people gathered realized that my father was no longer in the room. He had exited to an adjacent room saying he felt very hot. Soon after he laid down on the floor and told Dr. Roshan, ‘I am leaving now’. He never regained consciousness and passed away at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach at approximately 9 pm.
On Monday, 2 March 1987 the funeral service was held in Huntington Beach.
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IN MEMORI‘AM
The readings and selections for the serVice were those which my father had himself selected for my cousin Kévfis ‘Alá’í’s funeral service three years earlier.
Suddenly, after the completion of the service, a young slender American lady came up to the podium and requested a few moments from the 300 or so gathered. She said her name was Jean Reed and she had a few words. She said on the night of my father’s passing she had arrived at the Roshan’s home shortly after my father had passed away. She said when she entered the room ‘I felt Mr. Nahvi’s spirit and I declared immediately, because I knew the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh were the Truth.’
The gathering was astonished at her unsolicited, simple, frank and sincere testimonial and wept loudly. My non—Bahá’í friends were very moved and were anxious to know what Jean Reed meant when she said, ‘I declared’.
SHOKAT NAHVI (S hawkat Nahvr’)
