Shuja ud-din was a member of Afghanistan’s royal Durrani dynasty and held the title of Shazada, or “prince”. Although he was not an important member of the royal government, he did join more prominent members of his family such as Mohammad Yusuf, Mohammad Sultan, and Mohammad Asif at the 1936 Summer Olympics hockey tournament. Despite the sport having been introduced to the country only five years previously, the squad placed in joint fifth and Shuja ud-din played in at least half of the team’s four matches, scoring several goals. He married the daughter of another member of the royal family and had two sons and three daughters of his own.