Today is Sunday; 27th of the Iranian month of Mordad 1398 solar hijri; corresponding to 16th of the Islamic month of Zil-Hijjah 1440 lunar hijri; and August 18, 2019, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1335 solar years ago, on this day in 684 AD, the crucial Battle of Marj Rahit took place near Damascus for control of Syria, resulting in a surprise victory for Marwan Ibn al-Hakam of the tottering Omayyad regime, because of the support of the Banu Kalb tribesmen against the rival Banu Qays clansmen. The Banu Qays were led by the governor of Damascus, Dahhak Ibn Qays al-Fihri, a partisan of Abdullah Ibn Zubayr, who had styled himself as caliph in Hijaz on the death of the tyrant Yazid, but made the fatal mistake of allowing Marwan to leave Medina for Syria. Twenty days earlier at Marj as-Suffar, Dahhak had defeated Marwan and almost annihilated the Omayyads. Marwan, who decades ago had been banished along with his infidel father, Hakam Ibn Aas, by Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) but recalled to Medina by Othman Ibn Affan and given charge of all state affairs during the latter’s 12-year caliphate, now took advantage of the abdication by Yazid’s son, Mu’awiyya II, to declare himself caliph. Marwan’s victory was due to the bribing of commanders of the rival forces by his generals, such as Obaidollah Ibn Ziyad, the perpetrator of the heartrending tragedy of Karbala and the martyrdom of the Prophet’s grandson, Imam Husain (AS). After nine months in power Marwan was choked to death by Yazid’s wife whom he had married, and was succeeded by his equally cruel son, Abdul-Malik. The new self-styled Omayyad caliph continued to struggle for control of Islamic lands with the rival caliph, Abdullah Ibn Zubayr, and succeeded in occupying Egypt, but in 686 was soundly defeated near Mosul in Iraq by the avenger of Imam Hussain’s blood, Mukhtar Ibn Abu Obaidah, whose forces killed the despicable Omayyad commander, Obaidollah Ibn Ziyad. Abdul-Malik, terrified of Mukhtar’s possible march upon Damascus, was relieved at Abdullah Ibn Zubayr’s blunder of attacking Iraq instead of accepting Mukhtar’s offer of alliance for finishing off the Omayyads. In 687 Mus'ab ibn Zubayr resorted to bribes and treachery to defeat and kill Mukhtar, but four years later was defeated and killed in turn by the now resurgent Abdul-Malik, who after occupying Iraq and Iran, sent his bloodthirsty general, Yusuf Hajjaj to Hijaz the next year in 692 to kill the rival caliph in Mecca and destroy the holy Ka’ba.

969 lunar years ago, on this day in 471 AH, the Spanish Muslim astronomer and mathematician, Abu Abdullah Moḥammad ibn Mu'az al-Jayyani, passed away at the age of over 90. Born in Cordova, after completing his studies in Islamic Spain, he went for higher studies to Cairo and stayed in Egypt for four years, before returning to his homeland, where besides his scientific activities, he served as Qazi (judge). He wrote important commentaries on the Greek scientist, Euclid's Elements. He also wrote the first known treatise on spherical trigonometry as a discipline independent from astronomy. His work on spherical trigonometry contains formulae for right-handed triangles, the general law of sines, and the solution of a spherical triangle by means of the polar triangle. This treatise had a strong influence on European mathematics, while his definition of ratios as numbers and method of solving a spherical triangle when all sides are unknown, influenced scholars of the Renaissance period.

792 solar years ago, on this day in 1227 AD, the bloodthirsty Mongolian Buddhist tyrant, Genghis Khan, died at the age of 65, after devastating centres of civilization, especially in the Muslim world, including Iran, and slaughtering some seventeen million people. Named Temujin at birth in a nomadic family, he united the scattered Mongol tribes and then savagely attacked and occupied northern China. He now expanded his dominions in the west by conquering the Turkic Qara-Khitai Khanate that brought his borders to the Khwarezmian Empire, whose ruler, Shah Ala od-Din Mohammad, made the fatal mistake of first mistreating the trade delegation sent by Genghis Khan, and then after repulsing the first wave of Mongol invasion, making a tactical blunder by dividing his army into small divisions on the assumption that there won’t be any further attacks. The result was catastrophic. Genghis, known for his treachery and betrayal of even his own friends, attacked with ferocity, razing to the ground flourishing Muslim cities and slaughtering entire populations. The fabled Iranian Islamic cities of Samarqand and Bukhara were devastated, and next came the turn of the cultural-commercial capital, Urgenj, whose artisans were sent to Mongolia, young women and children were given to the Mongol soldiers as slaves, and the rest of the population was massacred. The Iranian historian Juvayni states that 50,000 Mongol soldiers were given the task of executing twenty-four Urgenj citizens each, which would mean that 1.2 million people were killed. Urgenj is considered one of the bloodiest massacres in human history. In his pursuit of the fugitive Shah, Genghis invaded Khorasan, massacring 70,000 people in Marv, and 190,000 in Naishapur, where the famous Persian poet, Attar Naishapuri was among the victims. The researcher Steven R. Ward has written: "Overall, the Mongol violence and depredations killed up to three-fourths of the population of the Iranian Plateau, possibly 10 to 15 million people. Some historians have estimated that Iran's population did not again reach its pre-Mongol levels until the mid-20th century." Genghis was buried somewhere close to the Onon River and the Burkhan Khaldun Mountain, and his funeral escort killed everyone across its path to conceal his grave.

532 solar years ago, on this day in 1487 AD, the four-month siege of the strategic Spanish Muslim port of Malaga of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada, ended with its occupation by the Christian forces, aided by mercenaries from other parts of Europe, who massacred the Muslims and sold the remnants into slavery. It was the first conflict in which ambulances, or special vehicles for the purpose of carrying injured persons, were used by the Muslim defenders. King Ferdinand II of Aragon invaded the Muslim territories with 20,000 horsemen, 50,000 infantrymen and 8,000 mercenaries, which were joined by artillery units. Mohammad XIII, Sultan of Granada made an attempt to relieve the fortress of Velez, but was forced to retreat to Granada where he found that he had been overthrown in favour of his nephew Abdullah. Seeing no hope of relief, Velez surrendered on 27 April 1487 on condition that the lives of the people would be spared, and they would keep their property and religion – promises which the Christians did not keep. The fall of Malaga was a harsh blow to the Spanish Muslims, who were mercilessly massacred by the Christians, while the survivors, numbering around 15,000, were enslaved and their property confiscated. Five years later in 1492, through treachery and deceit, the Christians, assisted by mercenaries from other parts of Europe, attacked and occupied Granada itself, thereby ending almost 8 centuries of glorious Muslim rule in Spain. Hundreds of thousands of Spanish Muslims fled to North Africa for safety, as their pleas to the Mamluks of Egypt and the Ottomans fell on deaf ears, because of infighting amongst these two great Mediterranean Muslim powers that could have saved Granada and Spanish Muslims from the Christian onslaught.

371 solar years ago, on this day in 1648 AD, the 18^th Ottoman Sultan, Ibrahim Deli (the Deranged), who styled himself the 10^th Turkic Caliph, was strangled to death at the age 33, after 8 years in power, on the orders of his minor son and successor, Mohammad IV, as per the fatwa issued by the chief Qazi of the realm. Son of Ahmad I through a Greek concubine, he was one of the most notorious Ottoman Sultans. He spent all his early life in close confinement before succeeding his elder brother Murad IV. Four of his brothers had been executed by Murad, and Ibrahim lived in terror of being the next to die. His reign, however, was free of any wars with the traditional Ottoman rivals, the Safavid Shahs of Iran.

169 solar years ago, on this day in 1850 AD, French novelist and playwright, Honore de Balzac, died in Paris at the age of 51. He is regarded as one of the founders of realism in European literature. The novel sequence “La Comedie Humaine” (Human Comedy), which presents a panorama of post-Napoleonic French life, is generally viewed as his magnum opus.

151 solar years ago, on this day in 1868 AD, the English oriental scholar, Reynold Alleyne Nicholson, was born in West Riding, Yorkshire. He started as a language lecturer at Cambridge University, and conducted extensive research on Persian and Arabic literature. He was a great admirer of the acclaimed Iranian poet and mystic, Mowlana Jalal od-Din Rumi, whose famous Mathnavi he translated into English in several volumes, along with a detailed commentary – the result of his 25-year long research. Nicholson, as a teacher of the great poet-philosopher of the Subcontinent, Muhammad Iqbal Lahori, translated the latter’s first philosophical Persian poetry book “Asrar-e Khudi” into English as “The Secrets of the Self”. He also wrote the book “A Literary History of the Arabs”. Another prominent student of Nicholson was Arthur John Arberry, an Arabic-Persian expert and a Rumi admirer, who completed an academic English translation of the holy Qur’an as well as translation of Iqbal’s long ode in Persian “The Javid-Namah”  He died in 1945 in Chester in Cheshire.

151 solar years ago, on this day in 1868 AD, French astronomer, Pierre Janssen, discovered a previously unknown bright yellow line in the spectrum of the chromosphere of the sun during a solar eclipse he was observing from India. This was an indication of a new element. For over 30 years, it was assumed the element was only present in the sun since the spectral line was not observed in the lab until 1895 when William Ramsay examined a gas released from treating the mineral cleveite. Ramsay named the new element “helium” after the Greek word “helios” for the sun.

148 lunar years ago, on this day in 1292 AH, the first edition of the Persian language newspaper “Akhtar” was published in Istanbul, Turkey, by Aqa Mohammad Taher Tabrizi. It was the first Iranian paper published overseas in modern style. Many prominent figures published their articles in “Akhtar”, which gained fame in Iran, Caucasus, Ottoman Turkish Empire, India and Iraq. It played a crucial role in enlightening and informing the Iranian people, and also played a part in the victory of the Tobacco Movement against the British.

98 solar years ago, on this day in 1921 AD, Akhound Abdul-Karim Gazi bin Mahdi Gazi passed away at the age of 77. Born in the town of Gaz, near Isfahan, in a scholarly family, after preliminary studies in Isfahan, he left for the seminary of holy Najaf in Iraq, where he attained the status of Ijtihad. On return to Iran, he taught for several years at the Neem Avard Madrasah, training a several scholars. He was a prolific writer, and among his books, mention could be made of “Tadhkirat-al-Qobour” on the prominent persons buried in Isfahan. 

79 solar years ago, on this day in 1940 AD, the prominent Iranian painter, Mohammad Ghaffari, titled “Kamal ol-Molk” (Wonder of the State), passed away in exile near the northeastern Iranian city of Naishapur. He was a product of Tehran’s Dar ul-Fonoun School and on joining the court of the Qajarid King, Naser od-Din Shah, created valuable works of art. He painted 170 masterpieces in this era. He later traveled to Europe to acquire further knowledge in the field of painting and upon return to Iran groomed numerous students. He was exiled to a village in the vicinity of Naishapur by the British-installed Pahlavi potentate, Reza Khan, whose portrait he refused to paint. This renowned painter was laid to rest in the garden of the mausoleum of the acclaimed Iranian poet, Fareed od-Din Attar Naishapuri.

76 solar years ago, on this day in 1943 AD, General Ali-Agha Ismail-Agha Shikhlinski of Russian occupied Azarbaijan, died in Baku at the age of 78. Born in a noble family first mentioned in 1537 during the reign of Emperor Shah Tahmasb Safavi of Iran, his mother was a granddaughter of the famous Azeri poet Molla Vali Vidadi. After graduating from the Tiflis military academy he served as lieutenant-general of the Russian imperial army, and fought in the First World War. Earlier, during the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, as artillery commander, he distinguished himself during the siege of Port Arthur when, despite being severely wounded in his leg, he personally aimed the guns which had lost their gun crews and repulsed attacks of superior Japanese forces. Shikhlinski published a number of works on artillery, including the book titled “Use of Field Artillery in a Battle”, and invented an original target-finding device, which was called “Shiklinski triangle”. After the October revolution by the communists, he resigned from his post and moved to Tiflis, where he was charged with formation of the Muslim corps supported by the Ottoman Army of Islam in the Battle of Baku against the Soviet army. In January 1919, the government of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic appointed him a deputy to the Minister of Defense. After the Red Army invasion of Azerbaijan and establishment of the Soviet regime there, Shikhlinski was arrested in 1922 and released two months later. He resigned from military service in 1929 and published his memoirs in 1944.

61 solar years ago, on this day in 1958 AD, Brojen Das of East Pakistan (presently Bangladesh) swam across the English Channel in a competition, as the first Asian to ever do it. He came first among 39 competitors.

40 solar years ago, on this day in 1979 AD, following armed sedition in the western border areas of Kurdistan Province and a bid by anti-revolutionaries to detach the strategic city of Paveh and adjoining regions from Iran, the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), issued a communiqué for mass mobilization forces to liberate the areas. Paveh had been surrounded by the anti-revolutionaries, with the active backing of the US, but the timely arrival of Basiji forces thwarted the bid of the separatists, and the whole region was cleared off seditious elements.

38 solar years ago, on this day in 1981 AD, Ayatollah Shaikh Baha od-Din Mahallati, passed away at the age of 85. After preliminary studies under his scholarly father, he left of the Islamic seminary of holy Najaf in Iraq, where he stayed for ten years, attaining the status of Ijtihad. On his return to Iran, he became popular amongst the people and was a firm supporter of the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA) in the struggle against the despotic Pahlavi regime.

28 solar years ago, on this day in 1991 AD, Iranian historian Seyyed Mohammad Moheet Tabatabaie passed away at the age of 89. Besides his native Persian, he was an expert in Arabic, English, French and some ancient Iranic languages. For years he taught at several scientific academies, and was regular face at scholastic seminaries, presenting highly researched articles on a wide variety of subjects. He has left behind some 2,500 research articles, while the books written by him include, “Seyyed Jamal od-Din and the Awakening of the Orient”, “Analytical History of the Iranian Media”, and “Evolution of Government in Iran after the Advent of Islam.”

23 solar years ago, on this day in 1996 AD, Ayatollah Qodratollah Vajdani Fakhr passed away at the age of 64. Born near Sarab in northwestern Iran, he studied at the Islamic seminary of holy Qom, where he attended the classes of prominent ulema, such as Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Hussain Boroujerdi, Seyyed Mohaqqeq Damad, Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Araki, and the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA). During his 40-year long missionary activities, which warranted his travels around the country and also abroad, he groomed thousands of scholars and intellectuals. He had permission to related hadith from several Sources of Emulation, and has written a number of books, which include “Norms of Etiquette in Islam”, “Ijtihad in Islam”, and the 16-volume “al-Fahriyya” on jurisprudence.

11 solar years ago, on this day in 2008 AD, President Pervez Musharaf of Pakistan had to resign due to threat of impeachment, after nine years in power, following his bloodless coup against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 1999. He was allowed to leave the country, but is currently under house arrest with several charges against him, following his return to Pakistan last year and unsuccessful bid to contest the parliamentary elections.

4 solar years ago, on this day in 2015 AD, Khaled al-As’ad, Syrian Archaeologist and Head of antiquities at the ancient city of Tadmour or Palmyra – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – was brutally beheaded at a public square in his hometown Palmyra in front of a large crowd, by takfiri terrorists of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. He was 81 years old and spent a lifetime in the excavations and restoration of Palmyra. He had become the principal custodian of the site for 40 years since 1963. Besides his native Arabic, he was fluent in several languages, including ancient Aramaic and regularly translated texts from this language until 2011. In 2001, he had announced the discovery of 700 7^th century silver coins bearing images of Iran’s Sassanid emperors, Khosrow I and Khosrow II, who ruled Iraq and parts of Syria before Islam. When he retired in 2003, his son Waleed took on the mantle of his work at Palmyra, and before the takfiri terrorists seized the city, father and son helped evacuate the city museum to a safe location. The fate of his son, who was also captured by the terrorists, is not yet known.

AS/SS