Today is Thursday; 14th of the Iranian month of Shahrivar 1398 solar hijri; corresponding to 5th of the Islamic month of Muharram 1441 lunar hijri; and September 5, 2019, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

Some 3,506 lunar years ago, on this day, by the command of God Almighty waters parted for Prophet Moses (AS) to cross into Sinai safely from Egypt along with the Israelites who had been enslaved by the Pharaoh. When the Pharaoh tried to pursue Moses, the waters merged and drowned him and his forces. Islam considers Moses one of the five great prophets – the others being Noah, Abraham, Jesus, and the last and greatest of them all, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).

1429 solar years ago, on this day in 590, Hormizd IV, the 21st Sassanid Emperor of Iran-Iraq-Afghanistan, was deposed, blinded and killed at the age of 50 after a reign of 11 years by Vistahm and Vinduyih, the maternal uncles of his son and successor, Khosrow II Pervez. Son of Khosrow I Anushirvan, he inherited his father’s wars against Byzantine or the Eastern Roman Empire in the west for control of Syria and Anatolia, and against the Turks in the northeast over Central Asia. Despite the victory of his armies over the Turks in the east, and success in checking the advance of the Romans in the west, it was the arrogance, violent temper and breach of promise of Hormizd IV that made his brothers-in-law turn against him in the midst of the rebellion of his victorious general, Bahram Chubin, who would seize the Sassanid capital, Ctesiphon (near Baghdad in Iraq) and style himself king, before being defeated and killed by Khosrow II.

1380 lunar years ago, on this day in 61 AH, the forces of Yazid continued to converge upon Karbala in thousands, in a bid to pressure Imam Husain (AS) to surrender to the tyrannical Omayyad ruler. Obaidullah ibn Ziyad, the bloodthirsty governor of Iraq stationed a force of five-hundred horsemen under Zahr bin Qays on the Sadah Bridge on the Euphrates to prevent anyone from Kufa to join Imam Husain (AS) in Karbala. Amer ibn Salamah, a staunch follower of the Ahl al-Bayt of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), who had the honour of accompanying Imam Ali (AS) to the battles imposed upon the Commander of the Faithful by the seditionists and hypocrites, dauntlessly attacked the forces of Zahr bin Qays and breaking through their ranks, rode fearlessly to Karbala to join Imam Husain (AS). Amer eventually drank the elixir of martyrdom on the Day of Ashura (Muharram 10) to sacrifice his life for the ideals of faith, justice, and piety, of the Prophet’s grandson.

1320 solar years ago, on this day in 699 AD, the Iranian Sunni Muslim Jurisprudent, Noman Ibn Sabet Ibn Zuṭa Ibn Marzuban, known as Abu Hanifa, was born in Kufa in a family of Zoroastrian origin from Kabul. He learned the holy Qur’an and hadith, and after only two years of study under Imam Ja’far Sadeq (AS), the 6th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), he started his own jurisprudential school, known as Hanafi. Contrary to the definition of Ijtihad, based on the holy Qur’an and the genuine hadith of the Prophet, he resorted to "qiyas" or analogy regarding legal issues, despite warnings from Imam Sadeq (AS) that the first one to indulge in "qiyas" was Iblis (Satan). He died in Baghdad at the age of 68.

353 solar years ago, on this day in 1666 AD, the Great Fire of London, which began on September 2 finally ended. Ten thousand buildings including St Paul's Cathedral were destroyed.

247 solar years ago, on this day in 1772 AD, Fath-Ali Shah, the second king of the Qajarid Dynasty of Iran, was born. Son of Hussain Qoli Khan, the brother of the founder of the dynasty, Agha Mohammad Khan, he was governor of Fars and succeeded his childless uncle on his assassination in 1797. Much of his 37-year long reign that saw the gradual loss of vast areas of Iran in the Caucasus, Khorasan, Sistan-Baluchestan, Central Asia and the Persian Gulf, was marked by the resurgence of Persian arts and painting, as well as a deeply elaborate court culture. Portraiture and large-scale oil paintings reached new heights under his personal patronage. While the economic conditions of the people declined, Fath Ali Shah ordered the creation of royal regalia, including coronation chairs such as the bejeweled "Takht-e-Tavoos" (Peacock Throne) – modeled on the famous Peacock Throne of the Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan, which Nader Shah Afshar had brought as booty from India, and which was dismantled and distributed amongst his generals after his assassination. Fath Ali Shah also modified with a large number of pearls and gems his uncle’s crown, the "Taj-e-Kiyani". He led a life of luxury oblivious of the poverty of the people and the political humiliation to Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as a result of the Russian-imposed Golestan and Turkmanchai Treaties, coupled with growing British pressures and encroachments. When his son and crown prince Abbas Mirza died on 25 October 1833, he named the latter’s son (his grandson) Mohammed Mirza as successor.

226 solar years ago, on this day in 1793 AD, the Reign of Terror began during the French Revolution as the National Convention instituted harsh measures to repress counter-revolutionary activities. A delegate claiming that the middle class Girondist (moderates) leaders be sentenced to death cried, "It is time for equality to wield its scythe over all the heads. Very well, Legislator, place Terror on the agenda!" The delegates agreed to arrest all suspects and dissenters, try them swiftly in the so-called revolutionary tribunals, and sentence them uniformly to death.

201 solar years ago, on this day in 1818 AD, the ministry of foreign affairs was established for the first time in Iran, with Mirza Abu’l-Hassan Khan Shirazi as foreign minister, operating under the country’s prime minister, who in turn was responsible to the Qajarid Shah. It was the first ministry in Iran, and before that the Department of External Affairs used to handle Iran’s foreign relations. Gradually other ministries were established to take care of the different areas of work entrusted to the prime minister, as bureaucracy grew.

195 lunar years ago, on this day in 1246 AH, the prominent Indian Islamic scholar, Allamah Mir Hamed Hussain Musavi, was born in a religious family. He was the son of Mir Mohammad Quli Musavi Kintoori, the author of “Burhan as-Sa`adah”, which is a refutation of the 7th Chapter of the seditious book of Shah Abdul-Aziz Dehlavi against the beliefs of the Ahl al-Bayt of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) titled “Tuhfeye- Ithna Ashariyyah”. Well versed in theology, hadith, and other Islamic sciences, Hamed Hussain devoted his entire life to research and writing, for which he travelled around the Islamic world and browsed whole libraries. He authored several books, his magnum opus being the voluminous “Abaqaat al-Anwaar” on merits of Prophet Mohammad’s (SAWA) Ahl al-Bayt, as mentioned in the holy Qur'an by God Almighty and the Hadith. This valuable work which has been printed in Iran is a well-documented and rational refutation of the Abdul-Aziz Dehlavi’s highly fabricated book.

171 solar years ago, on this day in 1848 AD, Mohammad Shah Qajar, the 3rd ruler of the Qajarid Dynasty of Iran, died at the age of 40, after a reign of 14 years, and was succeeded by his 16-year old son, Nasser od-Din Shah, with the famous reformist prime minster, Mirza Taqi Khan Amir Kabir as regent. Son of the famous crown prince, Abbas Mirza, who predeceased Fath Ali Shah, he succeeded his grandfather, and twice tried to unsuccessfully liberate Herat, the “Pearl of Khorasan” from Afghan occupation, but was thwarted by the British, who sent naval forces to the Persian Gulf to occupy Khark island and threaten Bushehr. It was during his rule that the symbol of “Shir-va-Khorshid” (Lion and Sun) against a red, white, and green background became the flag of Iran.

162 solar years ago, on this day in 1857 AD, the French philosopher and mathematician, August Comte, died at the age of 65. Considered Founder of Modern Sociology, he also presented significant views in mathematics, philosophy, physics, and astronomy. In the last years of his life he founded a new school of thought known as "Religion of Humanity". He wrote several books including "Philosophical Treatise on Popular Astronomy".

142 solar years ago, on this day in 1877 AD, four months after his peaceful surrender to end the warfare between the Amerindian natives and the US regime, Oglala Sioux chief ‘Crazy Horse’ was treacherously bayoneted to death by a white soldier at Fort Robinson in Nebraska, at the age of 37.

132 solar years ago, on this day in 1887 AD, the Yellow River floods in China took place. This major flooding lasted more than a month, claiming the life of nearly 900,000 people. Hundreds of villages and farmlands were destroyed.

131 lunar years ago, on this day in 1310 AH, the prominent Iranian scholar Mullah Ahmad Fazel-e Naraqi, passed away. He was born in Azarbaijan Province, northwestern Iran, and studied at the famous seminary of holy Najaf in Iraq under such great scholars as Sheikh Morteza Ansari. Following his return to Iran, he groomed a large number of students. He has left behind numerous books on various topics including an exegesis of the holy Qur’an

114 solar years ago, on this day in 1905 AD, the Russo-Japanese War ended after a year and a half with signing of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty in New Hampshire, US, mediated by US President Theodore Roosevelt.

50 solar years ago, on this day in 1969 AD, of the 22 cowardly US soldiers involved in sadistic savagery at My Lai village in Vietnam, only William Calley was charged with six specifications of premeditated murder for the cold-blooded killing of 109 Vietnamese men, women and children, including infants, on 16th March 1968. Some of the bodies were later found to be mutilated and many women raped prior to the killings. The massacre prompted global outrage when it became public knowledge in 1969. It also increased domestic opposition to the US involvement in the Vietnam War. Three US servicemen who had tried to halt the massacre and protect the wounded were denounced by several US Congressmen as traitors in an attempt to cover up the massacre. They received hate mail and death threats. The three were later widely praised and decorated by the army for their heroic actions. As for the chief culprit William Calley, he was originally given a life sentence, but only served three and a half years under house arrest before being released, which shows the highly flawed nature of justice in the US.

38 solar years ago, on this day in 1981 AD, Iran's Prosecutor General, Ayatollah Ali Qoddusi, was martyred due to detonation of a bomb planted by MKO terrorists. He was a student of Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Hussain Boroujerdi, Allamah Seyyed Mohammad Hussain Tabatabai (the famous exegete of the holy Qur'an), and the Father of Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA). On attaining the status of Ijtehad, he actively participated in religious affairs including the foundation of the Haqqani Seminary. In 1962, he joined the Imam in the struggle against the Shah's regime, and was imprisoned for his revolutionary activities. On victory of the Islamic Revolution, he was appointed Prosecutor-General.

25 lunar years ago, on this day in 1416 AH, Ayatollah Sheikh Mohammad Baqer Kamarei Khomeini passed away at the age of 96 and was laid to rest in the courtyard of the mausoleum of Hazrat Abdul-Aziz Hassani in Rayy. An expert in Arabic and Persian literature, in addition to exegesis of the holy Qur’an, hadith, jurisprudence, history, and theology, he authored some fifty books on various topics, and was socially active till the end of his life.

19 solar years ago, on this day in 2000 AD, the scholar, Seyyed Morteza Ayatollahzadeh Shirazi, passed away at the age of 72, and was laid to rest in the Shaykhan Cemetery, adjacent to the holy shrine of Hazrat Fatema Ma’suma (SA) in Qom. Born in holy Najaf in Iraq, he was a grandson of Grand Ayatollah Mirza Mohammad Hassan Shirazi who had issued the tobacco prohibition fatwa to save Iranian economy from British exploitation. At the age of 23 he enrolled at Tehran University and on graduation travelled to Egypt, where he stayed for ten years, obtaining PhD in Arabic literature from Cairo University, and teaching Persian literature at al-Azhar University. He then left for Britain, where he completed a course at Cambridge University in Semitic languages. On return to Iran, he taught at Tehran University, where for 21 years he was also editor-in-chief of the Scientific-Research Journal of the Faculty of Literature. His articles appeared in academic journals in Iran and abroad. He wrote and translated some 25 books including “Farhang-e Istelahaat-e Rouz” (Lexicon of Current Phrases and Idioms), and the multilingual dictionary “Majma’ ol-Lughaat”.

AS/SS