Today is Friday; 15th of the Iranian month of Shahrivar 1397 solar hijri; corresponding to 6th of the Islamic month of Muharram 1441 lunar hijri; and September 6, 2019 of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

2067 solar years ago, on this day in 48 BC the Battle of Pharsalus broke out between two key members of The First Triumvirate ruling the Roman Empire, Julius Caesar and Pompey Magnus. Caesar emerged victorious and his former friend Pompey was killed. Born in October 101 BC, Caesar refused to be crowned as emperor, but nevertheless continued to wield dictatorial powers until he was assassinated at the Senate in Rome by several senators in a political conspiracy, including his friend Brutus.

2051 lunar years ago, on this day, Prophet Yahya (John the Baptist) was martyred by the Jewish king, Herod, when an adulteress after an enticing dance before him, asked for the head of the Prophet, who was tragically beheaded. Prophet Yahya has been mentioned several times in the holy Qur’an. In ayah 12 of Surah Maryam, God Almighty says: “O Yahya! Hold on with power to the Book! And We gave him judgement while still a child.”

According to hadith Yahya, whose birth to the aged Prophet Zakariyya and his equally old wife, was a miracle, was a mere 3-year old boy when God the All-Wise granted him the scripture and the sense of judgement.

According to Sa’eed bin Abdullah once he posed some questions to the young, less than 5-year old Imam Mahdi (AS), the 12^th and Last Infallible Heir of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), sitting in the lap of his father Imam Hasan Askari (AS). Sa’eed requested explanation of the opening ayah of Surah Maryam which begins with the disjointed letters (hurouf muqatta’aat) “Kāf, Hā, Yā, ʿAyn, Ṣād”. The boy Imam at once said that there is a great secret behind of these letters; Allah gave knowledge of these letters to Prophet Zakariyya and the last and Greatest Messenger, Prophet, Muhammad (SAWA). It is narrated that Zakariyya requested the Almighty to make him know the names of “As-Haab al-Kisaa” or People of the Book. God sent Archangel Gabriel teaching him these names. When Zakariyya was reciting the names of Muhammad, Ali, Fatemah, and Hasan, his tension and sadness dissipated at once but when he recited the name of Husain, his throat was choked and he started crying. Then one day he supplicated to God and asked the reason of his tears on reciting the name Husain. The Almighty informed him about the tragedy of Karbala by revealing these letters. Thus ‘Kāf’ stands for Karbala, Hā for Husain the Martyr, Yā for Yazid the perpetrator of the tragedy, Ayn for “atash” or thirst of Imam Husain and his family, and Ṣād for “sabr” or patience of Imam Husain. 

On learning this, Zakariyya was deeply saddened and supplicated to God, saying: O Lord! When You test Your Greatest Messenger through such grief in order to universalize the message of Islam, grant me a son, and I will prove myself to be Your truthful servant. O Allah make me cry and feel sad for my son’s sorrows. Allah the Merciful granted him the virtuous son named Yahya, who attained tragic martyrdom. It is said the earth and the heavens did not weep for anyone except Prophet Yahya and Imam Husain (AS).

1380 lunar years ago, on this day in 61 AH, Habib ibn Mazaher al-Assadi, a loyal companion of Imam Husain (AS), with the permission of the Imam who was surrounded by the Yazidi forces in Karbala, rode out under cover of darkness towards the tribal areas of his clansmen, the Bani Assad, to urge them to rally to the aid of the besieged grandson of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). Some 90 tribesmen answered his call and rode towards Karbala, but the commander of the Omayyad forces, Omar ibn Sa’d, on being informed of the situation, dispatched a 400-strong force under Azraq ash-Shami to block their entry. After a brief skirmish, seeing the odds were heavily against them, the Bani Assad tribesmen dispersed while Habib returned to Imam Husain (AS), who was the least perturbed and said there is no Power except that of God and we are content with the Will of the Almighty Creator. The 75-year old Habib, who had the honour of the company of Prophet Muhammad, Imam Ali, Imam Hasan, and Imam Husain (peace upon them), attained martyrdom on the Day of Ashura, fighting the Omayyad hordes to the last drop of his blood in defence of Islam, justice and all other virtues.

1380 lunar years ago, on this day in 61 AH, Imam Husain (AS) wrote a letter to his brother Mohammad al-Hanafiyya, and followers of the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt in Medina, emphasizing: “Indeed, anyone joining me (in Karbala) will attain martyrdom, while anyone who does not join me will not attain victory.” The letter has several messages. Firstly, it shows Imam Husain (AS) was aware of his impending martyred, along with his loyal companions in his epic stand against the tyrannical rule of Yazid. Secondly, after explicitly spelling out the fate of anyone standing firm beside him, he meant to say that all those desiring any other objective in siding with him, should leave – as is clear by his emphasis on several occasions that he was waiving aside the pledge of allegiance to him by his companions so that everyone was free to leave him without any hesitation. Thirdly, there is no victory for his killers even if they celebrate his death and the imprisoning of the children and womenfolk of the Prophet’s Household with festivities, as would soon be evident by the ignominious end of the perpetrators of the Tragedy of Karbala – battlefield commanders such as Omar ibn Sa’d, Shimr, etc; Obaidullah ibn Ziyad the cruel governor of Iraq in Kufa, and Yazid the Omayyud ryph in Damascus. Fourthly, his message may also refer to the numerous uprisings launched by followers of the Ahl al-Bayt to avenge the innocent blood of the martyrs of Karbala with varying degrees of success, but never fully victorious by the sword alone.

1035 lunar years ago, on this day in 406 AH, the famous Islamic scholar Seyyed Mohammad Ibn Hussain al-Musawi al-Baghdadi, better known as Sharif Razi, passed away at the age of 47. He was a child prodigy. Along with his elder brother, Sharif Murtaza, he was a student of the celebrated scholar Shaikh Mufid. He was also a poet and a symbol of selflessness and devotion in his social activities. He wrote several books on a wide variety of topics such as exegesis of the holy Qur’an, theology, history, Arabic literature, and hadith. His fame, however, rests on his compilation of the book “Nahj al-Balaghah” (Highway of Eloquence), which contains the sermons, letters, and maxims of the Commander of the Faithful, the Prophet’s First Infallible Successor, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS). The book is testimony to the Imam’s unparalleled eloquence which is considered, even by non-Muslim Arabic scholars, to be next only to God’s Revealed Word, the holy Qur’an. His other works include: "Haqa’eq at-Tanzeel", and "Mu’jazaat al-Qur’an".

708 solar years ago, on this day in 1311 AD, Spanish physician Arnaldus de Villa Nova of Villanova, who through acquaintance with the Muslims of Spain, learned Arabic and transferred vital medical information on the heart, drugs, and health regimens to Europe, died in a shipwreck off the coast of Genoa, at the age of 76. He travelled widely and translated into Latin the works of Abu as-Salt and of the famous Iranian physician, Abu Ali ibn Sina, known to medieval Europe as Avicenna. As a result the Christian Church became his enemy and Pope Benedict XI ordered his imprisonment in Paris in 1309, while the Sorbonne University ordered the burning of his books. The inquisitor of Tarragona condemned him, and fifteen of his propositions were censured.

597 solar years ago, on this day in 1422 AD, Sultan Murad II ended the first full-scale Ottoman siege of Constantinople, in retaliation to Byzantine Emperor Manuel II's attempts to interfere in the succession of Ottoman Sultans, after the death of Mohammad I a year before. When Murad II emerged as the winning successor to his father, he marched upon the capital of the Byzantine Empire, which in fact had been reduced to a few disconnected strips of land besides the city of Constantinople itself. It was also facing grave economic problems and severely lacked soldiers. Although Murad II lifted the siege, the respite did not last long for the Byzantines, who were obliterated from history 32 years later by the next Ottoman Sultan, Mohammad II in 1453.

453 solar years ago, on this day in 1566 AD, Suleiman I, the 10^th Ottoman sultan and the 2^nd self-styled Turkish caliph, died at the age of 72 at Szigetvar, Hungary, as his troops besieged a fortress during their expansion in south central Europe. His corpse was brought to the capital Istanbul for burial. Son of Selim I and a daughter of Mengli Giray Khan of the Crimean Khanate, during his 46-year long rule, the Mediterranean Sea became a Turkish lake, as his admirals, especially Khayr od-Din Pasha (Barbarossa to the Europeans), took most of the North African coasts and successfully raided the southern European coasts of Italy, France, and Spain, and the Adriatic islands, defeating the navies of the Christian powers and the pope. In the east, Suleiman’s all three invasions of Iran’s Safavid Empire ended in failure, because of the wise policies of Shah Tahmasp I, who let the Ottomans take Baghdad by evacuating his forces, but strongly blunted their attacks in western Iran and the Caucasus, resulting in signing of the 30-year Peace of Amasya. Suleiman’s empire began a gradual decline under his slothful son, Selim II. An accomplished poet in Turkish and Persian, Suleiman was known as “Qanouni” (Lawgiver), and carried out administrative reforms that included the switch to Turkish as the state language from Persian in which all officials records had hitherto been kept for centuries. Suleiman built several monuments such as libraries, baths, and mosques, such as Suleimaniyeh Mosque, perhaps the finest mosque built by the Ottomans.

350 solar years ago, on this day in 1669 AD, the longest siege in history ended with the victory of the Ottomans who took the Venetian-ruled city of Candia (modern Heraklion in Crete) after 21 years, having begun the siege in 1648.

211 solar years ago, on this day 1808 AD, Algerian freedom fighter, Abdul-Qader ibn Mohi od-Din al-Hassani al-Jaza'iri, was born near Mascara in Oran. He claimed descent from Imam Hasan Mojtaba (AS), the elder grandson of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). In 1825, he set out for the Hajj pilgrimage. In Mecca, he met with and was impressed by Imam Shamil of Daghestan, the leader of the struggle against Russian expansion in the Caucasus which had recently been seized by the Czar from the Qajarid rulers of Iran. He also visited Syria and Iraq. After five years, he returned to his homeland in 1930 a few months before the Ottoman Turks lost it to the French invaders. He led the military struggle against France, organizing guerrilla warfare over the next decade. His failure to get support from the eastern tribes and the Berbers of the west led to the quelling of his uprising. On December 21, 1847, after being denied refuge in Morocco because of French pressure, he surrendered and was exiled to France, where he remained under detention until 1852. He was released on taking an oath never again to question French rule in Algeria. In 1855 he settled in Damascus, where he died in Damascus on 26 May 1883. Abdul-Qader had unfortunately become a member of the notorious Jewish secret organization, the Freemasons.

62 solar years ago, on this day in 1957 AD, Iranian painter, sculptor, and journalist, Ali Divandari, was born in Sabzevar in Khorasan Province. He is an excellent cartoonist, painter, graphic designer, sculptor and journalist. He studied Graphics at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Tehran University. He began his career as Graphic Designer and Cartoonist in 1975. In 1997, he directed a new International Cartoon Festival in Iran with a main theme of "Man and Nature - Only One, Share & Care". He has also presided as a jury member of several cartoon exhibitions in Iran and Turkey. His works have been published in many international newspapers and magazines and have been exhibited in over than 34 countries

54 solar years ago, on this day in 1965 AD, the second war between India and Pakistan broke out over the disputed region of Kashmir. It ended three weeks later through ceasefire mediated by the Soviet Union. The leaders of India and Pakistan negotiated as of January 10, 1966, in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, where shortly after signing of a peace accord with Pakistani president, Field Marshal Ayub Khan, India’s Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri died of a heart attack. Kashmir remains a matter of dispute between the two sides.

45 solar years ago, on this day in 1974 AD, Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Mahmoud Hussaini Shahroudi, passed away in holy Najaf, Iraq, at the age of 91. Born near Bastaam in northeastern Iran, after studying at the seminary of holy Mashhad, he went to Iraq for higher studies at the famous seminary of holy Najaf. On attaining the status of Ijtehad, he became “Marja” or Source of Emulation for world Muslims. He wrote several books, and among his services was the revival of the traditional walk from different cities to the holy city of Karbala for pilgrimage to the shrine of Imam Husain (AS)

41 solar years ago, on this day in 1978 AD, with the progress of struggles of the Iranian people against Shah's despotic regime, huge demonstrations were held nationwide. The regime scared of the people's anger banned public protests. The Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA) issued a fatwa from his exile in the holy city of Najaf in Iraq, calling on the Iranian people to continue their struggles until the downfall of the oppressive regime, and terming the holding of demonstrations for attainment of Islamic goals as “a form of worship." 

37 solar years ago, on this day in 1982 AD, a massive bomb explosion was triggered by MKO terrorists at peak hours in the busy Nasser Khosrow Street of central Tehran, resulting in the martyrdom of scores of innocent men, women, and children, and injury to hundreds of others. The explosion left a huge crater in the street and was heard almost all over Tehran. It was designed to demoralize the people, following a string of defeats suffered by the invading Ba’thist army at the battlefronts of the war imposed by the US through its agent, Saddam, who was openly allied with the MKO terrorists. Of the 17,000 Iranian citizens martyred by the terrorists, the MKO have claimed responsibility for killing 12,000 of them.  

17 solar years ago, on this day in 2002, the Islamic Republic of Iran successfully test fired the solid fuel surface-to-surface “Fateh 110 A” ballistic missile which has a range of around 500 km, as part of the country’s self-sufficiency drive in the field of defence, in order to deter any would-be-aggressor. 

16 solar years ago, on this day in 2003 AD, Iranian mountaineer, Mohammad Oraz, died in Islamabad, Pakistan, at the age of 34 during an attempt to climb Mount Gasherbrum in the Himalayas. Born in Naqadeh in West Azarbaijan Province, he was the second Iranian to conquer Mount Everest. An ethnic Kurd and graduate of Orumiyeh University, Oraz and his compatriot Moqbel Honarpajhouh were caught up in an avalanche. They were rescued and transferred to Shafa Hospital in Islamabad, where his colleague survived but he died 20 days later. The successful international ascents of Oraz include: Mount Rakapushi, Pakistan in 1998; Mount Everest, Nepal in1998; Mount Cho Oyu, Nepal in 2000; Mount Shishapangma, Nepal in 2000, Mount Makalu, Nepal in 2001; Mount Ararat, Turkey in 2001; Mount Lhotse, Nepal in 2002; and up to 7900-meter of Gasherbrum I, Pakistan in 2003.

14 solar years ago, on this day in 2005 AD, the Islamic Republic of Iran offered to send the US 20 million barrels of crude oil to help it overcome the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, as part of its Islamic and humanitarian policy of assisting the afflicted people of even a hostile state that imposed illegal sanctions upon it.

14 solar years ago, on this day in 2005 AD, noted Pakistani journalist, writer and a senior Urdu language poet, Hassan Abedi, passed away in Karachi at the age of 76. Born in Jaunpur, India, and educated in Azamgarh and Allahabad, he moved to Pakistan after its creation in 1947, and settled in Karachi. He was also an active member of the Irtiqa or progressive forum. His compilations of poetry are “Navisht-e Nai” (1995), “Jareeda” (1998) and “Farar Hona Huroof Ka” (2004). As a poet he mainly wrote ghazals (lyrics), as well as other poems, which are a narrative of the socio-political aspects of the society.

13 solar years ago, on this day in 2006 AD, the Islamic Republic of Iran unveiled its first domestically manufactured fighter plane during large-scale military exercises. The bomber “Sa’eqah” or Thunderbolt is similar to the American F-18 fighter plane, but more powerful.

AS/SS