Today is Thursday; 23rd of the Iranian month of Aban 1398 solar hijri; corresponding to 16th of the Islamic month of Rabi al-Awwal 1441 lunar hijri; and November 14, 2019, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1454 solar years ago, on this day in 565 AD, Emperor Justinian I of Byzantine or the Eastern Roman Empire, died at the age of 83 after a 39-year reign, during which he was embroiled in a disastrous war with the Sassanid Empire of Iran. Having succeeded his maternal uncle Justin I in 527, he embarked on a policy of expansionism as he strove to become the emperor of the Western Roman Empire as well, when his generals conquered North Africa, Sicily, southern Spain and most of Italy including Rome from the Ostrogoths. On his eastern borders, however, he had to conclude an "Eternal Peace" in 532 with the new Iranian emperor, Khosrow Anushirvan by paying 11,000 pounds of gold, a year after the defeat of Roman forces near Callinicum in what is now Turkey by Emperor Qobad. In 540 the ‘Eternal Peace’ was broken because of Justinian’s intrigues in Armenia which made Khosrow I capture Beroea and then Antioch in Syria, resulting in the 22-year war that ended in 562 with conclusion of the “Fifty-Year Peace” and payment of 5,000 pounds of gold, plus 500 pounds of gold more each year to the Iranians by the Romans. Khosrow Anoushirvan’s prudent policy thus thwarted Roman designs in Syria, Anatolia, Armenia and Upper Mesopotamia, as he made sure that Rome would never be a threat to Iran by keeping close contacts with the Goths, the Huns, and the Arabs. Justinian during his long reign embellished his capital Constantinople with buildings, including a new Christian basilica – the Hagia Sophia, which is Greek for “Holy Wisdom” – as seat of the Greek Orthodox Church. He also codified the Roman law which serves as the basis of modern law in most European states.

1441 lunar years ago, on this day, a few days after his Hijra or migration from Mecca, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), held the first-ever public Friday Prayer. This landmark congregation was held on the outskirts of Medina at Qoba, where on the Prophet’s instructions the construction of the first-ever mosque had started on Rabi al-Awwal 12. The Prophet had halted at Qoba to await his dear cousin, Imam Ali (AS), who on his instructions had agreed to sleep on his bed the night of Hijra so that he could migrate undetected from the assassins hovering around the abode of divine revelation. The Prophet had also instructed the Imam to return to the people of Mecca the things they used to keep as safe-custody with him as “Amin” (Trustworthy). After three days, the Imam, for whose selfless risking of life on the night of Hijra, God Almighty revealed to the Prophet ayah 207 of Surah Baqarah, left Mecca and a few days later arrived in Qoba with the ladies of the Bani Hashem clan, including his mother, Fatema bint Asad (SA), and his future wife, the Prophet's Immaculate daughter, Hazrat Fatema Zahra (SA). The Prophet's holding of the first-ever Friday Prayer is indicative of the religious, social, cultural, and political importance of this congregational ritual, which Muslims have been recommended to perform every week.

1095 lunar years ago, on this day in 346 AH, the noted Islamic historian and geographer, Ali bin Hussain al-Mas’oudi, passed away in Egypt at the age of 62. Born in Baghdad in an Arab family descended from Abdullah ibn Mas’oud, the prominent companion of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), like his ancestor he was a staunch follower of the Ahl al-Bayt. He is sometimes referred to as the Herodotus of the Arabs, and was one of the first to combine history and scientific geography in a large-scale work, as is evident in his famous book “Morouj az-Zahab wa Ma’adan al-Jawaher” (Meadows of Gold and Mines of Gems), which is an encyclopedic history of the world. Mas’oudi widely travelled and his journeys took him to most of the Persian provinces, Armenia, Georgia and other regions of the Caspian Sea; as well as to Arabia, Syria and Egypt. He also travelled to the Indus Valley, and other parts of India, especially the western coast; and he voyaged more than once to East Africa. He also sailed on the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, the Mediterranean and the Caspian. It is said that Sri Lanka and China were also among the lands he visited, as is evident by the precise information he has provided to readers over a millennium ago. Among the other writings of Mas’oudi mention could be made of “at-Tanbih wa’l-Ishraaf” (Book of Admonition and Revision).

1079 solar years ago, on this day in 940 AD, Abu’l-Fazl Mohammad ibn Obaidollah Bal'ami, the able vizier of the Iranian Samanid dynasty of Central Asia, passed away. He was from Marv and in 921 was appointed vizier by Amir Nasr II – a position he held until 938. He assisted the Amir in defeating the Zaydi invasion of Khorasan, and later crushed the rebellion of the Amir’s brothers. He was a patron of scholars and poets, including the famous Persian poet, Rudaki. He is known as Bal’ami-e Bozorg or Elder, while his equally efficient son, Mohammad, who also served as vizier and was a prominent historian, is known as Bal’ami-e Kuchak or Younger.

1043 solar years ago, on this day in 976 AD, Emperor Zhao Kuangyin, founder of the Song Dynasty of China, was murdered at the age of 49 after a 16-year rule by his brother who usurped the throne. Also known by his temple name Taizu, he was a distinguished military general under the Later Zhou, and came to power by staging a coup d'état that forced the young Emperor Gong of Later Zhou to abdicate power. During his reign, he conquered the states of Southern Tang, Later Shu, Southern Han and Jingnan, thus reunifying most of China and effectively ending the tumultuous Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.

486 solar years ago, on this day in 1533 AD, Ecuador in South America was occupied by Spanish invaders. Ecuador was Spain’s colony for three centuries, until in the year 1822 it was liberated by the people led by Simon Bolivar. It became part of the Federation of Greater Columbia, which dissolved in 1830. Ecuador covers an area of 283,561 sq km and is located along the Pacific Ocean’s coastlines. Its capital is Quito, and it shares borders with Columbia and Peru.

370 lunar years ago, on this day in 1071 AH, the prominent jurist and scholar, Mullah Abdullah Touni Basharwi, known as Fazel Touni, passed away in Kermanshah, western Iran. A product of the seminary of Isfahan, he wrote several books, including "al-Wafiyah" on the fundamentals of faith.

303 solar years ago, on this day in 1716 AD, German philosopher and mathematician, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, died at the age of 70. He founded the science of differential calculus in 1676.

222 solar years ago, on this day in 1797 AD, Scottish geologist and scientist, Charles Lyell, was born. He was the first European to classify geology as a separate branch of science in emulation of Islamic scientists. Following years of research and study, he published in three volumes “The Principles of the Science of Geology”. He died in 1875.

130 solar years ago, on this day in 1889 AD, one of the prominent leaders of India’s struggles against British colonial rule, Jawaharlal Nehru, was born in Allahabad, in northern India in a Kashmiri family. He graduated in law from London, and on returning home, started his struggles against Britain after joining the Congress Party. He was arrested several times, and on release carried on his struggle as a disciple of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Following India's independence, Nehru became the country's first prime minister, a post he held for 16 years until his death in 1964. During his imprisonment, he wrote lengthy letters to his daughter, Indira Gandhi, and later compiled them in book form under the titles “The Discovery of India” and “Glimpses of World History”, which also deal with the glories of the Islamic civilization and ancient Iranian culture. Nehru was well versed in English, Urdu, Persian and Hindi languages, and was one of the founders of the Non Aligned Movement when the capitalist west and the communist east were converting world countries into satellite states. His daughter, Indira Gandhi, was elected prime minister in 1965 and proved to be an efficient administrator, who successfully resisted US pressures and hegemony.

130 solar years ago, on this day in 1889 AD, the prominent author and literary figure of Egypt, Dr. Taha Hussein, was born. He went blind in childhood, but given his high intelligence, he studied hard and obtained PhDs at Egyptian universities and later at the universities of Montpellier and Sorbonne in France. Thereafter, he rendered valuable services in the domain of literature and culture, including the foundation of the University of Alexandria. He was appointed to senior cultural posts and briefly served as Egypt’s minister of education. He has left behind a large number of compilations such as “History of Arabic Literature” “Ibn Khaldoun’s Philosophy” and “al-Fitnat-al-Kubra” or The Great Sedition that deals with the sorry state of affairs of the caliphate after the passing away of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). He also wrote “Hafez and Shawqi”, which is a comparison between two great poets of the Persian and Arabic language, that is, Iran’s Khwaja Hafez Shirazi and Egypt’s Poet Laureate, Ahmad Shawqi. Taha Hussein passed away in 1973.

42 solar years ago, on this day in 1977 AD, vociferous chants of “Death to the Shah” by a huge protest rally of Iranians in the US – the biggest since the Vietnam War – which rent the air in Washington– was attacked by police forces using teargas that drifted inside the White House to moisten the eyes of both President Jimmy Carter and Mohammad Reza Shah of Iran, who were posing for the press, but ended up providing a sad spectacle to the TV cameras. Over a hundred protestors were injured. The Pahlavi potentate was in the US to submit a report on his suppression of Iranian people under the so-called ‘Open Atmosphere’ policy and to seek new instructions for more suppression.

40 solar years ago, on this day in 1979 AD, a few days after banning of oil imports from the Islamic Republic of Iran, the US regime illegally froze all Iran’s hard currency assets in its banks, totaling scores of billions of dollars. With the blockade of Iran’s banking accounts, the US regime increased economic pressures on the Islamic Republic of Iran which continue to this day. A few days prior to this measure, Iran had stopped oil exports to the US because of American lawlessness.

9 solar years ago, on this day in 2010 AD, Iran’s Entekhab Industrial Group signed a contract sealing its acquisition of South Korea's Daewoo Electronics for some $518 million. Daewoo was set up in the 1960s and became one of the biggest companies in the world before it disintegrated in financial disarray in the 1990s. Its shipbuilding and auto units are now independent companies in their own right.

6 solar years ago, on this day in 2013 AD, Saudi-backed terrorists carried out twin bomb blasts at a religious gathering at as-Sa’diyah in Iraq on the anniversary of Ashura, resulting in the martyrdom of over 50 people and wounding of more than a hundred other men, women, and children.

AS/SS