Today is Friday; 6th of the Iranian month of Dey 1398 solar hijri; corresponding to 30th of the Islamic month of Rabi as-Sani 1441 lunar hijri; and December 27, 2019, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

978 lunar years ago, on this day in 463 AH, Spanish Muslim scholar, Yousuf ibn Abdullah, popularly known as “Ibn al-Abdul-Bir”, passed away at the age of 95 in Shateba – currently called Xativa. Born in Qortaba, a city in Spain which is called Cordoba today, he was a leading Sunni jurist who initially adhered to the Zaheri School of jurisprudence founded by the Iranian Dawoud ibn Ali az-Zaheri of Isfahan, but later in life became a follower of the Malekite School. In his work, “al-Ist’aab fi Ma’rifat al-Ashaab” (“The Comprehensive List of Names of the Companions”), he has considered as a ‘companion’ any person who even once in life met Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). Nonetheless, he has acknowledged the unrivalled merits of the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt or Blessed Household of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). His other works include “al-Aql wa’l-Uqala” (“Reason and the People of Wisdom”), and “al-Qasd wa’l-Umam fî Nasab al-Arab wa’l-Ajam” (“Endeavors and the Nations: Genealogies of the Arabs and Non-Arabs”).

501 solar years ago, on this day in 1518 AD, Mahmood Shah II, the last independent sultan of the Bahmani kingdom of Iranian origin of the Deccan (southern India), died at the age of 48 after a reign of 36 years and with his death the 171-year old sultanate disintegrated into five independent Muslim kingdoms.  Mahmood Shah II had ascended the famous Turquoise Throne of Bidar as a 12-year old boy, under a regency council headed by his widowed mother on the death of his father Mohammad Shah Lashkari. His early reign was characterised by the conflict between the Deccan nobles and the rising power of the Iranian migrant nobles, who were protégés of the assassinated highly capable Prime Minister Mahmood Gavaan of Gilan, Iran, especially the governor of Bijapur province, Yusuf Adel Khan Saveji of Saveh, Iran. An attempt to assassinate the Sultan by a group of disgruntled Deccani nobles in 1487 led to the slaughter of many of the conspirators and the strengthening of the position of the Iranian migrant nobles. The Sultan's obviously weak position led to increasing unrest amongst the nobles, particularly the powerful regional governors, some of whom, like Fathullah Imad ul-Mulk of Berar who quietly assumed the titles of royalty and styled himself Imad Shah. Others started open rebellion. Qasim Bareed, a Persianized Turk from the Caucasus, defeated the royal army in the capital, Bidar, and imposed himself upon Mahmood Shah II as prime minister and de facto ruler of the sultanate. Mahmood Shah II now lived a life of indulgence, and in order to meet his high expenditure, he had jewels extracted from the Turquoise Throne and used for payment. On 28 May 1490, the governor of Ahmadnagar, Malik Ahmad Nizam ul-Mulk, defeated the royal army and established the Ahmadnagar Sultanate, styling himself as Nizam Shah. Yusuf Adel Khan Saveji followed suit creating the Adel Shahi dynasty at Bijapur, while in 1518, another Iranian migrant noble, the governor of Telangana, Sultan Quli Qutb ol-Mulk Qara Qoyounlu of Hamedan, Iran, declared himself independent at Golkandah with the title of Qotb Shah. The Bahmani Sultan’s son and successor, Ahmad Shah II, had no authority and was a mere powerless puppet of the new Bareed Shahi dynasty of Bidar. The Bahmani dynasty promoted Persian language, culture, art and architecture in southern India, inviting poets, architects, scientists, ulema and talented persons from Iran, Iraq and Central Asia, including the family of the famous Iranian mystic, Shah Ne’matollah Vali of Kerman.

448 solar years ago, on this day in 1571 AD, German astronomer and mathematician, Johannes Kepler, was born. He became interested in astronomy through his astronomer friend, Tycho Brahe. The West likes to claim that he discovered the movement of Mars in an oval orbit and the three laws of planetary motion in astronomy, which were actually discovered long before him by Islamic scientists, whose translated works he had access to.

223 solar years ago, on this day in 1796 AD, famous Urdu and Persian poet of the Subcontinent, Mirza Asadollah Khan Ghaleb was born in Agra in a Persianized Turkic family, whose ancestors had migrated to India from Samarqand. Well versed with the Persian, Arabic, Turkic and Urdu languages, he excelled in composing “ghazals” (lyrics) in a unique style. His choice of words, philosophical references, delicate metaphors, and witticism, has made his poetry, highly popular in India, Pakistan, and wherever Urdu speakers are found. He also initiated a new style in letter-writing which greatly influenced the development of Urdu language. Ghaleb was an accomplished poet in Persian, composing “ghazals” and “qasidahs” (panegyrics) in praise of noblemen as well as Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). He was a devout follower of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS) and the Infallible Ahl al-Bayt. His Persian Diwan is four times the size of his Urdu Diwan and has been published in Iran. He died in 1869 at the age of 73.

197 solar years ago, on this day in 1822 AD, French physician and chemist, Louis Pasteur, was born. He presented new theories on contagious diseases such as rabies, and made major discoveries in this domain. His innovative methods in treatment of infectious ailments and identification of microbes revolutionized the principles of hygiene. France set up Pasteur Institute in his honour in 1888 in his memory.

145 solar years ago, on this day in 1874 AD, prominent Bengali Muslim scholar of pre-partition India, Khan Bahadur Ahsarullah, was born in Nalta Sharif, Satkhira District of what is now Bangladesh. He was an educator, litterateur, Islamic theologist and social reformer. He completed his MA in Philosophy from Presidency College, Kolkata in 1895, and went on to serve as the first Muslim Headmaster of Rajshahi Collegiate School. In 1911 he was elected as a member of the Royal Society (MRSA) of London. He served as a Senator of the University of Calcutta, and was especially active in the movement to establish the University of Dhaka after establishment of Pakistan. He passed away in his hometown Nalta Sharif at the age of 92 in what was then East Pakistan. The Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology of Bangladesh is named after him. He wrote around 100 books on different contents. Among his notable works are: “Teachers’ Manual”, “History of the Muslim World” and “Prophet Mohammad (SAWA)”.

80 solar years ago, on this day in 1939 AD, a deadly earthquake hit Erzinjan, in Turkey, killing 30,000 people and making hundreds of thousands  of others homeless.

74 solar years ago, on this day in 1945 AD, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was set up under UN auspices. IMF goals include fixation of currency rates, facilitation of balanced international commercial development and growth, and promotion of jobs. The right to vote in IMF depends on contribution. Hence, the Western states, especially the US, which is home to IMF headquarters, exploit this organization. The unrealistic conditions of IMF for payment of loans have led to protests by third world countries. IMF is now a tool of the US for pressuring independent countries, and if possible ruining their economies.

74 solar years ago, on this day in 1945 AD, following end of World War II, the Moscow Pact for division of the Korean Peninsula was inked by the US, Britain, and the Soviet Union. Korea was divided at the 38^th parallel as North and South, with US forces stationed in South Korea to deter unification and to cause tension in the region.

70 solar years ago, on this day in 1949 AD, as a result of the Indonesian National Revolution, the Netherlands officially recognized Indonesia as independent, thereby marking the end of the Dutch East Indies that was set up in 1800. In 1945, after World War 2 and Japanese occupation of the country, the Indonesian people started their armed struggle until they achieved formal independence four years later. The Indonesian independence movement actually began in May 1908 – commemorated as the Tahun Kebangkitan Bangsa (Year of National Awakening). Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim country, with over 200 million following the Islamic faith.

12 solar years ago, on this day in 2007 AD, Former Prime Minister of Pakistan and Leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Mrs. Benazir Bhutto, was killed in Rawalpindi, by terrorist gunfire and bomb blasts, along with twenty other people. Born in Karachi in 1953 to Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who later became Prime Minister, her mother Nosrat was an Iranian settled in the Subcontinent. She completed her studies in Harvard University in the US, and at Oxford University in England. In 1977, shortly after her return home, her father was ousted in a military coup by General Zia ul-Haq, who two years later hanged him. Benazir assumed leadership of her father's party, and in 1988, following the death in accident of the dictator, Zia-ul-Haq, she was elected prime minister. Her cabinet collapsed two years later, but she again won the elections and became prime minister from 1993 to 1996. In 1999, when General Pervez Musharraf toppled the civilian government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, she went into self-exile abroad. In October 2007, she formed a coalition with her rival, Nawaz Sharif and returned to Pakistan, escaping on arrival a terrorist blast that claimed the lives of 135 of her supporters. Benazir Bhutto ran for the parliamentary elections and was expected to win, when she was gunned down by terrorists.

11 solar years ago, on this day in 2008 AD, the Zionist army launched its 22-day holocaust on the besieged Gaza Strip, but despite its brutality that resulted in the death of almost 1,500 men, women, and children, and destruction of the infrastructure, in addition to several thousand wounded, it failed to topple the popularly elected Hamas-led Palestinian government. Israel, with the support of its western backers, especially the US, has continued to besiege Gaza for the past eight years, and frequently kills the defenseless people through missiles, artillery fire, and aerial bombing.

AS/SS