Today is Saturday; 14th of the Iranian month of Dey 1398 solar hijri; corresponding to 8th of the Islamic month of Jamadi al-Awwal 1441 lunar hijri; and January 4, 2020, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1360 solar years ago, on this day in 659 AD, Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS), was born in Medina. He was 4th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). His parents were the Martyr of Karbala, Imam Husain (AS) and Princess Shahrbano of Iran. He was present in Karbala during the epic of Ashura as a 23-year old, but because of being bedridden due to severe illness could not participate in the jihad. His jihad, however, was of a different kind, when, along with the survivors of history’s most heartrending tragedy, the womenfolk and children of the Prophet’s Household, he was taken in chains and fetters to the courts of the tyrants in Kufa and Damascus, where his memorable sermons and that of his aunt, Hazrat Zainab (SA), before the despicable Yazid shook the foundations of the usurper Omayyad regime, which had to release the noble captives. During his 34-year Imamate (divinely-decreed leadership), he built from shreds the tattered fabric of the Islamic society. He was martyred through poisoning at the age of 57 by the Omayyad caliph Waleed bin Abdul-Malik. Among the immortal legacy of the 4th Imam is the prayer manual “Sahifat as-Sajjadiyya” (known as Psalms of the Prophet's Ahl al-Bayt) and the “Risalat al-Hoqouq” (Treatise of Rights), which is more perfect than the UN Charter of Human Rights.

1146 solar years ago, on this day in 874 AD, as per the Gregorian calendar, was martyred in Samarra, Iraq, Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS) the 11th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). The date of his martyrdom, according to the Islamic calendar is 8^th Rabi al-Awwal. Born in the city of Medina, he later moved to Samarra to join his father, Imam Ali al-Hadi (AS), who was forced to come to Iraq by the tyrant Mutawakkel, the 10th self-styled caliph of the usurper Abbasid regime. The mantle of Imamate or divinely-decreed leadership of mankind came to rest on Imam Hassan Askari’s (AS) young shoulders at the age of 22, following the martyrdom of his father through poisoning by the 13th treacherous caliph, Mu’taz. For six years, the 11th Imam guided the ummah, until his own martyrdom in the prime of youth by another tyrannical caliph, Mo’tamed. During this period, his son and successor, Imam Mahdi (AS) was born and brought up in secrecy –safe and secure from the Abbasid spies. The 12th Imam, who is currently in occultation by God’s Will, will emerge in the end times as the Redeemer of mankind to cleanse the earth of all vestiges of corruption and oppression by establishing the global government of peace, prosperity and justice.

503 solar years ago, on this day in 1517 AD, the Battle of Ridhaniya near Cairo, led to the total victory of the Ottoman Turks of Sultan Salim I over the Turkic Mamluk dynasty of Egypt and the killing of Sultan Bay. In this battle, the Ottoman commander, Grand Vizier Sinan Pasha, who had engineered a resounding victory over the Mamluks in the decisive Battle of Khan Yunus in Gaza on October 28, lost his life. This last phase of the Ottoman-Mamluk wars started in August 1516, when Sultan Salim, two years after his narrow victory at Chaldiran in Azarbaijan over the Shah of Persia, Ismail I, suddenly invaded Syria, since he greatly feared the Iranians might reorganize and counterattack in view of the widespread influence of the Safavids in Syria and Anatolia (modern day Turkey). The collapse of the 267-year rule of the Mamluks over Egypt-Syria meant the transformation of the Ottoman dominion from a realm at the margin of Islamic lands located in Asia Minor and southwestern Europe, into a huge empire encompassing the historical cities of Cairo, Damascus, Bayt al-Moqaddas and Aleppo, as well as the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, since the Sharif of Hejaz, pledged allegiance to Sultan Salim, who despite being a Turk, started calling himself the Caliph of Muslims.

211 solar years ago, on this day in 1809 AD; French educator, Louis Braille, who developed a tactile form of printing and writing, known as braille, since widely adopted by the blind, was born. He himself knew blindness from the age four, following an accident while playing. In 1821, while he was at a school for the blind, a soldier named Charles Barbier visited and showed a code system he had invented. The system called "night writing”, had been designed for soldiers in war trenches to silently pass instructions using combinations of twelve raised dots. Young Braille realised how useful this system of dots could be. He developed a simpler scheme using six dots. In 1827 the first book in braille was published. Now the blind could write it for themselves using a simple style to make dots.

207 solar years ago, on this day in 1813 AD, Isaac Pitman, an English teacher who developed the most widely used system of shorthand, known now as Pitman shorthand, was born in Britain. He first proposed this in Stenographic Soundhand in 1837.

180 lunar years ago, on this day in 1261 AH, the prominent religious scholar of Isfahan, Ayatollah Mohammad Ibrahim bin Mohammad Hassan Khorasani, popularly known as “Haji Karbasi”, passed away in his hometown Isfahan at the age of 81. He completed his higher studies at the Najaf Seminary in Iraq, and on returning to Iran, lived a life of piety. He wrote numerous valuable works including “al-Hidaya wa Minhaj al-Hidaya”.

142 solar years ago, on this day in 1878 AD, the Muslim city of Sofia was seized by the Russians from the Ottomans and turned into the capital of the newly established principality of Bulgaria, after ethnic cleansing on a large scale that saw expulsion of thousands of Muslims and destruction of mosques. It was in 1382 that Sofia had been liberated by Muslims and made seat of the newly created Sanjak of Sofia in 1393. In the next century it became the capital of the Ottoman Province of Rumelia and for more than four centuries was a thriving city. In the 16th century, Sofia's urban layout and appearance began to exhibit a clear Islamic style, with many mosques, madrasahs, libraries, caravanserais, fountains and hamams (bathhouses). During that time the town had a population of around 7,000. Today nothing exists of the rich Islamic heritage, and only a very small number of Bulgarian Muslims survive in their homeland, after being forced to renounce their Islamic identity and religion over the past century.

128 lunar years ago, on this day in 1313 AH, the scholar, Mirza Mohammad Baqer Zain al-Abedin Khwansari, passed away in Isfahan. An expert in hadith and biographies of ulema and scholars, he served as head of the Isfahan Seminary, and wrote many books, including the 8-volume biographical work “Rowzaat al-Jannaat”.

118 lunar years ago, on this day in 1323 AH, Egyptian revolutionary scholar, Shaikh Mohammad Abduh, passed away in Alexandria. A product of Cairo’s famous al-Azhar Academy, he attended the classes of Iran’s pan-Islamist activist, Seyyed Jamal od-Din Asadabadi in Cairo, benefiting from his thoughts and ideas. After Asadabadi’s departure from Egypt, Abduh took over the movement against British colonialist influence in Egypt, for which he was exiled to Syria, from where after a six-year stay, he went to Paris and joined Seyyed Jamal od-Din Asadabadi in publication of the newspaper, “al-Orwat al-Wosqa” or the Firmest Bond. Upon return to Egypt, he served as judge. Like Asadabadi, he called for the unity of the World of Islam and Islamic denominations. He urged Muslims must close ranks against disbelievers and colonialists. He made great efforts to preach harmony between Sunnis and Shi’ite Muslims, and was highly influenced by “Nahj al-Balagha” the compilation of the sermons, letters and maxims of Imam Ali (AS), the 1st Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). Abduh also wrote exegeses on the holy Qur’an and was introduced to the “Sahifat as-Sajjadiyya”, the eloquent collection of supplications from the Prophet’s 4th Infallible Heir, Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS).

89 solar years ago, on this day in 1931 AD, Mohammad Ali Jauhar, the Indian Muslim leader, activist, scholar, journalist and poet, passed away at the age of 53 while on a visit to London. He was buried in the city of Bayt al-Moqaddas in British-occupied Palestine. He and his younger brother Showkat Ali, were among the leading advocates of independence from British rule, and was elected to become the President of Indian National Congress party in 1923. Later he became one of the founders and presidents of the All-India Muslim League that campaigned for the division of India and creation of Pakistan.

72 solar years ago, on this day in 1948 AD, Burma, also known as Myanmar, gained independence from British colonial rule after a century of occupation, following two major wars and annexation to India. In 1937, it was separated from British India, because of nationalistic sentiments. During World War II it was occupied by Japanese forces, and after the war re-occupied briefly by the British before achieving independence. Myanmar covers an area of 670,000 sq km and is situated in Southeast Asia. It shares borders with China, India, Laos, Bangladesh, and Thailand. The current regime is notorious for its indifference to the genocide of its Muslim minority, especially the Rohingyas.

54 solar years ago, on this day in 1966 AD, the Tashkent conference was held with the mediation of the Soviet Union to broker peace between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the 1965 war. Pakistan was represented by President Ayub Khan and India by Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, who died of a heart attack in Tashkent shortly after signing the accord.

13 solar years ago, on this day in 2007 AD, Afro-American Keith Ellison of Minnesota's 5th District became the first Muslim member of the US Congress, and he took oath of allegiance by placing his hand on the holy Qur’an.

11 solar years ago, on this day in 2009 AD, in Iraq, US-Saudi supported Takfiri terrorists blew up through remote control an unsuspecting woman by handing her an explosive-filled and then sending her in the midst of pilgrims to the holy shrine of Kazemain near Baghdad, resulting in the death of some 50 men, women, and children, and injury to almost a hundred others.

9 solar years ago, on this day in 2011 AD, Tunisian vendor, Mohammad Bouazizi, died 18 days after self-immolation in the city of Bouzid, in protest to state oppression. His funeral triggered nationwide demonstrations serving as a catalyst to the Islamic Awakening that triumphed ten days later on January 14 with the collapse of the 23-year dictatorial regime of President Zain al-Abedin bin Ali. The historic chain of events soon changed the authoritarian regimes in Libya, Egypt, and Yemen, and has continued to rock Bahrain.

AS/SS