Today is Sunday; 15th of the Iranian month of Dey 1398 solar hijri; corresponding to 9th of the Islamic month of Jamadi al-Awwal 1441 lunar hijri; and January 5, 2020, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1417 solar years ago, on this day in the year 603 AD, the 24-year war broke out between the Iranian and Roman Empires, as a result of assassination of Emperor Maurice, who was a close ally of the Sassanid Emperor, Khosrow Parviz, since he had, years earlier, helped him regain the throne by defeating the usurper Bahram Chubin. In 602 when Maurice was murdered by General Phocas, who usurped the Roman throne, Khosrow launched an offensive against Constantinople, ostensibly to avenge Maurice's death, but clearly his aim included the annexation of as much Byzantine territory as possible. His armies invaded Syria and Asia Minor, and in 608 advanced into Chalcedon. In 613 and 614, Damascus and Jerusalem were besieged and captured by General Shahrbaraz. Soon General Shahin marched through Anatolia or present day Turkey, defeating the Byzantines in several battles, and then conquered Egypt in 618. It is worth noting that victories of the Zoroastrian Persians over the Christian Romans had delighted the pagan Arabs and made them taunt Muslims that their monotheist creed of Islam will also soon vanish. At this time, God revealed the opening ayahs of Surah Roum, saying that although the monotheist Romans have been subdued for the moment, they would be the eventual victors. This prophecy is among the miracles of the holy Qur'an. Ultimately, in 622, the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius, who had succeeded Phocas in 610 and ruled until 641, was able to take the field with a powerful force. In 624, he advanced into northern Media, where he destroyed the great fire-temple of Ganzhak. Two years later in 626, he captured Colchis in Georgia from the Iranians. In response, Persian general Shahrbaraz advanced to Chalcedon and attempted to capture Constantinople with the help of Iran's Avar allies. His maneuver failed as his forces were defeated, and he withdrew his army from Anatolia in the face of Roman advance. In 627, Khosrow fled his capital Cteisphon in Iraq, where the Persian generals tired of his endless wars crowned his son as king, and made peace with the Romans. Khosrow Parviz was eventually killed by his own men.

1182 solar years ago, on this day in 838 AD, Babak Khorrami was executed in Samarra on the orders of the Abbasid caliph, Mu’tasim-Billah, after he was captured by the Iranian governor of Azarbaijan and Armenia, General Afshin Khaydaar bin Kavous, who crushed the 20-year long Khorramdin rebellion. Babak (Papak in Persian) was not well known outside academic circles until the 20th century, when due to Soviet nation-building efforts and the Khorramdin cult’s following of the teachings of Mazdak with its communist and socialist themes, he was proclaimed a national hero in the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. In Iran, Babak was discovered by Reza Khan Pahlavi since it suited his anti-Islamic and pseudo nationalist policies to magnify pre-Islamic themes.

1178 solar years ago, on this day in 842 AD, Mu’tasim-Billah, the 8th self-styled caliph of the Abbasid usurper regime, died at the age of 48 after a reign of nine years, and was succeeded by his son, Watheq-Billah (born to a Greek concubine named Qaratis). Mu’tasem was the son of the tyrant Haroun Rashid’s Turkic concubine – a singing-dancing slave girl named Marida – and took over the caliphate on the death of his step-brother, Mamoun. He favoured the Turks and gave them all authority to the resentment of the Iranian and Arab Muslims. He opposed the Mu’tazallite or Rationalistic doctrine of his predecessor. It was on his orders that Ijtihad was forbidden and of the several jurisprudential schools of the newly designated sect Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jama’at, only four, that is, Hanafi, Maleki, Shafei, and Hanbali, were decreed as official. Mu’tasem has earned lasting notoriety for martyring through poison, Imam Mohammad at-Taqi al-Jawad (AS), the 9th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).

655 lunar years ago, on this day in 786 AH, the celebrated theologian, Shaikh Mohammad bin Jamal od-Din al-Makki al-Ameli, was cruelly martyred in Damascus at the age of 52, and subsequently became known as “Shaheed Awwal” (First Martyr). Born in the Jabal Amel region of Lebanon, on reaching 16 years of age, he travelled to Iraq, and studied under the students of the celebrated Allamah Hilli, amongst them Allamah's son, Fakhr ul-Muhaqqeqin. At the age 21, he returned to his native Jabal Amel and was certified to narrate hadiths by many other famous scholars of the school of the Ahl al-Bayt, as well as Sunni theologians of Mecca, Medina, Bayt al-Moqaddas, Damascus, and Baghdad. He also built good relations with Sultan Ali ibn al-Mu'ayyad of the Sarbadaran Movement of Khorasan in northeastern Iran. This aroused jealousy in some circles, and he was unjustly accused of heresy during the unstable rule of Sultan Barquq, the Circassian slave who became ruler of Egypt and Syria. On the fatwa of a pseudo scholar, the venerable Shaikh was imprisoned under torture for a year, before being martyred by the sword. His body was then hung, stoned, crucified, and burned. During imprisonment, he wrote in only 7 days the famous book “Lummat ad-Damishqiyya” (The Damascene Glitter), which is still taught in seminaries in Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, Lebanon, India, and Pakistan. Amazingly, this valuable book was subject to a commentary two centuries later by another great jurisprudent of the same region, Zayn od-Din al-Juba'i al-Ameli, who suffered the same fate as the author. He was thus called “Shaheed Thani” (Second Martyr). Other books of the First Martyr include “Durou”, “Dhikra”, “Bayan”, “Alfiyah” and “Qawa'ed”, all of which are among the priceless writings of jurisprudence.

461 lunar years ago, on this day in 980 AH, Iran’s celebrated Islamic scholar and philosopher, Sadr od-Din Mohammad bin Ibrahim Shirazi, popular as Mullah Sadra, was born in Shiraz. He is arguably the most significant Islamic philosopher after Abu Ali ibn Sina (Avicenna to medieval Europe). He remains the single most important and influential philosopher in the Muslim world in the last four hundred years. He studied in Isfahan, the Safavid capital, under such famous luminaries as Mir Mohammad Baqer Damad and Shaikh Baha od-Din al-Ameli, before retiring for a number of years of spiritual solitude and discipline in the village of Kahak, near holy Qom. He was then invited by Allah-Wardi Khan, the governor of Fars Province, to return to Shiraz, where he taught for the remainder of his life. He passed away in Basra in ah 1050 AH, while on his seventh Hajj pilgrimage on foot to holy Mecca. He was laid to rest in the mausoleum of Imam Ali (AS) in holy Najaf. He was posthumously given the title of “Sadr al-Muta’allihin” or Master of Theosophists for his approach to philosophy that combined an interest in theology and drew upon insights from mystical intuition. The author of over forty books, his major philosophical work is the “Asfar al-Arba’” (The Four Journeys). A keen thinker who wrote on a wide variety of topics such as philosophy, theology, mysticism, and Qur’anic exegesis, Mullah Sadra strove for a wide-ranging synthesis of approaches to Islamic thought and argued for the necessity of the method of understanding reality through logical reasoning, spiritual inspiration, and a deep meditation upon the key scriptural sources of the Twelver Shi‘a traditions in Islam. Among his students, mention could be made of Mullah Mohsin “Fayz” Kashani and Abdur-Razzaq “Fayyaz” Lahiji. Both of whom became sons-in-law of Mullah Sadra, who actually bestowed the epithets “Fayz” and “Fayyaz” for the two.

428 solar years ago, on this day in 1592 AD, Shah Jahan, the Moghal emperor of Hindustan (Northern Subcontinent), was born at Lahore. Named Shahab od-Din Mohammad Khorram, he succeeded his father, Saleem Noor od-Din Jahangir in 1628. His reign was the golden age of architecture. He erected splendid monuments, the most famous of which is the famous white marble TajMahal at Agra built as a mausoleum for his wife of Iranian ancestry, Empress Arjmand Bano Momtaz Mahal, and regarded among the Seven Wonders of the World. The Pearl Mosque and many other buildings in Agra, the Red Fort and the Jama Mosque in Delhi, were built by him. The famous “Takht-e Tawous” (Peacock Throne), said to be worth millions of dollars by modern estimates, also dates from his reign. Other important buildings of his rule are the “Diwan-e Aam” (Public Audience Chamber) and the “Diwan-e Khaas” (Special Audience Chamber) in the Red Fort Complex in Delhi and the Pearl Mosque in the Lahore Fort. He also patronized paintings and laid out gardens, especially in Kashmir, his favourite summer resort. In 1638, by bribing the governor, Shah Jahan captured the city of Qandahar in what is now Afghanistan from the Iranians, prompting the retaliation of the Safavids led by Shah Abbas II, who recaptured it in 1649. The Mughal armies were unable to retake it despite repeated attempts. Shah Jahan's end was ill-fated. When he became ill, civil war erupted among his four sons, at the end of which the victor, Aurangzeb, after killing his brothers, confined his father to the Agra fort, where Shah Jahan died in 1666.

415 solar years ago, on this day in 1605 AD, Spanish poet and novelist, Miguel de Cervantes published in Madrid the first edition of his magnum opus “El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha” or Book One of Don Quixote. Considered to be the first modern European novel, it follows the adventures of Alonso Quixano, who reads so many chivalric novels that he loses his sanity and decides to set out to revive chivalry, undo wrongs, and bring justice to the world, under the name Don Quixote. He recruits a simple farmer, Sancho Panza, as his squire, who often employs a unique, earthly wit in dealing with Don Quixote's rhetorical orations on antiquated knighthood. Cervantes influence on the Spanish language has been so great that the language is often called “la lengua de Cervantes” (or the language of Cervantes). He wrote “Don Quixote” to satirize the chivalric romance and to challenge the popularity of a form of literature that had been a favorite of the general public for more than a century. Cervantes enlisted as a soldier in a Spanish Navy infantry regiment and was captured by Algerian-Ottoman naval forces. After 5 years of captivity he was released. He died in 1616 in Madrid, Spain.

329 solar years ago, on this day in 1691 AD, the first currency note or paper money in Europe was printed and distributed by Sweden’s Stockholm Bank. The credit for paper money actually goes to China several centuries earlier.

307 solar years ago, on this day in 1713 AD, Jean Chardin, French-English jeweler and traveler who frequented the courts of Iran and India, died in London at the age of 70. Born in Paris to a jeweler, he received an excellent education, and traveled with a merchant to Iran and India in 1665. At Iṣfahan, he enjoyed the patronage of Shah Abbas II. He visited the Deccan or southern India by landing at Surat on the coast of Gujarat, before proceeding to the court of King Abdullah Qotb Shah in Golkandeh-Hyderabad, where famous diamond mines were situated. On returning to France via Iran in 1670, he published in 1671 his eyewitness account of the coronation of Shah Soleiman Safavi, titled “Le Couronnement de Soleiman Troisième”.  While in Isfahan, a learned nobleman, Mirza Safi, had taught him the Persian language, and assisted him in this work. Towards the end of 1671 he again set out for Iran by traveling through Turkey, Crimea, and the Caucasus. He reached Iṣfahan nearly two years later. He remained in Iran for four years, revisited India, and returned to France in 1677 via the Cape of Good Hope. Fleeing French persecution of the Huguenots in 1681, he settled in London, where he became court jeweler and was knighted by King Charles II. In 1683 he represented the East India Company in Holland. He mastered the Persian language and travelled all over Iran, selling jewels to the elites, besides the Safavid Emperor. He became an authority on Iran and the Persianate kingdoms of the Deccan, writing accounts of his travels, meeting with dignitaries, and adventurers. The complete account of his travels first appeared in 1711 in Journal du voyage du chevalier Chardin (“Journal of the Travel of Cavalier Chardin”). His ten-volume book in English “The Travels of Sir John Chardin” is regarded as one of the finest works of early Western scholarship on Iran and the Subcontinent in general. Chardin's style of writing is simple and graphic, and he gives a faithful account of what he saw and heard. His work received praise from a number of thinkers of his age, among them Montesquieu, Rousseau, Voltaire and Edward Gibbon. Latter-day scholars of Iran also vouch for his importance. According to John Emerson, "his information on Safavid Persia outranks that of all other Western writers in range, depth, accuracy, and judiciousness."

211 solar years ago, on this day in 1809 AD, the Treaty of Dardanelles was signed between London and Istanbul, according to which Britain pledged to withdraw forces from all Ottoman territories, including Egypt. In return, the Ottoman Empire pledged to recognize the consular rights of Britain in Ottoman lands. The goal behind this treaty by Britain was to maintain the security of the British fleet in the Mediterranean in the face of possible attacks by the Russian Navy through the Black Sea, because according to this treaty the Ottoman Empire agreed not to allow any warship to pass through the Bosporus Strait and the Dardanelles during peacetime.

105 lunar years ago, on this day in 1336 AH, the Iranian scholar, Mirza Sadeq Hakeem titled “Adeeb ol-Mamalek Farahani”, passed away. He was well versed in Persian literature and was also acquainted with some European languages. An accomplished poet, the theme of most of his poetry is the social life of the people of his times and their political struggles. He became the editor of the daily “Adab” and through its columns carried out the campaign to awaken the people of Iran. He was actively involved in the Constitutional Movement and for a time was in-charge of the Ministry of Culture and the Judiciary. He also managed the “Majlis” and “Aftab” papers for numerous years.

95 lunar years ago, on this day in 1346 AH, the scholar Ayatollah Seyyed Abu Turab Khwansari passed away at the age of 75. Born in Khwansar, he was a product of the seminaries of Isfahan and holy Najaf in Iraq, mastering jurisprudence and exegesis of the holy Qur’an. He taught these subjects to budding scholars and authored several books, including “Misbah as-Saleheen”.

92 solar years ago, on this day in 1928 AD, Zulfeqar Ali Bhutto, who served as Pakistani foreign minister, president and prime minister, was born in Larnaka, Sindh to Shahnawaz Bhutto, the prime minister of the Muslim princely state of Junagadh in Gujarat, India. Educated in Bombay and the US, he founded the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in the 1960s. He was ousted in a military coup in 1977 by the US-backed General Zia ul-Haq, who two years later executed him on charges of murder. Bhutto’s legacy is still alive in Pakistan. His daughter Benazir was to serve as prime minister in the 1990s, before her assassination during the election campaign, while the previous president of Pakistan, Asef Ali Zardari, was his son-in-law.

81 solar years ago, on this day in 1939 AD, Ayatollah Mir Seyyed Mohammad Modarres Najafabadi passed away at the age of 62. He studied preliminary sciences in his hometown near Isfahan, before leaving for Iraq for higher studies in the famous seminary of holy Najaf. On his return to Isfahan, he taught for more than thirty years, grooming a large number of students, some of which became prominent scholars. Among his works is the famous annotation titled “Hashiya ala Kifayat al-Osoul”.

60 solar years ago, on this day in 1960 AD, Russian Orientalist and Iranologist, Dr. Boris Zakhoder, passed away at the age of 62. He conducted numerous studies on Iran’s history and wrote several books including one on the famous Iranian statesman of the Seljuqid era, Khwaja Nizam- ol-MolkTusi.

41 solar years ago, on this day in 1979 AD, Iranian university students boycotted classes in protest to the visit to Tehran by US president Jimmy Carter and his support for the repressive Pahlavi regime despite his claims to defend human rights and democracy.

25 solar years ago, on this day in 1995 AD, Air force commander, Mansour Sattari, was martyred in an air crash at the age of 46. A professional pilot with military training, he served Iran with distinction during the 8-year war imposed on the Islamic Republic by the US through its agent, Saddam of the repressive Ba’th minority regime of Baghdad.

AS/SS