Today is Tuesday; 16th of the Iranian month of Shahrivar 1395 solar hijri; corresponding to 4th of the Islamic month of Zi’l-Hijjah 1437 lunar hijri; and September 6, 2016 of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

Over 3,300 lunar years ago, on this day, Prophet Moses (AS) triumphed over the magicians assembled by the Pharaoh of Egypt at a public gathering on a day of feast to try to humiliate him through sorcery and trickery in front of the masses. Before start of the contest, Moses, addressing the magicians and the Pharaoh, renewed the invitation to monotheism, and warned them of the consequences of polytheism. He told them that their acts of sorcery, in comparison to his miracles, are nothing but attempts to forge lies against God. Prophet Moses first invited them to the worship of the One and Only God and called on them to give up the sordid practice of idol-worship. Next, when the magicians asked him as to who would start the contest, he politely told them to begin first. The magicians resorted to their tricks by casting down their special sticks and ropes in such a mesmerizing way as to deceive the people and make them think that lifeless objects have suddenly become animated creatures moving on the ground. On God's command, Moses cast down his rod and it took the form of a huge python which swallowed the tools of magic. When the magicians saw this manifest miracle, they realized that this was not some trick to deceive the eyes but a reality and a divine miracle that turn a lifeless stick into an actual animal. They thus fell down before Moses recognizing him as a Prophet of God, and openly declared their faith in the One and Only God, despite the threats of the Pharaoh to cut off their hands and feet, and nail them on trees. The holy Qur'an has mentioned these facts, and other accounts of Prophet Moses, who is considered as one of the five great Prophets – the others being: Noah (AS), Abraham (AS), Jesus (AS), and the Last and Greatest of them all, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).

2064 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.

1019 lunar years ago, on this day in 418 AH, the Iranian Shafe’i scholar, Abu Ishaq Isfaraini, passed away at the age of 80 in Naishapur, where he was a teacher at its famous academy of Islamic sciences, and was buried in his hometown Isfarain in Northern Khorasan. His works include “al-Jame’ fi Osoul ad-Din” on the Fundamentals of Religion, and “Noor al-Ayn fi Mashhad al-Husain” on the martyrdom in Karbala of the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). Regarded as an authority by Sunni Muslims, Abu Ishaq Isfaraini has acknowledged in his works several hadith on the unsurpassed merits of the Ahl al-Bayt including the “Hadith al-Manzela” in which the Prophet likened Imam Ali’s position to him like that of Aaron to Prophet Moses.

737 lunar years ago, on this day in 710 AH, General Malik Kafur returned to Delhi from his victorious campaign in the Deccan (southern India) and presented Sultan Ala od-Din, the second and greatest king of the short-lived Khalji Turko-Persian Dynasty of Northern India 241 tonnes of gold, 20,000 horses, and 612 elephants laden with treasure, including the famous diamond "Koh-e Noor" (Mountain of Light), excavated at Golkandah. Originally a Hindu from Khambat in Gujarat, western India, he was known as "Hazar-Dinari" (Thousand Dinar – the price paid for him by the Sultan), and on embracing Islam, rapidly rose to become an able general, who brought south India into the fold of the Muslim World, when Islamic faith was fast spreading in all directions – Russia, eastern Europe, West Africa and southeast Asia.

705 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.

594 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.

347 solar years ago, on this day in 1669, 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.

208 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.

51 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.

42 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)

32 solar years ago, on this day in 1984 AD, the Iranian Islamic scholar, Ayatollah Mirza Mohammad Baqer Ashtiyani, passed away at the age of 79. Son of Grand Ayatollah Mirza Ahmad Ashtiyani of Tehran, he was a product of the famous seminary of Najaf in Iraq, and after attaining Ijtehad he returned to Tehran strove beside his father for promotion of Islamic values in society. In the late 1960s during the exile in Najaf of the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), when the Pahlavi regime had banned his distribution of monthly “shahriyyah” (stipends) among seminary students, Ayatollah Mohammad Baqer Ashtiyani was secretly entrusted with this task in the name of his father and later in his own name, and in this way students were not deprived of the Imam's stipend. The role of shahriyyah in the theological centres is very crucial in the stabilization of the “Marja’iyyah” (Source of Emulation), as well as the struggle against oppression and injustice. Besides grooming students, Ayatollah Baqer Ashtiyani, wrote several books, such as "Guidance in View of Islam" in Persian and "Ownership in Islam" in Arabic.

14 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. 

13 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; andup to 7900m of Gasherbrum I, Pakistan in 2003.

13 solar years ago, on this day in 2003 AD, prominent jurisprudent, Ayatollah Seyyed Hussain Bodala, passed away at the age of 96 and was laid to rest in the holy mausoleum of Hazrat Fatema al-Ma’sumah (SA) in Qom.  A student of Ayatollah Shaikh Abu’l-Qasim Qomi Kabir and Grand Ayatollah Shaikh Abdul-Karim Ha’eri during the suffocating era of the British-installed illiterate tyrant, Reza Khan Pahlavi, he later studied under Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Reza Golpayegani, and attained the status of Ijtehad. In addition to promoting Islamic values, he was active on the social and cultural scenes, with his pleasing manners winning many friends, including Ayatollah Seyyed Mahmoud Taleqani. Endowed with a sharp memory, he was considered an authority on historical developments in Iran and the cultural legacy of Islam, to the extent that both scholars and students benefited from his knowledge.

11 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 country that unjustly imposed illegal sanctions upon it.

11 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.

10 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.

3 solar years ago, on this day in 2013 AD, Ayatollah Seyyed Hassan Taheri Khorramabadi, passed away at the age of 75 in the holy city of Qom. Born in Khorramabad in Lorestan Province, he was a student of the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), and was imprisoned or banished to remote areas of Iran several times by the despotic regime of the British-installed and US-backed Pahlavi regime for his activities in awakening the people. Following the victory of the Islamic Revolution, he served the country in several capacities, including election to the Leadership Experts Assembly.

AS/ME