Today is Thursday; 15th of the Iranian month of Mehr 1395 solar hijri; corresponding to 4th of the Islamic month of Muharram 1438 lunar hijri; and October 6, 2016, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

2121 solar years ago, on this day in 105 BC, at the Battle of Arausio, the Cimbri, a German people, inflicted the heaviest defeat on the Roman army of Gnaeus Mallius Maximus. As a result Roman expansion into west-central Europe was checked for some decades. Roman losses are described as being up to 80,000 troops, as well as another 40,000 auxiliary troops (allies) and servants and camp followers — virtually all of their participants in the battle. In numbers of losses, this battle is regarded as the worst defeat in the history of ancient Rome.

1377 lunar years ago, on this day in 61 AH, Obaidollah ibn Ziyad, the tyrannical Omayyad governor of Iraq, in a public gathering at the mosque of Kufa, threatened the people with death if they do not mobilize forces against Imam Husain (AS), who was camping in Karbala with his family and small group of followers. Ibn Ziyad who had bribed Chief Judge Qazi Shurraiyh to issue a so-called fatwa permitting the shedding of blood of the Imam, brandished this same edict to the people of Kufa, promising them rewards for forcing the Prophet’s grandson to yield to the illegal and unjust rule of the tyrant Yazid ibn Mu’awiyyah, or to martyr him on his refusal.

1002 solar years ago, on this day in 1014 AD, Byzantine Emperor Basil II (the Macedonian) earned the title “Slayer of Bulgars” after he cruelly ordered the blinding of 15,000 captive Bulgarian troops. During his 49-year long reign, he suffered a series of defeats at the hands of the Ismaili Shi’a Muslim Fatemid caliphate of Egypt-North Africa in Syria and Anatolia. In 988, a seven-year truce (and in 1001 a ten-year truce) was signed with the Fatemids, stipulating an exchange of prisoners, the recognition of the Byzantine emperor as protector of the Christians under Fatemid rule and of the Fatemid caliph as protector of the Muslims under Byzantine control, and the replacement of the name of the Abbasid caliph by that of the Fatemid Caliph in the Friday prayer in the Mosque of Constantinople. It is worth noting that the Azaan (call to the daily prayer) of the Fatemids included the phrase of Prophet Mohammad’s (SAWA) days “hayya ala khayr-il-amal” (hasten to the best of deeds), in addition to bearing testimony to the God-given authority (wilayah) of Imam Ali (AS), after testifying the monotheism of the One and Only God and the mission of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). Basil II, who continued to suffer defeats at the hands of Muslims, conquered most of Italy and used to vent his anger on the Bulgars and the Khazars, whom he vanquished and cruelly treated.

953 lunar years ago, on this day in 485 AH, the poet, author and literary figure, Abu'l-Qasem Mohammad Baghdadi, known as "Ibn Naaqiyya", passed away. He is among the innovators of the genre called "Maqamaat" and comes chronologically midway between Badi az-Zamaan al-Hamedani of Iran and Mohammad al-Qassem ibn Ali al-Hariri of Basra. He amplifies more the irreverent tone than the linguistic register of Badi az-Zamaan Hamedani. The 6^th Maqamah of Ibn Naqiyya (one of ten surviving pieces) shows in the author a quite detailed knowledge of philosophy, and from it we sense the growing tension between philosophy and Sunni theology in the eleventh century AD. He depicted the social corruption of his era through such works. He also wrote an exegesis of Holy Qur'an, covering 226 ayahs.

503 lunar years ago, on this day in 935 AH, the Iranian historian, Ghiyas od-Din Mohammad Khwandamir, arrived from his hometown Herat in Khorasan at the court of India’s First Mughal Emperor, Zaheer od-Din Mohammad Babar, in Agra. He came to India along with several Iranian scholars and artists, including the religious scholar Mowlana Shehab ud-Din and Mirza Ibrahim Qanuni. Khwandamir was the maternal grandson of the famous Iranian historian of the Timurid era, Mir-Khwand, and completed volumes 7 and 8 of his grandfather’s monumental universal history “Rawzat as-Safa” (Garden of Purity). Years earlier in his native Herat, Khwandamir had authored his own valuable historical work “Habeeb os-Siyar” in several volumes on the instructions of the famous Timurid minister and scholar Ali-Shir Navaei. He died in India and during the reign of the 2^nd Mughal Emperor, Humayun Shah, wrote another valuable Persian work titled “Qanoun-e Humayuni” on rules and observances.

477 solar years ago, on this day in 1539 AD, Spanish marauder Hernando de Soto and his army entered the Apalachee capital of Anhaica (present-day Tallahassee, Florida) and forced the approximately 30,000 native Amerindian population to abandon their city which had 250 buildings. Notorious for his ruthlessness, he left Anhaica in ruins in March of 1540 after thoroughly pillaging it. He led the first European expedition deep into the territory of the modern-day United States (Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Arkansas), massacring men and children, and kidnapping and raping women. The Spaniards, carrying the cross in one hand and the sword in the other, destroyed the centuries-old Native American civilizations. De Soto died of a fever on May 21, 1542, in the native village of Guachoya on the western banks of the Mississippi. Since de Soto had tricked the local natives to believe that he was an immortal sun god (as a ploy to gain their submission without conflict), his men concealed his death, hid his corpse in blankets weighted with sand and sank it in the middle of the Mississippi River during the night.

434 solar years ago, on this day in 1582 AD, although a normal date for most of the world still using the Julian calendar, in the Catholic countries of Italy, Portugal, Spain and Poland, because of implementation of the Gregorian calendar, this day was skipped, as well as the next 8 days. Thursday 4 October 1582 was the last day the Julian calendar was used, and the next day Friday became 15 October as per the decree of Pope Gregory XIII, who introduced this change to realign the calendar with the spring and autumn equinoxes. Britain and its colonies resisted this change by the Catholic Pope, and used the Julian calendar for more than a century and a half until 2^nd September 1752, while Russia used it till 1918. The Islamic solar hijri calendar which starts on the exact time of the spring equinox and is in use in Iran, Afghanistan and the peoples of neighbouring countries, is far more perfect than the Gregorian calendar that was imposed by the colonial powers on the rest of the world after World War I.

248 solar years ago, on this day in 1768 AD, in continuation of Russia’s expansionist policies Empress Catherine the Great attacked Poland, prompting the Ottoman Empire to declare war on Russia. During the 18th century, the Ottomans and the Russians fought many wars, but their fight over Poland is considered as the most important. The Turks who were in a state of decline suffered major defeats in the naval and ground battles until the year 1774, in which an armistice was signed by the two empires to end confrontation. Based on the treaty, the Muslim populated Crimean Peninsula on the Black Sea in what is now Ukraine was declared a Russian protectorate and was later annexed by Moscow. Meanwhile, Poland ceased to exist and was divided among Austria, Prussia, and Russia.

174 lunar years ago, on this day in 1264 AH, the Moroccan Muslim minister, author, and poet, Abu Abdullah Mohammad Amravi Faasi, also known as "Ibn Idris" passed away. He started his studies with memorization of Holy Qur'an and soon mastered grammar. He composed an ode on the invasion of Algeria by the French, inviting Muslims to Jihad. Because of the conspiracies of his opponents, the Moroccan Sultan accused him of provoking riots, imprisoned him and tortured him. After his release, Ibn Idris kept a low profile but continued to compose poetry. The majority of his poems are in praise of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).

124 solar years ago, on this day in 1892 AD, Alfred Tennyson, British Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign and one of the most popular English poets, died at the age of 83. He excelled in penning short lyrics, such as “Break, Break, Break”, “Tears Idle Tears” and “The Charge of the Light Brigade” – the last one pertaining to the abortive charge of the British Light Brigade in the Battle of Balaklava during the Crimean War. He also wrote some notable blank verse including “Idylls of the King” and “Ulysses”. A number of phrases from Tennyson's work have become commonplaces of the English language, including “Nature, red in tooth and claw”, “Its better to have loved and lost/Than never to have loved at all”, “Theirs not to reason why/ Theirs but to do and die”, “To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield”, “Knowledge comes, but Wisdom lingers”, and “The old order changeth, yielding place to new”. He is the ninth most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations

109 solar years ago, on this day in 1907 AD, Iran’s first parliament (Majlis) was set up after due ratification by Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar, following triumph of the Constitutional Revolution. The constitution was drafted a year earlier and signed by the previous king, Muzaffar od-Din Shah Qajar. It was the result of the struggle of all sections of the Iranian people for their civil liberties and birthrights, led by the ulema and intellectuals. Ayatollah Shaikh Fazollah Noori inserted a clause in the constitution stating that the laws should be supervised by a panel of five leading ulema to ensure that they are not against the Shari’a. This section of the Supplementary Fundamental Laws of October 7, 1907 began by stating: “The powers of the realm are all derived from the people; and the Fundamental Law regulates the employment of those powers.”  Article 1 and 2 of the laws approved this day, established Islam as the official religion of Iran, and specified that all laws of the nation must be approved by a committee of ulema. Later, these two articles were ignored by the ungodly Pahlavis, which resulted in anger and uprising of the ulema and masses, and finally overthrow of the British-installed regime and its replacement by the popular Islamic Republic System based on a new and more comprehensive constitution.

88 solar years ago, on this day in 1928 AD, Iranian poet and painter, Sohrab Sepehri, was born in the central city of Kashan. He published his first collection of poems "Marg-e Rang" (Death of Color) in 1951, and soon another collection titled: "Hasht Kitab" (Eight Books). Among his other poetical works mention can be made of "Mosafer" (Traveler). He holds a special status in Iran's contemporary poetry, given his novel and simple language and usage of delicate and new terms in his poems. He passed away in 1980 and was laid to rest in his hometown, Kashan.

86 years ago, on this day in 1930 AD, Hafez al-Assad, the statesman who as president brought political and economic stability to coup-wracked Syria for three decades, was born in poor Alawite family in Qardaha village of the Kalbiyya tribe. After finishing high school he joined the air force in 1950 and through hard work and dedication was promoted to the rank of major-general and chief of the air force. At the same time, his resentment against the West for its plots against Syria and the Arabs made him join the Arab Ba’th Party. In 1966 he was named Defence Minister, and in 1970 took over the reins of government as prime minister, before being elected to the presidency the next year. He held the post of president till his death in 2000 AD. As an astute politician, he kept the US at bay and maintained his country’s independence by cultivating friendly ties with the Soviet Union and the Islamic Republic of Iran. He refused to yield to the designs of the illegal Zionist entity, and continued to demand the return of the occupied Golan Heights to Syria. At the same time, he backed independent Palestinian and Lebanese groups, and never recognized Turkey’s occupation of what is called Hatay Province including the cities of Iskendurun and Antakiya (Antioch). His son Bashar al-Assad was elected president after him, and because of his resistance policies against US-Zionist plots, Syria has for the past five-and-a-half years has become exposed to organized acts of terrorism supported by the West, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia.

43 solar years ago, on this day in 1973 AD, the 4^th war broke out between Arabs and the illegal Zionist entity Israel. On this day, the Egyptian army caught the Zionist forces off guard in a military operation on the other side of Suez Canal and entered the Israeli-occupied Sinai Peninsula. In the initial days of the war, the Egyptian and Syrian troops dealt heavy blows to the Zionist army and downed a large number of Israeli warplanes. But, with the swift assistance of the US to the usurper state of Israel, Zionist troops advanced against both Syria and Egypt, forcing the acceptance of ceasefire. This war broke the myth of invincibility of the Zionist entity.

36 solar years ago, on this day in 1980 AD, in a blatant anti-Iranian act of support for the tyrannical Ba’th minority regime of Saddam, Jordan put its port of Aqaba on the Gulf of the same name in the Red Sea at the disposal of Iraq during the 8-year war imposed on the Islamic Republic of Iran by the US, following blockade of Iraqi ports on the Persian Gulf by the Iranian navy, and Syria’s closure of the Iraqi oil pipeline to the Mediterranean Sea. Jordan also supplied troops to Saddam for war against Iran.

35 solar years ago, on this day in 1981 AD, while reviewing a military parade in Cairo on the anniversary of the 1973 war against the illegal Zionist entity, Egypt's President Anwar Sadaat was executed in a revolutionary manner by a group of officers of the Islamic group "al-Jihad" led by the 27-year old Lieutenant Khaled Islambouli, for signing of the scandalous Camp David Accord with the usurper state of Israel in 1978. As his section of the parade began to approach Sadaat's platform, Islambouli, along with Abdul-Hameed Abdus-Salaam, Ata Tayel Hameeda Raheel, and Hussein Abbas, leapt from the truck and ran towards the stand while lobbing grenades toward where the Egyptian President was standing with other dignitaries. Islambouli entered the stands and emptied his assault rifle into Sadaat's body. Khalid Islambouli and his companions were sentenced to death and attained martyrdom.

23 solar years ago, on this day in 1993 AD, the jurisprudent Ayatollah Hussain Mohammadi La’eeni, passed away at the age of 69. Born in Behshahr in Mazandaran on the Caspian Sea in northern Iran, after preliminary studies he left for Iraq for higher religious studies and attained the status of Ijtehad during the twelve years he spent at the famous seminary of holy Najaf. His teachers included such celebrated ulema as Ayatollah Seyyed Mahmoud Shahroudi, and Ayatollah Mirza Hashem Amoli. On return to Iran he engaged himself in teaching and was also politically active against the despotism of the British-installed and US-backed Pahlavi regime. Following the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, he was elected to the first Assembly of Experts as representative of the people of Mazandaran.

5 solar year ago, on this day in 2011 AD, youthful Bahraini protestor, Ahmad Jaber al-Qattan, was killed in cowardly manner by the US-Saudi-backed forces of the repressive Aal-e Khalifa minority regime. In a desperate bid to avert the inevitable, the Bahraini Shaikh, who for the past decade has been styling himself king, has hired mercenaries from Pakistan, Jordan and other places, to savagely kill, injure and torture Bahrainis, destroy mosques, and desecrate husseiniyyas, in a bid to crush the popular uprising, which has gathered further momentum.

AS/MG