Today is Wednesday; 19th of the Iranian month of Aban 1395 solar hijri; corresponding to 9th of the Islamic month of Safar 1438 lunar hijri; and November 9, 2016, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1401 lunar years ago, on this day in 37 AH, Ammar Yasser, one of the close disciples of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), attained martyrdom at the age of 93 during a battle in the War of Siffin, in defence of Islam, while fighting hypocrisy and sedition, in the company of Prophet’s First Infallible Heir, Imam Ali (AS). He was killed in a cowardly manner from behind by a commander of the Omayyad rebel, Mu’awiyah ibn Abu Sufyan, and thus the Prophet’s prediction that Ammar will be martyred by a heretical group came true. His parents, Yaser and Somayyah, were the first martyrs of Islam. They were tortured to death by the pagan Arabs of Mecca, such as Abu Sufyan. Ammar stood firm against the persecutions of disbelievers and on several occasions accompanied the Prophet in the expeditions against the pagan Arabs. After the Prophet, he stood firmly beside Imam Ali (AS) and refused to accept the regime in Medina for usurping political power through the coup at Saqifa Bani Sa'da. Ammar’s mausoleum situated in Reqqa, Syria, at the site of his martyrdom, has been desecrated by Takfiri terrorists.

1400 lunar years ago, on this day in 38 AH, the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), decisively defeated at Nahrawan in Iraq, an army of some 2000 Khawarej or renegades who had turned away from Islam to start armed rebellion against Prophet Mohammad’s (SAWA) divinely-designated Heir. Initially, part of the Imam’s forces at the inconclusive War of Siffeen against the rebel, Mu’awiyah ibn Abu Sufyan, these misled people, duped by the Omayyad stratagem in raising copies of the holy Qur’an on spear-points, had forced the Imam to stop the battle on the verge of victory, imposed upon him the weak-willed Abu Musa Ash’ari for the arbitration, rejected its outcome, and then broke away from the Islamic army by claiming the sword should have decided the conflict, when they themselves were the cause of the stalemate. They numbered 12,000 and the next year when Imam Ali (AS) called upon them to join his fresh campaign against Mu’awiyah, they now not only refused but gathered in warlike manner at Nahrawan, where they butchered the governor Abdullah ibn Khabbab ibn al-Arath, and four women including a pregnant maid, whose womb they inhumanly tore to kill the fetus. At this the Imam sent Hareth ibn Murrah al-Abdi to investigate but he too was killed by the Khawarej, who now seemed intent on attacking Kufa in the Imam’s absence. The Imam who had already set out for Syria, decided to curb this new sedition before dealing with Mu’awiyah and sent Sa'sa' ibn Sauhan, Ziyad ibn Nazr al-Harethi, and Abdullah ibn Abbas, to urge them to repent and return to the fold of Islam. He then personally came and explained to them their misinterpretation of events, demanding the handing over of the killers of innocent people, and offering them amnesty through the Prophet’s companion, Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, who hoisted a banner for all those willing to break ranks with the Khawarej. As many as 10,000 people came over, leaving some 2000 hardcore hypocrites led by Abdullah ibn Wahhab to oppose the Imam. The Imam had exhausted all efforts to avoid bloodshed and when these misguided elements attacked the forces of Islam they were all annihilated except for 9 who fled the battlefield towards Basra. On Imam Ali’s (AS) side only 8 persons were killed.

1322 solar years ago, on this day in 694 AD, Ergica, the Visigoth king of Spain, accusing Jews of collaborating with enemies for overthrowing Christian rulers, enacted a law declaring all Jewish-held lands forfeit, all Jews to be enslaved by Christians, all Jewish children over the age of seven to be taken from their homes and raised as Christians, and Jewish-owned Christian slaves to become owners of their masters’ property. Some 17 years later in 711, with the advent of Muslims in Spain and establishment of the glorious Islamic culture and civilization in this part of Europe when the rest of the continent was immersed in dark ages, the Jews were liberated, enjoyed all rights as citizens, along with the Christians, and produced statesmen and scholars, such as the philosopher-physician, Musa bin Maymoun of Cordoba, known by his Latinized name Maimonides, who flourished at the courts of the Muslim rulers of Spain, Morocco and Egypt.

1268 solar years ago, on this day in 748 AD, Nasr ibn Sayyar, the last Omayyad governor of Khorasan and killer of the Prophet’s venerable descendent, Yahya ibn Zaid, died in Saveh, southwest of Tehran at the age of 85, while fleeing the uprising of Abu Muslim Khorasani that replaced the Omayyads with the equally repressive Abbasid regime. For several decades, Nasr was in charge of northeastern Iran and Transoxiana, where, as an anti-Islamic Arab nationalist leading Syrian and north Arabian tribal forces, he terrorized the people, and as in other parts of the Omayyad Empire, prevented the masses from becoming Muslims, since this would deprive the self-styled caliphs in Damascus of the revenues they reaped by levying heavy taxes on non-Muslims. Yayha, the grandson of Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS), the 4^th Infallible Successor of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), was brutally martyred in Jowzajan, which is currently in Afghanistan, and his head sent to Damascus.

1017 lunar years ago, on this day in 421 AH, the prominent Iranian Islamic scientist, historian, and thinker, Abu Ali Ahmad ibn Mohammad ibn Yaqoub Ibn Miskawaiyh, passed away at the age of 101. Born in the city of Rayy (a southern suburb of modern Tehran today), he was an accomplished scholar in all the sciences of his era. He conducted studies and researches in medicine, chemistry, history and philosophy. Ibn Miskawaiyh, through combination of these teachings based on his bright insight, created valuable works in the domains of history, philosophy, and ethics. He was a follower of the school of the Ahl al-Bayt (Blessed Household) of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). He authored several books in Arabic, including "Tahzib al-Akhlaaq", which was translated into Persian over two centuries after his death by the prominent scientist, Khwaja Naseer od-Din Tusi. His other famous book is the voluminous "Tajareb al-Umam", which states the important events until 372 AH, and is considered as one of the authentic historical books. Devoted to literature and an accomplished poet, his collection of poems shows his thoughts, and mastery over the language, as is evident by the book he wrote in his native Persian “Javidan-e Kherad” on literature and poetry.

492 lunar years ago, on this day in 946 AH, the second Mughal emperor, Humayun Shah, retreating for Agra from Mongir, was intercepted and defeated by the Afghan chieftain, Sher Shah Suri, at Chapar Ghat near Baksar. Humayun fled to Iran from where he returned with assistance from Shah Tahmasp Safavi to regain the throne of Delhi on the death of Sher Shah.

139 solar years ago, on this day in 1877 AD, the Poet of the East, Allamah Mohammad Iqbal Lahori, was born in Sialkot, Punjab in what is now Pakistan. After completing his studies, he went to Germany and Britain and stayed for four years to learn the philosophy of the West. He started composing poems in his teenage years in both Urdu and Persian. He was also active in politics to reform and unite the Muslims of undivided India. He believed in pan Islamism or the revival of Muslims worldwide, and used the medium of poetry, especially Persian poetry, to express his ideas and thoughts. Iqbal gave the concept of a separate homeland for the Muslims of northwest India, which several years after his death resulted in the birth of Pakistan. He has left behind a large number of poetical collections in Persian and Urdu. His poems include couplets, quatrains, odes, and lyrics, in several collections such as “Asraar-e Khudi” (Secrets of the Self), “Zabour-e Ajam” (Psalms of Persia), and the “Javid-Namah”, which he wrote as admonition and guidance for his young son, Javid. He passed away in 1938.

119 lunar years ago, on this day in 1319 AH, the concession for drilling of Iran’s oil was given to the British investor, William Knox D’Arcy, by the weak Qajarid ruler, Mozaffar od-Din Shah, without considering the grave consequences to Iran's national interests. Three decades after the Constitutional Movement, D’Arcy’s contract was annulled in view of its unjust nature.

105 solar years ago, on this day in 1911 AD, the renowned Urdu poet, Mas’ood ul-Hassan “Tabish Dehlvi”, was born in Delhi. Great-grandson of the prominent Persian poet of India, Nizam od-Din Nizami, he had a flair for languages, and mastered Urdu, Persian, Arabic and English. Educated at Dar ul-Uloom in Haiderabad-Deccan where he became a disciple of the famous Urdu poet, Fani Badayuni, he composed ghazals (lyrics), na’at (eulogies), marsiya (elegies), free verse and national songs, besides writing essays and establishing himself as an authority in all spheres of Urdu literature. Endowed with a rich voice, he started his career at the All India Radio (AIR) in Delhi as announcer/newsreader in 1941. On the partition of the Subcontinent, he migrated to Pakistan and was a newscaster par excellence whose voice ruled over the skies for several decades. The masses would be glued to their radio sets in order to hear his sonorous voice presenting Urdu news bulletins. He could justifiably claim that he had announced many breaking news events. His collection of poetry includes: “Nimroz” (1963), “Chiragh-e Sahra” (1982), “Ghobar-e Anjum” (1984), and “Mah-e Shikasta” (1993). He passed away in Karachi at the age of 93 in 2004.

98 solar years ago, on this day in 1918 AD, following the defeats of the German army in World War I, and breakout of unrest in the country, Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated and Germany was proclaimed a republic.

63 solar years ago, on this day in 1953 AD, Abdul-Aziz Aal-e Saud, who was installed by the British as King of the artificial country they created for him named Saudi Arabia, died at the age of 73. Born in Najd in a Wahhabi clan, he was a salaried servant of the British crown for destabilizing Ottoman rule in Arabia. When he invaded the Hejaz and ousted another British agent, Sharif Hussein, after massacring tens of thousands of Muslims in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, in addition to occupying parts of Yemen and seizing the oil-rich lands of Sh’ite Muslim tribal chiefs on the Persian Gulf areas of the Arabian Peninsula, the British decided to gift him with a kingdom. His most criminal act was the blasphemous destruction of the sacred cemeteries of Jannat al-Mo’alla in Mecca that housed the holy tombs of family members of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) and of Jannat al-Baqie in Medina that housed the holy shrines of four of the twelve Infallible Successors of the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt – Imam Hasan Mojtaba, Imam Zain al-Abedin, Imam Mohammad Baqer, and Imam Ja’far as-Sadeq (peace upon them).

63 years ago, on this day in 1953 AD, Cambodia in Southeast Asia gained independence from France after 86 years of colonialist rule. In 1975, power was seized by communist general Pol Pot, who installed the Khmer Rouge regime, changed the name of the country to Kampuchea and launched a bloodbath, killing at least three million people by 1976, including the ethnic Cham Muslims. Cambodia has the famous Angkor Vat ruins, regarded as the world’s largest religious monument, which was first a Hindu, and later a Buddhist temple. Buddhism is the official religion of the country, while Muslims number around 3 percent as the second largest religious group.

63 solar years ago, on this day in 1953 AD, Welsh author-poet Dylan Thomas, who wrote exclusively in English, died in New York at age of 39 during a poetry-reading blitz of the US. He has been acknowledged as one of the most important English poets of the 20th century and noted for his original, rhythmic and ingenious use of words and imagery. Some of his famous poems are “Do not go gentle into that good night” and “And death shall have no dominion”. His books include “The Collected Poems of Dylan Thomas” and “Under Milk Wood”.

62 solar years ago, on this day in 1954 AD, Dr. Seyyed Hussein Fatemi, who served as foreign minister in the cabinet of Iranian prime minister, Dr. Mohammad Mosaddeq', was executed by the British-installed and US-backed Pahlavi regime. Following the US-orchestrated coup of August 19, 1953 and dismissal of Mosaddeq, he was arrested on the Shah's order.

46 solar years ago, on this day in 1970 AD, Charles Andre Joseph de Gaulle, French general, writer and statesman died in Paris at the age of 80. He was leader of Free France (1940–44) during World War 2, and headed the Provisional Government of the French Republic (1944–46). In 1958, he founded the Fifth Republic and was elected as the 18^th President of France, until his resignation in 1969. He gauged the seriousness of the Algerian people’s struggle for freedom and granted Algeria independence in 1962 against the wishes of the army which favoured annexing of this Arab Muslim North African country to France. He later gradually granted independence to other French colonies. As a military officer who saw action in both the First and Second World Wars, later as president of France during the Cold War Era, de Gaulle initiated his "Politics of Grandeur", asserting that France as a major power should not rely on other countries, such as the United States, for its national security and prosperity. To this end, he pursued a policy of "national independence" which led him to withdraw from NATO's military integrated command and to launch an independent nuclear development program that made France the fourth nuclear power. He restored cordial Franco-German relations in order to create a European counterweight between the "Anglo-Saxon" (American and British) and Soviet spheres of influence. He used to say that the Anglo-Saxons have always exploited France and the rest of Europe for their own vested interests, and twice he vetoed Britain's entry into the European Community. He also openly criticised the US intervention in Vietnam and the "exorbitant privilege" of the US dollar, in addition to supporting an independent Quebec, which should not be part of English-speaking Canada. Many French political parties and figures continue to claim the Gaullist Legacy.

36 solar years ago, on this day in 1980 AD, Saddam’s Ba’thist forces occupied the southwestern Iranian port of Khorramshahr after a month-and-a-half of stiff resistance by the defenders, following the unprovoked invasion of the country on September 22. The Battle of Khorramshahr, because of the brutality against civilians by the Ba’thists made the Iranians to call the city ‘Khooninshahr,’ (City of Blood). Battles were fought house-to-house, floor-to-floor, and room-to-room. Khorramshahr, which used to be one of the world's major port cities, was completely devastated by Saddam’s forces, with very few buildings left intact. The city was finally liberated by Iran’s Muslim combatants on 24^th May 1982 during Operation Bayt al-Moqaddas.

27 solar years ago, on this day in 1989 AD, Communist-controlled East Germany opened checkpoints in the Berlin Wall allowing its citizens to travel to West Germany. This key event led to the eventual reunification of East and West Germany, and fall of communism in Eastern Europe including Russia.

10 solar years ago, on this day in 2006 AD, Iraq estimated the civilian death toll in the first three-and-a-half years of the US occupation around 600,000. The US withdrew in 2011 and was responsible for the death of over a 1.2 million Iraqis.

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