Today is Thursday; 4th of the Iranian month of Azar 1395 solar hijri; corresponding to 24th of the Islamic month of Safar 1438 lunar hijri; and November 24, 2016, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1181 solar years ago, on this day in 835 AD, as per the Gregorian Calendar, Imam Mohammad at-Taqi al-Jawad (AS), the 9^th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), was martyred in Baghdad through poisoning at the age of 25 by Mu’tasim-Billah, the 8^th self-styled caliph of the usurper Abbasid regime. The date and year according to the Islamic lunar hijri calendar was 30^th Zilqa’dah, 220 AH. His period of imamate was 17 years, having inherited the divine mantle at the tender age of 8 on the martyrdom of his father, Imam Reza (AS) in distant Khorasan – also through poisoning. Similar to the Prophets Jesus and John (Yahya), who since childhood displayed their God-given wisdom, Imam Jawad (AS) enlightened all those who came into contact with him. His memorable debates with scholars, while yet a boy, are recorded in books of history and hadith. His generosity in both spiritual and material matters was a byword, and he reposes in eternal peace beside his grandfather, Imam Musa al-Kazem (AS) in the gold-plated twin-domed shrine of Kazemayn.

1091 lunar years ago, on this day in 347 AH, the Arabic grammarian and Hadith scholar, Abdullah ibn Ja’far ibn Mohammad ibn al-Marzuban al-Farisi ibn Durustawayh, passed away at the age of 89. Born in Baghdad in a family of Iranian stock, he learned the intricacies of the Arabic language from Ali ibn Eisa Rommani and was also an exegete of the holy Qur’an, besides being a transmitter of Hadith masters, such as Abbas ad-Durri. Among the books authored by him are: “al-Kuttab”, “Akhbar an-Nahwiyin”, “Ma’ani She’r”, and “Ibtaal al-Addaad” (Refuting the Opposites).

1053 lunar years ago, on this day in 385 AH, the famous Iranian statesman and man of letters, Abu’l-Qasem Ismail Ibn Hassan Taleqani, known as Saheb Ibn Abbad, passed away in Isfahan at the age of 58. A staunch follower of the Ahl al-Bayt of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), he served as the Grand Vizier to the Buwaiyhid Dynasty of Iran-Iraq-Oman for 18 years. He wrote mostly in Arabic on theology, history, grammar, and lexicography, in addition to literary criticism and composing of excellent Arabic poetry. He learnt Hadith from his father and the holy Qur’an from his mother. In Isfahan he studied under such great masters as Ahmad Ibn Farres Raazi and Abdullah Ibn Farres. Saheb Ibn Abbad was a patron of scholars and poets, and respected jurists and theologians. He had a great library in the city of Rayy – a suburb of Tehran today – containing over 100,000 books. He authored over 30 books including one on Imamate, or divinely-decreed leadership to prove the superiority of Imam Ali (AS) over others. His other books include a Diwan of poetry, a book on medicine, the 7-volume work on lexicography titled "al-Moheet", and a treatise on the biography of Seyyed Abdul Azim al-Hasani, the great-great-grandson of Imam Hasan Mojtaba (AS), whose shrine is the main centre of pilgrimage in Tehran.

439 solar years ago, on this day in 1577 AD, Ismail II, the 3^rd king of the Safavid dynasty died at the age of 40 on consuming poisoned opium after a brief 15-month reign of terror and fratricide in Iran. Imprisoned by his father Shah Tahmasp I for plotting to seize the throne he was freed and declared king by a faction of the powerful Qizilbash Guard in the dispute that ensued on the death of Shah Tahmasp. The Qizilbash were split between him and his younger brother Haydar Ali. The pro-Haydar faction was briefly successful in placing their candidate on the throne but Haydar was killed in the ensuing fight between supporters and opponents that made his tutor, the great scholar, Mir Mohammad Momin Astarabadi to leave Iran for the safety of the Deccan in southern India, where he became Prime Minister of the Qotb-Shahi Dynasty of Iranian origin of Golkandah and helped found the city of Hyderabad. Another faction tried to make a third son of Tahmasp as king, but was thwarted by Ismail's supporters. It seems the almost 20-year imprisonment of Ismail at the fortress of Qahqaha had affected his mind. As well as executing members of the faction that had opposed him, he also turned on his own supporters. He killed or blinded five of his own brothers and four other Safavid princes. He is known in Iranian history as "Ismail-e Murted" (The Apostate) for turning away from the path of the Ahl al-Bayt of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). The Qizilbash began to regret their choice and plotted to assassinate him with the help of his sister Pari Khan Khanum. lsmail was succeeded by his almost blind brother, Mohammad Khodabandah, the father of Shah Abbas the Great.

384 solar years ago, on this day in 1632 AD, Dutch philosopher and sociologist, Baruch de Spinoza, was born. He was a follower of the school of Rene Descartes, and his thoughts are close to the Sufis of Islam. He has presented a logical criticism of the beliefs of Judaism. His books include “Politics”. He died in 1677.

304 solar years ago, on this day in 1712 AD, Ali II ibn Hussain, the 4^th ruler of the Hussainid Dynasty of Tunisia was born. He ruled for 22 years from 1759 until his death in 1782. The dynasty founded in 1705 by the Greek Muslim from the island of Crete, Hussain ibn Ali, who was appointed governor by the Ottomans, ruled for the two-and-a-half centuries, even under French colonial rule that started in 1881, until it was overthrown in 1957 by Habib Bourqiba.

185 solar years ago, on this day in 1831 AD, British physicist, Michael Faraday, discovered induced electricity. Born in 1791, he started working in a bookshop, where he studied scientific works. Soon, with the help of British physicist, Humphrey, he became a laboratory assistant. His experiments in the fields of chemistry, metallurgy, and development of electrical lamps, brought him numerous accomplishments. He invented the electrical engine through conversion of magnetic force into electrical force. He also managed to liquefy many gases, including chlorine.

139 solar years ago, on this day in 1877 AD, British author Anna Sewell's classic animal welfare novel “Black Beauty” was published. It is the story of a horse, and has been made into a popular children’s movie. The story is narrated in the first person as an autobiographical memoir told by the titular horse named Black Beauty—beginning with his carefree days as a colt on an English farm with his mother, to his difficult life pulling cabs in London, to his happy retirement in the country. Along the way, he meets with many hardships and recounts many tales of cruelty and kindness. Each short chapter recounts an incident in Black Beauty's life containing a lesson or moral typically related to the kindness, sympathy, and understanding treatment of horses.

111 solar years ago, on this day in 1905 AD, during the Constitutional Movement, people burned to the ground the Bank of Russia building in Tehran following desecration of dead bodies of Muslims in the adjacent graveyard by the Russians. The British and the Russians, by setting up banks, exploited the weak Qajarid dynasty to loot Iran of its wealth.

66 solar years ago, on this day in 1950 AD, while the oil movement was gaining ground, the oil commission of the Iranian parliament rejected the additional contract of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company prepared by the US and Britain to plunder Iran’s oil sources. The contract was strongly opposed by both the religious forces led by Ayatollah Seyyed Abu’l-Qassem Kashani, and the nationalist forces led by Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq. Finally, with popular support, these struggles bore fruit and Iran’s oil industry was nationalized on March 20, 1951.

51 solar years ago, on this day in 1965 AD, army commander-in-chief, Joseph-Desire Mobutu, staged a coup to seize the presidency of the Democratic Republic of Congo, five years after independence from Belgium. He ruled with an iron fist for 32 years and began to Africanize names, most notably changing the country’s name to the Republic of Zaire and his own name to Mobutu Sese Seko Koko Ngbendu Wa Za Banga (“The all-powerful warrior who, because of his endurance and inflexible will to win, will go from conquest to conquest, leaving fire in his wake”). This violent and ruthless dictator was supported by the Western regimes, especially the US and France. Congo has always been in the spotlight of the West, given its strategic position in Central Africa and existence of ample copper and diamond resources.

50 solar years ago, on this day in 1966 AD, the educationist, Mirza Jabbar Asgharzadeh Baghcheban, passed away in Tehran at the age of 80. Born in an Iranian Muslim family in Yerevan (capital of Armenia), he established the first Iranian kindergarten for the deaf in Tehran in 1924 and used the Persian equivalent of “Baghche Atfaal” for the German term ‘kindergarten,’ acquiring the surname Baghcheban. He established numerous Institutes and published many books about deaf children and on methods of teaching them. He is also the inventor of Persian language cued speech.

46 solar years ago, on this day in 1970 AD, the philosopher, Hakeem Mohammad Hadi Farzaneh, passed away at the age of 81 in his hometown Shah-Reza near Isfahan, where he taught philosophy and Islamic sciences to students, after having mastered Islamic sciences in the seminary of Isfahan.

35 solar years ago, on this day in 1981 AD, the jurisprudent Ayatollah Mirza Ahmad Sarabi passed away. He started his religious studies at the age of 14 in Tabriz before enrolling at the seminary of holy Qom, where his teachers included Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Shahab od-Din Mar’ashi-Najafi, and Grand Ayatollah Mirza Jawad Aqa Malaki-Tabrizi. He then travelled to Iraq for studies at the famous seminary of holy Najaf, where he attained the status of Ijtehad. On his return to Iran, he involved himself in preaching and teaching with special focus on preachers travelling abroad for propagation of Islam. He also built several public utility buildings.

23 solar years ago, on this day in 1993 AD, the prominent religious scholar, Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Faqih Imami passed away in his hometown Isfahan at the age of 60. A product of the seminary of holy Qom, his teachers included Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Hussain Boroujerdi, the famous exegete of the holy Qur’an Allamah Seyyed Mohammad Hussain Tabatabaie, and the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA). He returned to Isfahan to groom budding students and write books, such as “Miracles of the Holy Qur’an”, and “Leadership of the Islamic Republic”. His public services include establishment of the famous “az-Zahra Library” which is stacked with 60,000 books. 

7 solar years ago, on this day in 2009 AD, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva warmly welcomed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on his state visit to Brasilia, and urged the US and West European regimes to drop threats against Iran’s peaceful nuclear programme and instead negotiate a fair solution to what he described as the right of the Islamic Republic of Iran as an NPT member observing IAEA rules. Meanwhile, Iran which has a deep distrust of the broken promises of the US and West European regimes, said it was ready to exchange its low-enriched uranium with a higher enriched material, but only on its own soil, to guarantee the West follows through with promises to give the needed fuel for its reactors.

AS/ME