Today is Wednesday; 10th of the Iranian month of Azar 1395 solar hijri; corresponding to 30th of the Islamic month of Safar 1438 lunar hijri; and November 30, 2016, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

5356 solar years ago, on this day in 3340 BC in Mesopotamia, the earliest record of an eclipse seems to have been documented, according to the cuneiform clay tablets deciphered. Perhaps the first recorded eclipse might have occurred earlier in view of the fact that it was in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) that Prophet Enoch (Idris) taught the science of writing, as well as astronomy and many other branches of knowledge and professions.

1235 lunar years ago, on this day in 203 AH, Imam Reza (AS), the 8th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), attained martyrdom at the age of 55, as a result of a fatal dose of poisoning in the city of Tous, Khorasan, northeastern Iran, by the crafty Mamoun, the self-styled caliph of the usurper Abbasid regime. Born in Medina in 148 AH, he was 35 years when the mantle of Imamate (divinely-decreed leadership) came to rest on his shoulders following the martyrdom of his infallible father, Imam Musa Kazem (AS) in Baghdad in the dungeon of the tyrant Haroun Rashid. In 200 AH, Imam Reza (AS), because of his popularity among the people as the Prophet's righteous successor, was forced to leave Medina and come to Khorasan in northeastern Iran by Mamoun, whose capital was Merv (presently in Turkmenistan). Here, the Imam turned down the caliph's deceitful offer of caliphate saying: “If the caliphate is really yours, you cannot give to others what God has entrusted you with, and if it is not yours, how can you give it others what does not belong to you (at all).” Mamoun then forced the Prophet's Heir to agree to become his Heir Apparent although the middle-aged Imam was over twenty years his senior. The plan was to confine the Imam to the palace in the hope of tainting his spotlessly pure character with the luxurious life of the court, and also to isolate him from the ummah. However, to the bewilderment of the regime, when the Imam's popularity increased, as a result of his exemplary behaviour with the ordinary people, as well as his dynamic debates with scholars of the various philosophical schools and leaders of various religions (Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus), Mamoun martyred him in a treacherous manner through a fatal dose of poison, then feigned grief, claiming that it natural death. The Imam was laid to rest in Sanabad in the suburbs of Tous, which soon grew into "Mashhad-ar-Reza" – that is, Martyrdom Place of Reza (AS) – or simply Mashhad, which is a world famous centre of pilgrimage today, with millions of people coming from all over the globe to pay homage at the magnificent golden-domed shrine.

521 lunar years ago, on this day in 917 AH, the plot of Kamal Khan, the Abyssinian official, to assassinate the newly-enthroned Isma'il Adel Shah of the dynasty of Iranian origin of Bijapur, was discovered by the queen-mother, who took timely steps to foil the attack on the palace in which the assailant was killed himself. Isma’il, the son and successor of the founder of the dynasty, Yusuf Adel Khan of Saveh (near Tehran), ruled for 25 years and was an accomplished Persian poet. His mother, Poonji Khatoun, was a noble Maratha lady who embraced the truth of Islam. Bijapur was a Persianate kingdom in the Deccan (southern India), and during its almost two centuries of existence, maintained cordial ties with the Safavid Emperors of Iran, in addition to patronizing Persian arts, architecture and poetry, thanks to a steady flow of migrants from Iran from various walks of life.

349 solar years ago, on this day in 1667 AD, Irish author, Jonathan Swift, was born in Dublin. He made strenuous efforts for the independence of his country from British rule. He wrote books depicting the social conditions, including the fictitious work titled “Gulliver's Travels”, which became one of the world’s literary masterpieces. He died at the age of 78.

285 solar years ago, on this day in 1731 AD, Beijing in China was hit by a powerful earthquake that resulted in the death of at least one hundred thousand people.

213 solar years ago, on this day in 1803 AD, in New Orleans, Spanish representatives officially transferred the Louisiana Territory in North America to a French representative, and just 20 days later, France sold the same land to the United States in a deal known as the Louisiana Purchase.

199 solar years ago, on this day in 1817 AD, German historian and researcher, Theodore Mommsen, was born. His most important book is "The History of Rome". He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1902, and died a year later at the age of 86. He served as an elected lawmaker in the Reichstag (parliament), and was considered a staunch opponent of the well-known German Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck.

181 solar years ago, on this day in 1835 AD, US author and humorist, Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known popularly as Mark Twain, was born. His childhood and teenage were adventurous and these adventures later turned into the themes of his books. He wrote numerous stories for youngsters, including "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", and "The Prince and the Pauper". He was broke in the waning years of his life, and finally following the death of his two daughters, he died in 1910.

163 solar years ago, on this day in 1853 AD, during the Crimean War, the Battle of Sinop was fought resulting in the destruction of Ottoman fleet under Osman Pasha by the Russian Navy commanded by Pavel Nakhimov at Sinop, a sea port in northern Turkey.

78 solar years ago, on this day in 1938 AD, Ayatollah Seyyed Hassan Modarres was martyred through poisoning by agents of the despotic British-installed Pahlavi ruler, Reza Khan, in the city of Kashmar, Khorasan, at the age of 68, for his untiring efforts to safeguard freedom and liberties in Iran. Born near the city of Ardestan in central Iran, on completion of his studies, he left for the holy city of Najaf in Iraq, to attend the classes of prominent ulema, such as Ayatollah Mirza Hassan Shirazi (famous for his anti-tobacco fatwa that saved Iranian economy from the British). On returning to Iran, Ayatollah Modarres started his struggles against the despotic regime and its colonial masters. He was elected to the parliament and lobbied for implementation of Islamic laws in the country, a factor that angered Reza Khan, who exiled him from Tehran.

45 solar years ago, on this day in 1971 AD, with the withdrawal of British occupation troops, the Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa, and Greater and Lesser Tunbs, returned to Iran’s sovereignty. These three Iranian islands are strategically located near the Strait of Hormoz, which links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Britain had seized these islands in 1887, and had also taken control of Bahrain which earlier had been seized by the Aal-e Khalifa pirates from Qajarid Iran. Bahrain was not returned to Iranian sovereignty because of the treason of the Pahlavi regime.

28 solar years ago, on this day in 1988 AD, the world famous Egyptian “Qari” (reciter) of the holy Qur'an, Abdul-Baset Mohammad Abdus-Samad, died in Cairo. His son, Yasser, who is also a prominent “Qari” of the holy Qur’an, and has recently become a staunch follower of the School of the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt, relates that after death his father appeared to him in a dream and lamenting about his not-so-satisfactory fate in afterlife, even though he was the world’s foremost memorizer and “Qari” of the holy Qur’an, said the reason was his lack of proper faith in the “Wilayah” or divinely-decreed authority of Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), the First Infallible Successor of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).

19 solar years ago, on this day in 1997 AD, Ayatollah Mirza Jawad Sultan-al-Qurrai Tabrizi, passed away at the age of 96.Born in a family of scholars who were jurisprudents for the past four centuries, he attained Ijtehad at the young age of 25. An expert in jurisprudence, hadith, history, geography, biography of narrators, mathematics, astronomy, and Persian and Arabic literature, he travelled widely, visiting Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, and the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. He made copies of rare books in the libraries he visited, and wrote several books.

AS/ME