Today is Wednesday; 24th of the Iranian month of Azar 1395 solar hijri; corresponding to 14th of the Islamic month of Rabi al-Awwal 1438 lunar hijri; and December 14, 2016, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1374 lunar years ago, on this day in 64 AH, the Godless tyrant, Yazid ibn Mu'awiyah, was struck by divine wrath and fell into the bowels of hell, after committing three most blasphemous crimes during his illegal rule of 3 years and nine months. Born out of wedlock to a morally-loose nomadic Arab Christian woman named Maysun bint Bajdal al-Kulaibi an-Nasrania, who was ravished and abandoned by the Omayyad usurper Mu’awiyah ibn Abu Sufyan, he was suckled by several whores while growing up in the desert. Years later, Mu’awiyya, who failed to produce any male issue from the women of his harem, suddenly remembered the illegitimate brat he had abandoned, brought him to Damascus as a young man, and after some years of training under his supervision, named him successor on his deathbed in 60 AH in gross violation of the terms of the Treaty of 41 AH by which he had usurped rule of the Islamic realm from Imam Hasan Mojtaba (AS), the elder grandson of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). An infidel, who did not believe in any religion, although a crucifix given by his Christian mother used to dangle from his neck, Yazid was a drunkard and frequently asked his slaves to sodomize him. The first thing the libertine Yazid did was to demand allegiance to his ungodly and un-Islamic rule from the Prophet's younger grandson Imam Husain (AS), and when this was rejected he had the Imam mercilessly martyred in Karbala in 61 AH along with 18 members of the Prophet's family, including the 6-month infant, Ali Asghar. The children and womenfolk of the Prophet's progeny were then dragged as captives to his court in Damascus. The second abominable crime committed by him was to attack the holy city of Medina in Zilhijja 63 AH after the infamous Battle of Harra in which 10,000 people were massacred, including hundreds of the Prophet's companions. Yazid's soldiers entered Medina, desecrated the Prophet's shrine, and were given permission to loot public property and rape women for three days – resulting in the birth of several thousand illegitimate children that year who are known in history as "Awlad-e Fitna". In the beginning of Rabi al-Awwal 64 AH, Yazid ordered his forces to attack Mecca and storm the holy Ka'ba. Catapults were placed on mountains overlooking the “Masjid al-Haraam” (Sacred Mosque) to hurl blazing naphtha pots at Islam’s holiest sanctuary. The Symbolic House of God caught fire and was almost burnt to the ground when the attack was called off because of Yazid's sudden death this day in Damascus. Yazid, who since the martyrdom of Imam Husain (AS), suffered severe bouts of headache, collapsed in the state of drunkenness in the toilet and died. According to another account, divine wrath struck him while on a hunting trip, and only his charred leg was found in the stirrup of his horse with no trace of his body. He was 37 years of age and his whole body had turned black. Some 58 years later in 132 AH, when the Abbasid caliph, Abu'l-Abbas as-Saffah, ordered the opening of the graves of the Omayyad caliphs, including that of Mu'awiyah, and the burning of their bones, only a piece of a leg bone was found in Yazid's grave and nothing else except blackened dust resembling ashes after the body and skeleton has been burnt, which indicates divine punishment. Both Sunni and Shi'a Muslims consider Yazid an infidel, for openly saying there was neither any Prophet nor divine revelation. At the sight of Imam Husain's (AS) head placed before him in a tray, he wished, if only his infidel ancestors were alive to see how he has avenged the death of his kinsmen killed in the Battles of Badr and Ohad they had imposed on the Prophet.

1113 lunar years ago, on this day in 325 AH, Abu'l-Hassan Ahmad bin Farres, the scholar and lexicographer of Arabic language was born near the city of Qazvin in Iran. He traveled widely in Iran and Iraq for higher studies and earned prominence in jurisprudence, hadith, grammar, literature and poetry. He died in Rayy (presently a suburb of Tehran) in 395 AH at the age of 70 and was buried there. He trained many scholars, and among his works, mention could be made of "as-Sahabi fi Fiqh", "Maqayees al-Lugha", and "Asbab al-Ishtehad".

886 lunar years ago, on this day in 552 AH, Sultan Moiz od-Din Ahmad Sanjar bin Malik Shah bin Alp Arsalan, died, and with him the Seljuqid Empire in Central Asia, Iran, and Iraq, came to its end after 120 years of domination by this Turkic tribe. A branch of the Seljuqs, however, survived in Anatolia (modern Turkey), and northern parts of Syria for another 150 years. Sanjar died in captivity of the Oghuz Turks in the Khorasani city of Merv (in present day Turkmenistan) three years after suffering a heavy defeat at the hands of the infidel Qara Khitai Turks at the Battle of Qatawan near Samarqand. The Seljuq Turks, who overthrew the Ghaznawid Turks in Khorasan and then wiped out the Daylamite Persian dynasty in Iran and Iraq, had adopted Persian culture and language, and were patrons of Iranian poets.

729 solar years ago, on this day in 1287 AD, as a result of a storm, the Zuiderzee sea wall in the Netherlands collapsed, killing an estimated 80,000 people in the sixth largest flood in recorded history. Much of the land was permanently flooded in what are now the Waddenzee and Jsselmeer.

540 solar years ago, on this day in 1476 AD, the murderous Vlad III, known as the "Impaler" for his inhuman killing of Muslims and Christians as well, died at the age of 45. He was the local ruler of Wallachia (Vallahaiya) in Romania, and had once attempted to assassinate the Ottoman Sultan Mohammad II, the Conqueror of Constantinople. Also known as "Dracula" or Son of Dragon, his sadistic cruelties inspired stories of the bloodsucking Vampire. He is said to have impaled nearly 100,000 Turkish Muslims, although despite claiming to be a defender of Christianity, he impaled and burned tens of thousands of Christians as well, during his 19-year reign of terror that ended with his defeat by his consanguineous brother, Radu, who had embraced Islam and was appointed Pasha of Wallachia by the Ottomans. Vlad, who along with Radu had been sent to the Ottoman court while an adolescent, to learn martial arts, the holy Qur'an as well as the Turkish and Persian languages, developed a deep hatred for his brother because of his being favoured by the young prince Mohammad, the future Sultan. In 1447, on the death of his father he was installed as ruler of his homeland by the Ottomans, but instead of showing gratitude, he turned against them and started the brutal killing of Turkish envoys and traders. In 1462, fed up with his savagery, Sultan Mohammad II led a massive army across the River Danube, with Radu at the head of the famous Jan-Nisari Corps. Vlad fled and during his retreat burned and killed everything in sight. When the Ottoman forces approached, they encountered over 20,000 of their soldiers impaled by the forces of Vlad, creating a "forest" of dead or dying bodies on stakes. This atrocious, gut-wrenching sight was too much to bear and Sultan Mohammad turned back in disgust. Four years later Vlad, who fled to Hungary, was imprisoned for ten years by the local Christian ruler for crimes against humanity. On release in 1476, when he attempted to stir up sedition once again, he was killed by the Ottomans.

513 solar years ago, on this day in 1503 AD, French apothecary, astrologer and supposed seer, Michel de Nostredame, known by his Latin name "Nostradamus" was born in Provence. He published collections of so-called prophecies that have since become famous. The first edition appeared in his lifetime in 1555. He has since attracted a following that credits him with predicting many major world events. Academic sources maintain that the associations made between world events and Nostradamus' quatrains are largely the result of misinterpretations or mistranslations (sometimes deliberate) or else are so tenuous as to render them useless as evidence of any genuine predictive power. Nevertheless, many have used a process of free interpretation and determined 'twisting' of his words to predict an apparently imminent event. For example, in 1867, three years before it happened, Le Pelletier did so to anticipate either the triumph or the defeat of Napoleon III in a war that, in the event, begged to be identified as the Franco-Prussian war, while admitting that he could not specify either which or when. There have also been several well-known Internet hoaxes, where quatrains in the style of Nostradamus have been circulated by e-mail as the real thing. The best-known examples concern the collapse of the World Trade Center on 11 September 2001 that led to hoaxes and to reinterpretations by enthusiasts of several quatrains as supposed prophecies. With the advent of 2012 Nostradamus's alleged prophecies started to be co-opted as evidence suggesting that the end of the world is imminent, notwithstanding the fact that his book never mentions the end of the world, let alone the year 2012. He died in 1566.

470 solar years ago, on this day in 1546 AD, Danish astronomer and mathematician, Tycho Brahe, was born in Scania, which was then under Denmark, but is now part of Sweden. He studied for a while in Germany, and later was helped by the Danish ruler to set up an observatory on Hven Island. Influenced by the discoveries of Muslim scientists, centuries earlier, he embarked on wide scale observations of the skies and discovered a supernova. He died in 1601.

419 lunar years ago, on this day in 1019 AH, Mohammad Ibn Hakim, known as Chang Ji Mai in Chinese language, was born in the Iranian city of Isfahan. His ancestors were from Samarqand (presently in Uzbekistan), and at the age of 9, along with his uncle, he migrated to China. Chang Ji Mai taught Islamic sciences as well as Arabic and Persian literature in China and trained talented students in different fields. The Grand Mosque of Ji Nien is his masterpiece. He is known as a great scholar and interpreter of the holy Qur'an in China.

217 solar years ago, on this day in 1799 AD, American military leader and the first president of the United States of America, George Washington, died at the age of 67. He started as an expert land surveyor in the British colonial army and fought against the French during the North American Wars. On outbreak of the rebellion in the 13 New England colonies, he sided with the rebels, assumed the overall military command and led them to victory in the war, after which he was elected as president. The US capital, Washington, was built in his honour on River Potomac.

211 solar years ago, on this day in 1805 AD, the British Blacksmith, George Branklon, discovered coal’s thermal power, while accidentally burning what was regarded as mere construction material. The first coal mine became operational in the port city of Plymouth.

109 solar years ago, on this day in 1907 AD, Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar of Iran through his military officers removed Prime Minister Naseer ol-Molk and imprisoned him, but a popular uprising of the people and the ulema forced the Shah to restore Naseer ol-Molk soon after. During his brief 2-year rule, Mohammad Ali Shah was against the constitution which his father Mozaffar od-Din Shah had reluctantly ratified. He dissolved the elected Majlis, and bombarded the parliament with the help of Russian troops and British political support, before he was deposed and replaced by his 11-year son, Ahmad Shah.

105 solar years ago, on this day in 1911 AD, Antarctica was discovered as several explorers raced each other to set foot on this frozen continent. Norwegian Captain Roald Amundsen beat his closest rival, Britain's Captain Robert Falcon Scott, in hoisting the flag on the South Pole.

72 lunar years ago, on this day in 1366 AH, the jurisprudent Ayatollah Seyyed Hussain Tabatabaie Qomi, passed away at the age of 84 in holy Najaf, Iraq. Born in holy Qom, after completing his religious studies in his hometown and Tehran, he left for Iraq to pursue higher religious sciences at the famous seminary of holy Najaf. He then moved to Samarra, and on the invitation of the people of holy Mashhad came to this city in Khorasan catering to the spiritual needs of the local people. His egalitarian views came into conflict with the repressive policies of the British-installed and US-backed Pahlavi regime, which exiled him to Iraq. He wrote several books such as “Zakhirat-al-Ebad wa Tareeq an-Nejat”.

66 solar years ago, on this day in 1950 AD, the famous preacher Hojjat al-Islam Mahdi Va’ez Khorasani, passed away in Mashhad at the age of 82 and was laid to rest in the holy mausoleum of Imam Reza (AS), the 8th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny). For seventy years he promoted the teachings of the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt to eager audiences in Tehran, Qom, Mashhad, Najaf, Karbala and other towns and cities, including in the holy shrines of the Infallible Imams.

37 solar years ago, on this day in 1979 AD, Mohammad Reza, the fugitive Pahlavi potentate of Iran, was forced to leave the US for Panama, as the Jimmy Carter Administration came under pressure from the Islamic Republic of Iran for extradition of the British-installed Shah to try him for his treason against the Iranian nation and crimes against Islam. His stay on the Isla Contadora, resulted in mass demonstrations by Panamanians who objected to his presence in their country. The Islamic Republic of Iran dispatched an envoy to Panama, carrying a 450-page extradition request which listed his crimes. This official appeal alarmed both the Shah and his advisors, and fearing extradition he fled Panama in March 1980 for Egypt – his initial destination on fleeing Iran on January 16, 1979. His host was the Egyptian president, Anwaar Saadaat, notorious for his treason against Islam and the Palestinian cause. On 27 July 1980, the 60-year old Mohammad Reza who had ruled Iran under Anglo-American tutelage from 11 September 1941 to mid-January 1979, died in Cairo and was buried there besides his equally treacherous father, the British agent Reza Khan, whose bones he had dug up and taken to Egypt when he fled Iran.

35 solar years ago, on this day in 1981 AD, Syria's Zionist occupied region of Golan Heights was illegally declared part of Israel. Occupied in the 1967 war, the annexation statement led to wide scale protests worldwide. Syria has vowed to retake its territories and refused to enter into any deceptive talks with the Zionist entity.

21 solar years ago, on this day in 1995 AD, the Bosnian peace agreement, called the Dayton Accord, was ratified at the Paris meeting, following its signing on November 21 in Dayton, US, by the Bosnian, Serb, and Croat presidents. The only outcome of the Dayton Accord for Muslims was that it spelled an end to the barbaric bouts of massacre by the Serbs, which had claimed 250,000 lives till that date. Despite the relative majority of Muslims, the Republic was divided into two parts, namely the Muslim-Croat Federation and the Bosnian Serb Republic, with both of them under the supervision of a weak central government in the capital, Sarajevo. Meanwhile, despite the passage of years since the ethnic cleansing of Bosnian Muslims, issues related to the return of 1.2 million Muslim refugees to their homes and hearths have remained unsolved.

8 solar years ago, on this day in 2008 AD, Iraqi journalist, Muntadhar az-Zaidi, threw his shoes at the then US President George W. Bush during a press conference in Baghdad, becoming a hero in the eyes of the oppressed people of the world. Born in Sadr City, Baghdad, in a family adhering to the school of the Ahl al-Bayt of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), he was resentful of the US occupation of his country and the killing of the Iraqi Muslim people. While throwing his first shoe at George Bush, who was flanked by Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maleki, he shouted: "This is a farewell kiss from the Iraqi people, you dog". As Bush ducked to avoid being hit in the face, az-Zaidi threw his other shoe at him, shouting: "This is for the widows and orphans and all those killed in Iraq." Again, a badly shaken Bush barely evaded a direct hit on the face. The heroic Iraqi journalist was immediately pulled to the ground, as security guards kicked, beat and dragged him outside the conference hall, with blood dripping from his body. He was jailed, tortured, interrogated, put on trial, defended his action as the natural response to the killing of over a million Iraqis by the American occupiers, and sentenced to a year in prison. Nine months later, he was released for good conduct, and worked for a Lebanese TV channel.

6 solar years ago, on this day in 2010 AD, two terrorists triggered bomb attacks at the entrance of the Imam Husain (AS) Mosque on Tasua 9th Moharram, in the southeastern Iranian city of Chabahar, martyring 39 people and wounding more than 100 during a commemoration ceremony for the Martyrs of Karbala. Terrorists on the payroll of the CIA, Saudi Arabia and the Zionist entity carry out such cowardly attacks in Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan in a vain bid to plunge the country into a security crisis.

4 solar years ago, on this day in 2012 AD, the Islamic Republic of Iran successfully sent a monkey into space for a second time, as part of an advanced programme aimed at manned space flight. Iran has taken giant strides in the aeronautics and space technology.

AS/MG