Today is Friday; 17thof the Iranian month of Dey 1395 solar hijri; corresponding to 7thof the Islamic month of Rabi as-Sani 1438 lunar hijri; and January 6, 2017, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

Today is Christmas, according to the Eastern Orthodox Churches and the Oriental Orthodox Churches using the Julian Calendar, and made up of the countries of Greece, Cyprus, Russia, Armenia, Georgia, Belarus, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Macedonia, Eritrea, and Ethiopia, as well as the Istanbul-based Church of Turkey, the Copts of Egypt, the Assyrians and Chaldeans of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and the Syriac Christians of Kerala in India – all of which are opposed to the authority of the Vatican and the Catholic Pope. It marks Epiphany, or the day that the three wise men of the East, known as Magi or the Magians of Iran, came with gifts of Gold, Incense and Myrrh, for the infant Prophet Jesus (AS).

1353 solar years ago, on this day in 664 AD, the notorious Omayyad partisan and governor of Egypt, Amr ibn al-Aas, died at the age of around 90 in a state of acute mental agony while recalling his crimes against Islam and humanity, including how he had tried to cheat Prophet Mohammad’s (SAWA) righteous heir, Imam Ali (AS), of the caliphate by declaring the rebel Mu'awiyya ibn Abu Sufyan as the caliph. Born out of wedlock in Mecca to a morally-loose slave-girl, named Layla bintHarmalah and called "Nabigha", his paternity was open to doubt in those freewheeling days of Jahiliyya because of the polyandrous relations of his mother with at least five persons at the same time including Abu Sufyan and Aas ibn Wa'el. Although Amr greatly resembled the stingy miser Abu Sufyan, his mother by openly citing the issue of maintenance claimed that the rather generous Aas had fathered her illegitimate child. With the advent of Islam, Amr showed bitter hostility toward Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), and when the latter migrated to Medina, he was involved in almost all the battles imposed upon Muslims by the pagan Arabs of Mecca. Earlier, when a batch of persecuted Muslims led by the Prophet's cousin, Ja'far ibn Abu Taleb, sought asylum in Abyssinia he led an unsuccessful mission to the court of the Christian king, Negus, for the handover of the refugees. In 8 AH, two years before the passing away of the Prophet and shortly before the surrender of Mecca to the Muslims, Amr, sensing the end of the days of paganism, came to Medina – along with that other avowed enemy of Islam, Khaled bin Waleed – to pretend conversion to Islam, although none of his deeds ever support his claim to be a Muslim. After the Prophet, when the neo-Muslim Arab armies swept in different directions, he led the attack on the Byzantine province of Egypt. When Mu'awiyyah consolidated power in Syria, he joined him as advisor in Damascus and was the evil mind in most of the plots against the Prophet's divinely-decreed successor, Imam Ali ibn AbiTaleb (AS), including the hoisting of copies of the holy Qur'an on spear-points during the War of Siffeen in order to deceive Muslims and evade a definite defeat. Earlier during the battle, to escape certain death from the flashing blade of Imam Ali (AS), Amr while fleeing, shamelessly disrobed himself, making the Imam turn away from such an abhorred sight. In 38 AH, he again attacked Egypt and seized it by brutally martyring the legally appointed governor, Mohammad ibn Abu Bakr. Thus at the time of his agonizing death, he admitted that he felt as if the Mountain of Redhwa was hanging upon his neck and he was being dragged through the eye of a needle for his sins and crimes against Islam and humanity.

1133 solar years ago, on this day in 884 AD, the founder of the Alawid state in Tabaristan, Hassan Ibn Zayd, known as “Da’i al-Kabeer” (Elder Missionary) and “Da’iil-al-Haq” (Inviter to Truth), passed away in Amol, Mazandaran, after a twenty-year reign. He was 6th in line of descent from Imam Hasan Mojtaba (AS), the elder grandson and 2nd Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), and was invited by the people of northern Iran to lead them against the usurper Abbasid regime. He enlightened the people with the teachings of the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt, and was known for his resolute resistance against the Abbasids and their regional agents. Historians have praised him as a just and equitable ruler, possessing rare energy as a sincerely religious man, well educated, and a patron of letters. Hassan was succeeded by his younger brother, Mohammad, who was known as “Da’i as-Sagheer” (Younger Missionary), who during his 16 year-rule, until martyrdom while fighting the invading Samanid forces, continued his brother’s enlightened policies and rebuilt the holy shrines in Karbala and Najaf.

977 solar years ago, on this day in 1040 AD, the Ghaznavid king, Mas'oud I, after a reign of nine years, was murdered by his nephew Ahmad, son of his deposed elder twin brother Mohammad, who was subsequently restored to the throne. Mohammad, designated as successor by his famous father, Mahmoud Ghaznavi, the Turkic conqueror of Khorasan, Central Asia and northwestern India, had ruled for five months before being blinded and dethroned by Mas'oud – an able general who held on to his father's Iranian possessions. During the later years of his rule, Mas'oud lost Central Asia and Khorasan to the Seljuq Turks and moved his capital from Ghazni (in present day Afghanistan) to Lahore in what is now Pakistan. The famous Iranian Islamic scientist, Abu RayhanBerouni has dedicated his work on astronomy titled "Qanoun al-Mas'oudi" to Mas'oud, whose son Mawdoud killed his uncle Mohammad a year later, and became king.

899 solar years ago, on this day in 1118 AD, the Spanish Muslim city of Zaragoza and the province of the same name, now called Aragon, was occupied by Alfonso the Battler, thereby ending 414 years of glorious Islamic rule. Founded by the Romans as Caesar-Augusta, the city was captured by the Goths, who lost it to the Muslims in 714, and was called Saraqusta in Arabic. It grew to become the biggest Muslim city of Northern Spain. It became a hotbed of political intrigue. In 774, its governor, Hussain Ibn Yahya al-Ansari declared Hispania to be a province of the Abbasid caliphate, prompting the Omayyads of Cordoba to launch an abortive attack. Hussain resisted till 788 and in the meantime in 777, beat back an attempt by Charlemagne of France to besiege it. The area changed hands several times among the various Muslim factions. In 884 it was sold by Mohammad Ibn Lubb Ibn Qasi to the Christian Raymond of Pallars, but was immediately retaken by the Muslims. In 886 the BanuTujibi family was appointed to govern it, and after over a century of increasing its economic and military might it declared it as an independent Taifa or emirate. In 1038, Zaragoza was seized by BanuHoud, whose ruler, Abdul-Malik Imad od-Dowla, made the mistake of allying himself with the Castilian Christians against the al-Morawid Muslim dynasty. The treachery proved fatal and in 1118 with the help of mercenaries, Alfonso seized Zaragoza and ended Muslim rule. The magnificent al-Jaferia Palace, built by Ja'far al-Muqtadir, serves as the regional parliament today.

804 lunar years ago, on this day in 634 AH, the Iranian polymath Qotb od-Din Mahmoud ibn Zia od-Din Masoud Kazerouni, known as Mullah Qotb Shirazi, was born in Kazeroun, near Shiraz. He studied medicine under his father, who practiced and taught medicine at Shiraz’s Muzaffari Hospital. He studied the “al-Qanoun fi’t-Tibb” (Canon of Medicine) of the Iranian-Islamic genius, Abu Ali Ibn Sina, along with its commentaries. In particular he read the commentary of Fakhr od-Din Razi on this book and raised many objections of his own. This led to his decision to write his own commentary, where he resolved many of the issues of this book, especially in the company of the famous genius of his age, Khwaja Naseer od-Din Tusi – founder of the observatory at Maragha in northwestern Iran. In Maragha, he was taught astronomy Naseer od-Din Tusi, in addition to Ibn Sina’s masterpiece on remarks and admonitions titled “al-Isharaat wa'l-Tanbihaat”. One of the important scientific projects was completion of the new astronomical table or Zij. Mullah Qotb Shirazi traveled to Khorasan in the company of Naseer od-Din Tusi and for a while studied under Najm od-Din Katebi Qazvini in the town of Juwayn. He then journeyed to Qazvin, Isfahan, Baghdad, and Qonya in Anatolia (modern day Turkey), where he studied the “Jam'e al-Osoul” of Ibn Atheer under Sadr od-Din Qonawi. The governor of Qonya, appointed him as judge of the cities of Sivas and Malatya. It was during this time that he compiled the books “Miftaḥ al-Miftah” on Arabic grammar and rhetoric, and “Ikhtiyaraat al-Muzaffariya” on astronomy. He was sent as envoy by the first Muslim Ilkhanid Mongol ruler of Iran-Iraq, Ahmad Tekudar, to Saif od-Din Qalawun, the Mamluk ruler of Egypt. During his stay in Cairo, Mullah Qotb Shirazi collected various critiques and commentaries on Ibn Sina’s “Qanoun” and used them on his commentary on the “Kolliyaat”. The last part of his active career was teaching in Syria the “Qanoun” and the “Kitab ash-Shefa” the philosophical magnum opus of Ibn Sina. He passed away in Tabriz at the age of 77. A prolific writer in both Arabic and Persian, he authored books on various topics including medicine, astronomy, geography, mathematics, philosophy and religion. Among his works is “Nihayat al-Idraak fi Dirayaat al-Aflaak” on the movement of planets. Mullah Qotb also identified observations by Ibn Sina on the transits of Venus and Mercury, centuries before European scientists.

536 solar years ago, on this day in 1481 AD, Ahmed Ibn Kuchuk, the Khan of the Great Horde from 1465 was killed by the Siberian Ibak Khan and the Nogay tribe at the mouth of the River Donets. He seized power from his elder brother Mahmoud and in 1472, entered into alliance with the Polish king Casimir IV against Ivan III of Russia. In 1480, following Russia's refusal to recognize him as overlord, he launched a military campaign against Moscow.

525 solar years ago, on this day in 1492 AD, Christian occupiers of the Spanish Muslim emirate of Gharnata (Granada), led by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, entered the magnificent Islamic fortress complex of “al-Hamra” (“The Red” in Arabic and mispronounced ‘Alhambra’ by the Europeans). It is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the inspiration for many songs and stories. Spanish Muslim poets described it as "a pearl set in emeralds," in allusion to the colour of its buildings and the woods around them. The palace complex was designed with the mountainous site in mind and many forms of technology were considered. The park, which is overgrown with wildflowers and grass in the spring, was planted by the Muslims of Spain with roses, oranges and myrtles. Completed by the Nasrid Sultans Yusuf I and Mohammad V, a century before the fall of Granada to a mercenary force of Christian invaders from different parts of Europe, the al-Hamra is a reflection of the culture of the last centuries of Islamic Spain. Among the architectural beauties of this vast complex which for centuries was neglected and damaged by the Christians, before its modern restoration are the Royal Complex, the Court of Lions, the Court of Myrtles, and the Hall of Ambassadors – each structure, marveled for its grand design of slender horse shoe arches, columns, arabesques, and dazzling Arabic calligraphy.

324 solar years ago, on this day in1693 AD, Mohammad IV, the 19th Ottoman sultan and the 10th self-styled Turkish caliph, died in Edrine during imprisonment 6 years after being deposed. Born in Istanbul to Sultan Ibrahim’s Rutherian (Ukrainian) concubine, soon after his birth, Ibrahim was so enraged that he tore the infant from his mother's arms and flung him into a cistern. Fortunately, he was rescued by the harem servants, but this left him with a lifelong scar on his head. On Ibrahim’s execution, he was placed on the throne at the age of 6 and ruled for almost 40 years till his ouster in 1687. He died in 1693. His reign changed the nature of the Sultan's position forever by giving up most of his executive power to his Grand Vizier. His reign is notable for the peace with the Safavid Empire of Iran which enabled him to stage a brief revival of Ottoman fortunes in Europe led by Grand Vizier Mohammad Koprulu Pasha and his son Fazel Ahmad Pasha. The Turks regained the Aegean islands from Venice, and Crete, during the Cretan War (lasting from 1645 to 1669). They also fought successful campaigns against Transylvania (in 1660) and Poland (during 1670 to 1674). At one point, when Mohammad IV allied himself with Petro Doroshenko, Ottoman rule was close to extending into Podolia deep inside Ukraine. Supporting the 1683 Hungarian uprising against Austrian rule, a large Ottoman army besieged Vienna, but suffered a defeat on the Kahlenberg Heights, by Polish forces led by King John III Sobieski and his allies, resulting in reversal of fortune for the Turks, who would have lost Iraq and Anatolia as well, if Shah Suleiman Safavi of Iran had chosen to exploit the weakness of the Ottoman Empire, after the Ottomans suffered a serious defeat at the Battle of Vienna in 1683. The Iranians refrained from inter-Muslim sedition by refusing the proposals from the European states to form a coalition against the Ottoman Empire. In 1687, after the crushing Ottoman defeat in the Second Battle of Mohacs, Mohammad IV was deposed.

288 lunar years ago, on this day in 1150 AH, the Ottoman army led by Hekimoghlu Ali Pasha, defeated the Holy Roman Empire near the Bosnian town of Banja Luka. This was a crushing blow by the Muslims of Europe to the ambitions of the Germans and the Austrians in the Balkans.

206 lunar years ago, on this day in 1232 AH, the Moroccan exegete of the Holy Qur’an and literary figure, Abul-Fayz Hamdoun ibn Abdur-Rahman al-Faasi, passed away at the age of 58. Born in Fez (as his surname al-Faasi suggests), during the Hajj pilgrimage to holy Mecca, he met and conferred with prominent Shi’ite Muslim scholars such as the celebrated Ayatollah Sheikh Morteza Ansari Dezfuli. He authored several books on theology, Qur’anic sciences, logic, etc.

165 solar years ago, on this day in 1852 AD, the blind French educator Louis Braille, who developed a tactile form of printing and writing for the blind, died at the age of 43. He became blind at the age four following an accident. In 1821, while Braille was at a school for the blind, a soldier named Charles Barbier visited and showed a code system he had invented. The system, called "night writing" had been designed for soldiers in war trenches to silently pass instructions using combinations of twelve raised dots. Young Braille realised how useful this system of raised dots could be. He developed a simpler scheme using six dots. In 1827 the first book in what is now called Braille was published, enabling the blind to write.

81 solar years ago, on this day in 1936 AD, the British-installed Pahlavi potentate, Reza Khan, tried to insult the dignity of Iran’s Muslim women by banning the Hejab. Earlier he had forbidden Iranian men from wearing traditional clothes as part of his policy to deprive the Iranian nation of its cultural and Islamic identity. He was blindly emulating the western-dictated policies of the Turkish dictator, Kamal Ata Turk, who had also banned the Islamic dress code for women in Turkey and forced men to adopt European clothing. The Iranian ulema and freedom-seekers strongly opposed Reza Khan’s moves, risking imprisonment, torture, and martyrdom. When the agents of this unlettered soldier tried to unveil women on the streets, many respectable women of Iran vowed never to venture out on the streets in order to safeguard their dignity and Islamic values.

49 solar years ago, on this day in 1968 AD, Iran’s wrestling champion, Gholam-Reza Takhti, was killed by agents of the Shah’s despotic regime. Born in a middle class family in Tehran, he was very honest, courageous and kind-hearted toward people. He acted fairly when competing against rivals, something which originated from traditional values of “Zourkhanah”, which is a kind of heroic behaviour that epitomizes chivalrous qualities known as “Javanmardi” in Persian culture. For instance, during a bout with Russian wrestler Alexander Medved who had an injured right knee, he avoided touching his opponent’s injured leg and tried to attack the other leg instead. He lost the match, but showed that he valued honourable behaviour more than achieving victory. Another example of his character comes from a match in Moscow. After defeating the then-world champion Anatoli Albul, he saw the sorrow on the face of Albul's mother. Takhti went to her and said, "I'm sorry about the result, but your son is a great wrestler." She smiled. Takhti bagged nine gold and silver medals in international and Olympic Games and was an Iranian athlete with the highest number of gold and silver medals. His rising popularity among people, and his opposition to the Shah’s despotic policies led agents of the Pahlavi regime to murder him.

11 solar years ago, on this day in 2006 AD, in yet another case of racism, Afro American teenager, 14-year old Martin Lee Anderson  died a day after he was brutally beaten at a juvenile detention boot camp in Florida by white US officers. Videotape showed that he was punched and kicked. In May 2007 the Florida state legislature agreed to pay Anderson’s family $5 million to settle civil claims, but a few months later, an all-white jury acquitted 8 former boot camp workers of manslaughter, despite undeniable evidence.

AS/ME