Today is Friday; 1st of the Iranian month of Bahman 1395 solar hijri; corresponding to 21st of the Islamic month of Rabi as-Sani1438 lunar hijri; and January 20, 2017, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1767 solar years ago, on this day in 250 AD, Roman Emperor Decius began a widespread persecution of the followers of Prophet Jesus (PBUH), irrespective of whether they were pure monotheists awaiting the coming of the Last Prophet, or the newly created cult called Christianity, which had its weird concept of Trinity. It was in his reign that a group of monotheist youths sought refuge in a mountain cave in Syria and are known in the holy Qur’an as “As-haab Kahf.”

1197 solar years ago, on this day in 820 AD, Mohammad ibn Idris ash-Shafe’i, on whose judicial teachings the Shafe’i school of Sunni jurisprudence is named, died in al-Fustat, Egypt, after sustaining injuries from followers of the Maliki school of jurisprudence, following his triumph in debate over them. Born in Gaza near Asqalan in the Banu Mutalleb clan – a sister clan of the Banu Hashem – he grew up in Mecca and Medina, where he learned jurisprudence from Malek ibn Anas. He later moved to Baghdad and studied under different teachers. Perhaps, because of fear of the repressive Abbasid regime, Shafe’i failed to establish direct contact with Imam Musa al-Kazem (AS) and Imam Ali ar-Reza (AS), respectively the 7th and 8th Infallible Heirs of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), and thus could not ascertain the authenticity of the legal code he had learned and collected. Nonetheless he was deeply influenced by the blessed Ahl al-Bayt, and has explicitly stated that the daily ritual prayer is invalid if salawaat or blessings are not sent on the Prophet’s progeny in the “tashahhud”. He says in this regard in a quatrain:

"O Ahl Bayt of the Prophet of Allah! Allah has decreed your love obligatory for us in the revealed Qur'an; It is sufficient for your dignity (that); His (ritual) prayer is invalid, if there is no blessings sent upon you."

In many of his famous Arabic poems, Shafe’i has shown his devotion to the Prophet’s first divinely-decreed vicegerent Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS):

“They say: You are a Rafedhi (heretic), I say: No; Never did I reject my religion or my belief; But in my heart without the least doubt; There is much love (and respect) for the Greatest Leader (Imam Ali); If loving the Wali of Allah (Friend of God) is Rafdh; Then I am the foremost Rafedhi!”

He has also said:

“When I saw different creeds and jurisprudential schools steering towards ignorance and misguidance; I embarked in the Name of God on the Ark of Salvation; That is the progeny of Mustafa the Seal of Prophets; And got hold of the Divine Rope which is the very love of them; Indeed, God commands us to hold fast to the (Divine) Rope.”

504 solar years ago, on this day in 1517 AD, Ottoman Sultan, Selim I, entered Cairo in triumph after a series of battles against the Mamluk Dynasty of Egypt-Syria starting six months earlier near Aleppo on August 24, 1516, less than two years after his narrow victory at Chaldiran over Shah Ismael I of Iran. The wars between the Ottomans and Mamluks had started in 1485 in southern Anatolia, when Bayazid II instead of concentrating on European campaigns turned eastwards to annex the lands of fellow Muslims, much to the relief of Spanish Christians besieging the Emirate of Granada, the last stronghold of Muslims in Iberia or Andalus, which fell in 1492 and whose ruler had appealed to the Mamluks for help. Thus, Selim greatly fearing the Iranians might reorganize and counterattack in view of the widespread influence of the Safavids in Syria and Anatolia (modern day Turkey), coupled with their recent sending of an ambassador to the Republic of Venice, through Mamluk ports in the Levant, invaded Syria and swept across Palestine till he reached Egypt. Selim’s conquest of Egypt and the killing of Mamluk Sultan, Tuman Bay, transformed the Ottoman state from a realm at the margin of Islamic lands mainly located in Asia Minor and south-western Europe, into a huge empire encompassing the historical cities of Cairo, Damascus, Bayt al-Moqaddas and Aleppo, as well as the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, since the Sharif of Hejaz, pledged allegiance to him. Selim now styled himself the first non-Arab caliph by bribing court mullahs to give fatwas in his favour, although he had no right or legitimacy even from the Sunni point of view.

176 solar years ago, on this day in 1841 AD, Hong Kong Island was seized by the British in the wake of the war these European invaders imposed upon China, following its refusal to import opium. On 1 July 1997, after 156 years, the British occupiers had no other choice but to return Hong Kong to China.

124 solar years ago, on this day in 1893 AD, the Southeast Asian country of Laos was forced to become a French colony by invaders from Europe. During World War 2 the Japanese army seized Laos, which was recaptured by the French troops, who in 1949 had no choice but to grant it autonomy within the French Union. Finally, on eruption of the popular uprisings in Laos, the French had to recognize the independence of Laos in 1954.

117 solar years ago, on this day in 1900 AD, John Ruskin, the English painter, art critic, and a prominent social thinker, died at the age of 81. He was an authority in the field of arts and architecture, and has expressed his viewpoints in the book: "Modern Painters". For Ruskin, art should communicate truth above all things. However, this could not be revealed by mere display of skill, and must be an expression of the artist's whole moral outlook. He maintained ethical views in social and economic domains and was concerned about the future of industrial developments. He has left behind a large number of books.

116 solar years ago, on this day in 1901 AD, the Belgian inventor and physicist, Zenobe Gramme, died at the age of 75. He invented the dynamo, with the use of which one can transfer continuous or alternative electricity currents to far regions.

67 lunar years ago, on this day in 1371 AH, the Iranian scholar Ayatollah Mohammad Nahavandi passed away. Born in holy Najaf, Iraq, to Ayatollah Abdur-Rahim Nahavandi, he followed in his father’s footsteps to master various branches of Islamic sciences. His notable work is the book “Nafahat ar-Rahman” on the exegesis of the holy Qur’an, which he wrote in both Arabic and Persian in four volumes.

55 solar years ago, on this day in 1962 AD, Tehran University students suffered injuries when mercenaries of the British-installed and American-backed Pahlavi regime attacked their peaceful gathering. Text books were seized and the regime fearful of protests by the students, closed down Tehran University for more than two-and-a-half months.

52 solar years ago, on this day in 1965 AD, Prime Minister Hassan-Ali Mansour of the Shah's detested regime was revolutionary executed by Muslim combatant, Mohammad Bokharai. Mansour was an American stooge. It was during his tenure that the rubber-stamp parliament of the Pahlavi regime passed the Capitulation Bill granting immunity to American criminals from judicial pursuance in Iran. This enabled the US to plunder Iran’s resources and to interfere in its domestic affairs more freely. Mansour also earned notoriety for sending into exile the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (God bless him). Soon after the beloved Imam’s exile to Turkey, Mansour was fatally shot by Mohammad Bokharai, and died a few days later.

42 solar years ago, on this day in 1975 AD, Dr. Mohammad Qarib, physician, clinician, distinguished university professor and the Father of Pediatrics in Iran, passed away in Tehran at the age of 66. Born in Garakan in Ashtiyan County of Markazi Province, after completing high school in 1927, he went to Reims, France, where he studied at Ecole de Médecine de Reims for 2 years and then enrolled at the Paris University Medical School. An honour student at the medical school, he passed the difficult examinations for an externship and later those for the coveted and highly competitive interne des hopitaux de Paris. He received an M.D. degree in 1937 and, after one year of training in pediatrics with Professor Ribadeau-Dumas, he returned home. Dr. Qarib was appointed the first professor of pediatrics at Tehran University. Subsequently, he became chairman of the pediatrics department, a post he held until his death in 1975. In 1941, he was the author of the first Persian textbook on diseases of children. Throughout his career, he edited or co-edited numerous volumes on pediatric problems and progress in Iran, and published many articles in Persian, French, and American medical journals. During a span of 37 years, he taught the medicine of childhood to thousands of undergraduate and graduate students. Many of his pupils subsequently held important positions in Iranian medical education, including the chairmanship of most of the pediatrics departments in the numerous medical schools in Iran. Because of his endeavors and influence, the field was recognized as a specialty in 1950 and a Pediatrics Specialty Board was created in 1955. In 1960, he and his colleagues founded the Iranian Pediatrics Society, of which he was president until 1974. He was a member of the Advisory Board of the International Pediatrics Association from 1968 to 1974. In 1970, he was instrumental in the planning and building of the 150-bed Children's Hospital Medical Center in Tehran, and he served as its medical director from 1971 to 1975. For his lifetime of service, Dr. Qarib was honoured on a stamp issued by the Islamic Republic of Iran on October 10, 1991. His personal, professional, and political life, detailed in a 36-part television series entitled "Roozegar-e Qarib" or "Times of Gharib," was first shown on Iranian TV in 2007.

38 solar years ago, on this day in 1979 AD, pillars of the British-installed and US-backed Pahlavi regime were shaken by popular nationwide protests, as Iranians stormed the Shah's prisons to release thousands of prisoners. Simultaneously, a large number of Air Force officers staged demonstrations to announce their solidarity with the revolutionary masses. Reports circulated that the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (God bless him), would soon be returning from exile. People rejoiced and everyone prepared to accord a unique and historical welcome to the beloved leader.

30 solar years ago, on this day in 1983 AD, prominent Iranian musician, calligrapher, scholar of Persian literature, Ibrahim Bonari, passed away at the age of 91. Born in Taleqan, he completed his religious studies in jurisprudence, and Arabic literature, before mastering Persian literature, music and the art of calligraphy.

AS/ME