Today is Monday; 4th of the Iranian month of Bahman 1395 solar hijri; corresponding to 24th of the Islamic month of Rabi as-Sani 1438 lunar hijri; and January 23, 2017, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1050 lunar years ago, on this day in 388 AH, the lexicographer, literary figure, and theologian, Abu-Ali Mohammad ibn Muzaffar al-Hatami al-Baghdadi, passed away. He has left behind numerous compilations, including the book “al-Hatamiyah”, which is a critical account of poems of his contemporaries.

1046 solar years ago, on this day in 971 AD, troops of the Song Dynasty soundly defeated the war elephant corps of the southern Han kingdom at Shao, largely due to intensive crossbow fire. This defeat not only marked the eventual submission of the southern Han to the Song, but was also the last instance where a war elephant corps was employed as a regular division of a Chinese army. The Song Dynasty, founded in 960, succeeded in uniting China once again, by putting an end to seven decade period of “Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms” that had emerged after the collapse of the powerful Tang Dynasty. The Song Dynasty, during its over three-century rule, was the first government in world history to nationally issue banknotes or true paper money, and this period also saw the first known use of gunpowder. During the Song era, more Buddhist monks from India visited China than in the previous period, while people from other lands, especially Muslims of Iranian, Turkic, and Arab origin traveled to China to conduct trade or live permanently. The result was Muslims becoming a pre-eminent force in the import and export industry, while some were even appointed as officers to supervise economic affairs.

818 solar years ago, on this day in 1199 AD, Ya'qoub al-Mansur, the 3rd ruler of the al-Mowahhed Dynasty of Morocco and Muslim Spain, died in Marrakesh at the age of 39 after a reign of 15 years. Also known as Moulay Ya'qoub, his reign was distinguished by the flourishing of trade, architecture, philosophy and the sciences, as well as by military victories, especially over the Christian rebels of what is now Portugal and Spain. He avenged his father's death in Portugal by liberating several cities and forts and transporting to Morocco some three thousand captives. During his absence from Andalusia, when Christian rebels occupied several cities, he returned from North Africa to defeat them once again, before going back to Morocco. Taking advantage of his absence, Christian rebels and European mercenaries led by King Alfonso VIII of Castile, assembled a huge army of over 300,000. On hearing this, he returned again to Iberia and won a resounding victory in the Battle of Alarcos on 18th July 1195. Half of the huge enemy forces were decimated and treasury beyond calculation fell to him. During his reign, al-Mansur undertook several major projects. He built the Kotoubia and al-Mansuria Mosques in Marrakesh. He attempted to build what would have been the world's largest mosque in Rabat, along with the highest tower, but the project remained incomplete. He also patronized the great Spanish Muslim philosopher-scientist, Ibn Rushd (Averroes). Like many of the Muslim rulers, al-Mansur was learned and favoured the Zahirite School of jurisprudence, founded by Dawoud ibn Khalaf az-Zahiri of Isfahan – a school that was widespread among Sunni Muslims in Iraq, Iraq, Syria, North Africa and Spain, before the Turkic rulers forcibly replaced it with the Hanafi School (also founded by an Iranian, Abu Hanifa, the son of a Zoroastrian convert to Islam from Kabul).

750 lunar years ago, on this day in 688 AH, the Mamluk Sultan of Egypt, Mansour Qalawoon liberated Tripoli in northern Lebanon from the Crusader occupiers of Egypt. His victory led to the gradual liberation of Syria and Palestine from the European usurpers.

690 lunar years ago, on this day in 748 AH, Hassan Gangu titled Zafar Khan, was unanimously elected king with the title Ala od-Din Shah Bahmani, following his victory over rivals, who two years earlier had joined together to declare the Deccan (or south India) independent from the tyrannical rule of Sultan Mohammad bin Tughlaq of Hindustan (or northern subcontinent) by placing Naseer od-Din Ismail as the Shah at Daulatabad. Ala od-Din Shah Bahmani, who claimed descent from the legendry Iranian king, Bahman son of Isfandiyar, shifted his capital further south to Gulbarga, and expanded his kingdom in all directions during his 11-year rule. The dynasty he founded ruled for over 170 years – first from Gulbarga and then from Bidar – promoting Islam and Persian language, culture and architecture in southern India, by virtue of its direct sea-route contact with Iran, from where poets, scholars, artists, statesmen, traders and soldiers of fortune flocked to the Bahmani court. The Bahmanis respected Sufi saints and greatly revered Shah Ne’matollah Wali of Kerman for his devotion to the school of the Ahl al-Bayt of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny). The Bahmani Empire – that stretched from the western to the eastern coasts of Peninsular India – split into five independent Persianate kingdoms that ensured the independence of the Deccan from Hindustan for another 170 more years until the conquest by Aurangzeb, the Mughal Emperor. Of the five, the three powerful dynasties (Nizamshahis of Ahmadnagar, Adelshahis of Bijapur and Qutbshahis of Golkandah-Haiderabad) followed the Shi’a Muslim creed and regarded the Safavid rulers of Iran as their emperor.

649 solar years ago, on this day in 1368 AD, in a coronation ceremony, Zhu Yuanzhang ascended the throne of China as the Hongwu Emperor, initiating Ming Dynasty rule over China that would last for three centuries. Born in a peasant family in 1328, Zhu Yuanzhang, who liberated China from the rule of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, transformed China into a major power during his 30-year rule. Although born a Buddhist, he embraced the Confucian doctrine, and showed inclination towards Islam. He ordered the construction of several mosques in Nanjing, Yunnan, Guangdong, Xijing and Fujian, and placed inscriptions in them in praise of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny). He rebuilt the Jinjue Mosque in his capital Nanjing, and large numbers of the Muslim Hui people moved to the city during his rule. He had some ten Muslim generals in his military, including Chang Yuchun, Lan Yu, Ding Dexing, Mu Ying, Feng Sheng and Hu Dahai. He personally wrote a 100-word praise (baizizan) on Islam, Allah and the Prophet of Islam.

601 lunar years ago, on this day in 837 AH, the prominent Iranian poet of the Timurid era, Seyyed Moin od-Din Ali Hussaini Sarabi Tabrizi, passed away. Born in the northwestern Iranian city of Tabriz, he was given the title “Qassem al-Anwaar” (Distributor of Lights), by his Sufi master after a vision he had of himself standing in the mosque holding a giant candle, from which members of the congregation lit their own candles. He became a missionary, eventually residing in Herat in Khorasan, northeastern Iran, until he was expelled by Emperor Shahrukh, because of his success in attracting disciples. He took refuge at the court of Shahrukh's son, Ulugh Beg the scientist, in Samarqand in what is now Uzbekistan. He wrote mystical treatises and a collection of poems including ghazals.

503 solar years ago, on this day in 1514 AD, Hai Rui, original name Haider, the famous Chinese official of Muslim origin, of the Ming Dynasty, who was known for his honesty and integrity in office, was born in Qiongshan, Hainan. His great-great-grandfather, a native of Guangzhou, was also named Haider. Having lost his father at the age of three, Hai Rui was raised by his mother, who was also from a Muslim (Hui) family that originated from the subcontinent. Hai Rui, noted for his Neo-Confucian philosophical works, never discussed Islam openly to avoid any hostility. He gained a reputation for his uncompromising adherence to upright morality, scrupulous honesty, and fairness. This won him widespread popular support but made him many enemies in the bureaucracy. Nevertheless, he was called to the capital Beijing and promoted to Secretary of Ministry of Revenue. In 1565, he submitted a memorial strongly criticizing the Jiajing Emperor for the neglect of his duties and bringing disaster to the country, for which he was sentenced to death in 1566, but was released after the Emperor died the next years. Hai Rui was reappointed under the Longqing Emperor but forced to resign in 1570. He then spent 15 years in retirement in Hainan before being finally brought back to the Empire's "auxiliary capital" of Nanjing, in 1585, to serve under the Wanli Emperor. Hai Rui was promoted to censor-in-chief of Nanjing in 1586, but died in office a year later. His has ever since become a byword faith, honesty and integrity.

461 solar years ago, on this day in 1556 AD, one of the deadliest earthquakes shook the Chinese State of Shaanxi – a densely populated province located on fault lines. This terrible quake killed an estimated 830,000 people besides inflicting huge loss on the infrastructure.

228 solar years ago, on this day in 1789 AD, Ja’far Khan, the 7th ruler of the Zand Dynasty of Iran, was killed after a 4-year reign, by Murad Khan, who threw his decapitated head over the citadel walls and declared himself Shah, only to be defeated and killed four months later by the deceased ruler’s son, the popular Lotf Ali Khan. A capable military commander and son of Sadeq Khan – the nephew of the Zand Dynasty’s founder, Karim Khan – Ja’far inflicted numerous defeats on Agha Mohammad Khan the Qajarid warlord, who in 1794 finally succeeded in overthrowing the Zands and becoming king of the new Qajar Dynasty of Iran.

185 solar years ago, on this day in 1832 AD, the French Painter, Edouard Manet, was born. He was a pivotal figure in the transition from the painting school of Realism to Impressionism. His works include "Olympia". He died in 1883.

147 solar years ago, on this day in1870 AD, in Montana, US cavalrymen cold-bloodedly killed almost two hundred Amerindians, mostly women and children, in what became known as the Marias Massacre. This was yet another incident of state terrorism and genocide by the white men against the native populations.

119 solar years ago, on this day in 1898 AD, film theorist and director, Sergey Mikhailovich Eisenstein, was born in Russia. He directed his first film, “Strike”, in the year 1924. His second film: “The Battleship Potemkin”, led to a huge development in the world’s film industry. He was a pioneer in the use of montage. His other major films include: “October”.

98 solar years ago, on this day in 1919 AD, the Fascist Party of Italy was founded by Benito Mussolini. Its members believed in the revival of the ancient Roman Empire, and were known as "Black Shirts" because of their black attire. Fascism favoured dictatorship, negated parliamentary representation, opposed basic freedoms, and pursued an expansionist policy abroad. Mussolini seized the Italian capital, Rome, in October 1922, declared himself as 'Leader', and when World War 2 broke out in 1939, joined forces with Adolph Hitler of Germany. During the last days of the war, he was detained and executed by Italian patriots.

87 solar years ago, on this day in 1930 AD, Iran’s celebrated contemporary painter, Mahmoud Farshchian, was born in Isfahan. He studied under the tutelage of Haji Mirza-Agha Imami and Eisa Bahadori for several years. After receiving diploma from Isfahan's High School for Fine Arts, he left for Europe, where he studied the works of the great western masters of painting. Consequently, he developed an innovative artistic style with universal appeal. Upon his return to Iran, he worked at the National Institute of Fine Arts and in time, was appointed director of the Department of National Arts and professor at the University of Tehran's School of Fine Arts. All the while, word of his exemplary works spread far and wide beyond national borders. He has held 57 individual exhibits and 86 group shows in Iran, Europe, the US, and Asian countries. His works are represented in several museums and major collections worldwide. "The Museum of Master Mahmoud Farshchian", set up at Sa’dabad Cultural Complex in Tehran in 2001 is devoted to the works of this master painter, whose works include such paintings as the pathetic scene of “Sham-e Gharibaan” – evening following the tragic martyrdom of Imam Husain (AS) – Martyrdom of Imam Husain’s (AS) infant son, Ali Asghar, and “Zamen-e Ahou” (Imam Reza (AS) and the Deer Hunter), etc. He has designed the Zarih (the silver grill latticed enclosure of the tomb of Imam Husain (AS) in Karbala), as well as the roof, door and cellar in the shrine of Imam Reza (AS) in Mashhad. Farshchian is the founder of his own school in Iranian Painting, which adheres to classical form while making use of new techniques to broaden the scope of Iranian painting. He has brought new life to this art form and has freed it from the symbiotic relationship it has historically had with poetry and literature, to give it an independence it had not previously enjoyed. His powerful and innovative paintings are dynamic, expansive and vibrant canvases with an appealing fusion of the traditional and the modern, which are constituents of his unique style of painting. He's the most modernizer of the field of miniatures, an art form which was first established in Ancient Persia and later spread to China, Turkey, India and other Muslim countries.

38 solar years ago, on this day in 1979 AD, on reports of the imminent return home from exile of the Father of Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), the Shah's premier, Shapour Bakhtiyar, fearful of losing power, ordered the closure of all airports in Iran. The people, however, continued to hold demonstrations to demand the opening of all airports. Led by Ayatollah Morteza Motahhari and Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Hussaini Beheshti, many staged a sit-in at Tehran University’s Mosque.

28 solar years ago, on this day in 1989 AD, Spanish surrealist painter and founder of the Cubism Style, Salvador Dali, died in Catalonia at the age of 84. His talent in painting became apparent in his youth and thereafter he catapulted to global fame. Dali attributed his love of everything that is gilded and excessive, as well as oriental clothes to a self-styled "Arab lineage", claiming that his ancestors were descended from the Muslim Moors – who were forcibly Christianized.

3 solar years ago, on this day in 2013AD, in northern Iraq Saudi-backed Takfiri terrorists handed a bagful of explosives to an unsuspecting person and then blew him through remote control in the midst of a funeral ceremony of ethnic Turkmen Shi’a Muslim mourner, martyring around fifty and wounding some 150 others.

AS/MG