Today is Friday; 6th of the Iranian month of Esfand 1395 solar hijri; corresponding to 26th of the Islamic month of Jamadi al-Awwal 1438 lunar hijri; and February 24, 2017, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1158 lunar years ago, on this day in 280 AH, the Iranian linguist and poet of Arabic language, Abu’l-Fazl Ahmad, known popularly as Ibn Abi Taher Tayfur, passed away at the age of 76 in his hometown Baghdad and was laid to rest in the Bab ash-Sham cemetery in the section reserved for notables. His father Tayfur was from the Khorasani city of Marv (presently in Turkmenistan). Ibn Tayfur played an important role in revolutionizing Arabic literature. He was the first writer to devote a book to writers. His works include the 3-volume“Kitab al-Manthour wa’l-Manzoum” (Book of Prose and Poetry), which is the first attested multi-author anthology. Another of his work was “Kitab Baghdad” (Book of Baghdad), in 6 volumes, of which only one volume has survived. He also compiled “Balaghat an-Nisa” (or Eloquence of Women), in which he has cited the two sermons of Hazrat Fatema az-Zahra (SA), the daughter of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), following the seizure of her patrimony of the orchard of Fadak and the usurpation of the right of political leadership of her husband the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS). He has also mentioned the eloquently moving sermon of Omm Kolthoum, the Prophet’s granddaughter, delivered in the aftermath of the tragedy of Karbala and the martyrdom of her brother Imam Husain (AS).

1157 lunar years ago, on this day in 281 AH, the Iranian polymath, Abu Hanifah Ahmad ibn Dawoud Dinawari, passed away at the age of 70 in his birthplace Dinawar – a Kurdish region halfway between Hamedan and Kermanshah in western Iran. He studied astronomy, mathematics and mechanics in Isfahan and Arabic philology and poetry in Kufa and Basra. He also excelled in agriculture, botany, metallurgy, history and geography. His most renowned contribution is “Kitab an-Nabaat” or Book of Plants, for which he is considered the founder of Islamic botany, for his scientific classification and listing of thousands of varieties of different plants, with detailed discussion from their evolution to birth and subsequent death. He is also among the very first writers to discuss the ancestry of the Kurdish people. He wrote a book on this subject titled “Ansaab al-Akraad” (Ancestry of the Kurds). All his works are in Arabic including “Kitab al-Kusouf” (Book of Solar Eclipses), “Kitab al-Akhbar at-Tiwaal” (General History), “Kitab al-Boldaan” (Book of Geography), and “Kitab ash-She'r wa'sh-Shu'ara” (Book of Poetry and Poets). Dinawari's works also deal with astronomy and meteorology to agriculture. It describes the astronomical and meteorological character of the sky, the planets and constellations, the sun and moon, the lunar phases indicating seasons and rain, the atmospheric phenomena such as winds, thunder, lightning, snow, floods, valleys, rivers, lakes, wells and other sources of water.

714 solar years ago, on this day in 1303 AD, the Battle of Roslin took place during the First War of Scottish Independence –  lasting from the invasion by England in 1296 until the de jure restoration of Scottish independence with the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton in 1328 (de facto independence was established in 1314 at the Battle of Bannockburn). England under Edward I attempted to establish its authority over Scotland while the Scots fought to keep English rule and authority out of Scotland. The Second War of Scottish Independence was fought from 1332-to-1357 against English encroachment. In 1603, James VI of Scotland inherited the thrones of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Ireland, and thus became King James I of what later came to be known as the United Kingdom. The Scots have always resented English domination of their homeland. The Scottish National Party, which supports Scottish independence, won an overall majority in the 2011 general election. An independence referendum was held on 18 September 2014, with independence-seekers polling 45% of the 85% voter turnout.

713 solar years ago, on this day in 1304 AD, the renowned Muslim worldwide traveler, Shams od-Din Mohammad bin Abdullah, known as Ibn Battuta, was born in the northwest African city of Tangiers – in today’s Morocco. As a young man he started his initial journey to perform the Hajj, but after the pilgrimage to Mecca, he kept on travelling, visiting over a period of thirty years, most of the Islamic world as well as many non-Muslim lands in the three continents of Africa, Asia and Europe. His journeys including trips to North Africa, the Horn of Africa, West Africa, Southern Europe and Eastern Europe in the West, and to West Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia and China in the East, cover a total of 75,000 miles or 121,000 km, surpassing by threefold the travels of his near-contemporary Marco Polo of Venice. In Iraq, he visited the shrine in holy Najaf of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), and has related how people seek intercession with God through the First Infallible Successor of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) and are cured of their ailments. Ibn Battuta then travelled all over Iran, and after visiting the Byzantine Empire, Europe and Russia, he arrived in India, where he was appointed the Qazi of Delhi by Sultan Mohammad bin Tughlaq. On his return to his homeland Morocco, he also served as Qazi. He dictated to scribes the details of his travels in his book titled "ar-Rehla", and died at the age of 66.

492 solar years ago, on this day in 1525 AD, the Portuguese poet, Luis Vaz de Camoens, was born in Lisbon. His most important work is “The Lusiads”, which some compare to the renowned Iranian epic Poet Abu’l-Qassem Ferdowsi’s masterpiece “Shahnamah”. He died in 1580.

278 solar years ago, on this day in 1739 AD, the historic Battle of Karnaal was fought near a village of the same name, some 110 km north of Delhi, between the Iranian army of Nader Shah Afshar and the army of the Indian Mughal ruler, Mohammad Shah, known as “Rangeeleh” or colourful, because of his patronizing of singers and dancers, at the expense of negligence of state affairs. The Iranians won a decisive victory losing only 2500 soldiers, while the death toll of the Indian army was over 20,000. The cause of invasion was the failure and inability of Mohammad Shah to prevent the entry into Mughal-controlled Kabul and the eastern areas of Afghanistan and Punjab, of Hotaki and Ghilzai rebel leaders who were driven out from Iran by Nader Shah, following his ending of the Afghan occupation of the country. When a series of letters from Nader Shah did not entail any positive result or response from Mohammad Shah, the Iranian army began its invasion from Qandahar, and after taking Kabul and Peshawar, marched unopposed all the way till Karnaal, where the Indian army was defeated in little more than three hours. The battle began after one o'clock in the afternoon, with a discharge of arrows from both sides. The superior artillery power of the Iranians that continued for two hours threw the Mughals and their war elephants into disarray. Mughal forces began to disintegrate and of their commanders, Khan-e Dowraan was killed, while Sa’adat Khan Burhan ol-Molk was taken prisoner. The Iranian cavalry was swifter and out-maneuvered the Mughals. As the Indian morale plummeted, soldiers started to flee while Indian camp followers looted their own camps. Mohammad Shah was taken prisoner but was treated with respect by Nader Shah, who entered Delhi along with him and after a stay of some weeks, returned to Iran by restoring the Mughal ruler his rule, but taking with him the fabulous Koh-e Noor Diamond, the Darya-e Noor Diamond, the famous Peacock Throne, the Tent of Pearls and other jewels.

186 solar years ago, on this day in 1831 AD, the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, went into effect, as part of the US policy of ethnic cleansing of native Amerindians in Mississippi. It resulted in the seizure of 11 million acres of the lands of the Choctaw by White settlers of European origin. It was the first treaty in accordance with the Indian Removal Act passed by the Congress. The US is notorious for ethnic discrimination, genocide, wars and massacres.

169 solar years ago, on this day in the year 1848 AD, King Louis Philippe of France was forced to abdicate and go into exile, three days after start of the Second French Revolution that led to proclamation of the Second Republic of France. In French history this ruling system is referred to the rule of journalists, because eleven republican journalists, led by the French poet and author, Alphonse de Lamartine, were part of the administration. On December of the same year elections were held and Louis Napoleon, the nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, was elected president. In 1852, he staged a coup against republicans; suppressed the opponents and declared himself emperor, thus ending the Second Republic.

161 solar years ago, on this day in 1856 AD, Russian mathematician, Nikolay Ivanovich Lobachevsky, died at the age of 64. He served as Chancellor of Kazan University in Tataristan. He gained fame due to his researches and innovations in geometry and for rejection of the 5th principle of Euclidean geometry. He conducted extensive research on the features of spherical surfaces and presented important theories.

120 solar years ago, on this day in 1897 AD, Henri Frankfort, the Dutch-American archaeologist who established the relationship between Egypt and Mesopotamia, was born. He completed a documented reconstruction of ancient Mesopotamian culture and art. He directed excavations in Egypt (1922, 1925-29) and Iraq (1929-37) with exemplary scholarship.

100 solar years ago, on this day 1917 AD, during World War I, the US ambassador in London was given by British intelligence the decoded Zimmermann Telegram, in which Foreign Secretary of the German Empire, Arthur Zimmermann, had messaged to the German ambassador in Mexico, Heinrich von Eckardt, to persuade the government of Mexico to ally itself with Germany in case the US entered the war on the side of Britain. Germany pledged to ensure the return of New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, California and the entire southwest to Mexico that the US had seized in the 19th century. The message was intercepted by British intelligence, and its revelation made the US openly declare war on Germany in April that year. Mexican President Venustiano Carranza assigned a military commission to assess the feasibility of liberation of the said territories from US occupation. It was concluded that it would not be possible for Mexico, which was in the midst of a revolution and far weaker militarily, economically and politically, to defeat the US.

84 solar years ago, on this day in 1933 AD, East African academic and political scientist, Professor Ali Mazrui, was born in Mombasa, Kenya. On completing higher education in Britain, he taught at the University of Uganda in Kampala, and after expulsion by the dictator Idi Amin, he settled in the US, where he taught as professor in several universities. An expert writer on African and Islamic studies as well as North-South relations, he was critical of African socialism and all strains of Marxism. He argued that communism was a Western import just as unsuited for the African condition as the earlier colonial attempts to install European type governments. At the same time he was a prominent critic of the current world order. He believed the capitalist system was deeply exploitative of Africa, and that the West practiced global apartheid. He opposed the West’s interventions in the developing world, such as the US war on Iraq, and was against the policies of the Zionist entity – linking Israeli treatment of Palestinians with South Africa's apartheid. As a well-known commentator on Islam and Islamism, he rejected violence and terrorism and praised the anti-imperialist sentiment that plays an important role in the modern world. He maintained that the dynamism of the sharia law is compatible with democracy. Mazrui wrote several books, including on his native Swahili language and culture. In October 2014, he died in New York, where he was Director of the Institute of Global Cultural Studies at Binghamton University. As per his will, his body was taken to his native Mombasa and buried in his ancestral graveyard according to Islamic rites.

83 lunar years ago, on this day in 1355 AH, the Source of Emulation, Grand Ayatollah Allamah Mirza Mohammad Hussain Na'ini, passed away at the age of 79. He was born in the central Iranian city of Na'in in a religious family. He completed his preliminary studies in his hometown before leaving for Iraq for higher studies at the famous seminary of holy Najaf. He studied under such prominent ulema as Ayatollah Mirza Mohammad Hassan Shirazi, whose historic fatwa against tobacco saved Iranian economy from British exploitation. Besides theology, Na'ini was well versed in mathematics, philosophy, and mysticism. Among his most important compilations, mention can be made of “Tanbih al-Ummah va Tanzih al-Millah” which outlines the duties of ulema and people and the necessity of campaign against tyrannical regimes. This was an effective step by Grand Ayatollah Na'ini in awakening the Iranian people, whose struggles against local despotism and foreign hegemony triumphed under the guidance of the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA). Among his other books mention could be made of “Wasilat an-Najaat”.

68 solar years ago, on this day in 1949 AD, a ceasefire came into effect between Egypt and the illegal Zionist entity following the signing of an agreement on Rhode Island. In May 1948, while withdrawing from Palestine, the British colonialists, who had illegally settled hundreds of thousands of European Jews in this Islamic land between the two world wars, created an artificial entity called Israel. The Zionists immediately lounged expansionism in different directions after expelling over 400,000 Palestinians. The Zionists attacked Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon, occupying parts of the three countries. According to this treaty, Gaza was placed under Egyptian protection, but in later wars it was occupied by Israel.

68 solar years ago, on this day in 1949 AD, the first manmade rocket reached outer or extraterrestrial space. The two-stage rocket was launched from the White Sands Proving Grounds, New Mexico, US. It was the first to carry telemetry transmitting technical information to ground stations, including high-altitude temperature measurements. It reached a speed of 5,150 mph and an altitude of 244 miles.

59 solar years ago, on this day in 1968 AD, the discovery of a pulsar (a pulsating radio source) was announced. The first pulsar was discovered by a graduate student, Jocelyn Bell, on 28 Nov 1967. The star emitted radio pulses with clock-like precision. It was observed at the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory, Cambridge University, England. A special radio telescope was used with 2,048 antennae arrayed across 4.4 acres. Pulsars prompted studies in quantum-degenerate fluids, relativistic gravity and interstellar magnetic fields.

33 solar years ago, on this day in 1984 AD, the western Iranian cities of Koh Dasht, Pol-e Dokhtar, Saqqez, Mahabad, Khorramabad and Borourjerd were savagely bombarded by the air force of the US-backed repressive Ba’th minority regime of Saddam, resulting in the martyrdom of over 50 civilians and injuries to 400 others, besides the destruction of the cities’ infrastructure. The bombardment followed the defeat of the Ba’thist forces during the Khaibar Operations in the Majnoon Islands sector. The UN and world countries not just silently watched this aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran, but actively supported Saddam and his war machine.

33 solar years ago, on this day in 1984 AD, the brave Iranian commander, Hamid Bakeri, who played a crucial role in the victory of the Muslim combatants of Iran against the invading Ba’thist forces, achieved martyrdom on the war fronts.

8 solar years ago, on this day in 2009 AD, Iranian and Russian technicians conducted a test run of Iran's first nuclear power plant near Bushehr on the Persian Gulf – a major step toward launching full operations at the facility. Iran, as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), has peaceful nuclear programme under supervision of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

AS/ME