Today is Saturday; 22nd of the Iranian month of Esfand 1394 solar hijri; corresponding to 2nd of the Islamic month of Jamadi as-Sani 1437 lunar hijri; and March 12, 2016, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1244 lunar years ago, on this day in 193 AH, Haroun ar-Rashid, the 5th caliph of the usurper Abbasid Dynasty, died in Khorasan, in northeastern Iran, and was buried in Tous, in what is now the city of Mashhad, after a tyrannical rule of 23 years, during which he cruelly martyred over 60 descendents of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), including the most noblest of them all, the 7th Infallible Imam, Musa al-Kazem (AS). Haroun was born to Mahdi al-Abbasi in Rey, which is a suburb of modern Tehran today, and his mother was a Yemeni concubine of dubious character, named Khayzaran. He seized power after the suspicious death of his elder brother Hadi al-Abbasi. He consolidated his rule over the vast realm from North Africa up to the borders of China and India, largely through the administrative abilities of the Iranian Barmakid family, whose head Yahya Barmaki was made prime minister, followed by his sons. The crafty Haroun gradually liquidated the Barmakids and behaved ruthlessly with the followers of the Prophet’s Household and other Muslims who opposed his immoral and illegitimate rule. He died in Khorasan at the age of 45 years while on his way to suppress a rebellion in Kabul, in what is now Afghanistan. Today there is no sign of his rotten grave, while the sprawling golden-domed mausoleum of Imam Reza (AS), the 8th Infallible Successor of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), in Mashhad, beckons millions of pilgrims from all over the world, as testimony to the triumph of the Ahl al-Bayt over the usurper caliphs.

807 solar years ago, on this day in 1209 AD, the Persian poet, Jamal od-Din Ilyas ibn Yusuf ibn Zaki, known as “Nizami Ganjavi”, passed away at the age of 68 in his hometown, the Iranian city of Ganja (in the Republic of Azerbaijan). He is considered the greatest panegyric poet of Persian language who brought a realistic style to the Persian epic. His heritage is widely shared by Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Subcontinent. Often referred to as “Hakeem” or "the Sage", Nizami’s poems show that not only he was fully acquainted with Arabic and Persian literatures and with the oral and written popular and local traditions, but was also familiar with such diverse fields as mathematics, astronomy, astrology, alchemy, medicine, botany, Qur'anic exegesis, Islamic law, Iranian myths, history, ethics, philosophy, music, and the visual arts. Nizami is best known for his five long narrative poems, or “Mathnavis”, which are in double-rhymed verses. The main one is the “Panj Ganj” (Five Treasures), which is famous as “Khamsa-e Nizami”. The first of this is “Makhzan al-Asrar” (Storehouse of Mysteries), which was influenced by Sana’i of Ghazna's monumental “Hadiqat al-Haqiqa” (Garden of Truth). The other four are romances, like “Khosrow va Shirin”, “Bahram-e Gur”, “Alexander the Great”, “Leyli va Majnoun”. The “Khamsa” was a popular subject for lavish manuscripts illustrated with painted miniatures at the Persian and Mughal courts in later centuries. Examples include the Khamsa of Nizami created for India's Mughal Emperor Jalal od-Din Akbar in the 1590s. The legacy of Nizami is widely felt in the Islamic world, and besides Persian, his poetry has influenced the development of Arabic, Turkish, Kurdish and Urdu poetry amongst many other languages. Amongst the many notable poets who have taken the “Khamsa” of Nizami as their model, may be mentioned Amir Khosrow Dehlavi, Khajue Kermani, Abdur-Rahman Jami, and Abdul Qader Bidel Dehlavi.

748 lunar years ago, on this day in 689 AH, the Turco-Afghan Khalji Dynasty came to power in the northern subcontinent after the decline of the Mamluk or Slave Dynasty of Turks. It was founded by Jalal od-Din Firuz, who was installed as king by the Turkic, Persian, Arab and Indo-Muslim aristocrats in place of the weak and debauched ruler, Kayqobad. Jalal od-Din was succeeded by his nephew, Ali Gorshasp, who took the title of Ala od-Din and during his 20-year rule, expanded the kingdom to include much of the Deccan (southern India) as well as today’s Pakistan, Bangladesh and eastern parts of Afghanistan. The court language, like that of the previous dynasty, was Persian, and Islam was promoted in India along with scientific achievements, art, and architecture during the 30-year rule. The Khaljis, who repelled several Mongol invasions, were replaced by the Tughlaqs, also of Turkic origin.

466 solar years ago, on this day in 1550 AD, the Spanish invaders, armed with swords and firearms and mounted on horses, massacred over 4,000 Mapuche Amerindian natives in the Battle of Penco during the Arauco War in what is now Chile. The Spanish went on to destroy seven flourishing cities of the natives. The Arauco War sporadically continued for two centuries during which the Mapuche safeguarded their independence in the mountainous areas with the Bio Bio River being the border between them and the European settlers. In 1883, the Araucanía independent region was occupied by the government of Chile.

405 solar years ago, on this day in1611 AD, Emperor Noor od-Din Jahangir of Hindustan (northern Subcontinent) granted a farman permitting the English to establish factories at Surat, Gogha, Ahmadabad, and Cambay in Gujarat on the western coast. Surat thus became the first established settlement in India of the crafty English, who with the weakening of the Mughal Empire in the second half of the 18th century gradually extended their control over the whole of the Subcontinent.

207 solar years ago, on this day in 1809 AD, Britain signed a treaty with Iran forcing the French out of the country. Franco-Persian relations had cautiously grown over the past two centuries, following the Safavid Emperor Shah Abbas the Great’s sending of a trade delegation to Paris. France’s reaction was slow because of its excellent ties with the Ottoman Empire. After the French Revolution and rise of Napoleon Bonaparte and his invasion of Ottoman-ruled Egypt and Syria, Franco-Persian ties were formally established as a counterweight to their common enemy, Czarist Russia. Napoleon’s main intention was a passage to India for French troops to join Tipu Sultan of Mysore to drive out the British from the Subcontinent. However, once Napoleon cultivated friendly ties with Russia, and Tipu Sultan was overthrown by the British, he gave cold shoulder to the agreement with Iran during the Czarist encroachments in the Caucasus. Frustrated by France's empty promises, Fath Ali Shah Qajar invited the British and a treaty was signed that stipulated expulsion of the French from Iran. Now it was the turn of the British to double-cross the Shah. The treaty required Iran to renounce any previous treaties with any European power and to prevent the army of any European power from marching through its territory to India, while Britain promised military aid and subsidies if Iran was attacked by any European power. Iran was once more betrayed. When Iran invoked the provision requiring the British to provide aid in the event of an attack, during the Russian invasion in 1826, Britain refused to honour it.

162 solar years ago, on this day in 1854 AD, the Treaty of Constantinople was concluded between France, Britain, and the Ottoman Empire in the Turkish capital, Istanbul. The three powers formed a coalition against Russian expansion, and defeated the Czarist armies in the Crimean War in what is now Ukraine.

99 lunar years ago, on this day in 1338 AH, the Iranian religious scholar and literary figure, Mirza Hassan Aqa Tabrizi, passed away. After preliminary studies in his hometown Tabriz, he left for holy Najaf in Iraq for higher studies. He attended the classes of prominent ulema, such as Ayatollah Sheikh Morteza Ansari Dezfuli, Seyyed Hussain Kouh-Kamarei, and Mullah Ali Nahavandi. After attaining the status of Ijtehad, he returned to Tabriz where he taught Islamic sciences for almost 40 years. He was a supporter of the Constitutional Movement, and later opposed the deviations that took place under the Constitutionalists.

86 solar years ago, on this day in 1930 AD, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi of India led the civil disobedience movement against British colonial rule, by walking over three hundred kilometers in protest against increasing taxes on salt. He and his thousands of followers went to the sea coast in Gujarat to prepare salt themselves. This measure by Gandhi turned into the symbol of his passive resistance, which finally forced Britain to retreat. Gandhi used to say that his inspiration against injustice was the movement of the Martyr of Karbala, Imam Husain (AS), the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).

48 solar years ago, on this day in 1968 AD, the island state of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa gained its independence from British colonial rule. Britain had seized Mauritius from the French in 1814 following Napoleon's defeat. Today Mauritius is a republic. It covers an area of almost 2,000 sq km and its population stands at over a million people. It has a 20-percent plus Muslim population.

37 solar years ago, on this day in 1979 AD, following the victory of the Islamic Revolution, Iran withdrew from CENTO (Central Treaty Organization), which practically dissolved. It was formed as a military organization in 1954 by the British as the Baghdad Pact that included Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Pakistan, with the US holding observer status. Following the overthrow of the British-installed Pahlavi regime in Iran in 1958 and Baghdad's withdrawal, the organization was named CENTO, to link the chain around the Soviet Union from Europe to Southeast Asia between NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Europe, and SEATO (South East Asia Treaty Organization). Earlier, Pakistan had left CENTO in protest to the lack of support during its war with India, and with the ouster of the Shah’s regime, CENTO practically ceased to function. Prior to it, SEATO had dissolved following the US debacle in Vietnam.

36 solar years ago, on this day in 1980 AD, the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), issued a decree for establishment of the Foundation of Martyrs to take care of the families of those who had achieved martyrdom in the struggle against the Shah's despotic regime. His message partly read: “We all know that the Islamic Movement and victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution is indebted to selflessness of different strata of people. First of all, the martyrs of the Islamic Revolution, and those, who have been disabled on this righteous path should be praised. Hence, taking care of the affairs of families of martyrs and the disabled is very essential and these families should be respected in the best possible manner.”

31 solar years ago, on this day in 1985 AD, the Iranian author, translator and musician, Dr. Hussain Gol-e Golab, passed away at the age of 89. Son of the prominent Qajarid era painter and photographer, Mirza Mahdi Khan Mosawir ol-Molk, he was born in Tehran and after graduation taught natural sciences at the famous Dar al-Fonoun Academy for almost a decade. He wrote 12 books on natural sciences and became principal of the College of Literature and Sciences. He later served as Chief Editor of the newly established Farhangistan or Academy of Persian Language and Culture. Dr. Gol-e Golab also translated several works into Persian and was skilled in music, composing a number of musical notes.

23 solar years ago, on this day in1993 AD, several bombs exploded in Mumbai, India, resulting in the death of about 300 people and injuring hundreds more.

9 solar years ago, on this day in 2007 AD, Australia's Muslims announced plans to form a political party to fight the growing Islamophobia in that country.

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