Today is Wednesday; 4th of the Iranian month of Farvardin 1395 solar hijri; corresponding to 13th of the Islamic month of Jamadi as-Sani 1437 lunar hijri; and March 23, 2016, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1368 lunar years ago, on this day in 69 AH, the pious lady, Hazrat Omm al-Baneen (SA), the mother of the valiant standard-bearer of Karbala, Hazrat Abbas (AS), passed away in Medina, and was laid to rest in the Baqie Cemetery, next to Safiyyah and Atikah, the paternal aunts of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). Her real name was Fatema, the daughter of Hazam of the al-Kilabiyya clan noted for its courage and loyalty. Imam Ali (AS) married her several years after the passing away of his beloved wife, the Prophet’s Immaculate daughter, Hazrat Fatema Zahra (SA).The reason she is called Omm al-Baneen is because she bore several sons, four to be exact, and all of whom were martyred in Karbala. After the heartrending tragedy of Karbala, she accomplished her political and social mission by keeping alive the heroic epic of Ashura in the best way possible, including elegies that are considered masterpieces of Arabic literature. 

1007 lunar years ago, on this day in 430 AH, the prominent Muslim scientist and polymath, Abu Ali Hassan Ibn al-Haytham, known to medieval Europe by his Latinized name of Alhazen, passed away in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, at the age of 76. Born in Basra in the Iraqi province of the Iranian Buwayhid (Daylamite) Empire, he made vital contributions to optics, medicine, physics, astronomy, mathematics, visual perception, ophthalmology, philosophy, and various other sciences, and is the inventor of the telescope and the magnifying glass. He conducted extensive research on light rays, determining the relationship between the angle of light radiation and the angle of its reflection. He wrote insightful commentaries on the works of the ancient Greek philosophers and scientists such as Aristotle, Ptolemy, and Euclid. Ibn al-Haytham was active in both Basra and Baghdad and after visiting Islamic Spain he settled in Egypt which was ruled by the Fatemid Ismaili Shi’ite Muslim dynasty. He was a follower of the school of the Ahl al-Bayt, and was associated with the renowned academy of al-Azhar, which derives its name from “az-Zahra” (the Radiant), the famous epithet of Hazrat Fatema (SA), the Immaculate Daughter of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). In Egypt he took up the project of controlling the floods of the Nile. He is said to have written over 200 books and treatises, the most famous of which is “Kitab al-Manazer” on Optics that was extensively used by later European scholars such as Roger Bacon, Johannes Keppler, and Galileo Galilei. Among his works, mention could be made of the “Configuration of the World”, “On the Formation of Eclipse”, “On the Milky Way”, “The Model of the Motions of Each of the Seven Planets”, and “Treatise on the Influence of Melodies on the Souls of Animals”. Among his prominent students were Sorkhab, an Iranian scientist from Semnan and Mubashir ibn Fatek, an Egyptian.

364 solar years ago, on this day in 1652 AD, British ships attacked the Dutch Navy as part of the sea battles to put an end to Holland’s superiority in the waters of the North Sea, the English Channel, and the Atlantic Ocean. The attack tipped the colonial rivalry of the two countries in favor of London.

267 solar years ago, on this day in 1749 AD, French mathematician, physicist, and astronomer, Pierre-Simon Laplace, was born. He conducted extensive research on the motion of the moon, planets, meteors, and the ebb and flow of seas. In regard to physics, he discovered the primary laws of electromagnetism and studied the latent heat, resulting from elasticity in objects. He has left behind numerous compilations. He died in 1827.

215 solar years ago, on this day in 1801 AD, Tsar Paul I of Russia is struck with a sword, then strangled, and finally trampled to death inside his bedroom at St. Michael's Castle.

135 solar years ago, on this day in 1881 AD, the German chemist and scientist, Hermann Staudinger, was born. He set the law on large molecular structures and won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in the year 1953. He died the age of 84.

97 solar years ago, on this day in 1919 AD, Benito Mussolini formed the Fascist Party in Italy. Fascism, in general, refers to centralized despotic regimes which rule with an ideology based on racial discrimination and chauvinism by suppressing people and their ideas. Mussolini's hirelings, known as Blackshirts, from the colour of their clothing, unleashed a reign terror facilitating his rise to power as prime minister in 1922. He next formed an alliance with German Nazi leader, Adolf Hitler, and embarked on expansionism resulting in World War II and his eventual defeat.

76 solar years ago, on this day in 1940 AD, The Lahore Resolution, also known as “Qarardad-e Pakistan”, was put forward at the Annual General Convention of the All India Muslim League. This was the first formal step by the Muslims of the Subcontinent for setting up a separate country in the Muslim majority areas of British-ruled India. Seven years later in 1947 the birth of Pakistan took place in the western border provinces, and in East Bengal which is today called Bangladesh, but not all Muslim-majority regions of the Subcontinent could be incorporated in the new country because of geographical difficulties, since many areas such the United Province lay in the heart of India and not on the borders. Moreover, the crafty British left the issue of Muslim-majority Kashmir unresolved as a bone of contention between Pakistan and India.

66 solar years ago, on this day in 1950, the UN World Meteorological Organization was established. It originated from the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), which was founded in 1873. WMO is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and every year the 23rd of March is marked as World Meteorological Day.

60 solar years ago, on this day in 1956 AD, Pakistan formally became a republic by adopting a new constitution, and with election of the then Governor-General Iskandar Mirza as the president.

56 solar years ago, on this day in 1960 AD, Sa’eed Nursi, Islamic scholar, educationist and pan-Islamic political reformer of Turkey, who was deeply influenced by the thoughts of the famous Iranian pan-Islamic activist, Seyyed Jamal od-Din Assadabadi, passed away at the age of 82. Born in Nurs village in eastern Anatolia to a Kurdish family of Shafe’i persuasion, his knowledge earned him the title “Badi oz-Zamaan” (or Wonder of the Age), He wrote the “Risala-e Nour”, a voluminous Qur'anic commentary in response to the provocative newspaper statement of British Secretary for the Colonies, William Gladstone, "so long as the Muslims have the Qur'an, we shall be unable to dominate them. We must either take it from them, or make them lose their love of it.” He said in reply: "I shall prove and demonstrate to the world that the Qur'an is an undying, inextinguishable Sun!" Nursi believed that modern science and logic was the way of the future, and advocated teaching religious sciences in secular schools and modern sciences in religious schools. As a supporter of Ottoman rule, he inspired the faith movement that has played a vital role in the revival of Islam in Turkey. This brought him into conflict with Mustafa Kemal, after the end of monarchic rule and emergence of the laic Turkish Republic where Islam and Islamic culture were brutally suppressed. He was arrested many times between 1930 and 1950, but until his death continued his activities.

29 solar years ago, on this day in 1987 AD, the Iranian literary figure, Amir Hussein Yazdgerdi, passed away at the age of 57. He lectured at the Faculty of Theology of Tehran University. His most important works include editing, researching, and writing precise commentaries on a number of historical books. He has also conducted studies on different literary domains.