Today is Friday; 14th of the Iranian month of Mehr 1396 solar hijri; corresponding to 15th of the Islamic month of Muharram 1439 lunar hijri; and October 6, 2017, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

2122 solar years ago, on this day in 105 BC, at the Battle of Arausio, the Cimbri, a German people, inflicted the heaviest defeat on the Roman army of Gnaeus Mallius Maximus. As a result Roman expansion into west-central Europe was checked for some decades. Roman losses are described as being up to 80,000 troops, as well as another 40,000 auxiliary troops (allies) and servants and camp followers — virtually all of their participants in the battle. In numbers of losses, this battle is regarded as the worst defeat in the history of ancient Rome.

1086 lunar years ago, on this day in 353 AH, the Iranian Sunni Muslim collector of Hadith, Abu Ali Sa'eed bin Osman ibn as-Sakan al-Baghdadi, passed away at the age of 59 in Egypt, where he had settled after travelling widely over Iraq, Iran, Central Asia, Syria and Arabia, for trade and for recording of hadith from any source available. He claimed descent from the Sassanid Emperor, Khosrow Anushirvan, and introduced to Egypt the hadith compendium known as "Sahih Bukhari", compiled a century ago by his Iranian compatriot, Mohammad Bukhari – also born in a family of Zoroastrian converts to the Sunni sect. Among the books written by Ibn as-Sakan, mention could be made of "Sunan as-Sihah" on hadith and "al-Horouf fi Sahabah" on the companions of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). Ibn as-Sakan also recorded narrations from the Prophet foretelling the martyrdom in Karbala of his younger grandson, Imam Husain (AS).

1003 solar years ago, on this day in 1014 AD, Byzantine Emperor Basil II (the Macedonian) earned the title “Slayer of Bulgars” after he cruelly ordered the blinding of 15,000 captive Bulgarian troops. During his 49-year long reign, he suffered a series of defeats at the hands of the Ismaili Shi’a Muslim Fatemid caliphate of Egypt-North Africa in Syria and Anatolia. In 988, a seven-year truce (and in 1001 a ten-year truce) was signed with the Fatemids, stipulating an exchange of prisoners, the recognition of the Byzantine emperor as protector of the Christians under Fatemid rule and of the Fatemid caliph as protector of the Muslims under Byzantine control, and the replacement of the name of the Abbasid caliph by that of the Fatemid Caliph in the Friday prayer in the Mosque of Constantinople. It is worth noting that the Azaan (call to the daily prayer) of the Fatemids included the phrase of Prophet Mohammad’s (SAWA) days “hayya ala khayr-il-amal” (hasten to the best of deeds), in addition to bearing testimony to the God-given authority (wilayah) of Imam Ali (AS), after testifying the monotheism of the One and Only God and the mission of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). Basil II, who continued to suffer defeats at the hands of Muslims, conquered most of Italy and used to vent his anger on the Bulgars and the Khazars, whom he vanquished and cruelly treated.

850 lunar years ago, on this day in 589 AH, the famous Islamic scholar, Seyyed Razi od-Din Ali Ibn Musa, known popularly as Seyyed Ibn Tawous, was born in the city of Hillah in Iraq. The House of Aal-e Tawous, descended from Imam Hasan Mojtaba (AS), the elder grandson of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), was originally from Medina, and the most famous family of scholars in Hillah. Seyyed Razi od-Din Ibn Tawous studied basic sciences under his grandfather in Hillah and then went to Najaf, Karbala and Kazemayn for higher studies. He stayed in Baghdad for 15 years, conducting researches in different branches of science, but rejecting any offer of portfolio in the court of the Abbasid rulers. He was expert in many sciences including astronomy. He was a prolific writer and among his works is the famous Prayer Manual titled "Iqbal al-A'maal" as well as "al-Luhouf" on the martyrdom of Imam Husain (AS) in Karbala. His other important book is "al-Malahem wa’l-Fitan" on the events leading to the reappearance of the Prophet's 12th and Last Successor, Imam Mahdi (AS), who will weed out corruption and oppression from the earth by establishing the global government of peace, prosperity and justice. He passed away at the age of 75.

513 lunar years ago, on this day in 926 AH, the Mongol Shah Beg Arghun of Qandahar, finding it impossible to maintain his hold on the region against the rise of the Timurid prince, Zaheer od-Din Babar, in Kabul and the surrounding areas, marched south on Thatta in Sindh, where at the Battle of Fatehpur, he defeated and killed General Darya Khan, the prime minster of Jam Firuz, thus ending the 185-year independence of the Samma Dynasty. Jam Firuz fled, but later submitted, was pardoned, and given half of the government of Sindh. Shah Beg then took Sistan and proceeded to Bhakkar which he made his capital. It is said Shah Beg was actually invited to invade Sindh by Jam Firuz’s mother, who wanted to free her son from the hold of the regent Darya Khan.

504 lunar years ago, on this day in 935 AH, the Qizilbash army of the teenaged 14-year old Safavid king, Shah Tahmasb I, defeated the Uzbek occupation forces at Jam in Khorasan and drove back the invaders from Iranian soil. Tahmasb, having succeeded his adventurous father, Ismail, the founder of the dynasty, stabilized the Empire during his 52-year rule, carrying out internal reforms and pursuing a foreign policy of peace and judicious defence. Although he lost Iraq to the Ottomans, he firmly blunted their designs to make inroads into Iran, and on the northeastern frontier thwarted all attempts by the Uzbeks, while maintaining cordial relations with the Mughal Empire, providing refuge to fugitive Emperor Humayun Shah and subsequently restoring him to the throne of the Subcontinent. To the Safavid dynasty, which ruled for 230 years, goes the credit for unifying Iran as a nation state on the basis of adherence to the school of the Ahl al-Bayt of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).

478 solar years ago, on this day in 1539 AD, Spanish marauder Hernando de Soto and his army entered the Apalachee capital of Anhaica (present-day Tallahassee, Florida) and forced the approximately 30,000 native Amerindian population to abandon their city which had 250 buildings. Notorious for his ruthlessness, he left Anhaica in ruins in March of 1540 after thoroughly pillaging it. He led the first European expedition deep into the territory of the modern-day United States (Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Arkansas), massacring men and children, and kidnapping and raping women. The Spaniards, carrying the cross in one hand and the sword in the other, destroyed the centuries-old Native American civilizations. De Soto died of a fever on May 21, 1542, in the native village of Guachoya on the western banks of the Mississippi. Since de Soto had tricked the local natives to believe that he was an immortal sun god (as a ploy to gain their submission without conflict), his men concealed his death, hid his corpse in blankets weighted with sand and sank it in the middle of the Mississippi River during the night.

447 lunar years ago, on this day in 992 AH, Muzaffar Shah III of Gujarat was defeated at Sarkhej by Mirza Khan the general of Mughal Emperor Jalal od-Din Akbar and fled to Cambay where he was again defeated at Rajpipla, thus ending the Muzaffarid Dynasty’s almost 180-year rule.

435 solar years ago, on this day in 1582 AD, although a normal date for most of the world still using the Julian calendar, in the Catholic countries of Italy, Portugal, Spain and Poland, because of implementation of the Gregorian calendar, this day was skipped, as well as the next 8 days. Thursday 4 October 1582 was the last day the Julian calendar was used, and the next day Friday became 15 October as per the decree of Pope Gregory XIII, who introduced this change to realign the calendar with the spring and autumn equinoxes. Britain and its colonies resisted this change by the Catholic Pope, and used the Julian calendar for more than a century and a half until 2^nd September 1752, while Russia used it till 1918. The Islamic solar hijri calendar which starts on the exact time of the spring equinox and is in use in Iran, Afghanistan and the peoples of neighbouring countries, is far more perfect than the Gregorian calendar that was imposed by the colonial powers on the rest of the world after World War I.

254 lunar years ago, on this day in 1185 AH, the Iranian poet and calligrapher, Abdul-Majid Taleqani Irani, passed away at the young age of 35. He created unique works of art. His calligraphic works include the Divan or collection of poems of the renowned Iranian poet, Shaikh Sa'di of Shiraz. He has left behind his own poems in book-form titled "Divan-e Khosh".

249 solar years ago, on this day in 1768 AD, in continuation of Russia’s expansionist policies Empress Catherine the Great attacked Poland, prompting the Ottoman Empire to declare war on Russia. During the 18th century, the Ottomans and the Russians fought many wars, but their fight over Poland is considered as the most important. The Turks who were in a state of decline suffered major defeats in the naval and ground battles until the year 1774, in which an armistice was signed by the two empires to end confrontation. Based on the treaty, the Muslim populated Crimean Peninsula on the Black Sea in what is now Ukraine was declared a Russian protectorate and was later annexed by Moscow. Meanwhile, Poland ceased to exist and was divided among Austria, Prussia, and Russia.

125 solar years ago, on this day in 1892 AD, Alfred Tennyson, British Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign and one of the most popular English poets, died at the age of 83. He excelled in penning short lyrics, such as “Break, Break, Break”, “Tears Idle Tears” and “The Charge of the Light Brigade” – the last one pertaining to the abortive charge of the British Light Brigade in the Battle of Balaklava during the Crimean War. He also wrote some notable blank verse including “Idylls of the King” and “Ulysses”. A number of phrases from Tennyson's work have become commonplaces of the English language, including “Nature, red in tooth and claw”, “Tis better to have loved and lost/Than never to have loved at all”, “Theirs not to reason why/ Theirs but to do and die”, “To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield”, “Knowledge comes, but Wisdom lingers”, and “The old order changeth, yielding place to new”. He is the ninth most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations

87 years ago, on this day in 1930 AD, Hafez al-Assad, the statesman who as president brought political and economic stability to coup-wracked Syria for three decades, was born in poor Alawite family in Qardaha village of the Kalbiyya tribe. After finishing high school he joined the air force in 1950 and through hard work and dedication was promoted to the rank of major-general and chief of the air force. At the same time, his resentment against the West for its plots against Syria and the Arabs made him join the Arab Ba’th Party. In 1966 he was named Defence Minister, and in 1970 took over the reins of government as prime minister, before being elected to the presidency the next year. He held the post of president till his death in 2000 AD. As an astute politician, he kept the US at bay and maintained his country’s independence by cultivating friendly ties with the Soviet Union and the Islamic Republic of Iran. He refused to yield to the designs of the illegal Zionist entity, and continued to demand the return of the occupied Golan Heights to Syria. At the same time, he backed independent Palestinian and Lebanese groups, and never recognized Turkey’s occupation of what is called Hatay Province including the cities of Iskendurun and Antakiya (Antioch). His son Bashar al-Assad was elected president after him, and because of his resistance policies against US-Zionist plots, Syria has for the past five-and-a-half years has become exposed to organized acts of terrorism supported by the West, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia.

44 solar years ago, on this day in 1973 AD, the 4^th war broke out between Arabs and the illegal Zionist entity Israel. On this day, the Egyptian army caught the Zionist forces off guard in a military operation on the other side of Suez Canal and entered the Israeli-occupied Sinai Peninsula. In the initial days of the war, the Egyptian and Syrian troops dealt heavy blows to the Zionist army and downed a large number of Israeli warplanes. But, with the swift assistance of the US to the usurper state of Israel, Zionist troops advanced against both Syria and Egypt, forcing the acceptance of ceasefire. This war broke the myth of invincibility of the Zionist entity.

37 solar years ago, on this day in 1980 AD, in a blatant anti-Iranian act of support for the tyrannical Ba’th minority regime of Saddam, Jordan put its port of Aqaba on the Gulf of the same name in the Red Sea at the disposal of Iraq during the 8-year war imposed on the Islamic Republic of Iran by the US, following blockade of Iraqi ports on the Persian Gulf by the Iranian navy, and Syria’s closure of the Iraqi oil pipeline to the Mediterranean Sea. Jordan also supplied troops to Saddam for war against Iran.

36 solar years ago, on this day in 1981 AD, while reviewing a military parade in Cairo on the anniversary of the 1973 war against the illegal Zionist entity, Egypt's President Anwar Sadaat was executed in a revolutionary manner by a group of officers of the Islamic group "al-Jihad" led by the 27-year old Lieutenant Khaled Islambouli, for signing of the scandalous Camp David Accord with the usurper state of Israel in 1978. As his section of the parade began to approach Sadaat's platform, Islambouli, along with Abdul-Hameed Abdus-Salaam, Ata Tayel Hameeda Raheel, and Hussein Abbas, leapt from the truck and ran towards the stand while lobbing grenades toward where the Egyptian President was standing with other dignitaries. Islambouli entered the stands and emptied his assault rifle into Sadaat's body. Khalid Islambouli and his companions were sentenced to death and attained martyrdom.

6 solar year ago, on this day in 2011 AD, youthful Bahraini protestor, Ahmad Jaber al-Qattan, was killed in cowardly manner by the US-Saudi-backed forces of the repressive Aal-e Khalifa minority regime. In a desperate bid to avert the inevitable, the Bahraini Shaikh, who for the past decade has been styling himself king, has hired mercenaries from Pakistan, Jordan and other places, to savagely kill, injure and torture Bahrainis, destroy mosques, and desecrate husseiniyyas, in a bid to crush the popular uprising, which has gathered further momentum.

AS/ME