Today is Friday; 26th of the Iranian month of Aban 1396 solar hijri; corresponding to 28th of the Islamic month of Safar 1439 lunar hijri; and November 17, 2017, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1428 lunar years ago, on this day in 11 AH, the Almighty's Last and Greatest Messenger to mankind, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) passed away at the age of 63, after preaching for 23 years the message of Islam, which means peace, harmony, healthy way of life, and submission to none but God the Almighty Creator. It is said the cause of his death was a dose of poison administered by a spiteful Israelite woman. The mission of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) was prophesied by all divine messengers throughout the globe, as the Man with the universal message of Islam. Today, Islam is the world's fastest growing religion, with at least 1.7 billion Muslims worldwide.

1389 lunar years ago, on this day in 50 AH, Imam Hassan Mojtaba (AS), the elder grandson and 2nd Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), was martyred at the age of 47 through a fatal dose of poison, given on the orders of the usurper Mu'awiyyah Ibn Abu Sufyan. He was over seven years at the passing away of the Prophet, who hailed him along with his younger brother, Imam Husain (AS), as Leaders of the Youth of Paradise. At the age of 37, the mantle of Imamate came to rest on his shoulders, following the martyrdom of his father, Imam Ali Ibn Abi Taleb (AS). Some seven months later, because of the treachery of those who claimed to be his followers, but had succumbed to threats and bribes of the enemies of humanity by refusing to decisively confront them, he relinquished the caliphate and retired to his hometown Medina, after stipulating certain conditions for the next ruler. The Omayyad rebel Mu'awiyyah ibn Abu Sufyan seized the caliphate, broke all accords, violated the laws of Islam, and finally administered poison to Imam Hasan (AS).

739 solar years ago, on this day in 1278 AD, 680 Jews were arrested in England for counterfeiting coins, and 293 of them found guilty and hanged. Throughout European history Jews have been ostracized for their miserliness, charging of usury, and above all insulting the fundamental beliefs of Christians by slandering Prophet Jesus and his mother, Virgin Mary.

612 solar years ago, on this day in 1405 AD, Sharif al-Hashim established the Sultanate of Sulu comprising many of the islands of the Sulu Sea, parts of Mindanao, certain portions of present-day Sabah (then North Borneo) and North Kalimantan. Of Yemeni origin and born in Johore in what is now Malaysia, he was a direct descendant of the Martyr of Karbala, Imam Husain (AS), the younger grandson of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). He promulgated the first Sulu code of laws called Diwan that were based on the holy Qur’an. He introduced Islamic political institutions and the consolidation of Islam as the state religion

525 solar years ago, on this day in 1492 AD, the prominent Persian poet and literary figure, Noor od-Din Abdur-Rahman Jami died in the Khorasani city of Herat, at the age of 78. Born in a family that had migrated from Isfahan to Khorasan, he went to Samarqand to learn Islamic sciences, literature and history, and visited several other lands, before settling in Herat. He has left behind a large number of works in prose and verse, including “Baharestan”. Jami has also composed beautiful odes in praise of Prophet Mohammad (Blessings of God upon him and his progeny) and the Ahl al-Bayt.

459 solar years ago, on this day in 1558 AD, Elizabeth I ascended the throne of England at the age of 42 upon death of her half-sister Mary, thus starting the 45-year “Elizabethan Epoch” that gave national identity and stability to the country. The period is famous for the flourishing of English drama, led by playwrights such as William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe, and for the seafaring prowess of English adventurers such as Francis Drake. The 5th and last ruler of the Tudor Dynasty, she remained unmarried and was succeeded on her death by King James of Scotland, who united the British Isles.

267 solar years ago, on this day in 1750 AD, French researcher, Nicolas Appert, was born. He discovered the method of pasteurization of food for removing microbes, which marks a major development for preserving foodstuffs. He died in 1841 mired in poverty.

221 solar years ago, on this day in 1796 AD, Empress Catherine the Great, the German wife of Tsar Peter III of Russia, died at the age of 67 after a reign of 34 years (following her husband’s death in 1762), and the news led to a humiliating retreat of Russian forces from the Caucasus in the midst of the war against Iran which she had started.

148 solar years ago, on this day in 1869 AD, Suez Canal, which links the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, was inaugurated. It was excavated by French engineer, Ferdinand de Lesseps in a period of ten years, covering a length of 168 km and width of 120 to 200 meters. Millennia prior to this date, Darius I, the Achaemenian Emperor of Iran who also ruled Egypt, and before him some Egyptian Pharaohs, had taken measures for connecting the Mediterranean and the Red Seas, which indicate the importance of this maritime route. The Suez Canal is considered as the border between the two continents of Asia and Africa. In 1956, Egypt nationalized the Canal, a move that made Britain, France, and the usurper Zionist entity called Israel, to launch a war. After initial success, the occupation troops were finally forced to evacuate the Suez Canal.

147 solar years ago, on this day in 1870 AD, the united German Empire was founded by Prussia following its victory over Denmark, Austria, and France. The main implementer of the unity plan was Otto von Bismarck, known as the Iron Chancellor. The German Empire, also known as the Second Reich, collapsed in 1918, following its defeat in World War I, and the Republic system was established in Germany.

95 solar years ago, on this day in 1922 AD, with the exile to Italy of the 36th Ottoman Sultan, Mohammad VI, after a 4-year reign, following the Turkish Grand Assembly’s decision on November 1 to abolish the monarchy, the state that was declared independent of Seljuqid rule in 1299 by Osman Khan Ghazi, came to its end after six centuries of rule over the regions overlapping Asia, Europe and Africa. The Sultan who was also stripped of his dubious role as caliph, which was handed to his cousin, Abdul-Majid II for the next year-and-a-half before its abolishment in 1924, died in exile in 1926 at the age of 65. Osman was the son of Etughrul Beg, a Turkic chieftain of Central Asia, who fleeing the Mongol onslaught had sought refuge in Asia Minor in the Seljuqid Sultanate of Roum, which appointed him Amir of a border principality to fight the Byzantine Empire with the help of Ghazis (holy warriors) streaming into what is now Turkey from different Islamic lands.

74 solar years ago, on this day in 1943 AD, the Cairo Conference was held in the Egyptian capital by Allied Powers during World War II. Among the decisions adopted by Britain, the US, and Russia, was to strip imperialist Japan of all territories that it had seized in the Pacific and the Asian continent, and to declare Korea as an independent country.

41 solar years ago, on this day in 1976 AD, prominent Bengali Muslim leader, Mowlana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, whose political career spanned British India, Pakistan and Bangladesh rule, passed away in Dhaka at the age of 96. Noted for his selflessness and solidarity with the oppressed, he gained popularity among the masses of Bengali speakers. He is regarded as the proponent of anti-imperialist and non-communal politics by his admirers in present-day Bangladesh and beyond. Bhashani first joined the Congress Party, but soon became disillusioned and joined the Muslim League. He participated in the Khilafat Movement against the British in protest to the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire. He led the Muslims of Assam in a successful campaign during the 1947 Sylhet Referendum, through which Sylhet chose to become part of Pakistan. As founder and President of the Pakistan Awami Muslim League – which later became Awami League (AL) – he was the first politician to publicly declare in the early 1950s the unfeasibility of the two separate wings of Pakistan (East and West), and openly called for independence of what is now Bangladesh. He played a very critical role in the 1969 movement which eventually led to the collapse of the Ayub Khan government in Islamabad and the release of Sheikh Mujib ur-Rahman (future leader of Bangladesh). His decision to boycott the 1970 Pakistan general elections due to his mistrust of the West Pakistani leaders, effectively led to the electoral sweep by Mujib ur-Rahman. His efforts created a sense of fierce nationality and a spirit of independence amongst all Bengalis, but unfortunately, since 2013 the Awami League Government of Bangladesh has reduced his presence in the school curricula.

31 solar years ago, on this day in 1986 AD, Professor Mohammad Taqi Modarres Razavi, the prominent Iranian literary figure, author, and researcher, passed away at the age of 95. He was born in the holy city of Mashhad, in Khorasan, northeastern Iran. He settled in Tehran and mastered the French language. He groomed numerous students and cooperated with Professor Ali Akbar Dehkhoda in preparing the voluminous Dehkhoda Lexicon of the Persian Language. He was also well versed in jurisprudence, logic, and philosophy. He has left behind a large number of valuable works. Among the books edited by him, mention could be made of “Diwan-e Anwari” (collection of poems of the Persian poet of the later Seljuqid era, Auhad od-Din Ali Anwari) and a manuscript of “Tarikh-e Bukhara” (History of Bukhara), translated into Persian by Ahmad Ibn Mohammad Ibn Nasr al-Qubavi in 1128 AD from the original Arabic of Mohammad bin Ja'far Narshaki, who presented it around 948 AD to Nuh Ibn Nasr of the Samanid Dynasty of this important region of ancient Iran which now forms the republic of Uzbekistan.

19 lunar years ago, on this day in 1420 AH, Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Sotoudeh, passed away at the age of 80 years and was laid to rest in the holy mausoleum of Hazrat Fatema Ma’sumah (SA). Born in Arak, he studied in Qom under prominent ulema, including the famous exegete of the holy Qur’an, Allamah Seyyed Mohammad Hussain Tabatabaie. In turn he groomed a large number of students, including the Ayatollahs Alavi Gorgani, Yousuf Sane’i, Mussavi Lari and Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

2 solar years ago, on this day in 2015 AD, Rahim Moeini Kermanshahi, Iranian poet, painter and historian, passed away in Tehran at the age of 89. Born in Kermanshah, western Iran, he left his hometown at a young age for Tehran to pursue painting. Among his famous paintings is the charcoal of Prophet Jesus (PuH) blessing a group of children. His talent and creativity in poetry made him one of the greatest lyricists, poets and historians of Iran. His masterpiece is an eighteen volume versified history of Iran after the advent of Islam till the present day, in the form of beautiful Persian classical poetry titled “Shahkar”, which contains over 200,000 lines of poetry in about 7800 pages. In 2007 he was honoured by the National Organization of Iranian Poets, Musicians, Artists, Historians, Philosophers and Litterateurs. During his 60 years dedication to Persian literature and poetry he published over 20 books and wrote the lyrics of about 500 songs. His musical works are being used by various artists in different countries, mostly in Iran.

AS/ME