Today is Saturday; 16th of the Iranian month of Dey 1396 solar hijri; corresponding to 18th of the Islamic month of Rabi as-Sani 1439 lunar hijri; and January 6, 2018, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

Today is Christmas or the eve of Christmas, according to the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches using the Julian Calendar, such as Greece, Cyprus, Russia, Armenia, Georgia, Belarus, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Macedonia, Eritrea, and Ethiopia, as well as the Istanbul-based Church of Turkey, the Copts of Egypt, the Assyrians and Chaldeans of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and the Syriac Christians of Kerala in India – all of which are opposed to Vatican and the Catholic Pope. It marks Epiphany, the day the three wise men of the East, known as Magi or Magians of Iran, came with gifts of gold, incense and myrrh, for the infant Prophet.

1354 solar years ago, on this day in 664 AD, the notorious Omayyad partisan and governor of Egypt, Amr ibn al-Aas, died at the age of around 90 in a state of acute mental agony while recalling his crimes against Islam and humanity, including how he had tried to cheat the Prophet’s righteous heir, Imam Ali (AS), of the caliphate by declaring the rebel Mu'awiyya ibn Abu Sufyan as the caliph. Born out of wedlock in Mecca to a morally-loose slave-girl, named Layla bintHarmalah and called "Nabigha", his paternity was open to doubt in those freewheeling days of Jahiliyya because of the polyandrous relations of his mother with at least five persons at the same time including Abu Sufyan and Aas ibn Wa'el. Although Amr greatly resembled the stingy miser Abu Sufyan, his mother by openly citing the issue of maintenance claimed that the rather generous Aas had fathered her illegitimate child. With the advent of Islam, Amr showed bitter hostility toward Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny). When the Prophet migrated to Medina, he was involved in almost all the battles imposed upon Muslims by the pagan Arabs of Mecca. Earlier, when a batch of persecuted Muslims led by the Prophet's cousin, Ja'far ibn Abu Taleb, sought asylum in Abyssinia he led an unsuccessful mission to the court of the Christian king, Negus, for the handover of the refugees. In 8 AH, two years before the passing away of the Prophet and shortly before the surrender of Mecca to the Muslims, Amr, sensing the end of the days of paganism, came to Medina – along with that other avowed enemy of Islam, Khaled bin Waleed – to pretend conversion to Islam, although none of his deeds ever support his claim to be a Muslim. After the Prophet, when the neo-Muslim Arab armies swept in different directions, he led the attack on the Byzantine province of Egypt. When Mu'awiyyah consolidated power in Syria, he joined him as advisor in Damascus and was the evil mind in most of the plots against the Prophet's divinely-decreed successor, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), including the hoisting of copies of the holy Qur'an on spear-points during the War of Siffeen in order to deceive Muslims and evade a definite defeat. Earlier during the battle, to escape certain death from the flashing blade of Imam Ali (AS), Amr while fleeing, shamelessly disrobed himself, making the Imam turn away from such an abhorred sight. In 38 AH, he again attacked Egypt and seized it by brutally martyring the legally appointed governor, Mohammad ibn Abu Bakr. Thus at the time of his agonizing death, he admitted that he felt as if the Mountain of Redhwa was hanging upon his neck and he was being dragged through the eye of a needle for his sins and crimes against Islam and humanity.

1134 solar years ago, on this day in 884 AD, founder of the Alawid state in Tabaristan, northern Iran, Hassan Ibn Zayd, known as “Da’i al-Kabeer” (Elder Missionary) and “Da’iil-al-Haq” (Inviter to Truth), passed away in Amol, Mazandaran, after a twenty-year reign. He was 6^th in line of descent from Imam Hasan Mojtaba (AS), the elder grandson and 2nd Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny). He was invited by the people of northern Iran to lead them against the usurper Abbasid regime. He enlightened the people with the teachings of the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt, and was known for his resolute resistance against the Abbasids and their regional agents. Historians have praised him as a just and equitable ruler, possessing rare energy as a sincerely religious man, well educated, and a patron of letters. He was succeeded by his younger brother, Mohammad, known as “Da’i as-Sagheer” (Younger Missionary), who during his 16 year-rule, until martyrdom while fighting the invading Samanid forces, continued his brother’s enlightened policies and rebuilt the holy shrines in Karbala and Najaf.

978 solar years ago, on this day in 1040 AD, the Ghaznavid king, Mas'oud I, after a reign of nine years, was murdered by his nephew Ahmad, son of his deposed elder twin brother Mohammad, who was subsequently restored to the throne. Mohammad, designated as successor by his famous father, Mahmoud Ghaznavi, the Turkic conqueror of Khorasan, Central Asia and northwestern India, had ruled for five months before being blinded and dethroned by Mas'oud – an able general who held on to his father's Iranian possessions. During the later years of his rule, Mas'oud lost Central Asia and Khorasan to the Seljuq Turks and moved his capital from Ghazni (in present day Afghanistan) to Lahore in what is now Pakistan. The famous Iranian Islamic scientist, Abu Rayhan Berouni has dedicated his work on astronomy titled "Qanoun al-Mas'oudi" to Mas'oud, whose son Mowdoud killed his uncle Mohammad a year later, and became king.

941 lunar years ago, on this day in 498 AH, Abu'l-Muzaffar Rukn ud-Dn Barkyaruq, the Seljuq sultan of Iran-Iraq-Anatolia and parts of Syria, died in Boroujerd, southwestern Iran. He was a son of Malik Shah I and participated in the succession wars against his three brothers, Mahmoud I, Ahmad Sanjar, and Mohammad I. He ascended to the throne young, and his detractors thought him too inexperienced and accused him of being a drunkard. He waged war to regain control of the core Seljuqid lands that included Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Central Asia and parts of Afghanistan. His rule coincided with the Crusader European invasion of Palestine. It is said his body was brought to Isfahan, the Seljuqid capital for burial. However, a tomb exists in his name 5 km from Boroujerd, at a place called Zawwarian.

900 solar years ago, on this day in 1118 AD, the Spanish Muslim city of Zaragoza and the province of the same name, now called Aragon, was occupied by Alfonso the Battler, thereby ending 414 years of glorious Islamic rule. Founded by the Romans as Caesar-Augusta, the city was captured by the Goths, who lost it to the Muslims in 714, and was called Saraqusta in Arabic. It grew to become the biggest Muslim city of Northern Spain. It became a hotbed of political intrigue. In 774, its governor, Hussain Ibn Yahya al-Ansari declared Hispania to be a province of Baghdad’s Abbasid caliphate, prompting the Omayyads of Cordoba to launch an abortive attack. Hussain resisted till 788 and in the meantime in 777, beat back an attempt by Charlemagne of France to besiege it. The area changed hands several times among the various Muslim factions. In 884 it was sold by Mohammad Ibn Lubb Ibn Qasi to the Christian Raymond of Pallars, but was immediately retaken by the Muslims. In 886 the Banu Tujibi clan governed it and over a century later declared it as an independent Taifa or emirate. In 1038, Zaragoza was seized by Banu Houd, whose ruler, Abdul-Malik Imad od-Dowla, made the mistake of allying himself with the Castilian Christians against the al-Morawid Muslim dynasty. The treachery proved fatal and in 1118 with the help of mercenaries, Alfonso seized Zaragoza and ended Muslim rule. The magnificent al-Jaferia Palace, built by Ja'far al-Muqtadir, serves as the regional parliament today.

837 lunar years ago, on this day in 602 AH, the scholar Najmoddin Abu’l-Qasem Ja'far Ibn al-Hassan, famous as “Muhaqqiq al-Hilli”, was born in Hilla in Iraq. His legal manual “Shara'i al-Islam”, is regarded as a masterpiece of theology and more than thirty commentaries have been written by scholars upon it. Among Muhaqqiq's prominent students was his nephew, the celebrated “Allamah Hilli”. Another of his important works is “Ma'arij al-Usoul” on jurisprudential methodology, in which he stresses centrality of the Mujtahid’s role during the 12^th Imam’s Occultation, in deriving a proper understanding of the Shari'ah from the holy Qur'an, Hadith and statements of the Twelve Infallible Imams. His books include “an-Naafe’. He passed away in 676 AH at age 74.

537 solar years ago, on this day in 1481 AD, Ahmed Ibn Kuchuk, the Khan of the Great Horde from 1465 was killed by the Siberian Ibak Khan of the Nogay tribe at the mouth of the River Donets. He seized power from his elder brother Mahmoud and in 1472, entered into alliance with the Polish king Casimir IV against Ivan III of Russia. In 1480, he launched a military campaign against Moscow.

526 solar years ago, on this day in 1492 AD, Christian occupiers of the Spanish Muslim emirate of Gharnata (Granada), led by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, entered the magnificent Islamic fortress complex of “al-Hamra” (“The Red” in Arabic and mispronounced ‘Alhambra’ by the Europeans). Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the inspiration for many songs and stories. Spanish Muslim poets described it as "a pearl set in emeralds," in allusion to the colour of its buildings and the woods around them. The palace complex was designed with the mountainous site in mind. The park, overgrown with wildflowers and grass in the spring, was planted by the Muslims of Spain with roses, oranges and myrtles. Completed by the Sultans Yusuf I and Mohammad V, a century before Granada fell to Christian mercenaries from different parts of Europe, the al-Hamra is a reflection of the culture of the last centuries of Islamic Spain. Among the architectural beauties of this vast complex which for centuries was neglected and damaged by the Christians, before its modern restoration are the Royal Complex, the Court of Lions, the Court of Myrtles, and the Hall of Ambassadors – each structure, marveled for its grand design of slender horse shoe arches, columns, arabesques, and dazzling Arabic calligraphy.

325 solar years ago, on this day in1693 AD, Mohammad IV, the 19th Ottoman sultan and the 10th self-styled Turkish caliph, died in Edrine during imprisonment 6 years after being deposed. Born in Istanbul to Sultan Ibrahim’s Rutherian (Ukrainian) concubine, soon after his birth, Ibrahim was so enraged that he tore the infant from his mother's arms and flung him into a cistern. Though saved by harem servants, it left a lifelong scar on his head. On Ibrahim’s execution, he was placed on the throne at the age of 6 and ruled for almost 40 years till his ouster in 1687. He died in 1693. His reign changed the nature of the Sultan's position as he gave up most of his executive power to his Grand Vizier. His reign is notable for peace with the Safavid Empire of Iran which enabled him to stage a brief revival of Ottoman fortunes in Europe led by Grand Vizier Mohammad Koprulu Pasha and his son Fazel Ahmad Pasha. The Turks regained the Aegean islands from Venice, and Crete, during the Cretan War (lasting from 1645 to 1669). They also fought successful campaigns against Transylvania (in 1660) and Poland (during 1670 to 1674). At one point Ottoman rule was close to extending deep into Ukraine. Supporting the 1683 Hungarian uprising against Austrian rule, a large Ottoman army besieged Vienna, but suffered a defeat on the Kahlenberg Heights, by Polish forces led by King John III Sobieski and his allies, resulting in reversal of fortune for the Turks, who would have lost Iraq and Anatolia as well, if Shah Suleiman Safavi of Iran had chosen to exploit the weakness of the Ottoman Empire, after the Ottomans suffered a serious defeat at the Battle of Vienna in 1683. The Iranians refrained from inter-Muslim wars by rejecting feelers of European states to form a coalition against the Ottoman Empire. In 1687, after the Ottoman defeat in the Second Battle of Mohacs, Mohammad IV was deposed.

166 solar years ago, on this day in 1852 AD, the blind French educator Louis Braille, who developed a tactile form of printing and writing for the blind, died at the age of 43. He became blind at the age four following an accident. In 1821, while Braille was at a school for the blind, a soldier named Charles Barbier visited and showed a code system he had invented. The system, called "night writing" had been designed for soldiers in war trenches to silently pass instructions using combinations of twelve raised dots. Young Braille realised how useful this system of raised dots could be. He developed a simpler scheme using six dots. In 1827 the first book in what is now called Braille was published, enabling the blind to write.

84 lunar years ago, on this day in 1355 AH, Grand Ayatollah Mirza Ali Shirazi, passed away in holy Najaf, Iraq at the age of 68. A student of Ayatollah Fesharaki Isfahani and Ayatollah Mirza Mohammad Taqi Shirazi, he attained the status of ijtehad at the young age of 22 years. He was an authority in theology, jurisprudence, philosophy, medicine, history, and literature.

58 solar years ago, on this day in 1960 AD, founder of modern Persian poetry, Ali Esfandiari, who wrote under the penname NimaYoushij, passed away. Born in Yoush village, Mazandaran Province, northern Iran, after completing his studies in Tehran, he studied French and Arabic, and started writing poems. His school of Persian poetry is known as blank verse. The important features of his poetry include presentation of contemporary topics of importance in simple and friendly language. He broke away from the classic frameworks in his poetry. His most important work is “Afsaneh”.

40 solar years ago, on this day in 1978 AD, with publication of an insulting article in the “Etela’at” daily against the Father of Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), nationwide demonstrations started across the country and the Islamic movement was placed on the path to victory. The British-installed and US-backed Shah’s insult backfired and finally on February 11, 1979, the Pahlavi potentate was overthrown.

39 solar years ago, on this day in 1979 AD, following collapse of the military government of Gholam Reza Azhaari and its replacement by Shapour Bakhtiar’s cabinet on the orders of British-installed and US-backed Pahlavi regime, the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), declared from his place of exile near Paris in France that the new government was illegal and the people should continue their struggle till the end of monarchic rule.

12 solar years ago, on this day in 2006 AD, in a case of racism, Afro American teenager, 14-year old Martin Lee Anderson  died a day after he was brutally beaten at a juvenile detention camp in Florida by white US officers. Videotape showed that he was punched and kicked. In May 2007 the Florida state legislature agreed to pay Anderson’s family $5 million to settle civil claims, but a few months later, an all-white jury acquitted 8 former boot camp workers of manslaughter, despite evidence.

AS/ME