Today is Saturday; 12th of the Iranian month of Esfand 1396 solar hijri; corresponding to 14th of the Islamic month of Jamadi as-Sani 1439 lunar hijri; and March 3, 2018, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1940 solar years ago, on this day in 78 AD, Emperor Kanishka Kadphises of the Kushan Empire that covered parts of northern India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Central Asia, and eastern China, on his accession to the throne initiated the Saka Calendar for his entire realm, beginning from March 22 – a day after Nowruz or the Vernal Equinox that marks the New Year in Iran and among the Iranian peoples. After the downfall of Kushans, who spoke an eastern Iranian language, the Sakas of Ujjain continued to use this era. Ancient Indian astronomers (e.g. Varahmihir), historians (e.g. Kalhana) and mathematicians (e.g. Brahmagupta), used the Saka Era in their works. Interestingly the Gurjaras of Bhinmal, the Chalukyas of Badami and Rastrkutas of the Deccan also used the Saka Era, as well as the Gupta Empire for three centuries. The Saka Era was widespread for several centuries in India. This was the main reason for the Calendar Reform Committee of modern India to opt for the Saka Era as the Indian National Civilian Calendar, which was officially adopted in 1957. The 1st day of Saka Calendar is celebrated as New Year in areas of India’s Maharashtra State as Gudi Padwa, and as Ugadi in Karnataka, Andhra and Telangana states. The term “Saka” is used in Persian and Sanskrit sources for Scythians – eastern Iranian nomadic tribes spread over the Eurasian Steppe, part of whom settled in India.

933 lunar years ago, on this day in 505 AH, prominent Iranian Sunni Muslim scholar, Abu Hamed Mohammad Ghazali Tousi, passed away. Born in Tabaran near Tous in Khorasan, he was a prodigy and at the age of 28 became a prominent scholar, whose fame led the vizier, Khwajah Nizam ol-Mulk Tousi, to invite him to lecture at Baghdad’s Nizamiyah Academy. Later he left for Syria, lived in Bayt ol-Moqaddas for some years, and following performance of the Hajj pilgrimage, returned to Iran where he spent the rest of his life. Known as Hojjat ol-Islam (authority in Islam), he was proficient in jurisprudence and Sufism, as well as scholastic theology. He is the author of the famous book “Ihya Oloum ad-Din” (in Arabic), and later wrote its summary in his native Persian titled “Kimiya-e Sa’adat”. He stirred controversy through his work “Tahafut al-Falasifa” (Incoherence of the Philosophers), which is a criticism of the Iranian Islamic genius, Abu Ali Ibn Sina’s rational evaluation of Aristotle’s views and the contribution to Islamic philosophy by Abu Nasr Farabi. In response, the Spanish Muslim philosopher, Ibn Rushd (Averroes) wrote “Tahafut at-Tahafut” (Incoherence of the Incoherence), which is a refutation of Ghazali’s views, while in the subsequent century, the brilliant Iranian polymath, Khwajah Naseer od-Din Tusi wrote a highly acclaimed defence of Ibn Sina and Islamic philosophy.

443 solar years ago, on this day in 1575 AD, the Battle of Tukaroi was fought in Bengal between the army of Moghal Emperor, Jalal od-Din Akbar, and Sultan Daud Khan. After a seesaw struggle, Daud Khan was forced to sign a treaty ceding Bihar and Bengal including what is now Bangladesh, while retaining Orissa.

328 solar years ago, on this day in 1690 AD, Maratha ruler, Sambhaji, and his minister, Kavi Kalash, were executed by Moghal Emperor Aurangzeb for insulting the Almighty’s Last and Greatest Messenger to all mankind, Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny), after having overlooked the personal insults heaped against him by the two when questioned about their rebellious behaviour, massacre of innocent people (both Hindus and Muslims), burning of cities (e.g. Burhanpur), and looting of public properties. Sambhaji, who unlike his father, Sivaji, was a man of cruel disposition given to sensuous pleasures and was imprisoned by the latter for his dissolute traits, had escaped from prison on his father’s death in 1680 to seize power of the Maratha realm by imprisoning his stepbrother, Rajaram – Sivaji’s designated successor. For the next 8 years he ravaged and plundered towns and cities, tortured civilians, cruelly killed both Hindus and Muslims, to the extent that the Brahmins in his own service informed the Moghals of his whereabouts. He was captured on December 28, 1688 at his pleasure-house at Sangameshwar in the hills by former general of the kingdom of Golkandah, Shaikh Nizam Haiderabadi titled Muqarrab Khan. Aurangzeb restored Rajaram as the Maratha ruler.

315 solar years ago, on this day in 1703 AD, English scientist, architect, and philosopher, Robert Hooke, died at the age of 68. He was well versed in physics and biology, and invented numerous tools. In 1665 he wrote his major work “Micrographia”, in which he drew pictures of minute creatures he saw through microscope. His inventions include the anemometer, aerometer, udometer, and hygrometer. He also made precise wrist watches.

311 solar years ago, on this day in 1707 AD, Aurangzeb Alamgir, the 6th and last of the Grand Moghal Emperors, died in his capital Aurangabad at the age of 89 and was buried in nearby Kholdabad, after a reign of 50 years, during which he expanded the rule of his house to its zenith by conquering the whole of south India. He thus ruled over an empire that today includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the eastern half of Afghanistan. Son of Shah Jahan and the Iranian lady, Arjmand Banu, he was a scholar of Arabic, Persian, and Chaghtai Turkic. He had seized the throne by imprisoning his father and killing his brothers. He also made the fatal mistake of overthrowing the Shi’a Muslim sultanates of Bijapur and Golkandah-Haiderabad in the Deccan, because of his rivalry with the Safavid emperors of Iran, whose names were recited in the Friday Prayer sermons in south India. The vacuum led to the rise of the Maratha, who were to ravage and pillage the tottering Moghal Empire.

287 lunar years ago, on this day in 1152 AH, the trilateral Treaty of Belgrade was signed, according to which the Austrians returned Belgrade (in present day Serbia) to the Ottoman Turks after 22 years of occupation. Russia for its part pledged to demolish the Fortress of Azak overlooking the Sea of Azov at the northeastern tip of the Black Sea, and leave the surrounding lands to the Ottomans, with a promise that no Russian ship will sail in the Black Sea.

254 lunar years ago, on this day in 1185 AH, prominent Iranian religious scholar and poet, Allamah Ahmad Naraqi, was born in Naraq to the equally famous Mullah Mohammad Mahdi Naraqi. He studied under his father in the city of Kashan, before leaving for Iraq for higher studies at the seminary of holy Najaf, where he reached the status of Ijtehad. His teachers included Seyyed Mahdi Bahr al-Uloum and Sheikh Ja’far Kashef al-Gheta. Among his students mention could be made of Ayatollah Sheikh Murtaza Ansari Dezfuli, Aqa Mohammad Baqer Hezar Jaribi, and his own brother, Mahdi, known as Aqa Buzurg Naraqi. On his father’s death in Najaf, he returned to Iran and took over administrative affairs of the Kashan Seminary. He was an authority on jurisprudence, hadith, theology, “Ilm-ar-Rijal” or analytical biography of scholars and narrators, mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, Arabic literature and poetry, as well as Persian literature and poetry. He was fluent in Arabic, Hebrew and Latin as well and his knowledge about different sciences is evident in his various books. One of his books titled “Sayf al-Ummah wa Burhan al-Millah”, written as answer to questions raised by British pastor Henry Martin, shows his knowledge of Christianity and his mastery in answering deviated thoughts. His other works include “Me’raj as-Sa’adah” and “al-Asrar al-Hajj”.  He lived during the weak rule of Fath Ali Shah Qajar, when the Russians occupied large parts of Iran’s Caucasus and mistreated the local Muslims. Mullah Ahmad Naraqi, along with other political conscious ulema helped Iran’s influence the declaration of war against Russia. By the end of Muharram 1242 AH (1826), Iran liberated some of the areas occupied by Russia as per the dubious Gulistan Treaty. Allamah Naraqi passed away at the age of 60 in Kashan and his body was taken to holy Najaf in Iraq for burial beside his father in the sacred mausoleum of Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS).

219 solar years ago, on this day in 1799 AD, the Russo-Ottoman siege of the island of Corfu ended with surrender of the French garrison. Earlier, in October 1798 the French were driven from the Ionian islands of Cythera, Zakynthos, Cephalonia, and Lefkada. The capture of Corfu completed the Russo-Turkish takeover of the strategic Mediterranean Islands. The islands became the Seven Islands Republic, a temporary joint protectorate of Russia and Turkey, whose fleets went on to attack Naples in Italy.

179 solar years ago, on this day in 1839 AD, prominent Indian industrialist of Iranian Zoroastrian origin, Jamshedji Tata was born in Nasvari, Gujarat, in western India. He founded the Tata Group, India's biggest conglomerate company, and is known as the Father of Indian Industry. The Tata Group of companies is among the world’s largest private sector firms. Jamshedpur in Jharkhand is named after him.

171 solar years ago, on this day 1847 AD, Scottish-American inventor, Alexander Graham Bell, was born. His career was influenced by his grandfather the publisher of book “The Practical Elocutionist and Stammering and Other Impediments of Speech”, by his father whose interest was the mechanics and methods of vocal communication, and by his deaf mother. As a teenager, he was intrigued by the writings of German physicist Hermann Von Helmholtz, “On the Sensations of Tone”. In 1871, Bell began giving instruction in Visible Speech at the Boston School for Deaf Mutes. This background set his course in developing the transmission of voice over wires. After years of experiments and designs of various apparatuses by different scientists, on 10 March 1876, Bell spoke the famous sentence "Mr. Watson—Come here—I want to see you" into the liquid transmitter he had invented, while Watson, listening at the receiving end in an adjoining room, heard the words clearly.

161 solar years ago, on this day in 1857 AD, the Second Opium War was launched by France and Britain on China. The objectives of the British were legalizing the opium trade, expanding coolie trade, opening all of China to British merchants, and exempting foreign imports from internal transit duties.

159 solar years ago, on this day in 1859 AD, one of the most blatant violations of human rights in history occurred in the US, when 436 black men, women, and children were auctioned on a plantation in Georgia to pay debts incurred in gambling by Pierce Butler during the financial crash of 1857-58. The grim sale of human beings, which took place over two rainy days, is referred to as "The Weeping Time."

140 solar years ago, on this day in 1878 AD, Russia and the Ottoman Empire signed the Treaty of San Stefano in the Balkans. A year earlier, Russia had entered into secret accord with the Ottoman provinces of Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania, promising to support them against the Turks. In the wake of Russian victories, Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria were detached from the Ottoman Empire and declared independent.

139 solar years ago, on this day in 1879 AD, US biochemist, Elmer McCollum, who originated the letter system of naming vitamins, was born. He discovered vitamins A, B and worked with others on vitamin D. He performed extensive research work in nutrition and growth. In the 1910s, he recognized that a healthy diet required certain fats, and he named the essential component "fat-soluble A," as distinct from another he named "water-soluble B." He researched how certain minerals were important as nutrients, including calcium, phosphorus, fluorine, manganese and zinc.

127 lunar years ago, on this day in 1312 AH, Ayatollah Mirza Habibollah Rashti, passed away. He was a product of the Islamic seminary of holy Najaf in Iraq and studied under prominent scholars such as Ayatollah Sheikh Morteza Ansari Dezfuli. Among his works, mention could be made of the book: “Badi al-Afkaar”.

94 solar years ago, on this day in 1924 AD, the pro-western laic ruler of Turkey, Mustafa Kamal Ataturk, dissolved the dubious institution of the Caliphate, and transferred its powers to the Turkish Grand National Assembly. He thus expelled from Turkey Abdul Majid II, who was made caliph in November 1922 following deposition of his cousin, Sultan Mohammad VI. Abdul Majid II lived in France, where his daughter Princess Durr-e Shahvaar was married in 1931 to Prince Himayat Ali Khan Azam Jah, the son of Asaf Jah Nizam ol-Molk, the last king of Haiderabad Deccan. With the death of Abdul Majid II in 1944 concurrently with the Liberation of Paris from Nazi occupation, the controversial institution of caliphate, which had become the prerogative of tyrants and debauchees, beginning with the Godless Omayyads and the equally evil Abbasids, came to its final disgraceful end. The English word “Caliph” is derived from the Arabic “Khalifa” (Vicegerent), a term which God Almighty uses for Adam in the holy Qur’an. Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny), as the Last and Final Messenger to mankind, had on God’s commandment, designated his cousin and son-in-law, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS) as the Khalifa or Vicegerent of Muslims. However, no sooner did the Prophet pass away the political responsibilities of this office were usurped by certain people, who for 25 years deprived the Imam of his rights. In 35 AH, when the caliphate came begging at his door, Imam Ali (AS), whose spiritual authority was beyond the grasp of any usurper, reluctantly took up the reins of political power, on condition that he would rule only in accordance with the holy Qur’an and precepts of the Prophet. The four-and-a-half year caliphate of Imam Ali (AS) is regarded as the only instance in history of the rule of social justice. Following the Imam’s martyrdom, the Omayyad rebel Mu’awiyah ibn Abu Sufyan seized the caliphate from the Prophet’s elder grandson Imam Hasan (AS). Thereafter, this institution was never on the right track and became the most scandalous office in Islamic history.

43 lunar years ago, on this day in 1395 AH, Ayatollah Mirza Ahmad Ashtiyani, passed away at the age of 95. Son of Mirza Hasan Mujtahid Ashtiyani, he received Ijtihad certificate from five leading Marja' of his time at the seminary of holy Najaf in Iraq, that is, Grand Ayatollah Mirza Mohammad Hussain Na’ini, Grand Ayatollah Shaikh Abdul-Karim Ha’iri Yazdi, Grand Ayatollah Aqa Ziya od-Din Iraqi, Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Abu’l-Hassan Isfahani and Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Hussain Boroujerdi. He taught both intellectual and narrative sciences. Some of his works are: “Risala-e Qawl-e Thabit”, “Maqalaat Ahmadiyya” and “Nama-e Rahbaran”. From 1340 till his death fifty-five years later he taught and guided people in Tehran. His eldest son, Mirza Mohammad Baqer Ashtiyani, who passed away at the age of 81, nine years after the death of his father, was aslo great scholar in his own time.

27 solar years ago, on this day in 1991 AD, in Los Angeles white police officers pounced upon Afro-American Rodney King and mercilessly beat him. George Holliday, videotaped much of it from his balcony, and sent the footage to news station KTLA. The footage showed five officers surrounding King, several of them striking him repeatedly, while other officers stood by. Part of the footage was aired around the world, inflaming outrage in cities, and raising public concern about police treatment of minorities. The acquittal of the officers sparked a violent riot in several US cities.

26 solar years ago, on this day in 1992 AD, Iranian lady scholar of the holy Qur’an, Banu Kowkab Pour-Ranjbar, passed away at the age of 88. Born in Shiraz, at the age of 16 she completed her Islamic studies and started her career as a teacher that led to her collection of copies of the holy Qur’an and correction of several of its manuscripts prepared in the Subcontinent. At 27 after becoming blind she miraculously regained her eyesight on seeing in her dream the Prophet’s daughter, Hazrat Fatema Zahra (SA). She devoted her life to the teaching of the holy Qur’an, especially for children, by adopting simple methods to teach this heavenly scripture.

26 solar years ago, on this day in 1992 AD, following referendum, Muslim majority Bosnia-Herzegovina, gained independence from the rump state of Yugoslavia. At this, the local Serbs with the support of Serbia and the tacit backing of western regimes, unleashed genocide and ethnic cleansing, resulting in the massacre of over 250,000 European Muslims and homelessness of a million-and-a-half others. When Muslims fought back and were about to defeat the Serbs, the US imposed the Dayton Accord.

16 solar years ago, on this day in 2002 AD, in Ahmadabad, India, the death toll climbed to 538 as Hindu mobs continued attacks on Muslims.

AS/ME