Today is Tuesday; 14th of the Iranian month of Farvardin 1397 solar hijri; corresponding to 16th of the Islamic month of Rajab 1439 lunar hijri; and April 3, 2018, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1462 lunar years ago, on this day, 23 years before hijra, three days after the birth of Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS) inside the holy Ka’ba, the miracle of the parting and closing of a section of the wall of the symbolic House of God again occurred to the bewilderment of the pagan Arabs of Mecca, as the monotheist lady of the Hashemite Clan, Fatema bint Asad, stepped out with the radiant infant in her arms, while her husband Abu Taleb and his nephew Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) eagerly waited outside in anticipation. As the 30-year older cousin stepped forward to take his infant cousin in his arms, the newborn opened his eyes for the first time since birth and with a smile on his tender lips saw the radiant visage of the Seal of Messengers. This occasion is celebrated all over the Muslim world with festivities.     

1217 solar years ago, on this day in 801 AD, the Spanish Muslim city of Medinat al-Barshiluna and its adjoining districts, after several months of siege, were seized by King Louis of the Franks who renamed it Barcelona. Muslims had liberated it from the Visigoths in 713. In 985, Barcelona was briefly liberated by Muslims led by Mohammad bin Abdullah ibn Abi Aamer al-Mansur, the adventurer of Yemeni origin, who was Prime Minister of Muslim Spain. Today, of Barcelona’s total population of around two million, some 330,000 are Muslims.

900 lunar years ago, on this day in 539 AH, the hadith scholar of Spanish Muslim origin, Mohammad ibn Abdul-Malik ibn Khayroun, passed away. Among his extant works is the book “al-Miftah”.

693 solar years ago, on this day in 1325 AD, the second most prominent mystic of India, Seyyed Nizam od-Din Awliya, passed away at the age of 87 in Delhi, where his tomb is a site of pilgrimage. He traced his descent to Imam Ali an-Naqi al-Hadi (AS), the 10^th Infallible Successor of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), and belonged to the Cheshti Sufi order founded in the Subcontinent by the Iranian saint of Ajmer, Seyyed Moin od-Din Cheshti, who is famous for his tribute in Persian poetry to the Chief of Martyrs, Imam Husain (AS). Nizam od-Din wrote several books including the spiritual treatise “Fawa’ed ol-Fu’aad” in Persian and trained many disciples such as the great Persian poet of the Subcontinent, Amir Khosrow Dehlavi. Nizam od-Din Awliya’s criticism of the eccentric policies of Sultan Mohammad Tughlaq had enraged the king and made him issue threats of punishment after returning to Delhi, at which the mystic smiled and calmly said in Persian "Hanouz Dilli dour ast" (Delhi is still far). The Sultan died on his way.

338 solar years ago, on this day in 1680 AD, Shivaji, the Maratha guerilla chieftain of the Bhosle clan who carved out a kingdom in western India, died at the age of 50. His father was Shahji, a general in the service of the Adel-Shahi and Nizam-Shahi Persianate dynasties of the Deccan, who was named “Shah” by his father Maloji in honour of the Muslim mystic “Shah Sharif” of Ahmadnagar, whose prayers had granted him two sons – the second was named Sharifji. Shivaji was not on good terms with his own father, and unlike him, rebelled against the Adel-Shahi sultanate of Bijapur, whose famous general of eastern Iranian origin, Afzal Khan, he deceitfully slew at Pratapgarh in 1659 during a supposedly unarmed meeting between the two sides for submission to the central authority and end of insurgency. An expert in guerilla warfare, Shivaji was invited to Agra by Moghal Emperor Aurangzeb, and according to protocol, restrictions were placed on his movements from the mansion where he was lodged. On learning he and his guerilla forces were to be sent to the northwestern frontier for the campaign to retake Qandahar – in what is now Afghanistan – from the Safavid Empire of Iran, Shivaji became fearful and fled south without notice. Back in the Deccan, by 1674 he carved out an independent enclave from the declining sultanate of Bijapur and chose Raigarh as capital, which was his base for raiding the territories of the Qutb-Shahis, the Adel-Shahis and the powerful Moghal Empire that brought retaliation. In the areas under his control, he replaced the Persian language with his mother-tongue Marathi for official use. In the next century, the Marathas expanded their power in the north as far as Delhi, Punjab and the borders of Kashmir, bringing them into direct confrontation with the Afghans. Their pillaging and looting had alienated the Sikhs, the Jats, and even fellow Hindu Rajputs, enabling Ahmad Shah Durrani to inflict a crushing defeat on them at the Battle of Panipat in 1761 from which the Marathas never recovered, and were gradually absorbed by the British.

235 solar years ago, on this day in 1783 AD, American essayist, author, historian, attorney, and diplomat, Washington Irving, was born in New York City. A prolific writer who served as the US representative to London and as US Minister of Spain, where he had access to medieval era archives, he became fascinated by Islamic art, architecture and culture. From writing fables such as "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", he now wrote on history such as “Conquest of Granada” and “Alhambra”. In 1850, nine years before his death, he wrote the biography of the Prophet of Islam titled: “Lives of Mahomet and His Successors”, in which he has paid glowing tributes to the Martyr of Karbala, Imam Husain (AS). He writes: “It was possible for Husain to save his life by submitting himself to the will of Yazid. But his responsibility as a reformer did not allow him to accept Yazid's caliphate. He therefore prepared to embrace all sorts of discomfort and inconvenience in order to deliver Islam from the hands of the Omayyads. Under the blazing sun, on the parched land and against the stifling heat of Arabia (Iraq) stood the immortal Husain.”

Irving, who says the spirit of the uprising of Imam Husain will last forever, further wrote: “The death of Imam Husain (AS) is something about which that I don't like to talk about too much, because of the magnitude of this tragedy. In the history of Islam, nothing more nefarious than this has ever happened. Though the assassination of Imam Ali (AS) was a heavy grief for mankind, but, the fate of Imam Husain (AS) was so horrible that it sends shivers down one's spine. It was a terrible tragedy.”

128 solar years ago, on this day in the year 1890 AD, “Iron Chancellor” Otto von Bismarck, who from 1862 to 1871 through astute diplomacy unified German-speaking states, except Austria, as a powerful nation under Prussian domination, was dismissed by Emperor Wilhelm II, following dispute. After his dismissal he wrote his political testament, criticizing the emperor. Bismarck died in 1898.

89 solar years ago, on this day in 1929 AD, Renowned Muslim architect, Fazl ur-Rahman Khan, who initiated important structural systems for skyscrapers and is considered "father of tubular designs for high-rises”, was born in Dhaka in what is now the capital of Bangladesh. Khan, who died in 1982 at the age of 53, was also a pioneer in computer-aided design (CAD). He designed the 108-storey Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower of Chicago), the second-tallest building in the United States and the 100-story John Hancock Center. He came to the US in the 1950s on scholarship from what was then the government of East Pakistan (currently Bangladesh) and became an American citizen in 1967. Khan helped usher in a renaissance in skyscraper construction during the second half of the 20th century. The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat named their lifetime achievement medal after him. He was also responsible for designing notable buildings in Bangladesh, Australia and Saudi Arabia.

77 solar years ago, on this day in 1941 AD, during the struggles of the Iraqi people against Britain and its puppet monarchy, Baghdad was taken over in a coup by two-times nationalist prime minister, Rashid Aali Gilani, who resented London’s plot to drag the country into World War 2. The British forces brutally suppressed the uprising. Gilani, who came from a distinguished Sunni Muslim Iraqi family of Iranian origin, sought refuge in Iran. In late 1941, when British and Soviet forces invaded Iran to remove Reza Khan Pahlavi from power and install on the Peacock Throne his 21-year old son, Mohammad Reza, as the new puppet. Gilani, sensing danger, fled to Germany, where he was recognized as leader of the Iraqi government in exile. Upon the defeat of Germany, he again fled and found refuge, this time in Saudi Arabia. Gilani returned to Baghdad from exile after the revolution that overthrew the Iraqi monarchy in 1958. Once again he attempted to seize power and plotted a revolt against Col. Abdul Karim Qassem's government. The revolt was foiled and he was sentenced to death. Later pardoned, he went into exile in Beirut, Lebanon, where he died in 1965.

52 solar years ago, on this day in 1966 AD, Luna 10, the first spacecraft to orbit the moon entered lunar orbit, and completed its first orbit 3 hours later. It was launched by the Soviet Union from on 31 March 1966. The scientific instruments on board included a gamma-ray spectrometer, triaxial magnetometer, and a meteorite detector. Other instruments investigated the solar-plasma, infrared emissions from the Moon, radiation conditions of the lunar environment and gravitational studies. It was battery powered, operated for 460 lunar orbits and made 219 active data radio transmissions before it discontinued on 30 May 1966.

18 solar years ago, on this day in 2000 AD, prominent Iranian researcher and cartographer, Abbas Sehaab, passed away in Tehran at the age of 79. Born in Tafresh to the famous Professor Abu'l-Qasem Sehaab, who established the first- ever Geography and Cartography Institute of Iran, he specialized in geography and cartography, and as assistant to his father, travelled throughout Iran to prepare maps of towns and cities, while making trips abroad as well. He prepared the first- ever map of Tehran and was entrusted by his father with management of the Sehaab Institute of Geography and Cartography, whose library today contains over 16,000 books on geography and cartography; 18,000 geographical periodicals, and 20,000 maps. He authored the book “Art of Calligraphy from Earliest Times till Today”, as part of the UNESCO project for its Atlas of the History of Islamic Arts.

16 solar years ago, on this day in the year 2002 AD, the Zionist army brutally attacked the city of Jenin as part of the campaign to terrorize Palestinians in the West Bank in a bid to end the Second Intefadha. Nearly 200 tanks, dozens of choppers, and 10,000 troops participated in the aggression, pounding Jenin continuously. Despite the power cut, severance of water supplies, and obstruction of relief aid, the Palestinian people and combatants resisted for nine days. Israel brutally suppressed and massacred hundreds of men, women and children; demolished their homes and hearths, hospitals, and the infrastructure; to the extent that 70% of the city was flattened and 5,000 Palestinians were made homeless.

16 solar years ago, on this day in 2002 AD, renowned Iranian mathematician Professor Ahmad Birashk passed away in his hometown Tehran at the age of 96. For 19 years he taught architecture at the university before serving as Deputy Ministry of Education. He translated, wrote and compiled several books on history, mathematics, engineering, and philosophy, including a biographical work on scientists and intellectuals. Regarded as “Father of Mathematics” in Iran, Birashk is known for his encyclopedic work “A Comparative Calendar of the Iranian, Muslim Lunar, and Christian Eras for Three-Thousand Years”. It is a manual of the three major calendars in use in Iran: the Islamic lunar hijri calendar, the Iranian solar hijri calendar, and the Western Gregorian calendar. This book includes tables for conversions of dates among these three calendars from 639 BC to 2621 AD.

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