Today is Wednesday; 28th of the Iranian month of Shahrivar 1397 solar hijri; corresponding to 9th of the Islamic month of Muharram 1440 lunar hijri; and September 19, 2018, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1384 solar years ago, on this day in 634 AD, Damascus, fell to the Arab Muslims, only seven years after the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius’ much trumpeted triumph in Syria and Upper Mesopotamia over the Sassanid Empire in the 26-year long final and most bloody round of the Roman-Persian Wars that were being fought intermittently for the past 720 years since 92 BC. Heraclius’ loss of Syria to the Muslims, who subsequently overran the Iranian capital, Ctesiphon (near Baghdad in Iraq, meant the curtain had come down on four centuries of Byzantine-Sassanid rivalry for regional supremacy, as new players took charge of the battlegrounds of Syria and Mesopotamia that would now see some of the most crucial battles in Islamic history.

1379 lunar years ago, on the eve of this day in 61 AH, Imam Husain (AS), who was surrounded in Karbala and deprived of access to the waters of the River Euphrates by the bloodthirsty Omayyad hordes, sent one of his loyal companions named Amr ibn Qardha to the enemy camp, asking for a meeting with their commander Omar ibn Sa’d, who in vain pursuit of the riches of the transient world had joined the army of Yazid despite being the son of Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas, a senior companion of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). The two met along with 20 men each, and for the final discussion, the Prophet’s grandson proposed a private meeting accompanied by their nearest ones. The Imam was accompanied by his elder son, Hazrat Ali Akbar (AS) and his brother Hazrat Abbas (AS), while Omar was joined by his son Hafas and a slave. When the Imam questioned Omar about his hostile stand in spite of fully knowing the prime position of the Ahl al-Bayt, he replied that he feared the destruction of his house by the Omayyads. The Imam told him that he will provide for him a grand house, to which Omar said his properties might be seized by the regime. The Imam said he will give him better property and wealth in Hijaz, to which Omar said that he feared the tyrannical governor of Kufa, Obaidollah ibn Ziyad might slaughter him and his family. At these lame excuses the Imam stood up and said: What has happened to you; God would cause you to die in your own bed and on the Day of Resurrection and Judgement He would never forgive you for such a cardinal sin of yours. By God, don’t be deceived by the Omayyads, for you are not destined to taste even a single grain of the wheat of Rayy, whose governorship they have promised you. Omar said he would content with some barley of that flourishing land in Iran, ignoring the fact that Imam Husain (AS) has been hailed by the Prophet as the Leader of the Youth of Paradise. Omar returned to his encampment greatly disturbed, and wrote a letter to Obaidullah ibn Ziyad, asking him to let Imam Husain (AS) return to Hijaz or any other place instead of harassing him. Ibn Ziyad became angry and immediately dispatched the despicable Shimr Zil-Jowshan with a letter to Karbala, demanding that either Omar extract allegiance to Yazid’s ungodly rule, or killing the Prophet’s grandson or handing over command of the army to Shimr.

1379 lunar years ago, on the afternoon of this day in 61 AH, with the arrival of the Godless Shemr Zil-Jowshan in Karbala with a letter from Yazid's tyrannical governor of Kufa, Obaidollah bin Ziyad, to tighten the siege around Imam Husain (AS) and attack him, the ungodly Omayyad hordes led by their commander, Omar bin Sa'd, advanced on the small encampment of the Prophet’s grandson. The Imam sent his brother, Hazrat Abbas (AS) to tell them to delay the attack until the next morning so that he and his followers would pray and supplicate to God on the eve of their eventual martyrdom, since it was out of question to yield to the enemies’ demand. That night the Imam extinguished the lamp and told his followers to avail of the darkness of night and leave him, since it is his life the heartless enemies want and not theirs. The seventy-odd pious and steadfast men refused to leave him, vowing that death in his company was better than a life of humiliation. When Shemr tried to offer a letter of amnesty to Hazrat Abbas (AS) and his brothers on condition of deserting Imam Husain (AS), this valiant standard-bearer spurned the offer and swore never to leave the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). That night was spent in prayers and supplications by the Imam and his followers, as they prepared themselves for glorious martyrdom, rather than yielding to the Godless enemy or endorsing the illegitimate rule of the tyrant, Yazid.

1152 solar years ago, on this day in 866 AD, Byzantine Emperor, Leo VI, was born. Of doubtful paternity, since his mother was the mistress of Emperor Michael III and at the same time the wife of the future Emperor Basil the Macedonian, he succeeded to the throne on the latter's death and ruled for 26 years till his own death in 912. His reign saw the loss of more territory to the Muslims in both Sicily and in Asia Minor, as well as islands in the Aegean Sea. The greatest setback for him was in 904, when the Greek Muslim admiral, Rasheeq al-Wardami, sailing from Syria, took control of Thessalonica, the second largest city of the Byzantium Empire. After a week's stay, during which he seized some 60 ships and forced the Christians to free over 4,000 Muslim prisoners, Rasheeq sailed back to the Levant. Born as a Christian and named Leo by his parents, Rasheeq was an officer in the Byzantine navy, before discovering the truth of Islam and joining the Muslims. Also known as Ghulam Zurafa, three years later in 907, he had sailed up the Dardanelles and besieged Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, much to the horror of Emperor Leo VI. In May 912, just before the humiliated Leo VI died, Rasheeq al-Wardami and his fellow Greek Muslim admiral, Damian of Tarsus, known by his Muslim name, Ghulam Yazman, decisively defeated the Byzantine admiral, Himerios, off the island of Chios in the Aegean Sea, in retaliation for an attack by Christians on the Muslims of Cyprus.

662 solar years ago, on this day in 1356 AD, the Battle of Poitiers occurred during the “Hundred Years War” in Europe when an English army under the command of Edward the Black Prince defeated a French army and captured the French king, John II.

429 lunar years ago, on this day in 1021 AH, the army of the 3rd Moghal Emperor of the northern part of the subcontinent, Jalal od-Din Mohammad Akbar, defeated the Afghans in Bengal, killing Osman Lohani, and annexing this land to the empire

281 solar years ago, on this day in 1737 AD, a devastating cyclone in India’s Bay of Bengal destroyed some 2,000 ships and other vessels. It was estimated that more than 30,000 people died in the densely populated area called the Sundarbans in what is now Bangladesh and the Indian state of Bengal.

179 solar years ago, on this day in 1839 AD, British businessman, Quaker, social reformer and chocolate manufacturer, George Cadbury, was born in Birmingham. In 1856, at age 21, he joined his father's chocolate business, with his elder brother, Richard, who had joined in 1850. Their father retired in April 1861 due to failing health, and they took over his declining enterprise and built it into the highly prosperous Cadbury Brothers Cocoa & Chocolate Manufacturing Firm. George was perhaps more important for his improvements in working conditions and for his successful experiments with a new cocoa bean processing technique. The new pure unadulterated Cadbury's cocoa essence was heralded as a major breakthrough and it resulted in the passing of the Adulteration of Foods Acts in 1872 and 1875. George Cadbury died in 1922. This British company was bought in 2010 by the American Mondelez International (originally Kraft Foods), which is facing strong criticism for "secretly" rolling out a new "cheap-tasting" Creme Egg. It has also replaced the hugely popular Cadbury's Dairy Milk shell with one made from a cocoa mix chocolate.

148 solar years ago, on this day in 1870 AD, during the Franco-Prussian War, the Siege of Paris began, resulting in the surrender of Paris and a decisive Prussian victory on January 28, 1871.

37 solar years ago, on this day in 1981 AD, the city of Susangerd and its surrounding areas in southwestern Iran, were liberated by Iran’s Muslim combatants from Ba’thist occupation. Some 750 Ba’thist occupation soldiers were either killed or injured, while 40 tanks and personnel carriers of the enemy were destroyed. Several tanks and personnel carriers and a large amount of ammunition and communication equipment were captured by the Iranian soldiers.

27 solar years ago, on this day in 1991 AD, the US imposed a military pact on the Persian Gulf emirate of Kuwait, for stationing troops and equipment on the claim of preventing a repetition of Iraq's military aggression and occupation that had ended some six months ago. A year later, the former colonial power, Britain, followed by France also imposed similar pacts on Kuwait, as part of the plot to militarize the Persian Gulf. In the next few years, the US, along with Britain and France, imposed similar military pacts on Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates, in order to seize billions of petro-dollars by supplying obsolete military hardware which the Arab states cannot use. These pacts have led to a rise in the unwanted military presence of foreign powers and fueled insecurity in the Persian Gulf.

24 solar years ago, on this day in 1994 AD, 20,000 US troops invaded and occupied Haiti in the Caribbean Sea on the pretext of reinstatement of President Jean Bertrand Aristide, three years after the coup staged by General Raoul Cedras to seize power. Aristide, who had sought refuge in the US, was reinstated in October 1994. The real intention of the US was control of Haiti, and a decade later, Washington, by openly supporting rioters, kidnapped Aristide from the presidential palace and replaced him with another president. The recurring aggressions of the US on Haiti are a clear example of violation of international rules and regulations and military interference in the affairs of other countries.

19 lunar years ago, on this day in 1421 AD, the scholar Shaikh Mohammad Sharif Raazi passed away at the age of 81 in holy Qom. Born in Rayy, his teachers at the seminary in Qom included the Grand Ayatollahs Seyyed Shehab ol-Din Mar'ashi Najafi, Seyyed Mohammad Reza Golpayegani, and the Father of the Islamic Revolution Imam Khomeini (RA). In addition to scholarly pursuits, he was involved in political activities, resulting in imprisonment by the Pahlavi regime and banishment to remote parts of the country. He travelled to Iraq for higher studies at the seminary of holy Najaf and on return to Iran, participated in establishment of the seminary in Rayy, before settling in Qom. He wrote several books, the most famous of which is “Ganjina-e Daneshmandan” (Treasures of Scholars). His other works include a “Treatise on Imamzada Dawoud of Tehran”, “Biography of Seyyed Abdul-Azeem al-Hasani & Imamzadas around Him”, “Athaar al-Hujja” (Encyclopedia of the Qom Seminary), “Tuhfa-e Qodsi dar Ala’em Zohour-e Hadhrat Mahdi” (Signs of Reappearance of Imam Mahdi), and “Why I became Shi’a”.  

13 solar years ago, on this day in 2005 AD, prominent Iranian geographer, Dr. Hussain Begzadeh Shokoei, passed away at the age of 72 in Tehran. Born in Tabriz, he was a member of cultural and geographical academies and made lasting contribution to Iran’s geography.   

12 solar years ago, on this day in 2006 AD, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in his address to the UN General Assembly for the second consecutive year, criticized the hegemonic policies of the US in Iraq and Lebanon. He said Washington was abusing its power in the UN Security Council to punish others while protecting its own interests and allies. The American press widely covered his speech, while President George Bush again shied away from accepting his Iranian counterpart’s proposal for a televised debate on major international issues.

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