Today is Monday; 14th of the Iranian month of Aban 1397 solar hijri; corresponding to 26th of the Islamic month of Safar 1440 lunar hijri; and November 5, 2018, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1152 lunar years ago, on this day in 288 AH, the mathematician and astronomer, Sabet ibn Qurrah al-Harrani, died at the age of 77 in Baghdad. He was from Harran, which is presently under the control of Turkey although historically and culturally it is part of Mesopotamia. He belonged to the Sabian creed of star-worshippers, while some say he followed the Mandean creed that considers Prophet Yahya or John the Baptist to be the principal figure and last messenger of God. Sabet was invited to Baghdad by the Iranian scientists, the Banu Musa brothers, and translated scientific texts from Greek and Syriac languages into Arabic, thus significantly contributing to the development of sciences during the heyday of the Islamic civilization. It is not known whether or not he became a Muslim, but his sons became Muslims. His grandson, Ibrahim ibn Sinan, was a mathematician and astronomer who studied geometry and in particular tangents to circles for making sundials. He also made advances in the theory of integration. Sabet ibn Qurrah is said to have translated more than 130 books, and has left behind valuable compilations of his own.

810 lunar years ago, on this day in 630 AH, as part of his string of victories to consolidate the Muslim rule in northern India, Sultan Shams od-Din Altamash captured the important Rajput fortress of Gwalior after eleven months of siege. A Persianized Turkic slave of Sultan Muiz od-Din Mohammad, the Iranian ruler of Ghor (in present day Afghanistan), he served as lieutenant to Qutb od-Din Aibak, the founder of the Slave (Mamluk) Dynasty of India, and later became the latter's son-in-law. He was fluent in Turkic, Persian and Arabic, and was highly educated by his masters in Bukhara, Baghdad and Ghazna. Slaves in Islam are children of non-Muslims bought and brought up as Muslims and equivalent to adopted sons, and on no account should be confused with the concept of slavery in western and other non-Muslim cultures, where such persons are denied all basic rights and treated like chattels. In 1211, Altamash seized power from Aibak's weak son, Aram Shah, to become Sultan and shifted his capital from Lahore to Delhi, where he remained the ruler until his death 25 years later on May 1, 1236. A wise man, he carried out reforms, invited scholars to his court from Khorasan and Central Asia, defended the country against Mongol attacks, and built several public projects, such as the "Hauz-e Shamsi" water reservoir in Delhi, which is still in use. The famous Iranian Islamic scholar, Fakhr od-Din Razi used to visit India when Altamash was governor of Lahore. During his reign, several translations of Arabic books into Persian were undertaken, including the renowned Iranian Islamic scientist, Abu Rayhan al-Berouni's book on pharmacology titled "Saydana" – a translation printed in Tehran.

747 solar years ago, on this day in 1271 AD, Ghazan Khan, the 7th ruler of the Mongol Ilkhanid dynasty of Iran-Iraq, parts of Syria, Turkey, the Caucasus, and Afghanistan, was born. He was the son and successor of Arghun Khan and in his childhood was baptized as a Christian, although his family was Buddhist. On becoming ruler, he embraced the truth of Islam along with over 100,000 Mongols. He changed his name to Mahmoud and ruled for nine years during which he demolished the temples built by the Buddhist occupiers of the Muslim lands. His principal wife was Kokechin, a Mongol princess sent by Kublai Khan, and escorted to Iran from China by the Italian traveler Marco Polo. Military conflicts during Ghazan's reign included war with the Egyptian Mamluks for control of Syria, and battles with the Mongol Chaghatai Khanate for control of Central Asia. A man of high culture, Ghazan spoke several languages, and carried out reforms, especially in the matter of standardizing currency and fiscal policy.

462 solar years ago, on this day in 1556 AD, the 2^nd decisive Battle of Panipat was fought in eastern Punjab near Delhi and won by Emperor Jalal od-Din Akbar Shah, the 3^rd ruler of the Moghal Empire of Hindustan (Northern Subcontinent), who earlier in the year in January had ascended the throne at the age of 14 on the death of his father, Naseer od-Din Humayun Shah, shortly after the latter had regained his kingdom in India with the help of Shah Tahmasp I of Iran’s Safavid Empire. The victory over the combined Hindu-Afghan army led by Hemu, who dreamt of being king of India, was due to the military genius of the generals, Bairam Khan Baharlou and Khan Zaman. It was a decisive battle in Indian history and stabilized the Moghal Empire.

403 solar years ago, on this day in 1615 AD, Ibrahim Deli (the Deranged), the 18^th Ottoman Sultan who styled himself the 10^th Turkic Caliph, was born to Kosem or Mahpeykar Sultan, the Greek concubine of Ahmed 1. He spent his early life in close confinement before succeeding his elder brother Murad IV. Four of his brothers had been executed by Murad, and Ibrahim lived in fear of being the next to die. Subjected to fits of madness that brought about his downfall, Ibrahim was one of the most notorious Ottoman Sultans. Though he took control of the island of Crete in the Mediterranean, his 8-year reign was free of any wars with the Ottoman Sultans’ traditional rivals, the Safavid Shahs of Iran. At the age of 33, he was deposed and strangled to death, on the orders of his minor son and successor, Mohammad IV, as per the fatwa issued by the Chief Qazi of the realm.

238 solar years ago, on this day in 1780 AD, French-American forces under Colonel LaBalme were soundly defeated by the native Amerindian Chief of the Miami region, Mihsihkinaahkwa, called ‘Little Turtle’ by the Anglo-Saxon European occupiers of North America. He was one of the most famous Native American military leaders of his time. He led his followers in several major victories against US forces in the 1790s during the Northwest Amerindian Wars, including the defeat of General St. Clair, who lost 600 US soldiers. He was later tricked into a compromise by President George Washington, who seized the ancestral lands of the Amerindian people in Miami.

187 solar years ago, on this day in 1831 AD, Nat Turner, the black Afro-American who led the so-called "slave revolution" in the US, was tried in a kangaroo court in Virginia, convicted, and sentenced to death. He was executed on November 11. Born in 1800 to black African parents, in August 1931 after assembling the freedom-seeking black people of Africa who were enslaved in the US, he started an uprising in Southampton County, Virginia, by freeing many African people from slavery. The uprising was brutally crushed after a few days by the White racist government. Turner survived in hiding for over two months before he was tracked down and seized. The white people then massacred over 200 black people in the southern states, where state legislatures passed new laws prohibiting education of the so-called slaves as well as free black-coloured people, in addition to restricting civil liberties and freedom to assemble.

156 solar years ago, on this day in 1862 AD, following the wars of the US regime against the native people of North America and the seizure of their lands in Minnesota, 303 Dakota warriors were sentenced to hang, and ultimately 38 were executed. The US has a black and bloody record of genocide of the native Amerindian people.

133 solar years ago, on this day in 1885 AD, prolific US writer, historian, and philosopher, William James Durant, was born. He is best known for his 11-volume work “The Story of Civilization”, written in collaboration with his wife, Ariel Durant and published between 1935 and 1975. He acknowledged the rich contribution to world civilization of Islamic scientists, regarding whose inventions and innovations he has widely written, saying there are still thousands of Arabic and Persian manuscripts in libraries waiting to be discovered, in order to present a proper picture of the heyday of Islamic civilization. Earlier in 1926 he had written “The Story of Philosophy”.

100 solar years ago, on this day in 1918 AD, the contagious illness of influenza turned epidemic and killed millions of people across the world. This ailment initially became epidemic in Europe and swiftly spread across the world, leading to numerous fatalities. The reason behind the epidemic of this illness was the absence of proper antibiotics in that era.

99 solar years ago, on this day in 1919 AD, scholar, critic, writer, and linguist of Urdu, Mohammad Hassan Askari, was born in Bulandshahr District of what is now Uttar Pradesh, India. He worked for All India Radio before migrating to Karachi on the creation of Pakistan in 1947. He lectured at Islamia College, and by 1955 became wholly involved in the transition to and formulation of Pakistani national culture. "Jadidiyat" is one of his premier works. He translated western literary, philosophical and metaphysical work into Urdu, especially from English, French, and Russian. He also translated Arabic mystic literature and Buddhism into Urdu. He introduced to Indian and Pakistani Muslims the works of western metaphysical scholars such as René Guénon Abdul-Wahid Yahya of France, the Swiss-German Islamist Frithjof Schuon and the British Martin Lings Siraj od-Din. Before his death, he was working on an English translation of the Qur'anic exegesis titled "Ma'arif al-Qur'an", and finished a little more than one chapter. He passed away in Karachi, at the age of 59.

74 solar years ago, on this day in 1944 AD, French surgeon, biologist, and philosopher, Dr. Alexis Carrel, died at the age of 71. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for his works in medicine. He visited several Muslim lands and became familiar with their cultures and customs. Hence, in his writings, there is emphasis on the role of religion and spirituality in the life of mankind.

40 solar years ago, on this day in 1978 AD, during the nationwide mass protests in Iran against the oppressive British-installed and American-backed Pahlavi regime, Premier Ja'far Sharif-Imami and his cabinet were forced to resign after five weeks in office. He was one of the most corrupt officials of the Shah's regime and was appointed to deceive the people and derail the Islamic Movement from its course. Following the resignation of Sharif-Imami, the instigator of the Black Friday massacre in Tehran, General Gholam-Reza Azhari formed a military cabinet, but the Father of Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), called on the Iranian people to continue their struggle until the collapse of the Pahlavi regime.

31 solar years ago, on this day in 1887 AD, the First Tehran International Book Fair was held in the Iranian capital with participation of publishers from 32 countries. It has since become a regular annual fixture in Tehran, attracting publishers worldwide and drawing huge crowds.

28 solar years ago, on this day in 1990 AD, Iranian pharmacist and biochemist, Dr. Faramarz Ashuri, discovered the anti-radiation feature of a number of natural substances, after fourteen years of research, while in Japan. His discovery is used for prevention and treatment of ailments resulting from ionized radiations, by making the human body resistant.

12 solar years ago, on this day in 2006 AD, Saddam of the repressive Ba’th minority regime of Iraq, was convicted and sentenced to hang for crimes against humanity for the killings in 1982 of 148 people of the mainly Shi’a Muslim town of Dujail. The Iraqi High Tribunal, after detailed study of the documents and eye-witness accounts from survivors, found guilty and sentenced to death Saddam, his step brother and chief of intelligence, Barzan, and Ba’thist chief judge Awad Bandar, who issued orders for execution and razing of almost the entire village, including the houses and thousands of acres of orchards and farmlands of the victims, For 24 years Saddam had terrorized the Iraqi people, massacring hundreds of thousands of Shi’a Arab Muslims, as well as many Kurds, in addition to imposing the 8-year war upon the Islamic Republic of Iran in the 1980s on the orders of his American masters, who in the end overthrew him. He was executed on December 30 the same year.

5 solar years ago, on this day in 2013 AD, prominent Iranian revolutionary politician and merchant, Habibollah Askar Ouladi-Mosalman, passed away in Tehran at the age of 81. Born in Damavand in a wealthy merchant family, he became an Islamic activist against the Pahlavi regime in the late 1940s. He was close to the Fedayan-e Islam and joined the movement of Ayatollah Seyyed Abu’l-Qassim Kashani. He was imprisoned and on release, impressed by the magnetic personality of the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), involved himself more actively in the struggle against the Shah. On the victory of the Islamic Revolution, he was elected to the parliament. He was a presidential candidate in both the 1981 and 1985 elections, and served as Minister of Commerce in several cabinets. As Leader of the highly influential Islamic Coalition, he was the Leader’s representative in the State Expediency Council and the Imam Khomeini Welfare Committee. He is also remembered for his devotion to helping the poor through the Relief Foundation.

4 solar years ago, on this day in 2014 AD, the famous Lebanese Christian scholar, George Jordac, passed away at the age of 83. Born in the town of al-Jadida in the Marjayoun area of southern Lebanon, as a child he voraciously read Arabic literature including poetry, and was introduced by his elder brother Fouad to the “Nahj al-Balagha” (Highway of Eloquence) – the collection of sermons, letters and aphorisms of the Gateway of Knowledge, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS). He was fascinated by the eloquence and wisdom of the vicegerent of the Prophet of Islam. After extensive research while at university, where he studied philosophy and was a regular contributor to newspapers, he wrote his magnum opus in 5 volumes titled “Imam Ali (AS), the Voice of Human Justice”. He classified the five volumes as “Ali and Human Rights; “Ali and the French Revolution”; “Ali and Socrates”; “Ali and his Times”; and “Ali and the Arabs”. Some persons from Egypt and Persian Gulf Sheikhdoms offered him large sums of money to write on the life of the caliphs, but Jordac politely declined saying: “Besides Imam Ali (AS), I do not consider anyone worthy of writing about. The revolution of Imam Ali (AS) was the revolution of humanity, of society, of thought, and of culture, wherein are two diametrically opposed camps. On one side is the camp of vices, murder, human trafficking, slavery and death; and on the other side is the camp of faith, mercy, humanity, justice, freedom, and life. I felt duty bound to study and evaluate the camp of Imam Ali (AS), the sincere-most camp that lit for me the avenue and became the lamppost.”

Jordac wrote several books including “Masterpiece of Nahj al-Balagha”

AS/SS