Today is Monday; 5th of the Iranian month of Azar 1397 solar hijri; corresponding to 18th of the Islamic month of Rabi al-Awwal 1440 lunar hijri; and November 26, 2018, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1440 lunar years ago, on this day, a few days after Hijra, work started for construction of the famous “Masjid an-Nabi” (Prophet's Mosque) in Medina after the entry of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) in this city which was then called Yathreb. The Prophet personally took part in the construction, and adjacent to it rooms or quarters were built for him, for his cousin, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), and some of his companions. The Prophet used to hold the daily congregational prayers in this mosque, and would use it as a place for handling the various affairs of the Muslim society. The “Masjid an-Nabi”, in whose precincts, the Prophet reposes in eternal peace, is the second holiest mosque for the Islamic Ummah after the “Masjid al-Haraam” (Sacred Mosque) which houses God's symbolic house, the holy Ka'ba in Mecca. It is worth noting that on God’s commandment, the doors of the Sahaba opening into the courtyard of the “Masjid an-Nabi” were closed except for the doors of the houses of the Prophet and Imam Ali (AS).

1432 lunar years ago, on this day around 8 AH, Omm Kulthoum (SA), the second and youngest daughter of Imam Ali (AS) and Hazrat Fatema Zahra (SA) was born in Medina in the lifetime of her grandfather, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). Like her elder sister, Hazrat Zainab (SA), and brothers, Imam Hasan (AS) and Imam Husain (AS), she was a picture of virtue, and on growing up married her paternal first cousin Awn ibn Ja’far at-Tayyar – who was martyred years later in 38 AH in the War of Siffeen – since as a member of the spotlessly pure Ahl al-Bayt no other man was worthy of her hand, except a faithful Hashemite. She was present in Karbala at history’s most heartrending tragedy; was taken in chains along with the rest of ladies and children of the Prophet’s blessed household to the court of the tyrant Yazid; delivered memorable sermons to unmask the hypocrisy of the Omayyad regime; and on return to Medina recited the famous elegy “Madinato Jaddona la taqbalina…” (O City of our Grandfather, don’t accept our coming).

857 solar years ago, on this day in 1161 AD, the Battle of Caishi occurred in China when a Song dynasty fleet fought a crucial naval engagement with Jin dynasty ships on the Yangtze River during the Jin–Song Wars. Soldiers under the command of Prince Hailing, the Jurchen Emperor of the Jin dynasty, tried to cross the Yangtze River to attack Song China. Yu Yunwen, a civil official, commanded the defending Song army. The paddle-wheel warships of the Song fleet, equipped with trebuchets that launched incendiary bombs made of gunpowder and lime, decisively defeated the light ships of the Jin navy. Hailing was assassinated in a military camp by his own army shortly after the Caishi Battle, while a military coup took place in the Jin court, enthroning Emperor Shizong as the new emperor. A peace treaty signed in 1165 ended the conflict between Song and Jin.

542 solar years ago, on this day in 1476 AD, the explorer, Sebastian Cabot, was born. He was an Italian and in the service of England for exploring North America. His father, John, was a sailor and Sebastian learned the techniques and secrets of sailing from him. He died in 1557.

171 lunar years ago, on this day in 1268 AH, the highly efficient Iranian Prime Minister, Mirza Taqi Khan Amir Kabir, was killed on the orders of the Qajarid king, Nasser od-Din Shah in the “hammam” (bathhouse) of the famous garden-pavilion of Feen in the city of Kashan, where he was exiled, after dismissal from his post, following court intrigues by local agents of foreign powers, on loss of their illegal interests, because of his political and administrative reforms. He had risen from the lower rungs of the society through hard work, honesty, and voracious appetite for knowledge and eagerness to learn new techniques. He became prime minister of Mohammad Shah and within three years carried out important reforms. On Mohammad Shah's death, when Naser od-Din Shah ascended the throne as a boy, Amir-e Kabir acted as his guardian and saved Iran from the colonial designs of the British and the Russians. His achievements include the vaccination of Iranians against smallpox; economic development of the fertile Khuzestan Province; foundation in Tehran of the Dar ol-Fonoun Academy (for teaching medicine, surgery, pharmacology, natural history, mathematics, geology, and natural sciences to train the civilian and military staff); cancellation of the one-sided treaties with the Russians and the British; launching of a newspaper; crackdown on the seditious Babi-Bahai plot against Islam and the country; and execution of the heretic Mohammad Ali Bab. With Amir Kabir died the prospects of an independent Iran led by meritocracy.

163 solar years ago, on this day in 1855 AD, Polish author and poet, Adam Mitskevich, died in Istanbul, the Capital of the Ottoman Empire, at the age of 57. He was a freedom-seeker and lived in the era when Poland had disintegrated as a state and divided up amongst the Russian, Prussian, and Austro-Hungarian Empires. Because of his nationalistic tendencies he was kept in Russia from where after six years, he fled to France and lectured in literature. He later went to Istanbul to form a Polish military unit to fight Russia. He wrote many books including “Polish Pilgrims”.

154 solar years ago, on this day in 1863 AD, US President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed November 26 as a national Thanksgiving Day, to be celebrated annually on the final Thursday of November, but since 1941, it has been on the fourth Thursday of November. It has nothing to do with Christian religion or similar thanksgiving days that were celebrated sporadically in Britain after such occasions as the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588.

84 solar years ago, on this day in 1934 AD, veteran Iranian cinema actor, Jamshid Mashayekhi, was born. In 1957, he began professional acting on stage and his first feature film role was “Brick and Mirror” in 1965. After a four-year break, he acted in “The Cow” (1969) and later the same year in “Qaysar”. Today, Mashayekhi commonly appears as an elderly grandfather because of his white hair and charismatic face and figure. He received a best performance award for “The Grandfather” in 1985 from the First Festival of Non-aligned Countries in North Korea. He has endeared himself to the Iranian masses through his excellent acting the TV series “Hezar Dastan” and “Kamal ol-Molk”, on the famous Iranian master painter of the last century.

76 solar years ago, on this day in 1942 AD, the scholar and controversial politician, Mohammad Ali Foroughi titled Zaka ol-Molk, died at the age of 65. Born in Tehran into a family of Isfahani merchants, whose ancestors were said to be Jews from Baghdad who converted to Islam, he was the son of Mohammad-Hussain Khan Zaka ol-Molk – a writer, poet, translator and official of the Qajarid era. Foroughi learnt French and English, and pursued medical studies at the Dar al-Fonoun until his interests shifted to literature and philosophy. In 1907 on his father’s death, he became the Dean of the College of Political Sciences. In 1909, he entered politics as a member of Majlis (Parliament). He subsequently became speaker of the house and later minister in several cabinets as well as prime minister three times during the Qajarid era. He betrayed the Qajars by siding with the British in bringing to power the Pahlavi regime, and when Reza Khan was declared the Shah, Foroughi became the acting prime minister. Later also he was appointed prime minister by Reza Khan but removed in 1935. Nonetheless, Foroughi who was a freemason with links to the secret Zionist network, continued to serve the regime despite its blatant misdeeds and oppression of the Iranian people. The books he wrote include: “History of Ancient Iran”, “Study of European Philosophy”, and “Sassanid History”.

40 solar years ago, on this day in 1978 AD, prominent Iranian religious leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Kashani, passed away at the age of 85. He was born in an academic and virtuous family in the city of Kashan. Following the completion of preliminary studies in Kashan and Isfahan, he went to Iraq for higher studies at the prestigious seminary of holy Najaf.

40 solar years ago, on this day in 1978 AD, religious leaders and the masses seeking to topple the British-installed and US-backed Shah, called a general strike that paralyzed the country.

39 solar years ago, on this day in 1979 AD, as per a decree issued by the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), for formation of the twenty million-strong army, the Basij Mobilization Force was founded. A popular body which is comprised of faithful, selfless, and hardworking forces has played a crucial role in all scenes of the Islamic Revolution, especially during the 8-year Holy Defence of the Iranian nation against the US-ordered invasion by Saddam’s regime. The Basij is highly active in the social, cultural, industrial, and defence arenas of Islamic Iran. The Late Imam hailed the Basij as the manifestation of lofty Islamic ethics.

28 solar years ago, on this day in 1990 AD, the Iranian calligrapher, Mir Khani, passed away at the age of 80 years. He learned calligraphy under prominent masters and was also a highly capable poet. He has left behind more than sixty books on calligraphy.

15 solar years ago, on this day in 2003 AD, prominent jurisprudent, senior revolutionary figure, Islamic judge, and MP, Ayatollah Mohammed Sadeq Khalkhali, passed away at the age of 77 in the holy city of Qom. Born in the town of Givi in what is now Ardabil Province in northwestern Iran, he entered the Qom seminary and in 1955 emerged as a staunch disciple of the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA). He became politically active against the despotic regime of the British-installed and US-backed Pahlavi regime, and joined the Fada'iyan-e Islam revolutionary group of Hojjat al-Islam Seyyed Mojtaba Safavi. On 24 February 1979, shortly after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, he was appointed by Imam Khomeini as Head of the newly established Revolutionary Courts in order to mete out justice to the corrupt anti-Islamic elements. Ayatollah Khalkhali is famous for ordering the executions of the Shah’s longtime prime minister, Amir Abbas Hoveida, and Nematollah Nassiri, the last head of SAVAK – the notorious terror network of the Pahlavi regime. His resoluteness and sense of justice shattered the backbone of US-supported anti-revolutionaries. He also oversaw the pulling down of a huge and ugly building overshadowing the holy shrine of the Prophet’s venerable descendent, Seyyed Abdul-Azim al-Hassani (AS), in Rayy, which the last Pahlavi ruler had built to house the rotten bones of his father, Reza Khan, who had died in exile in Mauritius. An Islamic seminary was built on this site, and is today a thriving centre for promotion of religious sciences and humanitarian values. After retirement as judge, Ayatollah Sadeq Khalkhali was elected to the Majlis (parliament) for two consecutive 4-year terms as representative of the people of Qom.

11 solar years ago, on this day in 2007 AD, the Islamic Republic of Iran, as part of its defence drive for self-sufficiency in military industries in order to thwart the designs of any enemy, announced the manufacture of a new missile with a range of  over 2000 kilometers.

AS/SS