Today is Wednesday; 7th of the Iranian month of Azar 1397 solar hijri; corresponding to 20th of the Islamic month of Rabi al-Awwal 1440 lunar hijri; and November 28, 2018, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

Over 3100 lunar years ago, on this day, the young Prophet David (AS) killed in combat Goliath, the fearsome warlord of the idol-worshipping Philistines, who broke ranks and fled. Almighty Allah has referred to this historic event towards the end of Surah Baqarah, which informs us of the weak faith of the monotheist Israelites; most of whom, except for 313 men of firm faith, deserted the army of King Saul when faced by an invading force of the Philistines led by the veritable giant, Goliath. Even Saul despite his strength and stature avoided combat with Goliath by ignoring the assurances of divine help by Prophet Samuel (AS). At this stage, David, still a young lad without any battle experience and only with a sling in his hand with which he used to chase away wild beasts attacking his flock of sheep, decided to accept the challenge of the heavily armed and armour-clad Goliath. Goliath laughed at the sight of the slim unarmed youth, but before the infidel had time to use his sword or bow, David, taking aim at his opponent’s forehead, flung a stone or two by means of his sling, piercing the area below the helmet. Goliath cried loudly in pain and fell dead on the ground. At this, fear seized the hearts of the Philistines, who began to flee. Ayah 246 of Surah Baqarah says in this regard:

“Thus they routed them with Allah’s will, and David killed Goliath, and Allah gave him the kingdom and wisdom, and taught him whatever He liked. Were it not for Allah’s repelling the people by means of one another, the earth would surely have been corrupted; but Allah is gracious to the world’s creatures.”

A similar event took place in the early days of the founding of the Islamic state by Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) when a 12,000 strong joint Arab-Israelite army besieged Medina in a bid to kill Muslims and wipe out Islam. The infidel warlord Amr ibn Abd Wudd, who was a giant like Goliath, leapt over the ditch which the Muslim defenders had dug as means of defence and challenged them to fight. Fear prevailed everywhere and no one heeded the Prophet’s call to face Amr, except the young Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS). In a heroic combat during which the Imam allowed his fearsome opponent respite to renew the life-and-death fight when the fallen infidel had dared to spit at him, he made short work of Amr, making the Arab-Israelite force disperse in fear and ensuring victory of Islam. The Prophet stated: “The stroke of Ali on the Day of the Ditch is superior to the worship of mankind and jinn.” This event is known in the annals of history as Battle of Khandaq or Ditch, and also Battle of Ahzaab, i.e. Confederates, since the Arabs and Israelites had joined together to try to kill the Prophet and wipe out Islam.

1082 solar years ago, on this day in 936 AD, Shi Jingtang was enthroned as the first emperor of the Later Jin Dynasty of China by Emperor Taizong of Liao, following a revolt against Emperor Fei of Later Tang.

990 lunar years ago, on this day in 450 AH, the Iranian Shafei jurisprudent and scholar, Taher ibn Abdullah Abu Tayyeb at-Tabari, died in Baghdad at the age of 102. Born in Amol, in the Caspian Sea region of Mazandaran, he traveled widely to acquire knowledge, before settling in Iraq, where he was Chief Judge of Baghdad until his death. His books include "Jawab fi's-Sama" and the ten-volume work titled "al-Ghena wa't-Ta'liqat al-Kubra fi'l-Furu".

933 lunar years ago, on this day in 507 AH, the famous Iranian Arabic scholar and poet, Abu'l-Muzaffar Mohammad bin Ahmad Abiwardi, died in Isfahan. He was well-versed in history, hadith, lexicography, and calligraphy and wrote on various topics. Among his books are "Tabaqat al-Ilm", "Tarikh-e Abiward", and a critical work on genealogy titled "Qabsat al-Ajlan fi-Nasab Aal-e Abi Sufiyan", which deals with the dubious paternity of Abu Sufyan, Mu'awiyya and other Omayyads. He wrote a moving ode in Arabic on the plight of Muslims in Syria and Palestine during the occupation of these lands by Europe’s Crusader invaders, who had unleashed a bloody holocaust on the people. Here are some of his verses:

"We have mingled blood with flowing tears,

And there is no room left for pity

To shed tears is a man's worst weapon

When the swords stir up the embers of war,

Sons of Islam, behind you are battles in which heads rolled at your feet.

Dare you slumber in the blessed shade of safety!

Where life is soft as an orchard flower?

How can the eye sleep between the lids?

At a time of disasters that would awaken any sleeper!

While your Syrian brothers can only sleep,

On the backs of their chargers or in vultures' bellies!

Must the foreigners feed on our ignominy, while you trail behind!

The train of a pleasant life, like men whose world is at peace?

When blood has been spilt, when sweet girls must for shame 

Hide their lovely faces in their hands!

When the white swords' points are red with blood, and the iron

Of the brown lances is stained with gore!

At the sound of sword hammering on lance

Young children's hair turn white, 

This is war, and the infidel's sword is naked in his hand,

Ready to be sheathed in men's necks and skulls,

This is war, and he who lies in the tomb at Medina seems

To raise his voice and cry: O sons of Hashem!

I see my people slow to raise the lance against the enemy:

I see the Faith resting on feeble pillars.

For fear of death the Muslims are evading the fire of battle,

Refusing to believe that death will surely strike them. 

Must the Arab champions then suffer with resignation? 

While the gallant Persians shut their eyes to their dishonour!

900 solar years ago, on this day in 1118 AD, Manuel I, the 3rd emperor of the House of Komnenos of Byzantine was born. At the age of 25 he succeeded his father, John II, and during his long fluctuating reign of 37 years, his ambitious foreign policy resulted in defeats at the hands of Muslims in Anatolia, Syria, and Egypt. In the process he made alliances with the Latin Pope in Rome, invaded unsuccessfully the Norman Kingdom of Sicily which had a strong Muslim-Arab culture, and provided passage to Palestine for the Crusader invaders from Europe. Facing Muslim advances, however, he ganged up with the Crusaders to invade Egypt, but suffered defeats at the hands of the ruling Fatemid Shi’ite Muslim Dynasty. Although he reshaped the political maps of the Balkans, placing Hungary under Byzantine hegemony, in the east he suffered defeats. His most decisive defeat was at the Battle of Myriokephalon in 1176 in Sivas in Anatolia (modern Turkey), against the Seljuq Sultanate of Roum led by Sultan Qilij Arslan II. It was to be the final unsuccessful attempt by the Byzantine Greeks to recover the interior of Anatolia from the Muslims. This was followed by more defeats that had a serious effect upon Manuel's vitality; he declined in health and in 1180 succumbed to a slow fever at the age of 62. Like Manzikert, a century and five years earlier when Emperor Romanos IV had suffered a shattering defeat and captured by Sultan Alp Arsalan of the Isfahan-based Greater Seljuq Empire, the Muslims had gained the upper hand. Manuel never again attacked the Turks, and after his death they began to move further west, deeper into Byzantine territory until the fall of Constantinople in 1453 and its renaming to Islambol (Istanbul).

725 solar years ago, on this day in 1293 AD, Emperor Yesun Temur of China’s Yuan Mongol dynasty was born in Mongolia to Gammala, a son of Zhenjin, who in turn was son of the Emperor Kublai Khan. On his father’s death in 1302 he became the ruler of Mongolia and grew up into a powerful administrator earning respect from the other Mongol princes. In 1323, on the suspicious assassination of Shidebala Gegeen Khan, he was made Emperor of China through intrigue and subsequently the 10^th Great Khaqan of the whole Mongol-ruled lands, although nominally, due to division of the empire. To secure support from the Chinese populace, he showed his respect for the Confucian tradition. Nevertheless, Muslim and Mongol officials from the steppe (who came with him from Mongolia) constituted the majority of posts in the Yuan government during this period. Dowlat Shah served as the manager of the governmental affairs of the Central Secretariat, then as censor in chief, and finally as grand councilor. Other high ranking Muslims were Ubaidullah and Bayanchar, who served as managers of governmental affairs in the Secretariat, while Mahmoud Shah and Hassan Khoja managed the Bureau of Military Affairs. In contrast with the Muslims, Chinese officials exerted little influence on the administration. He died in 1328.

545 solar years ago, on this day in 1470 AD, Wen Zhengming, a leading Chinese painter, calligrapher, poet, and scholar, was born. He was regarded as one of the Four Masters of Ming painting.

261 solar years ago, on this day in 1757 AD, William Blake, English poet, artist, and printer, was born in Soho, London. He wrote “Songs of Innocence”, “All Religions are One”, and “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell.” Blake has become famous for his relief etching, a form of art in which the artist incised an image into the copper plate – a complex and laborious process, with plates taking months or years to complete. Blake employed intaglio engraving in his own work, most notably for the illustrations of the “Book of Job”, completed just before his death in 1827.

223 solar years ago, on this day in 1795 AD, the newly founded United States of America had to pay $800,000 and a frigate as tribute to the powerful rulers of Algiers and Tunis in order to carry out trade in the Mediterranean Sea.

198 solar years ago, on this day in 1820 AD, German philosopher, Friedrich Engels, was born. A close friend of his compatriot, Karl Marx, who coined the theory of Marxism, he was persecuted for his political views and fled to Britain in 1850. The book “Communism Manifesto”, published in 1848 is the joint work of Engels and Marx. Engels died in 1895.

159 solar years ago, on this day in 1859 AD, American essayist, author, historian, attorney, and diplomat, Washington Irving, died at the age of 76. Born in New York City he was prolific writer and served as the US representative to London and as US Minister of Spain, where he had access to medieval era archives and was 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.”

Washington Irving, who says the spirit of the uprising (of Imam Husain) will last forever, also 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.”

146 solar years ago, on this day in 1872 AD, the Modoc War of 1872-73 began in Siskiyou County, northern California when fighting broke out between Modoc Chief Captain Jack and a cavalry detail led by Captain James Jackson. At Lava Beds National Monument in northern California Amerindian Modoc warriors held off over 1,000 US Army troops for five months, before these natives were deceived and defeated by the white army.

113 solar years ago, on this day in 1905 AD, Arthur Griffith formed Sinn Fein in Dublin. Sinn Fein is Gaelic for “We Ourselves”, but also for “Ourselves Alone”. This political party became the unofficial political wing of militant Irish groups in their struggle against British rule.

106 solar years ago, on this day in 1912 AD, Albanian delegates at Vlora declared the independence of Albania from centuries of Ottoman Turkish rule and established a provisional government. This marked Albania’s Independence Day. Albania is a predominantly Muslim country in Europe.

75 solar years ago, on this day in 1943 AD, during World War II the Tehran Conference was held in the Iranian capital and attended by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin. The three discussed war strategy against Germany from 28 November to 1 December. The 4-day meeting held in the Soviet Embassy in Tehran was the first of the World War II conferences between the "Big Three" Allied leaders. It closely followed the Cairo Conference which had taken place on 22-26 November 1943, and preceded the 1945 Yalta and Potsdam Conferences. Although all three of the leaders arrived with differing objectives, the main outcome of the Tehran Conference was the commitment to the opening of a second front against Nazi Germany by the Western Allies. The conference also addressed relations between the Allies and Turkey and Iran, operations in Yugoslavia and against Japan as well as the envisaged post-war settlement. A separate protocol signed at the conference pledged the Big Three's recognition of Iran's independence and withdrawal of all foreign forces. The Pahlavi Shah of Iran, being a British client, was treated as no more than a puppet by the three leaders, who did not even rise to greet him, and made him stand while they were seated.

58 solar years ago, on this day in 1960 AD, Mauritania gained its independence from French occupation. Mauritania is located in northwestern Africa and covers an area of 1030700 sq km. It shares borders with Algeria, Mali, and Senegal. It is an Arabic-speaking country and its capital is Nouakchott, located on the Atlantic coast.

47 solar years ago, on this day in 1971 AD, with the withdrawal of British occupation troops, the Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa, Greater and Lesser Tunbs, returned to Iran’s sovereignty. These three Iranian islands are strategically located near the Strait of Hormoz, which links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Britain had seized these islands in 1887.

38 solar years ago, on this day in 1980 AD, almost two months after the start of the 8-year war imposed on Iran by the US through Saddam, Iran’s Navy defeated the Iraqi navy, destroying a large number of vessels and inflicting huge damage on al-Bakr oil platform at the headwaters of the Persian Gulf. The Iraqi navy was virtually eliminated, and to mark this great victory, this day has been marked over the past 31 years as Navy Day in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

12 solar years ago, on this day in 2006 AD, Iran's President Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addressed a letter to the American people to be released at UN headquarters in New York. He urged them to demand the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq and reject the Bush administration's blind support for the illegal Zionist entity and its illegal and immoral actions against Palestinians in the usurped land. The US mainstream media afraid of the impact of this letter on public opinion virtually ignored it.

8 solar years ago, on this day in 2010 AD, Iran and Turkmenistan inaugurated the last section of the Sarakhs-Tehran pipeline for supply of Turkmen gas to northeast Iran.

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