Today is Tuesday; 16th of the Iranian month of Bahman 1397 solar hijri; corresponding to 29th of the Islamic month of Jamadi al-Awwal 1440 lunar hijri; and February 5, 2019, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1957 solar years ago, on this day in 62 AD, a major earthquake, believed to be around 6 degrees on the Richter scale, devastated most of the Italian coastal city of Pompeii, the then vice-centre of the Roman Empire. Preceded over the past decades with small-scale tremblers, this severe earthquake was clearly a divine warning to the people to leave their sinful and erotic ways or else face the wrath of the All-Merciful God that finally descended on Pompeii 17 years later in 79 AD, as a result of the massive volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius that buried the city under tons of molten lava and hid it for almost 1,700 years until its rediscovery in 1748. On the day of the earthquake there were to be two pagan sacrifices, as it was the anniversary of Emperor Augustus being named "Father of the Nation" and also a feast day to honour the so-called guardian spirits of the city. Chaos followed the earthquake. Fires, caused by oil lamps that had fallen during the quake, added to the panic. The nearby cities of Herculaneum and Nuceria were also affected. Temples, houses, bridges, and roads were destroyed. It is believed that almost all buildings in Pompeii were affected. In the days after the earthquake, anarchy ruled the city, where theft and starvation plagued the survivors. In the time between 62 and the eruption that destroyed it in 79, rebuilding was done, but some of the damage had still not been repaired. It is said many inhabitants moved to other cities, fearing divine punishment, while others remained, rebuilt, and came from other cities in pursuit of carnal pleasures, when Mount Vesuvius gave to the 20,000 population the taste of the eternal inferno in life.  Today, Pompeii, whose excavation has provided a detailed insight into the life of a Roman city, including the erotic and sinful ways of the pagans, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, attracting visitors from Italy and all over the world. Here it is necessary to recall the warnings of God Almighty in the holy Qur’an to mankind to travel around the world in order to reflect on the fate that befell unrepentant sinners.

1263 solar years ago, on this day in 756 AD, An Lushan, the Leader of the revolt against the Tang Dynasty, declared himself emperor and established the short-lived state of Yan. A general of Sogdian-Turkic ethnicity at the Tang court, An Lushan launched his revolt against Chancellor Yang Guozhong in Yanjing. The rebellion spanned the reigns of three Tang emperors before it was quashed in 763, and involved a wide range of regional powers, including Arab and Persian Muslims, Iranian Sogdian forces, and the pagan Gogturks. The rebellion and disorder resulted in a huge loss of life and large-scale destruction. It significantly weakened the Tang dynasty at a time when it was all set to defeat the Tibetan Empire, and led to the loss of the western regions. As a matter of fact, the western expansion of the Tang Empire was checked four years earlier in 751 by the victory of the Muslims over a large Chinese army in the Battle of Talas in the Ferghana Valley, following the defection of the Karluk Turks during the midst of the battle. An Lushan was given control over the entire area north of the lower reaches of the Yellow River, including garrisons about 164,000 strong. He took advantage of various circumstances, such as popular discontent with an extravagant Tang court, the Iranian-involved Abbasid Rebellion against the Omayyad Dynasty, and eventually the absence of strong troops guarding the palace. In 756, over 22,000 Arab-Iranian Muslims were sent by the Abbasid caliph to the aid of the Tang. They stayed in China after the war and intermarried with the Hui Chinese – who are predominantly Muslim till this day. During the rebellion the port of Canton (Guangzhou, near the mouth of the South China Sea) was pillaged in 758 by a sea-borne Arab-Persian force.

1135 lunar years ago, on this day in 305 AH, the great scholar, Abu Ja’far Mohammad ibn Othman al-Amri, passed away in Baghdad, after serving for 40 years as “Nawwab” (Deputy) of the Lord of the Age, Imam Mahdi (AS), the Prophet of Islam’s 12^th and Last Infallible Heir, during his 69-year period of “Ghaybat as-Soghra” (Minor Occultation). He was second of the four deputies, known as Nawwab al-Arba’. He had been confirmed as Deputy by the Imam himself in 265 AH on the death of his father, the celebrated Uthman ibn Sa’eed al-Asadi, who as a 11-year old had the honour of the company of the Prophet’s 9th Infallible Heir, Imam Mohammad at-Taqi al-Jawad (AS), and thereafter was a close confidante of Imam Ali an-Naqi al-Hadi (AS) and Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS) – the 10th and 11th Infallible Heirs of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). Mohammad al-Amri wrote several books including “al-Ashrabah” on jurisprudence. The 12th Imam, who as prophesied by the Prophet, will establish the global government of peace, prosperity and justice by ending oppression and corruption on Planet Earth, was five years old when his father was martyred by Mu’tamid the 15th self-styled caliph of the usurper Abassid regime. By the Will of God he went into Minor Occultation to be safe from the manhunt launched by the caliph. During this period some selected figures from among the followers of the Ahl al-Bayt knew of his whereabouts and could meet him, while the rest were in contact with him through the Special Deputy, in order to avoid any suspicion by the regime. Thanks to the foolproof system of “wikala” (or representation) set up half-a-century earlier by the 9th Imam, a network of dedicated persons had emerged throughout the Islamic lands during the crucial period of the 10th and 11th Imams – who were either under virtual house arrest or imprisonment in Samarra by the Abbasid caliphs. Thus, during the Minor Occultation, whenever the believers faced a problem, they would write their concern and send them to the Special Deputy, who would present it to the Imam, ascertain his verdict, endorse it with his seal and signature, and return it to the relevant parties. With the start of the “Ghaybat al-Kubra” (Major Occultation) in 329 AH, there was no need for any Special Deputy, until by the Will of God, the 12th Imam reappears in the end times as the Saviour of Humanity.

591 solar years ago, on this day in 1428 AD, King Alfonso V of Aragon, who had taken control of Sicily, ordered Sicilian Jews to convert to Catholicism. With the end of Muslim rule in Spain and the Mediterranean islands off the coast of Spain and Italy, the Jews who had enjoyed all basic rights under Islamic rule and rose to prominent positions, were severely persecuted by the Christians. There were periodic massacres and forced conversion. Finally in 1492, after the fall of the last Spanish Muslim kingdom of Granada, when the Inquisition launched by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel reached Sicily, 100,000 Sicilian Jews were ordered expelled, and by January 12 this island was cleared of all Jews – the remaining forcibly converted. Throughout history the Christians have intensely hated Jews, for the alleged crucifixion of Prophet Jesus, as well as for their continued slandering of the Virgin Mary. 

279 solar years ago, on this day in 1840 AD, Christian priest, Father Thomas de Camangiano of Sardinia, who was head of the convent of the Franciscan sect in Damascus, Syria, disappeared with his servant on the eve of Passover in the Jewish quarter of Jobar. Syrian Christians, supported by the French consul in Damascus, Benoit-Ulysse de Ratti-Menton, charged 13 prominent Jews of the city of the ritual murder of the two, and subsequently imprisoned and tortured them. Four Jews died under torture, and the remaining 9 were released several months later when a group of influential European Jews led by Britain’s Jewish banker, Moses Haim Montefiore, visited Cairo and pleaded their case with Mohammad Ali Pasha the ruler of Egypt-Syria. The “Damascus Affair”, as it became known, made international news, as the Christians called for blood libel against the Jews. To prevent Christian-Jew feuds in the Ottoman Empire, a “farman” was issued from Istanbul by Sultan Abdul-Majid I that shows the rights enjoyed by the minorities in Muslim societies: “For the love we bear to our subjects, we cannot permit the Jewish people, whose innocence for the crime alleged against them (by the Christians) is evident, to be worried and tormented as a consequence of accusations which have not the least foundation in truth.” In 2001, the Egyptian daily al-Akhbar in an article titled “The Last Scene in the Life of Father Thomas”, said the French Christian priest was ritually slaughtered by the Jews. Earlier in 1983, Syria’s Minister of Defence, Mustafa Tlass, in his book titled “The Damascus Blood Libel”, shed light on the 1840 ritual murder of Christians by Jews. In 2007, Lebanese Christian poet, Marwan Chamoun, in an interview aired on Télé Liban, referred to the "slaughter of the priest Thomas de Camangiano in 1840 in the presence of two rabbis in the heart of Damascus, in the home of a close friend of this priest, Daud al-Harari, the head of the Jewish community of Damascus. After he was slaughtered, his blood was collected, and the two rabbis took it."

236 solar years ago, on this day in 1783 AD, a series of earthquakes ravaged Calabria that forms the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. Over 30,000 people died and hundreds of thousands became homeless.

166 lunar years ago, on this day in 1274 AH, prominent Iranian Islamic scholar and literary figure, Ayatollah Sheikh Mohammad Qasim Ordo-Abadi, was born in Tabriz. Following completion of studies, he left for holy Najaf in Iraq to attend the classes of prominent ulema of his day. After attaining the status of Ijtehad, he returned to his hometown, Tabriz. Ayatollah Ordo-Abadi wrote numerous books. Among his works mention could be made of “ash-Shahaab al-Mobeen fi Ejaaz al-Qur'an al-Kareem” on the Immortal Miracle this heavenly scripture is. He passed away in 1333 AH.

161 lunar years ago, on this day in 1279 AH, Arabic literary figure and poet, Abdul-Baaqi bin Suleiman Farouqi, passed away. As a devotee of the Prophet’s Infallible Household, he has written odes in praise of the Ahl al-Bayt. He has left behind several books, including “al-Baqiyaat as-Salehaat”.

150 solar years ago, on this day in 1869 AD, the largest gold nugget in history, called the "Welcome Stranger", was found in Moliagul, Victoria, Australia. Discovered by John Deason and Richard Oates it weighed 71.018 kg and measured 61 by 31 centimeters. It was melted and sent as gold ingots to the Bank of England in London. If intact, its present value would have been more than four million US dollars.

138 solar years ago, on this day in 1881 AD, the Scottish essayist, historian and orientalist, Thomas Carlyle, died at the age of 86. He mastered German and Arabic languages, and taught Arabic at Cambridge University. During trips to Muslim lands, he became familiar with Islamic culture and civilization, and was highly influenced by Islam. On the Holy Qur’an, he calls it a direct voice from the heart of the universe for mankind. He has hailed Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) as a person of deep and a great spirit, far from worldly ambitions, saying:  “It is a great shame for anyone to listen to the accusation that Islam is a lie and that Mohammad was a fabricator and a deceiver. We saw that he remained steadfast upon his principles, with firm determination; kind and generous, compassionate, pious, virtuous, with real manhood, hardworking and sincere. Besides all these qualities, he was lenient with others, tolerant, kind, cheerful and praiseworthy and perhaps he would joke and tease his companions. He was just, truthful, smart, pure, magnanimous and present-minded; his face was radiant as if he had lights within him to illuminate the darkest of nights; he was a great man by nature who was not educated in a school nor nurtured by a teacher as he was not in need of any of this.”

On the Prophet’s Vicegerent Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), Carlyle wrote: "As for this young Ali, one cannot but like him. A noble minded creature, as he shows himself, now and always afterwards, full of affection, of fiery daring something chivalrous in him, brave as a lion, yet with a grace, truth and affection… He died by assassination in the mosque at Kufa, death occasioned by his own generous fairness, confidence in the fairness of others. He said: if the wound proved not unto death, they must pardon the assassin, but if it did, they must slay him straightaway, so that the two of them in the same our might appear before God, and see which side of that quarrel was the just one."

On the martyrdom of Imam Husain (AS), Carlyle has written: "The best lesson which we get from the tragedy of Karbala is that Husain and his companions were the steadfast believers of God. They illustrated that numerical superiority does not count when it comes to truth and falsehood. The victory of Husain despite his minority marvels me!"

Carlyle authored several books, including “The French Revolution”, “Past and Present”, and “On Heroes and Hero Worship and the Heroic in History.”

82 lunar years ago, on this day in 1358 AH, Ayatollah Shaikh Ali Aal-e Ishaq was born near Zanjan in a scholarly family. In his childhood he shifted to holy Qom, along with his father, for religious education, and later went to Iraq for higher religious studies at the famous seminary of holy Najaf, where his teacher was the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA). He returned to Iran and embarked on awakening the people. Following victory of the Islamic Revolution, he played a prominent role in teaching at the seminary and at the university. He wrote several books and passed away in 1422 at the age of 64 years. 

61 solar years ago, on this day in 1958 AD, a highly lethal 3,400 kg hydrogen bomb, was lost by the US Air Force off the Savannah coast of Georgia, near Tybee Island when a B-47 bomber jettisoned it, on midair collision with an F-86 fighter plane. It has never been found, and if detonated, it would be means of mass destruction.

40 solar years ago, on this day in 1979 AD, air force officers came to the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA) in Tehran to swear allegiance to him five days after his historic return to Iran from 15 years of exile. The Imam welcomed them and issued orders for forming of a provisional government, defining its duties and instructing that a nationwide referendum be held to determine the form of the post-revolutionary system as well as voting for the new parliament. The remnants of the fugitive Shah's army tried to create chaos over the next days but were overcome by the people's power and finally on February 11 the Islamic Revolution triumphed.

32 lunar years ago, on this day in1408 AH, Iraqi religious leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Mahdi Hakim, was martyred on the orders of Saddam of the repressive Ba’th minority regime of Baghdad, in the lobby of a hotel in Khartoum, Sudan, where he was attending an international Islamic conference. Son of Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Mohsin Hakim, he was politically active against the Ba’th regime and was living in exile in Dubai. His body was brought to holy Qom in Iran for burial.

25 solar years ago, on this day in 1994 AD, Iranian journalist and translator, Ali Akbar Kasmai, passed away at the age of 73. After graduation from Tehran University he left for Egypt to pursue journalism, and his acquaintance with famous journalists like Taha Hussain, Abbas Aqqad and Towfiq al-Hakim, greatly benefitted his natural flair for writing. He mastered Arabic and French languages, and on return to Iran, involved himself in the media, serving for fifty years as Editor of the Persian newspaper “Ettela’at”. A prolific writer he translated several books.

13 solar years ago, on this day in 2006 AD, thousands of Muslims demonstrated in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon against publication of anti-Islamic cartoons by a Danish newspaper, and set fire to the Danish Embassy, burning Danish flags.

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