This Day in History
(November 26)
Today is Thursday; 5th of the Iranian month of Azar 1394 solar hijri; corresponding to 14th of the Islamic month of Safar 1437 lunar hijri; and November 26, 2015, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.
1320 lunar years ago, on this day in 127 AH, Marwan al-Hemar (literally "the Donkey”) started his rule as the 14th self-styled caliph of the usurper Omayyad regime by displacing Ibrahim, who days earlier had been installed as the new caliph on the death of Yazid III, who in turn had ruled for only six months on assuming power after the less than a year rule of the depraved Walid II. This meant that in one year four of the so-called caliphs had come and gone after the long reign of the tyrant, Hisham ibn Abdul-Malik. Marwan presided over the end of the hated Omayyad regime that was thrown into the dustbin of history in 132 AH when he was caught and killed in Egypt, while fleeing the advance of the Abbasids from Khorasan to Iraq and Syria. The dynasty had been founded by the Godless Mu'awiyah ibn Abu Sufyan, on his seizure of the caliphate from the Prophet's grandson, Imam Hasan Mojtaba (AS) in 41 AH by deceiving the Muslim masses and imposing a treaty, whose clauses he violated. The Abbasids – descendants of Abbas, an uncle of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) – now usurped political power by exploiting the sentiments of the people of Iran, Iraq and Hijaz, for the Ahl al-Bayt, but turned out to be as cruel as the Omayyads, as is evident by their persecution of the Prophet’s progeny and martyring of 6 of the Infallible Imams through poisoning.
1142 lunar years ago, on this day in 295 AH, Abu Ibrahim Isma'il I, the most prominent Amir (ruler) of the Iranian Samanid Dynasty of Central Asia and Khorasan, died after a reign of 15 years and was succeeded by his son Ahmad. Isma'il added Kirman, Sistan and Kabul to his empire. A nominal vassal of the Abbasid caliph, he made his capital Bukhara into one of the most glorious cities of the Islamic world, rivaling Baghdad and attracting scholars, artists, and doctors of law into the region. The first translation of the holy Qu'ran into Persian was completed during Samanid rule, which saw the revival of Persian language and literature, along with the patronizing of Arabic. Ismail took Talas, the capital of the Qarluq Turks in what is now Kazakhstan, and propagated Islam amongst the inhabitants, with the result that as many as 30,000 tents of Turks became Muslim. His campaigns kept the heart of his state safe from the raids of the hitherto pagan Turks, and allowed Muslim missionaries to expand their activities in the region. The Samanids were descendants of the famous Sassanid general, Bahram Chobin, and had accepted Islam during Abbasid rule. They also propagated the jurisprudence of what came to be known as the Sunni school, and it was during their rule that most of the Hadith compilers, like Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmizi, Nasa’i, Hakem Nishapuri, and others flourished. They repressed Ismailis, because of the fear of the expanding influence of the Fatemid Dynasty of Egypt-North Africa-Syria-Hijaz, but were rather tolerant of Asna Ash'ari or Twelver Shi'ite Muslims.
854 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.
804 lunar years ago, on this day in 632 AH, the judge and historian, Baha od-Din Yusuf ibn Rafi ibn Shaddad, passed away at the age of 93. Born in Mosul in Iraq, he memorized the holy Qur’an in childhood and later honed his skills in exegesis, hadith and other sciences. He taught at Baghdad’s famous Nezamiyyah Academy, founded by the Iranian statesman, Nezam ol-Molk Tousi, and later after visiting several Islamic lands, he went to Syria to serve as advisor to Salaheddin Ayoubi, the Kurdish sultan who liberated Palestine and Bayt al-Moqaddas from the Crusader occupation. He was an eyewitness to several battles with the Christian invaders from Europe, including the Siege of Acre, and wrote the historical work titled "an-Nawader as-Sultaniyyah”, which is an account of the military campaigns. His other well-known book is the 4-volume "Dala'el al-Ahkaam" on jurisprudential issues.
430 lunar years ago, on this day in 1007 AH, the prominent Iranian Islamic
Gnostic, jurisprudent, philosopher, and Hadith Authority, Mullah Mohsin Mohammad Fayz Kashani was born in Kashan in a family renowned for its learning. He began his education under his father, Shah Morteza, who possessed a rich library. At the age of twenty he went to Isfahan to pursue his studies, but after about a year moved to Shiraz to study Hadith and jurisprudence with Seyyed Majed Bahrani, on whose death he returned to Isfahan where he joined the circle of the great scholar Shaikh Baha od-Din Ameli, and attended the lectures of the famous Mir Baqer Damad on philosophy. At the age of 23, he departed for Mecca and after performing the Hajj, remained there in order to study Hadith with the Lebanese scholar, Mohammad bin Hassan bin Zayn od-Din Ameli (grandson of the Second Martyr). On his return to Iran, he studied for 8 years with the philosopher, Mullah Sadra Shirazi, whose daughter he married. He later served as Friday Prayer Leader of the Safavid Capital, Isfahan, and towards the end of his 82-year fruitful life, returned to his hometown Kashan where he passed away. Fayz Kashani was a prolific writer in both Persian and Arabic, with more than a hundred and twenty books and treatises to his credit. His widely-read works include "Mahjat-al-Bayza”, "Ayn al-Yaqin”, "Tafsir Safi” (exegesis of holy Qur’an), "Abwaab-ol-Jenan” and "al-Waafi” – which is a commentary of the famous "Osoul Kafi” of Allamah Kulayni. In addition to composing excellent Persian poetry, he wrote "Safinat-an-Nejaat” on astronomy and an exposition of the "Sahifat-as-Sajjadiyya” or collection of supplications of Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS)
160 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”.
151 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.
81 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.
73 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, 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”.
36 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.
12 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 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.
(Courtesy: IRIB English Radio – http://english.irib.ir)
1320 lunar years ago, on this day in 127 AH, Marwan al-Hemar (literally "the Donkey”) started his rule as the 14th self-styled caliph of the usurper Omayyad regime by displacing Ibrahim, who days earlier had been installed as the new caliph on the death of Yazid III, who in turn had ruled for only six months on assuming power after the less than a year rule of the depraved Walid II. This meant that in one year four of the so-called caliphs had come and gone after the long reign of the tyrant, Hisham ibn Abdul-Malik. Marwan presided over the end of the hated Omayyad regime that was thrown into the dustbin of history in 132 AH when he was caught and killed in Egypt, while fleeing the advance of the Abbasids from Khorasan to Iraq and Syria. The dynasty had been founded by the Godless Mu'awiyah ibn Abu Sufyan, on his seizure of the caliphate from the Prophet's grandson, Imam Hasan Mojtaba (AS) in 41 AH by deceiving the Muslim masses and imposing a treaty, whose clauses he violated. The Abbasids – descendants of Abbas, an uncle of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) – now usurped political power by exploiting the sentiments of the people of Iran, Iraq and Hijaz, for the Ahl al-Bayt, but turned out to be as cruel as the Omayyads, as is evident by their persecution of the Prophet’s progeny and martyring of 6 of the Infallible Imams through poisoning.
1142 lunar years ago, on this day in 295 AH, Abu Ibrahim Isma'il I, the most prominent Amir (ruler) of the Iranian Samanid Dynasty of Central Asia and Khorasan, died after a reign of 15 years and was succeeded by his son Ahmad. Isma'il added Kirman, Sistan and Kabul to his empire. A nominal vassal of the Abbasid caliph, he made his capital Bukhara into one of the most glorious cities of the Islamic world, rivaling Baghdad and attracting scholars, artists, and doctors of law into the region. The first translation of the holy Qu'ran into Persian was completed during Samanid rule, which saw the revival of Persian language and literature, along with the patronizing of Arabic. Ismail took Talas, the capital of the Qarluq Turks in what is now Kazakhstan, and propagated Islam amongst the inhabitants, with the result that as many as 30,000 tents of Turks became Muslim. His campaigns kept the heart of his state safe from the raids of the hitherto pagan Turks, and allowed Muslim missionaries to expand their activities in the region. The Samanids were descendants of the famous Sassanid general, Bahram Chobin, and had accepted Islam during Abbasid rule. They also propagated the jurisprudence of what came to be known as the Sunni school, and it was during their rule that most of the Hadith compilers, like Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmizi, Nasa’i, Hakem Nishapuri, and others flourished. They repressed Ismailis, because of the fear of the expanding influence of the Fatemid Dynasty of Egypt-North Africa-Syria-Hijaz, but were rather tolerant of Asna Ash'ari or Twelver Shi'ite Muslims.
854 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.
804 lunar years ago, on this day in 632 AH, the judge and historian, Baha od-Din Yusuf ibn Rafi ibn Shaddad, passed away at the age of 93. Born in Mosul in Iraq, he memorized the holy Qur’an in childhood and later honed his skills in exegesis, hadith and other sciences. He taught at Baghdad’s famous Nezamiyyah Academy, founded by the Iranian statesman, Nezam ol-Molk Tousi, and later after visiting several Islamic lands, he went to Syria to serve as advisor to Salaheddin Ayoubi, the Kurdish sultan who liberated Palestine and Bayt al-Moqaddas from the Crusader occupation. He was an eyewitness to several battles with the Christian invaders from Europe, including the Siege of Acre, and wrote the historical work titled "an-Nawader as-Sultaniyyah”, which is an account of the military campaigns. His other well-known book is the 4-volume "Dala'el al-Ahkaam" on jurisprudential issues.
430 lunar years ago, on this day in 1007 AH, the prominent Iranian Islamic
Gnostic, jurisprudent, philosopher, and Hadith Authority, Mullah Mohsin Mohammad Fayz Kashani was born in Kashan in a family renowned for its learning. He began his education under his father, Shah Morteza, who possessed a rich library. At the age of twenty he went to Isfahan to pursue his studies, but after about a year moved to Shiraz to study Hadith and jurisprudence with Seyyed Majed Bahrani, on whose death he returned to Isfahan where he joined the circle of the great scholar Shaikh Baha od-Din Ameli, and attended the lectures of the famous Mir Baqer Damad on philosophy. At the age of 23, he departed for Mecca and after performing the Hajj, remained there in order to study Hadith with the Lebanese scholar, Mohammad bin Hassan bin Zayn od-Din Ameli (grandson of the Second Martyr). On his return to Iran, he studied for 8 years with the philosopher, Mullah Sadra Shirazi, whose daughter he married. He later served as Friday Prayer Leader of the Safavid Capital, Isfahan, and towards the end of his 82-year fruitful life, returned to his hometown Kashan where he passed away. Fayz Kashani was a prolific writer in both Persian and Arabic, with more than a hundred and twenty books and treatises to his credit. His widely-read works include "Mahjat-al-Bayza”, "Ayn al-Yaqin”, "Tafsir Safi” (exegesis of holy Qur’an), "Abwaab-ol-Jenan” and "al-Waafi” – which is a commentary of the famous "Osoul Kafi” of Allamah Kulayni. In addition to composing excellent Persian poetry, he wrote "Safinat-an-Nejaat” on astronomy and an exposition of the "Sahifat-as-Sajjadiyya” or collection of supplications of Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS)
160 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”.
151 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.
81 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.
73 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, 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”.
36 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.
12 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 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.
(Courtesy: IRIB English Radio – http://english.irib.ir)