This Day in History (February 22)
Today is Thursday; 3rd of the Iranian month of Esfand 1396 solar hijri; corresponding to 5th of the Islamic month of Jamadi as-Sani 1439 lunar hijri; and February 22, 2018, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.
1034 lunar years ago, on this day in 404 AH, Baha od-Dowla Daylami, the Iranian Buwaiyhid ruler of Iraq and parts of Iran and Oman, died in Arrajan near Behbahan in southwestern Iran after a reign of 24 years and was succeeded by his son Sultan od-Dowla. He was the third son of the greatest ruler of the dynasty, Adhud od-Dowla, and assumed power on the death of his eldest brother, Sharaf od-Dowla. Another brother, Samsam od-Dowla, prevented him from gaining all of the eldest brother's possessions by taking control of Fars, Kerman and Khuzestan. The brothers, when threatened by their granduncle Fakhr od-Dowla, the ruler of northern Iran, who invaded Khuzestan, made peace, and Samsam od-Dowla recognizing Baha od-Dowla as the ruler of Iraq and Khuzestan, himself kept Arrajan, Fars and Kerman. Both took the title of "king". A couple of years later Baha od-Dowla assumed the title of Shahanshah or emperor and invaded his brother's territory but was defeated by the latter who regained Khuzestan and took control of the Buwaiyhid territories in Oman across the Persian Gulf, by recognizing granduncle Fakhr od-Dowla as the senior Amir. Six years later, Fakhr od-Dowla died and the next year Samsam od-Dowla was killed. Baha od-Dowla now took the opportunity to assert his authority in Fars and after taking Shiraz he did not return to Baghdad but spent the rest of his life in Iran, during which he gained indirect control over northern Iran as well. His last years saw the beginning of the decline of the dynasty, with the Ziyarids of Gorgan and Tabaristan permanently asserting their independence while the Ghaznavid Turks kept putting pressure on Khorasan. The Buwaiyhid confederation, after 110 years of valuable service to Islam and Muslims by patronizing religious scholars and scientists; building public places like hospitals, schools, libraries, bridges, and dams; and renovating the shrines of the Infallible Imams in Najaf, Karbala, Kazemayn and Samarra; was overthrown by Turkic Seljuq invaders from Central Asia, who restored the Abbasid caliphate.
1011 lunar years ago, on this day in 428 AH, the poet and scholar, Abu'l-Hassan Mahyar Daylami Ibn Marzawaiyh, passed away. A descendant of the pre-Islamic Sassanid Emperor, Anoushirvan, he was born as a Zoroastrian, who under the guidance of the great scholar, Seyyed Razi, embraced the truth of Islam. Mahyar Daylami avidly learned religious sciences and techniques of poetry under Seyyed Razi, the compiler of the famous book "Nahj al-Balagha” – the collection of the sermons, letters, and aphorisms of Imam Ali (AS). He soon became a prominent Arabic poet. He looked at the world through the prism of an ascetic and in his poetry he has expressed gratitude to the Ahl al-Bayt of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), for guiding him towards Islam. He also expresses devotion to Imam Ali (AS) for transforming the sensibilities of the Iranian people. He has lamented the martyrdom of Imam Husain (AS) and castigated the enemies of the Ahl al-Bayt. Among his books, mention could be made of a 4-volume Diwan.
819 lunar years ago, on this day in 620 AH, the Hanbali juriconsult, Abdullah Ibn Ahmad Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi, died in Damascus at the age of 78. Born in Jammain in Palestine, he received the first phase of his education in Damascus where he studied the Qur'an and hadith. He then travelled to Baghdad to study under the Iranian Hanbali mystic Sheikh Abdul-Qadir Gilani, who initiated him into the Sufi order. Another of his teachers in Iraq was the Iranian Sunni scholar Abu’l-Fazl Tousi. He authored many treatises including one of the most celebrated encyclopaedic books on Hanbali jurisprudence titled "al-Mughni”. Ibn Qudamah had accompanied the Kurdish general, Salah od-Din Ayyoubi, in his expedition to liberate the Islamic city of Bayt al-Moqaddas from the Crusaders of Europe.
792 lunar years ago, on this day in 647 AH, the prominent religious scholar and poet, Taqi od-Din ?assan bin Ali bin Dawoud al-Hilli was born in the city of Hilla in Iraq. He studied under such great scholars as Muhaqqiq Hilli, Seyyed Jamal od-din Ahmad ibn Tawous al-Hilli, and the latter’s son, Seyyed Abdul-Karim bin Ahmad ibn Tawous. He mastered Arabic literature, jurisprudence, hadith and ‘rijal’ or critical evaluation of biographical accounts. He was also an accomplished poet. In turn, he was the teacher such great scholars as the Iranian polymath Khwajah Naseer od-Din Tusi, Yahya bin Sa’eed al-Hilli, and Yusuf bin Mutahhar al-Hilli – father of the famous Allamah Hilli. He wrote several books and composed many poems. His best-known work is "Kitab ar-Rijal”. Among his poetical works is "Manhaj al-Qawim fi Taslim at-Taqdim”, which narrates in verse the debates in Baghdad among scholars of different sects concerning the most competent caliph after Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). Ibn Dawoud was known as "Sultan al-Ulama wa’l-Bulagha"(King of Scholars and Orators) as well as "Taj al-Muhaddithin wa’l-Fuqaha" (Crown of Scholars of Hadiths and Jurisprudence).
767 lunar years ago, on this day in 672 AH, the renowned Persian mystical poet, Mowlana Jalal od-Din Mohammad Balkhi, known as Mowlavi and Roumi, passed away at the age of 67 in Konya, in what is now Turkey. He was born in Balkh in eastern Khorasan, which part is now in present day Afghanistan. The Mongol invasion forced his father to migrate to Baghdad in Iraq, from where Mowlavi went to Damascus in Syria, before settling in Konya in Anatolia, which was once part of the Eastern Roman Empire, hence his epithet of Roumi. He became an acclaimed religious scholar. In 642 AH, a meeting with the wandering Iranian Dervish or mystic, Shams-e Tabrizi, completely changed his life. From an accomplished teacher and jurist, he was transformed into an ascetic. He started a spiritual purification and created his eternal works, the masterpiece of Persian mystical poetry, known "Mathnawi Ma'nawi”, which contains over 150,000 rhymed verses. He also compiled his spiritual teacher's poems in what is known as Diwan-e Shams-e Tabrizi that contains some 35,000 Persian couplets and 2000 quatrains, in addition to 90 Ghazals or lyrics in Persians and 19 quatrains in Arabic, as well as a couple of dozen couplets in mixed Persian and Turkic and 14 couplets in mixed Greek and Persian. The Mathnawi has been translated into English and other major world languages. The translation in English verse was done by Reynold Nicholson, along with explanations, in 8 volumes.
611 solar years ago, on this day in 1407 AD, the Timurid ruler, Pir Mohammad was murdered by his ambitious vizier, Pir Ali Taz, near Balkh some six months after his second defeat by his cousin, Khalil Sultan (son of Miran Shah), the other claimant to the throne of Samarqand. He had declared himself king two years earlier on the death of his grandfather, the fearsome Turkic conqueror, Amir Timur. He was the son of Jahangir Mirza who was the actual successor to the throne but had died before his father. Next in line was Omar Shaikh Mirza but he too died. That left Shahrukh Mirza, whom Timur considered too meek to rule and Miran Shah who suffered from mental trauma. Timur felt that none of his sons were capable of ruling so he named as successor, his grandson, Pir Mohammad, who was governor of Qandahar since 1392 and controlled territories from the lands west of the Hindu Kush Mountains to the Indus River. In the fall of 1397 he had led the first wave of Timurids into India, and was invested with the rule of Multan as well. Unfortunately for Pir Muhammad, none of his relatives supported him following Timur's death. He was unable to assume command in the capital Samarqand, but was allowed to retain his territories after defeats at the hands of Khalil Sultan, who in turn was defeated in 1409 by his uncle Shahrukh Mirza and sent to Rayy (near Tehran) as governor. The Timurids were Persianized Turks, and patronized Persian poetry and literature.
506 solar years ago, on this day in 1512 AD, Italian astronomer, navigator and cartographer, Amerigo Vespucci, whose name the Europeans gave to the new landmass discovered for Spain by Christopher Columbus as "America”, died. He first served the Portuguese and was then hired by the Spanish. He demonstrated that Brazil and the so-called West Indies did not represent Asia's eastern outskirts as initially conjectured from Columbus' voyages, but instead constituted an entirely separate landmass hitherto unknown to the Europeans – although the Muslims had known this great landmass and travelled to it.
504 solar years ago, on this day in 1514 AD, Shah Tahmasp I, was born in Isfahan to the Founder of the Safavid Empire of Iran, Shah Ismail I. He ascended the throne at the age of 10 on the death of his father, His reign of 52 years is the longest of any Muslim king of Iran, and was marked by foreign threats, primarily from the Ottomans in the west and the Uzbeks in the northeast. Upon adulthood, he was able to reassert his power and consolidate the dynasty against internal and external enemies. Although he lost Iraq and parts of Anatolia to the Ottoman invaders, his pious nature made him avoid unnecessary shedding of Muslim blood. As a result, after thwarting Ottoman designs in the Caucasus, Shah Tahmasp concluded the Treaty of Amasya, with Sultan Sulaiman, resulting in a peace that lasted 30 years and led to the development of Iran. He continued his father’s policy of enlightening the people with the teachings of the Blessed Ahl al-Bayt of Prophet Mohammad’s (SAWA), and assembled at his court in Qazvin leading ulema from all over Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, and Lebanon. As a descendant of the Prophet and head of the Safavid spiritual order tracing to Safi od-Din Ardebili, he was acknowledged as suzerain by the Shi’a Muslim sultanates of the Deccan (Southern India). Shah Tahmasp is also known for the reception he gave to the fugitive Moghal Emperor Naseer od-Din Humayun of Hindustan (Northern Subcontinent) when the latter was ousted from power and provided him military aid to recover his kingdom. Shah Tahmasp was an enthusiastic patron of arts with a particular interest in Persian miniature, especially book illustration. The most famous example of such work is the "Shahnama-e Shah Tahmaspi”, containing 250 miniatures by the leading court artists of the era. Shah Tahmasp's another more lasting achievements was his encouragement of the Persian carpet industry on a national scale in response to the economic effects of the interruption of the Silk Road carrying trade during the Ottoman wars.
463 solar years ago, on this day in 1555 AD, the 2nd Moghal Emperor, Naseer od-Din Humayun re-conquered with Iranian help eastern Afghanistan and the northern subcontinent, fifteen years after losing the throne of Delhi to the Pashtun adventurer, Sher Shah Suri. Born in 1508 in Kabul, where his father, the Timurid prince Zaheer od-Din Babar had established himself with the assistance of Shah Ismail I the founder of the Safavid Dynasty of Iran, he succeeded to the throne of Delhi in 1530, while his step-brother Kamran Mirza obtained the sovereignty of Kabul and Lahore. His peaceful personality, in addition to his addiction to opium, cost him the kingdom ten years later, forcing him to seek refuge in Iran, where he was cordially received by Shah Tahmasp I, who provided financial aid and 14,000 troops to regain his Empire. Humayun, along with his trusted general, Bairam Khan, crossed the Indus River and in February of 1554, he occupied the Punjab, including Lahore, without any serious opposition. To check the Moghal-Persian advance, Sikandar Shah of Delhi sent a huge army of Afghans and Rajputs that was defeated. On restoration of Moghal, thousands of Iranians continued to migrate every year to Hindustan and were given high civil and military positions. This signaled an important change in Moghal court culture, as the Central Asian origins of the dynasty were largely overshadowed by the influences of Persian art, architecture, language and literature. Humayun's most noted achievement was in the sphere of painting. His devotion to the early Safavid School, developed during his stay in Iran, led him to recruit Persian painters of merit to accompany him back to India. These artists laid the foundation of the Moghal style. Even Humayun's tomb was built in the Iranian style by his widow, Hamida Bano Begum (daughter of Shaikh Ali Akbar Jami, an Iranian Shi'ite Muslim descended from the mystic Shaikh Ahmad Jami of Torbat-e Jam in Khorasan). It is said Humayun had embraced the school of the Prophet's Ahl al-Bayt while in Qazvin at the court of Shah Tahmasp.
453 lunar years ago, on this day in 986 AH, the Ottoman Turks seized from Safavid Iran, Tiflis or modern Tbilisi, which is the capital of the present day republic of Georgia in the Caucasus, following the death of the long peaceful reign of Shah Tahmasp I. Several years later, Iran under Shah Abbas the Great, succeeded in liberating most of Georgia by defeating the Ottomans.
286 solar years ago, on this day in 1732 AD, George Washington, who led the New England rebels against the British and became the first president of the 13 rebellious colonies that had banded together as the United States of America (USA), was born in an English family in Virginia. In his youth he mastered geometry and trigonometry, and started career as a surveyor, proficient at drafting, mapmaking, and designing tables of data. He enlisted in the British colonial army and was involved in the wars against the Amerindian tribes, as well as against the French, before siding with the revolutionaries to defeat the British armies.
230 solar years ago, on this day in 1788 AD, German philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer, was born. He arrived at many of the same conclusions of Eastern philosophy, and would say: "Hatred comes from the heart; contempt from the head; and neither feeling is quite within our control.”
195 solar years ago, on this day in 1823 AD, the Greeks during their rebellion against the Ottoman Turks massacred 12,000 Muslims in the city of Tripolitsa, with the help of Britain, France, Russia, and Austria.
178 lunar years ago, on this day in 1261 AH, French forces burned to death the Algerian Muslim tribe of Awlad Rabah along with their animals.
100 solar years ago, on this day in the year 1918 AD, the Iranian scholar, Mirza Sadeq Hakeem titled "Adeeb ol-Mamalek Farahani”, passed away. He was well versed in Persian literature and was also acquainted with several European languages. An accomplished poet, the theme of most of his poetry is the social life of the people of his times and their political struggles. He became the editor of the daily "Adab”, and through its columns strove to awaken the people of Iran. He was actively involved in the Constitutional Movement and for a time was in-charge of the Ministry of Culture and the Judiciary. He also managed the "Majlis” and "Aftab” papers.
97 solar years ago, on this day in 1921 AD, Britain carried out a coup in Iran against the weak Qajarid ruler, Ahmad Shah, to make an obscure and illiterate soldier named Reza Khan, the commander of the army. At the same time the other British agent, Seyyed Zia od-Din Tabatabaie was made Prime Minister. Ahmad Shah Qajar was forced to leave Iran for Europe. In 1925, with British support, Reza Khan forced the Majlis to abolish the Qajar dynasty and declared himself king, with the title of Reza Shah Pahlavi. He served British colonial interests by brutally crushing the freedom movements of the Iranian Muslim people. He forced the Iranian people to give up their traditional dress for European style of dressing, forced women to unveil, suppressed the ulema, and banned religious gatherings. With the outbreak of World War 2, he made the mistake of showing tendencies towards Germany, prompting Britain to replace him on the Peacock Throne with his son Mohammad Reza in 1941. Reza Khan was sent into exile to Mauritius in the Indian Ocean by the British and died there in 1944.
60 solar years ago, on this day in 1958 AD, Indian scholar and statesman, Abul-Kalaam Azad died at the age of 70. He was active in the struggle for independence of India from British rule. As a member of the ruling Congress Party, he was elected to the parliament after India gained independence in 1947, and was later made Minister of Education. As a scholar of Urdu, Arabic, Persian and English languages he wrote many valuable books, including an exegesis of the holy Qur'an, titled, "Tarjuman al-Qur’an". He was greatly influenced by the famous 19th century pan-Islamic Iranian thinker, Seyyed Jamal od-Din Asadabadi, especially concerning the importance of Ijtehad in awakening the Muslim societies. Among his other works are: "War from the Islamic Point of View” and "Shahid-e Azam" (Great Martyr) which is a book on the Prophet's grandson, Imam Husain (AS).
33 solar years ago, on this day in 1984 AD, Iran's Muslim combatants launched the Khaybar operations in the Hoor al-Howeizah region, southwestern Iran, to free lands occupied by the US-backed Ba'thist regime of Saddam. The Iranian combatants drove out the Ba'thist forces and took control of the oil-rich Majnoun Islands in the marshes to the north of the Iraqi port city of Basra. This operation astonished western military strategists backing Saddam and made them acknowledge the innovative abilities of Iran's Muslim combatants despite the sanctions.
36 solar years ago, on this day in 1982 AD, the famous Urdu poet of the Subcontinent, Shabbir Hassan Khan "Joosh” passed away in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan at the age of 88. Born in a Pashtun family in Malihabad, northern India, after mastering Urdu and English, he studied Arabic and Persian, and in 1925 began to supervise translation work at the famous Osmania University in the semi-independent state of Haiderabad-Deccan. After ten years he returned to his hometown and founded the magazine "Kaleem” in which he openly wrote articles in favour of independence from Britain. As his reputation spread, he came to be called "Sha’er-e Inqelab” (Poet of the Revolution), and developed personal friendship with Jawaharlal Nehru, who was to become prime minister on India’s independence in 1947. Over a decade later in 1958, disillusioned with the declining status of Muslims and Urdu language in India, he migrated to Pakistan and settled in Karachi, where he joined Anjuman-e Tarraqi-e-Urdu for promotion of the Urdu language. Joosh Malihabadi has left behind valuable works in poetry and prose, including lengthy odes in praise of the Ahl al-Bayt, especially Imam Ali (AS) and Imam Husain (AS) – regarded as masterpieces of Urdu poetry.
12 solar years ago, on this day in 2006 AD, terrorists backed by the US shocked the civilized world and hurt Islamic sentiments by blasphemously blowing the magnificent golden dome of the holy shrine in Samarra, which houses the venerated tombs of Prophet Mohammad’s (SAWA) 10th and 11th Infallible Heirs - Imam Ali al-Hadi (AS) and Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS). The sacred shrine is being rebuilt, thanks to the devotional efforts of Iraqi and Iranian Muslims.
7 solar years ago, on this day in 2011 AD, as part of the popular uprising in the Persian Gulf state of Bahrain against the repressive Aal-e Khalifa minority regime, tens of thousands of people marched in protest on learning of the martyrdom of seven victims killed by police and the army forces during previous peaceful protests. Bahraini is in the grip of a popular revolution for overthrowing the US-backed hereditary rule.
2 solar years ago, on this day in 2015 AD, Seyyed Sadeq Tabatabaei, Iranian writer, journalist, TV host, university professor, and revolutionary politician, passed away at the age of 72 in Düsseldorf, Germany, where he had resided for the last six months. He was suffering from lung cancer. His body was brought to Tehran and laid to rest in the mausoleum of the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA). Born in the holy city of Qom, he was the son of Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad-Baqer Tabatabaei, while his maternal uncle was the famous Iranian leader of Lebanese Shi’a Muslims, Imam Musa as-Sadr – kidnapped and martyred by Libyan leader, Mo’ammer Qadhafi, while on a state visit to Tripoli in 1978. Sadeq Tabatabaei’s sister, Fatemeh was married to Hojjat al-Islam Seyyed Ahmad Khomeini, thus making him the maternal uncle of the Late Imam’s grandson, Hojjat al-Islam, Seyyed Hassan Khomeini. On completing elementary education, Sadeq Tabatabaei moved to Germany to study chemistry at Ruhr University Bochum, where he soon became a lecturer. In 1961, he went to Aachen to study biochemistry and later received his doctorate from the University of Bochum. While in Aachen, he organized a student group that campaigned against the British-installed and US supported Pahlavi regime, vehemently opposing the visit to Germany in 1967 of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. As a firm supporter of Imam Khomeini, he published many articles about him and the Islamic Revolution Movement in German newspapers. After victory of the Islamic Revolution, he returned to Tehran, along with Imam Khomeini, and became Head of Department of Political and Social affairs at the Ministry of Interior, thereby assuming the task of holding the April 1979 referendum which resulted in the establishment of the Islamic Republic. He served as Deputy Prime Minister from 1979 to 1980. He was Iran's Ambassador to West Germany from 1982 until 1986, and after that had served the Islamic Republic as a special envoy on missions abroad. He was a candidate in the 1980 presidential elections, but finished fifth. He was also a possible candidate for the 2009 election which he withdrew in favour of Mohsen Rezaie and later became one of his advisers and campaign members. He was also his deputy manager of campaign in 2013 election and a possible vice president candidate.
(Courtesy: IRIB English Radio – http://parstoday.com/en)
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1034 lunar years ago, on this day in 404 AH, Baha od-Dowla Daylami, the Iranian Buwaiyhid ruler of Iraq and parts of Iran and Oman, died in Arrajan near Behbahan in southwestern Iran after a reign of 24 years and was succeeded by his son Sultan od-Dowla. He was the third son of the greatest ruler of the dynasty, Adhud od-Dowla, and assumed power on the death of his eldest brother, Sharaf od-Dowla. Another brother, Samsam od-Dowla, prevented him from gaining all of the eldest brother's possessions by taking control of Fars, Kerman and Khuzestan. The brothers, when threatened by their granduncle Fakhr od-Dowla, the ruler of northern Iran, who invaded Khuzestan, made peace, and Samsam od-Dowla recognizing Baha od-Dowla as the ruler of Iraq and Khuzestan, himself kept Arrajan, Fars and Kerman. Both took the title of "king". A couple of years later Baha od-Dowla assumed the title of Shahanshah or emperor and invaded his brother's territory but was defeated by the latter who regained Khuzestan and took control of the Buwaiyhid territories in Oman across the Persian Gulf, by recognizing granduncle Fakhr od-Dowla as the senior Amir. Six years later, Fakhr od-Dowla died and the next year Samsam od-Dowla was killed. Baha od-Dowla now took the opportunity to assert his authority in Fars and after taking Shiraz he did not return to Baghdad but spent the rest of his life in Iran, during which he gained indirect control over northern Iran as well. His last years saw the beginning of the decline of the dynasty, with the Ziyarids of Gorgan and Tabaristan permanently asserting their independence while the Ghaznavid Turks kept putting pressure on Khorasan. The Buwaiyhid confederation, after 110 years of valuable service to Islam and Muslims by patronizing religious scholars and scientists; building public places like hospitals, schools, libraries, bridges, and dams; and renovating the shrines of the Infallible Imams in Najaf, Karbala, Kazemayn and Samarra; was overthrown by Turkic Seljuq invaders from Central Asia, who restored the Abbasid caliphate.
1011 lunar years ago, on this day in 428 AH, the poet and scholar, Abu'l-Hassan Mahyar Daylami Ibn Marzawaiyh, passed away. A descendant of the pre-Islamic Sassanid Emperor, Anoushirvan, he was born as a Zoroastrian, who under the guidance of the great scholar, Seyyed Razi, embraced the truth of Islam. Mahyar Daylami avidly learned religious sciences and techniques of poetry under Seyyed Razi, the compiler of the famous book "Nahj al-Balagha” – the collection of the sermons, letters, and aphorisms of Imam Ali (AS). He soon became a prominent Arabic poet. He looked at the world through the prism of an ascetic and in his poetry he has expressed gratitude to the Ahl al-Bayt of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), for guiding him towards Islam. He also expresses devotion to Imam Ali (AS) for transforming the sensibilities of the Iranian people. He has lamented the martyrdom of Imam Husain (AS) and castigated the enemies of the Ahl al-Bayt. Among his books, mention could be made of a 4-volume Diwan.
819 lunar years ago, on this day in 620 AH, the Hanbali juriconsult, Abdullah Ibn Ahmad Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi, died in Damascus at the age of 78. Born in Jammain in Palestine, he received the first phase of his education in Damascus where he studied the Qur'an and hadith. He then travelled to Baghdad to study under the Iranian Hanbali mystic Sheikh Abdul-Qadir Gilani, who initiated him into the Sufi order. Another of his teachers in Iraq was the Iranian Sunni scholar Abu’l-Fazl Tousi. He authored many treatises including one of the most celebrated encyclopaedic books on Hanbali jurisprudence titled "al-Mughni”. Ibn Qudamah had accompanied the Kurdish general, Salah od-Din Ayyoubi, in his expedition to liberate the Islamic city of Bayt al-Moqaddas from the Crusaders of Europe.
792 lunar years ago, on this day in 647 AH, the prominent religious scholar and poet, Taqi od-Din ?assan bin Ali bin Dawoud al-Hilli was born in the city of Hilla in Iraq. He studied under such great scholars as Muhaqqiq Hilli, Seyyed Jamal od-din Ahmad ibn Tawous al-Hilli, and the latter’s son, Seyyed Abdul-Karim bin Ahmad ibn Tawous. He mastered Arabic literature, jurisprudence, hadith and ‘rijal’ or critical evaluation of biographical accounts. He was also an accomplished poet. In turn, he was the teacher such great scholars as the Iranian polymath Khwajah Naseer od-Din Tusi, Yahya bin Sa’eed al-Hilli, and Yusuf bin Mutahhar al-Hilli – father of the famous Allamah Hilli. He wrote several books and composed many poems. His best-known work is "Kitab ar-Rijal”. Among his poetical works is "Manhaj al-Qawim fi Taslim at-Taqdim”, which narrates in verse the debates in Baghdad among scholars of different sects concerning the most competent caliph after Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). Ibn Dawoud was known as "Sultan al-Ulama wa’l-Bulagha"(King of Scholars and Orators) as well as "Taj al-Muhaddithin wa’l-Fuqaha" (Crown of Scholars of Hadiths and Jurisprudence).
767 lunar years ago, on this day in 672 AH, the renowned Persian mystical poet, Mowlana Jalal od-Din Mohammad Balkhi, known as Mowlavi and Roumi, passed away at the age of 67 in Konya, in what is now Turkey. He was born in Balkh in eastern Khorasan, which part is now in present day Afghanistan. The Mongol invasion forced his father to migrate to Baghdad in Iraq, from where Mowlavi went to Damascus in Syria, before settling in Konya in Anatolia, which was once part of the Eastern Roman Empire, hence his epithet of Roumi. He became an acclaimed religious scholar. In 642 AH, a meeting with the wandering Iranian Dervish or mystic, Shams-e Tabrizi, completely changed his life. From an accomplished teacher and jurist, he was transformed into an ascetic. He started a spiritual purification and created his eternal works, the masterpiece of Persian mystical poetry, known "Mathnawi Ma'nawi”, which contains over 150,000 rhymed verses. He also compiled his spiritual teacher's poems in what is known as Diwan-e Shams-e Tabrizi that contains some 35,000 Persian couplets and 2000 quatrains, in addition to 90 Ghazals or lyrics in Persians and 19 quatrains in Arabic, as well as a couple of dozen couplets in mixed Persian and Turkic and 14 couplets in mixed Greek and Persian. The Mathnawi has been translated into English and other major world languages. The translation in English verse was done by Reynold Nicholson, along with explanations, in 8 volumes.
611 solar years ago, on this day in 1407 AD, the Timurid ruler, Pir Mohammad was murdered by his ambitious vizier, Pir Ali Taz, near Balkh some six months after his second defeat by his cousin, Khalil Sultan (son of Miran Shah), the other claimant to the throne of Samarqand. He had declared himself king two years earlier on the death of his grandfather, the fearsome Turkic conqueror, Amir Timur. He was the son of Jahangir Mirza who was the actual successor to the throne but had died before his father. Next in line was Omar Shaikh Mirza but he too died. That left Shahrukh Mirza, whom Timur considered too meek to rule and Miran Shah who suffered from mental trauma. Timur felt that none of his sons were capable of ruling so he named as successor, his grandson, Pir Mohammad, who was governor of Qandahar since 1392 and controlled territories from the lands west of the Hindu Kush Mountains to the Indus River. In the fall of 1397 he had led the first wave of Timurids into India, and was invested with the rule of Multan as well. Unfortunately for Pir Muhammad, none of his relatives supported him following Timur's death. He was unable to assume command in the capital Samarqand, but was allowed to retain his territories after defeats at the hands of Khalil Sultan, who in turn was defeated in 1409 by his uncle Shahrukh Mirza and sent to Rayy (near Tehran) as governor. The Timurids were Persianized Turks, and patronized Persian poetry and literature.
506 solar years ago, on this day in 1512 AD, Italian astronomer, navigator and cartographer, Amerigo Vespucci, whose name the Europeans gave to the new landmass discovered for Spain by Christopher Columbus as "America”, died. He first served the Portuguese and was then hired by the Spanish. He demonstrated that Brazil and the so-called West Indies did not represent Asia's eastern outskirts as initially conjectured from Columbus' voyages, but instead constituted an entirely separate landmass hitherto unknown to the Europeans – although the Muslims had known this great landmass and travelled to it.
504 solar years ago, on this day in 1514 AD, Shah Tahmasp I, was born in Isfahan to the Founder of the Safavid Empire of Iran, Shah Ismail I. He ascended the throne at the age of 10 on the death of his father, His reign of 52 years is the longest of any Muslim king of Iran, and was marked by foreign threats, primarily from the Ottomans in the west and the Uzbeks in the northeast. Upon adulthood, he was able to reassert his power and consolidate the dynasty against internal and external enemies. Although he lost Iraq and parts of Anatolia to the Ottoman invaders, his pious nature made him avoid unnecessary shedding of Muslim blood. As a result, after thwarting Ottoman designs in the Caucasus, Shah Tahmasp concluded the Treaty of Amasya, with Sultan Sulaiman, resulting in a peace that lasted 30 years and led to the development of Iran. He continued his father’s policy of enlightening the people with the teachings of the Blessed Ahl al-Bayt of Prophet Mohammad’s (SAWA), and assembled at his court in Qazvin leading ulema from all over Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, and Lebanon. As a descendant of the Prophet and head of the Safavid spiritual order tracing to Safi od-Din Ardebili, he was acknowledged as suzerain by the Shi’a Muslim sultanates of the Deccan (Southern India). Shah Tahmasp is also known for the reception he gave to the fugitive Moghal Emperor Naseer od-Din Humayun of Hindustan (Northern Subcontinent) when the latter was ousted from power and provided him military aid to recover his kingdom. Shah Tahmasp was an enthusiastic patron of arts with a particular interest in Persian miniature, especially book illustration. The most famous example of such work is the "Shahnama-e Shah Tahmaspi”, containing 250 miniatures by the leading court artists of the era. Shah Tahmasp's another more lasting achievements was his encouragement of the Persian carpet industry on a national scale in response to the economic effects of the interruption of the Silk Road carrying trade during the Ottoman wars.
463 solar years ago, on this day in 1555 AD, the 2nd Moghal Emperor, Naseer od-Din Humayun re-conquered with Iranian help eastern Afghanistan and the northern subcontinent, fifteen years after losing the throne of Delhi to the Pashtun adventurer, Sher Shah Suri. Born in 1508 in Kabul, where his father, the Timurid prince Zaheer od-Din Babar had established himself with the assistance of Shah Ismail I the founder of the Safavid Dynasty of Iran, he succeeded to the throne of Delhi in 1530, while his step-brother Kamran Mirza obtained the sovereignty of Kabul and Lahore. His peaceful personality, in addition to his addiction to opium, cost him the kingdom ten years later, forcing him to seek refuge in Iran, where he was cordially received by Shah Tahmasp I, who provided financial aid and 14,000 troops to regain his Empire. Humayun, along with his trusted general, Bairam Khan, crossed the Indus River and in February of 1554, he occupied the Punjab, including Lahore, without any serious opposition. To check the Moghal-Persian advance, Sikandar Shah of Delhi sent a huge army of Afghans and Rajputs that was defeated. On restoration of Moghal, thousands of Iranians continued to migrate every year to Hindustan and were given high civil and military positions. This signaled an important change in Moghal court culture, as the Central Asian origins of the dynasty were largely overshadowed by the influences of Persian art, architecture, language and literature. Humayun's most noted achievement was in the sphere of painting. His devotion to the early Safavid School, developed during his stay in Iran, led him to recruit Persian painters of merit to accompany him back to India. These artists laid the foundation of the Moghal style. Even Humayun's tomb was built in the Iranian style by his widow, Hamida Bano Begum (daughter of Shaikh Ali Akbar Jami, an Iranian Shi'ite Muslim descended from the mystic Shaikh Ahmad Jami of Torbat-e Jam in Khorasan). It is said Humayun had embraced the school of the Prophet's Ahl al-Bayt while in Qazvin at the court of Shah Tahmasp.
453 lunar years ago, on this day in 986 AH, the Ottoman Turks seized from Safavid Iran, Tiflis or modern Tbilisi, which is the capital of the present day republic of Georgia in the Caucasus, following the death of the long peaceful reign of Shah Tahmasp I. Several years later, Iran under Shah Abbas the Great, succeeded in liberating most of Georgia by defeating the Ottomans.
286 solar years ago, on this day in 1732 AD, George Washington, who led the New England rebels against the British and became the first president of the 13 rebellious colonies that had banded together as the United States of America (USA), was born in an English family in Virginia. In his youth he mastered geometry and trigonometry, and started career as a surveyor, proficient at drafting, mapmaking, and designing tables of data. He enlisted in the British colonial army and was involved in the wars against the Amerindian tribes, as well as against the French, before siding with the revolutionaries to defeat the British armies.
230 solar years ago, on this day in 1788 AD, German philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer, was born. He arrived at many of the same conclusions of Eastern philosophy, and would say: "Hatred comes from the heart; contempt from the head; and neither feeling is quite within our control.”
195 solar years ago, on this day in 1823 AD, the Greeks during their rebellion against the Ottoman Turks massacred 12,000 Muslims in the city of Tripolitsa, with the help of Britain, France, Russia, and Austria.
178 lunar years ago, on this day in 1261 AH, French forces burned to death the Algerian Muslim tribe of Awlad Rabah along with their animals.
100 solar years ago, on this day in the year 1918 AD, the Iranian scholar, Mirza Sadeq Hakeem titled "Adeeb ol-Mamalek Farahani”, passed away. He was well versed in Persian literature and was also acquainted with several European languages. An accomplished poet, the theme of most of his poetry is the social life of the people of his times and their political struggles. He became the editor of the daily "Adab”, and through its columns strove to awaken the people of Iran. He was actively involved in the Constitutional Movement and for a time was in-charge of the Ministry of Culture and the Judiciary. He also managed the "Majlis” and "Aftab” papers.
97 solar years ago, on this day in 1921 AD, Britain carried out a coup in Iran against the weak Qajarid ruler, Ahmad Shah, to make an obscure and illiterate soldier named Reza Khan, the commander of the army. At the same time the other British agent, Seyyed Zia od-Din Tabatabaie was made Prime Minister. Ahmad Shah Qajar was forced to leave Iran for Europe. In 1925, with British support, Reza Khan forced the Majlis to abolish the Qajar dynasty and declared himself king, with the title of Reza Shah Pahlavi. He served British colonial interests by brutally crushing the freedom movements of the Iranian Muslim people. He forced the Iranian people to give up their traditional dress for European style of dressing, forced women to unveil, suppressed the ulema, and banned religious gatherings. With the outbreak of World War 2, he made the mistake of showing tendencies towards Germany, prompting Britain to replace him on the Peacock Throne with his son Mohammad Reza in 1941. Reza Khan was sent into exile to Mauritius in the Indian Ocean by the British and died there in 1944.
60 solar years ago, on this day in 1958 AD, Indian scholar and statesman, Abul-Kalaam Azad died at the age of 70. He was active in the struggle for independence of India from British rule. As a member of the ruling Congress Party, he was elected to the parliament after India gained independence in 1947, and was later made Minister of Education. As a scholar of Urdu, Arabic, Persian and English languages he wrote many valuable books, including an exegesis of the holy Qur'an, titled, "Tarjuman al-Qur’an". He was greatly influenced by the famous 19th century pan-Islamic Iranian thinker, Seyyed Jamal od-Din Asadabadi, especially concerning the importance of Ijtehad in awakening the Muslim societies. Among his other works are: "War from the Islamic Point of View” and "Shahid-e Azam" (Great Martyr) which is a book on the Prophet's grandson, Imam Husain (AS).
33 solar years ago, on this day in 1984 AD, Iran's Muslim combatants launched the Khaybar operations in the Hoor al-Howeizah region, southwestern Iran, to free lands occupied by the US-backed Ba'thist regime of Saddam. The Iranian combatants drove out the Ba'thist forces and took control of the oil-rich Majnoun Islands in the marshes to the north of the Iraqi port city of Basra. This operation astonished western military strategists backing Saddam and made them acknowledge the innovative abilities of Iran's Muslim combatants despite the sanctions.
36 solar years ago, on this day in 1982 AD, the famous Urdu poet of the Subcontinent, Shabbir Hassan Khan "Joosh” passed away in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan at the age of 88. Born in a Pashtun family in Malihabad, northern India, after mastering Urdu and English, he studied Arabic and Persian, and in 1925 began to supervise translation work at the famous Osmania University in the semi-independent state of Haiderabad-Deccan. After ten years he returned to his hometown and founded the magazine "Kaleem” in which he openly wrote articles in favour of independence from Britain. As his reputation spread, he came to be called "Sha’er-e Inqelab” (Poet of the Revolution), and developed personal friendship with Jawaharlal Nehru, who was to become prime minister on India’s independence in 1947. Over a decade later in 1958, disillusioned with the declining status of Muslims and Urdu language in India, he migrated to Pakistan and settled in Karachi, where he joined Anjuman-e Tarraqi-e-Urdu for promotion of the Urdu language. Joosh Malihabadi has left behind valuable works in poetry and prose, including lengthy odes in praise of the Ahl al-Bayt, especially Imam Ali (AS) and Imam Husain (AS) – regarded as masterpieces of Urdu poetry.
12 solar years ago, on this day in 2006 AD, terrorists backed by the US shocked the civilized world and hurt Islamic sentiments by blasphemously blowing the magnificent golden dome of the holy shrine in Samarra, which houses the venerated tombs of Prophet Mohammad’s (SAWA) 10th and 11th Infallible Heirs - Imam Ali al-Hadi (AS) and Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS). The sacred shrine is being rebuilt, thanks to the devotional efforts of Iraqi and Iranian Muslims.
7 solar years ago, on this day in 2011 AD, as part of the popular uprising in the Persian Gulf state of Bahrain against the repressive Aal-e Khalifa minority regime, tens of thousands of people marched in protest on learning of the martyrdom of seven victims killed by police and the army forces during previous peaceful protests. Bahraini is in the grip of a popular revolution for overthrowing the US-backed hereditary rule.
2 solar years ago, on this day in 2015 AD, Seyyed Sadeq Tabatabaei, Iranian writer, journalist, TV host, university professor, and revolutionary politician, passed away at the age of 72 in Düsseldorf, Germany, where he had resided for the last six months. He was suffering from lung cancer. His body was brought to Tehran and laid to rest in the mausoleum of the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA). Born in the holy city of Qom, he was the son of Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad-Baqer Tabatabaei, while his maternal uncle was the famous Iranian leader of Lebanese Shi’a Muslims, Imam Musa as-Sadr – kidnapped and martyred by Libyan leader, Mo’ammer Qadhafi, while on a state visit to Tripoli in 1978. Sadeq Tabatabaei’s sister, Fatemeh was married to Hojjat al-Islam Seyyed Ahmad Khomeini, thus making him the maternal uncle of the Late Imam’s grandson, Hojjat al-Islam, Seyyed Hassan Khomeini. On completing elementary education, Sadeq Tabatabaei moved to Germany to study chemistry at Ruhr University Bochum, where he soon became a lecturer. In 1961, he went to Aachen to study biochemistry and later received his doctorate from the University of Bochum. While in Aachen, he organized a student group that campaigned against the British-installed and US supported Pahlavi regime, vehemently opposing the visit to Germany in 1967 of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. As a firm supporter of Imam Khomeini, he published many articles about him and the Islamic Revolution Movement in German newspapers. After victory of the Islamic Revolution, he returned to Tehran, along with Imam Khomeini, and became Head of Department of Political and Social affairs at the Ministry of Interior, thereby assuming the task of holding the April 1979 referendum which resulted in the establishment of the Islamic Republic. He served as Deputy Prime Minister from 1979 to 1980. He was Iran's Ambassador to West Germany from 1982 until 1986, and after that had served the Islamic Republic as a special envoy on missions abroad. He was a candidate in the 1980 presidential elections, but finished fifth. He was also a possible candidate for the 2009 election which he withdrew in favour of Mohsen Rezaie and later became one of his advisers and campaign members. He was also his deputy manager of campaign in 2013 election and a possible vice president candidate.
(Courtesy: IRIB English Radio – http://parstoday.com/en)
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