Today is Sunday; 5^th of the Iranian month of Esfand 1397 solar hijri; corresponding to 18^th of the Islamic month of Jamadi as-Sani 1440 lunar hijri; and February 24, 2019, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1716 solar years ago, on this day in 303 AD, Roman Emperor Diocletian ordered the destruction of the newly built Christian church in Nicomedia in what is now Turkey, and the burning of all scriptures. Although he resigned two years later and was no longer the Emperor, the persecution of Trinitarian Christians as well as the monotheistic followers of Prophet Jesus (AS), lasted a total of 8 years, ending in 311 with the death of his successor, Galerius, who was also an obstinate pagan. Diocletian, who ruled for 21 years, also ordered the persecution of Manicheans, as a political ploy, compounding religious dissent with international politics, since followers of this creed amongst the Romans were supported by the Sassanid Empire of Iran, which he had managed to defeat with great difficulty in 299 and imposed the humiliating Peace of Nisbis in northern Mesopotamia and Armenia, on Emperor Narseh. Diocletian ordered that the leading followers of Mani be burnt alive along with their scriptures, while low-status Manicheans must be executed by the blade, and high-status Manicheans must be sent to work in the quarries and mines.

1494 lunar years ago, on this day 54 years before Hijra the blessed marriage took place in Mecca, of Abdullah ibn Abdul-Muttaleb and Amenah bint Wahb (peace upon them), the parents of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). It is worth noting that the Prophet’s parents and grandparents, as well as all his ancestors descending from the Prophets Ishmael and Abraham (peace upon them), and extending right up to the Father of mankind, Adam, were upright monotheists, who had neither worshipped idols nor had ever deviated from the path of the One and Only Creator. Abdullah was a pious handsome young man from whose forehead a light shone out, indicating that he would be the father of a very blessed person. Many ladies of Arabia sent their proposals for marriage to him but Abdullah left the matter to his father to decide. Abdul-Muttaleb, who knew the divine promise that his grandson would be the Almighty’s Last and Greatest Messenger, approached the Bani Zuhrah clan and sought the hand of the chaste and virtuous Amenah for his son. The nuptials were celebrated in Mecca with great rejoicing, and on consummating of the marriage, the light was transferred to Amenah from Abdullah, and within a year resulted in the blessed birth of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).

1487 solar years ago, on this day in 532 AD, Emperor Justinian I of Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empire ordered the building of a new Christian basilica in Constantinople – the Hagia Sophia, which is Greek for "Holy Wisdom” – shortly after concluding the "Eternal Peace” with Khosrow Anushirvan of the Sassanid Empire of Iran at a cost of 11,000 pounds of gold, following Roman defeats in Syria and what is now Turkey by the Persians. From the date its construction finished in 537 until 1453, this majestic building served as seat of the Greek Orthodox Church, except between 1204 and 1261, when it was converted to a Roman Catholic cathedral under the usurper Latin Empire of the Crusaders. When Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople in 1453 and renamed it Islambol (Istanbul), it was added with the mihrab (prayer niche), mimbar (pulpit) and four minarets to serve as an imperial mosque until 1931, when Kamal Ataturk changed it into a museum. The Hagia Sophia served as inspiration for many other Ottoman mosques, such as the Blue Mosque, the Shahzade Mosque, the Suleymaniyeh Mosque, the Rustam Pasha Mosque and the Ali Pasha Mosque. Today Turkish Muslims are calling for restoring this building into the mosque. Justinian I during his 38-year rule conquered the Western Roman Empire also, including North Africa and Spain. He was again involved in a war with Sassanid Persia in Syria and Turkey that lasted 22 years this time, before ending in the "Fifty-Year Peace” at the cost of 500 pounds of gold as annual tribute to the Iranians.

1304 solar years ago, on this day in 715 AD, Walid ibn Abd al-Malik, the 6th self-styled caliph of the usurper Omayyad regime, died in Damascus at the age of 47 after a 10-year reign, during which Arab armies conquered the Iberian Peninsula in the West and penetrated deeper into Central Asia and India, in addition to gaining territory against the Byzantines in Anatolia (modern day Turkey). He gave free rein to the tyrant Hajjaj Thaqafi, his governor of Iraq, to terrorize the people of Khorasan, Sindh and Transoxiana. Walid discouraged the conquered people to become Muslims since this would deprive him of collecting jizya and fill up his coffers. Fearful of the influence of the Persian language in the east and of the Coptic language in Egypt, he forbade the use of any other language except Arabic. In violation of the letter and spirit of the holy Qur’an, he promoted obscene music, singing and dancing. Walid I has earned lasting notoriety for martyring through poison, the Prophet’s great-grandson and 4th Infallible Heir, Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS) – the son of Imam Husain (AS), the Immortal Martyr of Karbala.

671 lunar years ago, on this day in 769 AH, the acclaimed Persian poet Mahmoud ibn Amir Yameen od-Din, popularly known as Ibn Yameen Faryumadi, passed away at the age of 84. Born in Faryumad near Sabzevar in Khorasan, northeastern Iran, he is said to have been the court poet of the Shi’a Muslim Sarbedar dynasty. Over 5,000 of his poems, mainly aphorisms, have survived, including qasidas (or panegyrics) and mathnawis (or long odes) of a philosophical and mystical nature.

493 lunar years ago, on this day in 947 AH, a treaty was signed in Istanbul between the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Venice, ending the 3-year naval war, with the Venetians paying three million gold liras as war damages to the Turks, in addition to ceding all islands in the Aegean Sea as well as key mainland holdings in the Peloponnese Peninsula. The war had started over Venetian insult to Sultan Sulaiman, prompting the Ottoman navy, led by Khair od-Din Pasha (Barbarossa or Redbeard to the Europeans), to raid Apulia in southern Italy. In response, a combined fleet of 81 Venetian ships, 50 Spanish ships, and 36 papal ships of the Holy Roman Empire, launched an attack on the Ottoman fleet. Khair od-Din Pasha retaliated with further raids up and down the coasts of the Aegean and Adriatic seas, capturing numerous Venetian-controlled islands and trading outposts, and staging a major raid on Crete. Next, with 120 warships he took on the might of the combined European fleet and inflicted a stunning defeat at Prevesa, forcing the allies to conclude a peace treaty.

421 lunar years ago, on this day in 1019 AH, famous Iranian scholar, Seyyed Noorollah Shoushtari Mar’ashi, was martyred in Agra, India, at the age of 63, due to the jealousy of pseudo jurists, who framed up false charges against him for being promoted to "Qazi al-Quzzat” (Chief Judge) of the Moghal Empire. Born in Shoushtar in Iran, after initial studies in his hometown, he travelled to Mashhad in Khorasan for higher studies at the age of 23. In 993 AH, he migrated to Hindustan (northern subcontinent) on the invitation of Emperor Jalal od-Din Akbar Shah, and steadily rose to become the Chief Judge in Lahore. A prolific writer, he wrote several books, including "Majalis al-Momineen” and "Ahqaq al-Haq”, before being martyred on insinuation of the enemies of the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt. Emperor Noor od-Din Jahangir Shah was under the influence of alcohol when he signed the decree drafted by court mullahs for Seyyed Noorollah’s execution. Later, the emperor rued his decision and with the help of his Iranian wife, Empress Noor-Jahan, he executed the plotters for the murder of this eminent Iranian scholar, who is known as "Shaheed Salles” (3^rd Great Martyr), and whose tomb is a site of pilgrimage.

386 solar years ago, on this day in 1633 AD, British naval administrator and Member of Parliament, Samuel Pepys, who is now most famous for the detailed diary of important events he kept for a decade, was born in London. Through hard work and talent for administration, he rose to be Chief Secretary to the Admiralty under both King Charles II and subsequently King James II. The detailed private diary Pepys kept from 1660 until 1669 was first published in the 19th century and is one of the most important primary sources for the English Restoration period. It provides a combination of personal revelation and eyewitness accounts of such important events, as the Great Plague of London, the Second Dutch War, and the Great Fire of London. Often regarded as the most celebrated diary, it contains over a million words, and the author’s frankness in writing his own weaknesses, has made historians ascertain the accuracy of his record of daily British life and major events in the 17th century. He died in 1703 at the age of 70.

220 solar years ago, on this day in 1799 AD, the French Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte who had occupied Egypt to prevent it from turning into a British colonial base, attacked the Ottoman province of Shaam (made up of present day Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine including the illegal entity called Israel). In response, the Ottoman Sultan declared war on France, and though Napoleon had some initial success, the French forces were forced to withdraw from Shaam because of British and Russian support for the Ottoman Turks.

198 solar years ago, on this day in 1821 AD, English poet, John Keats, died of tuberculosis at the young age of 26 in Rome. Born in London, he was one of the main figures of the second generation of Romantic poets, along with Byron and Percy Shelley. Today his poems and letters are some of the most popular and most analysed in English literature.

159 lunar years ago, on this day in 1281 AH, the great scholar, Ayatollah Shaikh Morteza Ansari Dezfuli, passed away in holy Najaf, Iraq, at the age of 67. He was born in Dezful, southwestern Iran. At the age of twenty while on pilgrimage to the holy cities in Iraq, he decided to stay in Karbala, where for four years, he studied Islamic sciences. When the holy city was besieged by the Ottoman Turkish forces of Dawoud Pasha, he along with the scholars of Karbala and other students moved to Baghdad and the shrine of Imam Musa al-Kazem (AS). He then returned to Iran before going again to Iraq a year later to study for two years at the Najaf Seminary under Shaikh Kashef al-Gheta. He again returned to Iran for pilgrimage to the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS) in Mashhad, where he encountered Ahmad an-Naraqi, an authority in "Fiqh” (Jurisprudence) and "Irfan” (Gnosis), and decided to study with him for a further four years. After a few years of travelling, Shaikh Ansari went back to holy Najaf to complete his studies under Kashef al-Gheta and the famous Shaikh Mohammad Hassan Najafi, the author of the brilliant book, "Jawaher al-Kalaam". He settled in Najaf, began teaching and was soon universally recognized as the 'most learned Mujtahid and Marja or the Source of Emulation for the Shi'a Muslim world. His classes became incredibly popular, attracting hundreds of students. In spite of the tremendous prestige attached to his position, Shaikh Ansari lived the life of an ascetic. The author of some thirty books and treatises, his works are noted for their clarity and readability. Most of his works centre on Fiqh (Jurisprudence). His most important works are the "Rasa'el” and the "Makaseb”, of which the latter is a book of detailed Islamic Commercial Law, and is still taught today in the Hawza. Among his students was Grand Ayatollah Mirza Mohammad Hassan Shirazi, who issued the famous "fatwa” against the British monopoly on tobacco that saved Iranian economy. Another prominent student was the pan-Islamist thinker, Seyyed Jamal od-Din Asadabadi.

151 lunar years ago, on this day in 1289 AH, the concession to exploit Iran’s vital sources was granted to a British colonialist agent, Julius De Reuters, by the Qajarid King, Nasser od-Din Shah. It included exploitation of Iran’s mines and forests, building railway, and setting up a bank, post office and telegraph lines to serve London’s vested interests. The people and religious scholars, led by Mullah Ali Kani, unanimously opposed the grant to Reuters. As the people led by the ulema mounted their opposition, the concession was annulled, but as compensation Reuters was given the right to set up the Imperial Bank and print currency notes in Iran for sixty years.

151 solar years ago, on this day in 1868 AD, William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, the first African-American to earn a doctorate from Harvard University, was born in Barrington, Massachusetts. As a sociologist, he focused on the problem of race for blacks in the US. He became an influential leader of black Americans, presenting an alternative to Booker T. Washington, whose policies Du Bois considered too conservative and too accommodating to whites. Du Bois, believing that blacks could achieve progress only through protest, encouraged Black Nationalism and supported Pan-Africanism. He founded the National Negro Committee which eventually became the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Du Bois also founded the Niagara Movement, served as the NAACP's director of research and editor of its magazine Crisis, and taught and published his philosophy at Atlanta University from 1896-1910. In 1961 he renounced his US citizenship and spent his last remaining years in the West African country of Ghana, where he died in Accra, Ghana at the age of 95 in 1963.

133 solar years ago, on this day in 1886 AD, American chemist, Charles Martin Hall, discovered aluminum. Aluminum is a white and light metal. It is very hard and is lighter than iron. It currently has numerous applications in industrial and non-industrial activities.

75 solar years ago, on this day in 1944 AD, Soviet dictator, Joseph Stalin, ordered the mass deportation of Caucasian Muslim nations. Chechens and Ingush were deported to Kazakhstan for resisting Soviet rule on the allegations of abetting the Germans. Around a million persons were evicted and loaded onto special railway cars. More than a third of the population died on the way. Also deported were the Karachays, Balkars, and Meskhetian Turks. Stalin, an ethnic Georgian, was an avowed enemy of Muslims despite being an atheist.

49 solar years ago, on this day in 1970 AD, Guyana declared itself a republic, following independence from British rule, four years earlier. Guyana was occupied by the Spanish in late 15th century and seized by Britain in the 17th century. Situated in South America with a coastline on the Atlantic Ocean, Guyana has a population of 10 percent Muslims, while a slight majority of the national population is made up of Guyanese of Indian origin.

23 solar years ago, on this day in 1996 AD, Ba’thist dictator Saddam had his two defecting sons-in-law killed by their own clansmen after luring them back to Iraq on promises of pardon. Minister of Military Industries Lieutenant-General Hussein Kamel al-Majid and his brother former head of the Republican Guards, Saddam Kamel al-Majid, along with their wives – Raghad and Rana – had fled on 7th August 1995 to Jordan, where they disclosed to the CIA and the British MI6, military and chemical weapons secrets. Saddam gave false promises of pardon, but on their return to Iraq on February 20 he ordered them to divorce his daughters, and three days later killed them on charges of treason. The two brothers, as senior members of the repressive Ba’th minority regime, were partners in Saddam’s crimes against the Iraqi people as well as against Iran during the 8-year imposed war. Hussein Kamel al-Majid was in charge of the brutal attack on Karbala in 1991 and the massacre of its people. He openly desecrated the holy shrine of the Prophet’s grandson, Imam Husain (AS), in which he gruesomely hanged countless Iraqi Muslims, boasting all the time that today he was the person in power and the Immortal Martyr of Karbala can do nothing.

Today, 5^th of the Iranian month of Esfand is the day for commemoration of the famous Iranian Islamic polymath and theologian, Allamah Mohammad ibn Hassan, known as Khwaja Naseer od-Din Tousi. Born in the city of Tous, near the holy city of Mashhad in Khorasan, he was an outstanding philosopher, scientist, astronomer, mathematician and theologian, who made valuable contributions to the progress of science and civilization. Even the Mongol invaders acknowledged his genius and Hulagu Khan, appointed him as his scientific advisor. Naseer od-Din Tusi built the famous observatory at Maraghah in 1262. It had various instruments such as a 4-meter wall quadrant made from copper and an azimuth quadrant which was his unique invention. Using accurately plotted planetary movements, he modified Ptolemy's model of the planetary system based on mechanical principles. The observatory and its library became a centre for a wide range of work in science, mathematics and philosophy. About the real essence of the Milky Way, Ṭusi in his book on astronomy "at-Tadhkirah fi Ilm al-Hayyah”, wrote three centuries before Galileo: "The Milky Way, i.e. the galaxy, is made up of a very large number of small, tightly-clustered stars, which, on account of their concentration and smallness, seem to be cloudy patches. Because of this, it was likened to milk in colour.”

He wrote some 80 books in both Arabic and Persian on various subjects including "Tajrid al-Eʿteqad” on theology, "Akhlaq-e Naseri” on ethics, "Sharh al-Isharaat Ibn Sina” on philosophy, and "Kitab ash-Shakl al-Qatta” on mathematics, etc. It is to be noted that a 60-km diameter lunar crater located on the southern hemisphere of the moon is named after him as "Naseereddin". A minor planet discovered by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh in 1979 is named after him "10269 Tusi”. Naseer od-Din Tusi died in Iraq and was laid to rest in the holy mausoleum of Imam Musa al-Kazem (AS), the 7th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).

(Courtesy: IRIB English Radio – http://parstoday.com/en)