Today is Saturday; 4th of the Iranian month of Khordad 1398 solar hijri; corresponding to 19th of the Islamic month of Ramadhan 1440 lunar hijri; and May 25, 2019, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.
2604 solar years ago, on this day in 585 BC, the Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus – in Asia Minor or what is now western Turkey – made the first known prediction of a solar eclipse. A historically registered eclipse occurred during the savage war between the Lydians and the Medians. The event caused both sides to stop military action and sign for peace.
1400 lunar years ago, on this day in 40 AH, the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), the First Infallible Successor to Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), was struck a fatal sword blow on the head by the renegade, Abdur-Rahman Ibn Muljam, while engaged in the Morning Prayer in the Grand Mosque of Kufa, and attained martyrdom two days later. As the first cousin, ward, son-in-law and divinely-decreed vicegerent of the Seal of Messengers, Imam Ali (AS) needs no introduction, the more so in view of his matchless characteristics such as faith, piety, patience, prudence, valour, magnanimity, knowledge, wisdom, ethics, eloquence, and justice. He single-handedly led Islam to victory in almost all the early battles imposed on the Prophet and the young Muslim community by the Arab infidels and the Israelite hypocrites. When usurpers seized the caliphate on the passing away of the Prophet, he patiently endured the calamity for the sake of Islamic unity, since his resorting to the sword would have made most neo-Muslim Arabs revert to paganism. When 25 years later, the caliphate came begging at his door, he reluctantly took up the reins of political rule of the Islamic state and for the next four-and-a-half years, until his untimely martyrdom, he strove to establish the model government of social justice, the like of which the world is yet to see.
1033 solar years ago, on this day in 986 AD, the famous Iranian Islamic astronomer and mathematician, Abu'l-Hassan Abdur-Rahman Ibn Amr as-Sufi ar-Raazi, passed away in Shiraz at the age of 83. Born in Rayy, near modern Tehran, he was one of the greatest astronomers and astrologers. He was patronized by Azud od-Dowla Daylami, the ruler of the Persian Shi’a Muslim Buwayhid dynasty of Iran-Iraq-Oman to translate scientific texts from Greek, Pahlavi and other languages into Arabic. As-Sufi was known in medieval Europe as "Azophi”; and today modern scientists have named in his honour the moon crater "Azophi” and the minor planet "12621 Alsufi”. He published his famous book "Kitab al-Kawakeb as-Sabeta" (Book of Fixed Stars) in 964 AD, describing much of his work, both in textual descriptions and pictures. In the same year he made the earliest recorded observation (from Yemen) of what western scientists today call the "Andromeda Galaxy"; describing it as a "small cloud". These were the first galaxies other than the Milky Way to be observed from the Earth. He also identified over five centuries before Ferdinand Magellan what the West calls the "Large Magellanic Cloud", which was not seen by Europeans until the Portuguese Sailor’s voyage around the world in the 16th century. As-Sufi ar-Razi observed that the ecliptic plane is inclined with respect to the celestial equator and more accurately calculated the length of the tropical year. He observed and described the stars, their positions, their magnitudes and their colour, setting out his results, constellation by constellation. For each constellation, he provided two drawings, one from the outside of a celestial globe, and the other from the inside (as seen from the earth), and this is another firm proof that in contrast to the Europeans, the Muslims knew the earth as a sphere. As-Sufi also wrote about the astrolabe, finding numerous additional uses for it. He described over 1000 different uses, in areas as diverse as astronomy, astrology, horoscopes, navigation, surveying, timekeeping, the direction of the Qibla (the holy Ka’ba in Mecca), and determination of the timing of the five-times daily prayers, etc. Since 2006, the Astronomy Society of Iran – Amateur Committee (ASIAC) – has been holding an international "Sufi Observing Competition" in his memory. A related work by him is: "Kitab Suwar al-Kawakeb ath-Thamaniya al-Arba’een”.
924 solar years ago, on this day in 1085 AD, Spanish Muslims lost to Alfonso VI of Castile and his army of Christian mercenaries from other parts of Europe, the historic city of Toledo. The Muslims had turned this central Spanish city into a glorious example of Islamic civilization during three-and-a-half centuries of rule, with colleges, mosques, baths, libraries, bazaars and palaces – some of which survive till this day. Known as Toletum to the Romans, it was called Tulaytulah in Arabic and produced many famous scholars, such as Abu Ishaq az-Zarqali, the instrument maker, astrologer, and the leading astronomer of his time, known as Arzachel to medieval Europe – the crater Arzachel on the Moon is named after him. In 1986, Toledo was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO for its cultural and monumental heritage and historical co-existence of Christian, Muslim and Jewish cultures.
607 lunar years ago, on this day in 832 AH, the eminent Iranian astronomer and mathematician, Ghiyas od-Din Jamshid Kashani, died under suspicious circumstances in Samarqand at the age of around 50 years. He was born in Kashan and went to Samarqand at the invitation of the Timurid scientist-ruler, Ologh Beg, to set up the famous observatory. He produced a Zij entitled the "Khaqani Zij”, which was based on Khwaja Naseer od-Din Tusi's "Zij-e Ilkhani”. He also produced tables on transformations between coordinate systems on the celestial sphere, such as the transformation from the ecliptic coordinate system to the equatorial coordinate system. He wrote the book "Sullam as-Sama” on the resolution of difficulties met by predecessors in the determination of distances and sizes of heavenly bodies such as the Earth, the Moon, the Sun and the Stars. He also invented a mechanical planetary computer which he called the Plate of Zones, which could graphically solve a number of planetary problems, including the prediction of the true positions in longitude of the Sun and Moon, and the planets in terms of elliptical orbits; the latitudes of the Sun, Moon, and planets; and the ecliptic of the Sun. In one of his numerical approximations of "P" (pronounced pie), he correctly computed 2 P to 9 sexagesimal digits. This approximation of 2 P is equivalent to 16 decimal places of accuracy. This was far more accurate than the estimates earlier given in Greek mathematics of 3 decimal places by Archimedes, Chinese mathematics of 7 decimal places by Zu Chongzhi and Indian mathematics of 11 decimal places by Madhava of Sangamagrama. The accuracy of Jamshid Kashani's estimate was not surpassed until Ludolph van Ceulen computed 20 decimal places of "P" nearly 200 years later.
561 solar years ago, on this day in 1458 AD, Sultan Mahmoud Shah I of Gujarat, western India, was born. Known as Mahmoud Begada, he was the most prominent sultan of Gujarat, and was the great-grandson of Ahmad Shah I, the founder of the Muzaffarid dynasty, and of the city of Ahmadabad. He was known to be quite religious and ruled for 43 years. He contacted the Ottoman Empire and the Mamluk Sultan of Cairo to form a naval alliance against Portuguese in the Indian Ocean, and it was during his reign the famous Battle of Diu took place against the European marauders. He undertook great many public works in his kingdom, and built a magnificent Jama Mosque in Champaner, which ranks amongst the finest architectural edifices in Gujarat. It is an imposing structure on a high plinth with two tall minarets 30 m tall, 172 pillars and seven mihrabs. Topped with a central dome, the balconies and carved entrance gates have fine lattice work in stone.
358 solar years ago, on this day in 1661 AD, King Charles II of England married Portuguese princess Catherina Braganza. India’s city of Mumbai, made up of seven islands, was given by Portugal to Charles as dowry for his wife. Known as Heptanesia or Cluster of Seven Islands to the Greek geographer Ptolemy in 150 CE, the islands were ruled by successive indigenous dynasties before becoming part of the Khalji Sultanate of Delhi and subsequently the Muzaffaird Sultanate of Gujarat. From 1429 onwards, the islands were a source of contention between Gujarat and the Bahmani Sultanate of Iranian origin of the Deccan. In 1535 they were occupied by the Portuguese, and following the British takeover were the target of constant raids by the Abyssinian Muslim admirals of the Mughals and then the Marathas. By 1845, the seven islands coalesced into a single landmass called Bombay by the Hornby Vellard Project via large scale land reclamation. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 transformed Bombay into one of the largest seaports on the Arabian Sea. Today, it is the commercial capital of India and has evolved into a global financial hub, in addition to being the seat of the thriving Bollywood film industry. It has a population of 14 million of which 25 percent are Muslims. The city is also home to the largest population of Zoroastrians in the world, numbering about 80,000, who are known as Parsi and whose ancestors had migrated from Iran. This cosmopolitan city is also home to hundreds of thousands of Muslims of Iranian origin, including the Yazdis who came last century and run the restaurant and tea business.
216 solar years ago, on this day in 1803 AD, the American author and thinker, Ralph Waldo Emerson, was born in Boston, Massachusetts. On his visit to Europe, Emerson studied continental literature and published his first book: "Nature”. He is the first American author, who became familiar with the rich Iranian literature and managed to introduce to the Western world, Persian poetry and literary figures such as Hafez, Sa’di, Mowlavi, and Khayyam. He was particularly captivated by the beauty of the lyrics of Hafez. Comparing Hafiz with some leading Western poets, Emerson pointed out Hafez’s more mystical attitude towards nature, saying: "Hafez is the prince of Persian poets, and in his extraordinary gift adds to some o the attributes of Pindar, Ansacreon, Horace, and Burns the insight of a mystic, that sometimes affords a deeper glance at Nature than belongs to either of those bards. He accounts all topics with an easy audacity.” Emerson died in 1882.
173 solar years ago, on this day in 1846 AD, Albanian Muslim poet and writer, Na’eem Frasheri, was born in Frasher in Albania. A prominent figure of the Albanian National Awakening he is widely regarded as the national poet of Albania. His father was a Bey from Frasher, and he hailed from a family with long connections to the Bektashi Shi'ite Muslim Sufi order, founded by the 13th century Iranian mystic, Haji Bektashi Vali of Naishapour, who had settled in Anatolia or what is now Turkey during the days of Seljuqid Sultanate of Roum. Frasheri's earliest writings were poetry and the very first poems he wrote were in Persian. In all, he authored twenty-two major works: four in Turkish, one in Persian, two in Greek and fifteen in his native Albanian. His patriotic poems and highly popular lyric poetry were strongly influenced by Persian literature. He also translated Homer's Iliad, and wrote articles on didactics and Islamic practices. Through his writings, Frasheri exerted a strong influence on Albanian literature and society. He passed away at the age of 54 in Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, which he served as an official in the ministry of culture. Today, the government of Albania has depicted his picture on the obverses of the Albanian 500 leke banknote and the 200 leke banknote. He was survived by his only son, Mahdi Frasheri, who twice served as prime minister of Albania, before and during World War 2.
120 solar years ago, on this day in 1899 AD, Bengali poet, musician, writer and revolutionary, Qazi Nazr ul-Islam, was born in what is now India’s Bengal state. He studied the Holy Qur’an, Hadith, Islamic philosophy, theology, and Arabic literature. On his father’s death, he replaced him as the caretaker of the local mosque, where he also served as the muezzin or the Caller to Prayer. Attracted to folk theatre, he learned to act, compose music, and write poems, being influenced by the famous Bengali poet, Rabindernath Tagore. He also learned Sanskrit. At the age of 18 he joined the British Army and was posted to Karachi in what is now Pakistan where he learnt Persian poetry and became deeply impressed by the classical Iranian poets, Mowlana Roumi and Hafez Shirazi. Nazr ul-Islam began to use Persian vocabulary in Bengali and wrote ghazals for the first time in this language. On leaving the army, he settled in Calcutta and joined the Bengali Muslim Literary Society, where he started writing plays and books. He grew resentful of British colonialism, as is reflected in his works, the most famous of which is "Bidrohi” (The Rebel) – a masterpiece of Bengali literature. He encouraged the people to rise up against the British, for which he was accused of sedition and jailed. On independence and partition of the Subcontinent, he remained in Indian Bengal. In 1972, following the secession of Pakistan’s eastern wing and it’s renaming as Bangladesh he migrated to Dhaka and was honoured as the National Poet. His poetry and music espoused Indo-Islamic renaissance and spiritual rebellion against fascism and oppression. His Bengali poems on Islam and social justice have been translated into modern Persian. He died at the age of 77 in 1976 and was buried on the grounds of the Central Mosque of Dhaka University.
98 solar years ago, on this day in 1921 AD, the 93-day "black cabinet” of Premier Seyyed Zia od-Din Tabatabaie was dissolved on the orders of the last Qajarid king of Iran, Ahmad Shah. Born in Shiraz in 1888, Zia od-Din developed close relations with the British colonialists, becoming editor of the newspaper "Ra’d” (Thunder) that was closed down by the government after which he started a new daily called "Barq” (Lightning). He imposed himself as prime minister on Ahmad Shah through a coup staged by the Cossack Brigade Chief Reza Khan Mirpanj – who would carry out the final coup d’etat in 1925 to install himself as the first Pahlavi king on the orders of the British. After his political career ended in Iran, Zia od-Din was sent into exile in British occupied Palestine, and later with British backing was hired as a senior consultant by the government of Afghanistan, but was unable to take up the post. He died at the age of 80 in Tehran. After his death, the ownership of his house was transferred to the Pahlavi regime’s dreaded espionage and torture agency "SAVAK”, and was converted into Evin Prison.
78 solar years ago, on this day in 1941 AD, some 5,000 people drowned in a storm at the delta of the Ganges River in India.
56 solar years ago, on this day in 1963 AD, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, thirty African states met to form the Organization of African Unity (OAU). The founders of this organization were President Jamal Abdun-Naser of Egypt, President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, and President Ahmed Sekou Toure of Guinea. On July 2002, the Organization of African Unity was renamed The African Union. It has 53 members and is headquartered in Ethiopia.
34 solar years ago, on this day in 1985 AD, the Meghna River delta of Bangladesh was hit by a tropical cyclone and storm surge, which killed approximately 10,000 people and 500,000 head of cattle, while hundreds of thousands of people were left homeless.
9 lunar years ago, on this day in 1431 AH, prominent scholar and jurist, Ayatollah Mohammad Hussain Ahmadi Faqih Yazdi, passed away at the age of 60. Son of Ayatollah Ahmad Ahmadi Najafi Haeri Yazdi, and student of Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Reza Golpayegani, Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Araki, and the famous exegete of the holy Qur’an Allamah Seyyed Mohammad Hussain Tabatabai, he was teacher of the Islamic seminary in Qom. He was married to the Lady Mojtahed, Zohreh Sefati, who teaches higher level jurisprudence courses to female students in the Islamic seminary. He was laid to rest in the holy shrine of Hazrat Ma’soumah (SA).
Khordad 4, is designated as Day of Resistance of Dezful, in view of the steadfastness of the people of this southwestern border city against the constant barrage of missiles and artillery shelling by the invading army of the repressive Ba’th minority regime of Saddam throughout the 8 years of the war imposed by the US. In the initial months of the Ba’thist aggression alone, the city was targeted with 200 missiles and shelled by artillery as many as 20,000 times, but the people continued their normal life, and became model of resistance for the Iranian nation.
(Courtesy: IRIB English Radio – http://parstoday.com/en)