This Day in History
(September 26)
Today is Saturday; 5th of the Iranian month of Mehr 1399 solar hijri; corresponding to 8th of the Islamic month of Safar 1442 lunar hijri; and September 26, 2020, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.
1407 lunar years ago, on this day in 35 AH, the loyal Iranian disciple of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), Salman Farsi, or the Persian, passed away in Mada’en in Iraq, where his mausoleum still stands today, with the Prophet’s famous hadith inscribed in bold letters on its walls, reading "Salman minna Ahl al-Bayt” (Salman is from us the People of the Blessed Household), an honour that was not bestowed on any Arab companion of the Prophet. Salman, whose name was Rouzbeh, fed up with the weird rites of the Zoroastrians, left his hometown Shiraz in search of the true religion after becoming acquainted with Nestorian Christians. He travelled widely and learned the tenets of monotheism from several hermits in Syria, who had retreated into isolated desert monasteries in order to preserve the monotheist teachings of Prophet Jesus (PBUH), after Paul the Hellenized Jew had distorted the Gospels to coin the absurd belief of trinity. When death approached the last such hermit, he advised Salman to travel to Arabia and await the advent of the Last and Greatest of Prophets. On arrival in Arabia, he was kidnapped by Jews and sold into slavery. For long years he toiled in cultivating date-palms, until one day he encountered enlightened visages speaking of monotheism and divine justice. A spark lit Salman’s heart, and in order to test the visitors, he offered them some dates as "sadaqa” (charity), since he had read in the scriptures that alms and charity are forbidden for the Last Prophet and his progeny. The Prophet gave the charity dates to his companions to eat, while he himself, along with his cousin and son-in-law, Imam Ali (AS), politely declined the offer. Salman beamed with joy at finding the ultimate goal of his quest, and this time took some dates and offered the Prophet and the Imam as gifts, which they accepted. Salman immediately recited the two-fold testimony of faith: "ash-hado an la ilaha il-Allah; wa ash-hado anna Muhammadan Rasoul-Allah” (I testify there is no god but Allah; and I testify Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah), thus becoming a Muslim. The Prophet paid a big amount of money and met other conditions of the miserly Jew to procure the release of Salman, who thereafter loyally served the cause of Islam. It was on the advice of this faithful Iranian Sahabi that the Muslims dug the "khandaq” (trench) around the most vulnerable part of Medina, when a 10,000 plus force of pagan Arabs and Israelites tried to attack the Prophet and obliterate Islam. After the Prophet’s passing away, Salman was among the few Muslims who were loyal and steadfast to Islam and the divinely-decreed right of Imam Ali (AS). In his last days he served as governor of Mada’en (Ctesiphon, the former Sassanid capital).
1158 solar years ago, on this day in 862 AD, Musa ibn Musa al-Qasawi al-Kabir, and ruler of a semi-autonomous principality in the upper Ebro valley in northern Spain, died at the age of 72 in Tudela from wounds suffered in battle. He was chief of the Islamicized (muwallad) Bani Qasi clan descended from the Hispano-Visigoth nobleman Cassius, who had converted to Islam after the Muslim conquest of Iberia.
1088 solar years ago, on this day in 932 AD, Ma’ad Abu Tamim al-Mu’iz le Din-Allah, the 4th caliph of the Fatemid Shi’a Muslim dynasty of North Africa, was born in what is now Tunisia.
692 solar years ago, on this day in 1328 AD, on this day in 1328 AD, the pseudo scholar, Ahmad ibn Abdul-Haleem Ibn Taymiyya, died in Damascus at the age of 65 while in prison, for attributing body, shape and human organs to Allah Almighty, for misinterpreting the holy Qur’an, for discouraging celebrations on the Prophet of Islam’s birth anniversary, for declaring pilgrimage to the Prophet’s tomb as "bid’ah” (or innovation), and for belittling the sanctity of Islam’s two principal mosques – the Masjid al-Haram around the holy Ka’ba in Mecca and Medina’s Masjid an-Nabi that encloses Prophet of Islam’s holy shrine. Earlier also, he had spent over 18 months in jail in Cairo (1319-21) for his views which the Sunni ulema considered heretical and Kufr.
648 solar years ago, on this day in 1371 AD, the Second Battle of Maritsa took place in the Balkans as part of the Serbian-Turkish wars, resulting in another resounding victory for the Ottomans against the combined Serb-Greek army of 70,000 soldiers.
257 solar years ago, on this day in 1763 AD, English poet John Byrom died at the age of 71.
144 solar years ago, on this day in 1876 AD, the Subcontinent’s political activist and literary figure, Seyyed Ghulam Mohi od-Din Nairang, was born in Ambala in a family that had migrated to India from Tirmiz in Greater Khorasan.
132 solar years ago, on this day in 1888 AD, the English literary figure and poet, Thomas Stearns Eliot, was born. He catapulted to fame in 1922 with his poem "The Waste Land”. He wrote several books, which show his inclination toward religion. His work include "Sacred Wood”, and "Murder in the Cathedral”.
131 solar years ago, on this day in 1889 AD, Martin Heidegger, existentialist philosopher and writer, was born in Germany. He wrote "Being and Time”, and criticized the tyranny of modern technology over humanity. He researched the relationship between Western philosophy and Islamic ideas. Scholars interested in Arabic philosophical medieval sources are influenced by his work in this regard.
113 solar years ago, on this day in 1907 AD, New Zealand, which was occupied by the British in the late 18th century and settled by waves of illegal Anglo-Saxon migrants who seized the lands of the Maori natives, was granted dominion status within the British Empire. Earlier, from 1845 to 1848 and again from 1860 to 1870, the Maoris rose against the British for violation of the treaty of 1840 AD, but were brutally crushed.
79 solar years ago, on this day in 1941 AD, during World War 2, the Battle of Kiev, near the capital of Ukraine, resulted in the victory of the invading German Nazi forces over Soviet troops, of whom 665,000 were captured.
58 solar years ago, on this day in 1962 AD, a coup led by Colonel Abdullah Sallal, and supported militarily by President Jamal Abdun-Nasser of Egypt, overthrew the Zaidi Imam, Mohammad al-Badr, who a week earlier had succeeded his father as the ruler of the almost 1,000 year old dynasty. The result was civil war till 1970 that sapped the energies of the invading Egyptian army which saw thousands of its soldiers killed, and led to the humiliating defeat of Nasser in the 6-day Israeli war of 1967.
39 solar years ago, on this day in 1981 AD, upon the order of the Father of Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), Iran’s Muslim combatants launched the victorious "Samen al-Ai’mma” Operations to break the more-than-a-year long siege of the city of Abadan in Khuzestan Province, southwestern Iran, by the invading forces of the repressive Ba’th minority regime of Baghdad. The successful operation amazed the world’s military and political planners, and was a turning point in the 8-year war imposed by the US on Iran through Saddam.
36 solar years ago, on this day in 1984 AD, Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Abdullah Musavi Shirazi, passed away in holy Mashhad at the age of 92 and was laid to rest in the mausoleum of Imam Reza (AS), the 8th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).
29 lunar years ago, on this day in 1413 AH, the Source of Emulation, Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Abul-Qasem Musavi Khoyi, passed away at the age of 96 in Kufa, a year and some five months after the brutally crushed popular uprising of the Iraqi people against the repressive Ba’th minority regime, during which he was forcibly taken to Baghdad and made to appear on TV with the bloodthirsty dictator, Saddam. It is believed the regime martyred him through poisoning.
9 solar years ago, on this day in 2011AD, Iran announced the mass production of a new cruise missile, designed to destroy warships and coastal targets. The Qader has a range of 300 km.
8 solar years ago, on this day in 2012 AD, Syrian Christian journalist, Maya Nasser, while working for Iran’s Press TV, was targeted and killed in Damascus by terrorists backed by the US, Turkey, Israel and reactionary Arab regimes. His reports from Aleppo are the most notable. The 33-year old journalist also reported from the US, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, and Bahrain.
Today is Saturday; 5th of the Iranian month of Mehr 1399 solar hijri; corresponding to 8th of the Islamic month of Safar 1442 lunar hijri; and September 26, 2020, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.
1407 lunar years ago, on this day in 35 AH, the loyal Iranian disciple of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), Salman Farsi, or the Persian, passed away in Mada’en in Iraq, where his mausoleum still stands today, with the Prophet’s famous hadith inscribed in bold letters on its walls, reading "Salman minna Ahl al-Bayt” (Salman is from us the People of the Blessed Household), an honour that was not bestowed on any Arab companion of the Prophet. Salman, whose name was Rouzbeh, fed up with the weird rites of the Zoroastrians, left his hometown Shiraz in search of the true religion after becoming acquainted with Nestorian Christians. He travelled widely and learned the tenets of monotheism from several hermits in Syria, who had retreated into isolated desert monasteries in order to preserve the monotheist teachings of Prophet Jesus (PBUH), after Paul the Hellenized Jew had distorted the Gospels to coin the absurd belief of trinity. When death approached the last such hermit, he advised Salman to travel to Arabia and await the advent of the Last and Greatest of Prophets. On arrival in Arabia, he was kidnapped by Jews and sold into slavery. For long years he toiled in cultivating date-palms, until one day he encountered enlightened visages speaking of monotheism and divine justice. A spark lit Salman’s heart, and in order to test the visitors, he offered them some dates as "sadaqa” (charity), since he had read in the scriptures that alms and charity are forbidden for the Last Prophet and his progeny. The Prophet gave the charity dates to his companions to eat, while he himself, along with his cousin and son-in-law, Imam Ali (AS), politely declined the offer. Salman beamed with joy at finding the ultimate goal of his quest, and this time took some dates and offered the Prophet and the Imam as gifts, which they accepted. Salman immediately recited the two-fold testimony of faith: "ash-hado an la ilaha il-Allah; wa ash-hado anna Muhammadan Rasoul-Allah” (I testify there is no god but Allah; and I testify Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah), thus becoming a Muslim. The Prophet paid a big amount of money and met other conditions of the miserly Jew to procure the release of Salman, who thereafter loyally served the cause of Islam. It was on the advice of this faithful Iranian Sahabi that the Muslims dug the "khandaq” (trench) around the most vulnerable part of Medina, when a 10,000 plus force of pagan Arabs and Israelites tried to attack the Prophet and obliterate Islam. After the Prophet’s passing away, Salman was among the few Muslims who were loyal and steadfast to Islam and the divinely-decreed right of Imam Ali (AS). In his last days he served as governor of Mada’en (Ctesiphon, the former Sassanid capital).
1158 solar years ago, on this day in 862 AD, Musa ibn Musa al-Qasawi al-Kabir, and ruler of a semi-autonomous principality in the upper Ebro valley in northern Spain, died at the age of 72 in Tudela from wounds suffered in battle. He was chief of the Islamicized (muwallad) Bani Qasi clan descended from the Hispano-Visigoth nobleman Cassius, who had converted to Islam after the Muslim conquest of Iberia.
1088 solar years ago, on this day in 932 AD, Ma’ad Abu Tamim al-Mu’iz le Din-Allah, the 4th caliph of the Fatemid Shi’a Muslim dynasty of North Africa, was born in what is now Tunisia.
692 solar years ago, on this day in 1328 AD, on this day in 1328 AD, the pseudo scholar, Ahmad ibn Abdul-Haleem Ibn Taymiyya, died in Damascus at the age of 65 while in prison, for attributing body, shape and human organs to Allah Almighty, for misinterpreting the holy Qur’an, for discouraging celebrations on the Prophet of Islam’s birth anniversary, for declaring pilgrimage to the Prophet’s tomb as "bid’ah” (or innovation), and for belittling the sanctity of Islam’s two principal mosques – the Masjid al-Haram around the holy Ka’ba in Mecca and Medina’s Masjid an-Nabi that encloses Prophet of Islam’s holy shrine. Earlier also, he had spent over 18 months in jail in Cairo (1319-21) for his views which the Sunni ulema considered heretical and Kufr.
648 solar years ago, on this day in 1371 AD, the Second Battle of Maritsa took place in the Balkans as part of the Serbian-Turkish wars, resulting in another resounding victory for the Ottomans against the combined Serb-Greek army of 70,000 soldiers.
257 solar years ago, on this day in 1763 AD, English poet John Byrom died at the age of 71.
144 solar years ago, on this day in 1876 AD, the Subcontinent’s political activist and literary figure, Seyyed Ghulam Mohi od-Din Nairang, was born in Ambala in a family that had migrated to India from Tirmiz in Greater Khorasan.
132 solar years ago, on this day in 1888 AD, the English literary figure and poet, Thomas Stearns Eliot, was born. He catapulted to fame in 1922 with his poem "The Waste Land”. He wrote several books, which show his inclination toward religion. His work include "Sacred Wood”, and "Murder in the Cathedral”.
131 solar years ago, on this day in 1889 AD, Martin Heidegger, existentialist philosopher and writer, was born in Germany. He wrote "Being and Time”, and criticized the tyranny of modern technology over humanity. He researched the relationship between Western philosophy and Islamic ideas. Scholars interested in Arabic philosophical medieval sources are influenced by his work in this regard.
113 solar years ago, on this day in 1907 AD, New Zealand, which was occupied by the British in the late 18th century and settled by waves of illegal Anglo-Saxon migrants who seized the lands of the Maori natives, was granted dominion status within the British Empire. Earlier, from 1845 to 1848 and again from 1860 to 1870, the Maoris rose against the British for violation of the treaty of 1840 AD, but were brutally crushed.
79 solar years ago, on this day in 1941 AD, during World War 2, the Battle of Kiev, near the capital of Ukraine, resulted in the victory of the invading German Nazi forces over Soviet troops, of whom 665,000 were captured.
58 solar years ago, on this day in 1962 AD, a coup led by Colonel Abdullah Sallal, and supported militarily by President Jamal Abdun-Nasser of Egypt, overthrew the Zaidi Imam, Mohammad al-Badr, who a week earlier had succeeded his father as the ruler of the almost 1,000 year old dynasty. The result was civil war till 1970 that sapped the energies of the invading Egyptian army which saw thousands of its soldiers killed, and led to the humiliating defeat of Nasser in the 6-day Israeli war of 1967.
39 solar years ago, on this day in 1981 AD, upon the order of the Father of Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), Iran’s Muslim combatants launched the victorious "Samen al-Ai’mma” Operations to break the more-than-a-year long siege of the city of Abadan in Khuzestan Province, southwestern Iran, by the invading forces of the repressive Ba’th minority regime of Baghdad. The successful operation amazed the world’s military and political planners, and was a turning point in the 8-year war imposed by the US on Iran through Saddam.
36 solar years ago, on this day in 1984 AD, Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Abdullah Musavi Shirazi, passed away in holy Mashhad at the age of 92 and was laid to rest in the mausoleum of Imam Reza (AS), the 8th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).
29 lunar years ago, on this day in 1413 AH, the Source of Emulation, Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Abul-Qasem Musavi Khoyi, passed away at the age of 96 in Kufa, a year and some five months after the brutally crushed popular uprising of the Iraqi people against the repressive Ba’th minority regime, during which he was forcibly taken to Baghdad and made to appear on TV with the bloodthirsty dictator, Saddam. It is believed the regime martyred him through poisoning.
9 solar years ago, on this day in 2011AD, Iran announced the mass production of a new cruise missile, designed to destroy warships and coastal targets. The Qader has a range of 300 km.
8 solar years ago, on this day in 2012 AD, Syrian Christian journalist, Maya Nasser, while working for Iran’s Press TV, was targeted and killed in Damascus by terrorists backed by the US, Turkey, Israel and reactionary Arab regimes. His reports from Aleppo are the most notable. The 33-year old journalist also reported from the US, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, and Bahrain.