Today is Wednesday; 9th of the Iranian month of Mehr 1399 solar hijri; corresponding to 12th of the Islamic month of Safar 1442 lunar hijri; and September 30, 2020, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.
Over three millennia ago, Prophet Aaron (Haroun), the elder brother of Prophet Moses (AS), passed away while on a visit to Mount Hor or what is now Jabal Haroun in Petra, Jordan, and was laid to rest on the same spot, where a shrine stands today. God has mentioned Aaron several times in the holy Qur’an as the trustworthy aide of Prophet Moses, who, as is evident in ayahs 29 to 36 of Surah Ta Ha, requests the Almighty Creator to appoint Aaron as his Assistant, a request that is granted, and the two proceed towards Egypt to invite the Pharaoh to monotheism. It is interesting to note that a Prophet of God can neither leave to his followers the choice of a vicegerent to him, nor can personally appoint anyone as "wasi” (testamentary legatee) or "khalifa” (caliph/successor), without divine consent. Since the Prophet is the emissary of God, his vicegerent or successor should also be appointed by God, as is proven by ayah 36 of Surah Ta Ha, and as was the divine commandment to Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) at Ghadir-Khom in 10 AH while returning from the Farewell Hajj pilgrimage to proclaim his cousin Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS) as vicegerent and caliph before a huge gathering of 120,000 Muslim pilgrims. That is the reason Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), as quoted by all denominations of Islam, remarked to Imam Ali (AS): "Your position to me is that of Aaron to Moses”.
1404 lunar years ago, on this day in 38 AH, arbitration was forced upon the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), during the War of Siffin against the heretical rebel, Mu’awiyya ibn Abu Sufyan, near Raqqa in Syria by a group of hypocrites, deceived at the raising of supposedly copies of the Holy Qur’an on spear-points and pleas for peace by crafty Omayyad commander, Amr ibn Aas, at a time when victory was only a matter of moments. This group of hypocrites who later became notorious as "khwarej” or renegades from Islam for their sedition in starting armed insurrection against the Imam by rejecting the result of their own imposed arbitration, were later wiped out in the Battle of Nahrawan.
1283 solar years ago, on this day in 737 AD, the Battle of the Baggage occurred in Central Asia, resulting in a humiliating defeat of the Omayyads at the hands of the Turgesh Turks, supported by both Iranian and Arab Muslims of Transoxiana. It marked the culmination of a string of defeats that started over the past 16 years for the tyrannical Omayyad regime before the outbreak of the Abbasid movement that threw them into the dustbin of history.
664 lunar years ago, on this day in 778 AH, the acclaimed Iranian poet, Khwajah Jamal od-Din Salman Saveji, was born in Saveh, southwest of modern Tehran. His Divan includes religious poems in praise of Almighty God and Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).
500 solar years ago, on this day in 1520 AD, Suleiman I succeeded his father Selim I as Ottoman Sultan and ruled till 1566, during which he seized Iraq from the Safavid Empire of Iran.
479 solar years ago, on this day in 1541 AD, Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto and his forces entered Tula territory in present-day western Arkansas, encountering fierce resistance from the Amerindians, who were overpowered because of the superior firepower and brutality of the European invaders.
383 lunar years ago, on this day in 1059 AH, Iran’s Safavid Empire retook the strategic border city of Qandahar in what is now Afghanistan from Daulat Khan the governor of the Moghal Empire of the subcontinent. Qandahar was bone of contention between the two otherwise friendly empires, and was mostly under Iranian rule.
125 solar years ago, on this day in 1895 AD, Madagascar was proclaimed a French protectorate after much bloodshed. France invaded this island off the southeastern coast of Africa in 1883 in what became known as the first Franco-Hova War, at the end of which Madagascar was forced to cede the northern port town of Antsiranana (Diego Suarez) to the European invaders from France and pay 560,000 francs.
99 solar years ago, on this day in 1921 AD, the police chief of Khorasan, Colonel Mohammad Taqi Khan Pesyaan, was killed by agents of the regime. He was a highly influential figure and strove for Iran’s independence. Following the British-engineered coup to install the colonialist agent Reza Khan as prime minister of the young Qajarid king, he commenced his struggle against infiltration by foreign powers and their local lackeys in government affairs. He was joined by officers in Khorasan Province and soon took charge of all provincial affairs in the name of the beleaguered government of Ahmad Shah Qajar. As a result battles started with Reza Khan’s agents, leading to his martyrdom in one such clash.
82 solar years ago, on this day in 1938 AD, German Nazi leader Adolf Hitler hosted a conference in Munich on the border dispute with Czechoslovakia, attended by Italian Fascist leader, Benito Mussolini, French prime minister, Edouard Daladier, and British premier, Neville Chamberlain. The leaders of Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union did not attend the meeting in which Britain and France gave permission to Hitler to occupy the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia to Germany. The events led to the start of World War 2 the following year.
82 solar years ago, on this day in 1938 AD, the League of Nations unanimously outlawed "intentional bombings of civilian populations”. In practice, however, nothing changed for the aggressors, who continue to bomb and destroy civilians, as was the case of the criminal atomic bombing of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the US. In the 1980s, with Washington’s support Saddam devastatingly bombed Iranian cities, as the UN looked the other way, and today, the US, on the pretext of targeting its own creation the Takfiri terrorists, is killing men, women, and children in Iraq and Syria, without due regard for international laws and conventions.
55 solar years ago, on this day in 1965 AD, the 30 September Movement attempted a coup against the Indonesian government, but was crushed by the General Suharto, resulting in a mass anti-communist purge, with over 500,000 people killed.
54 solar years ago, on this day in 1966 AD, Botswana in southern Africa, gained independence from Britain after over 8 decades of plundering of its resources. Landlocked Botswana shares borders with South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
35 solar years ago, on this day in 1985 AD, the seismologist inventor of Richter scale, Charles Richter, died in the US, at the age of 85.
34 solar years ago, on this day in 1986 AD, nuclear scientist, Mordechai Vanunu, who revealed details of the covert nuclear military activities of the illegal Zionist entity to the British media, was kidnapped in Rome, Italy, by the Israeli spying outfit, Mossad, in cooperation with the CIA, and taken to Israel.
30 solar years ago, on this day in 1990 AD, Pakistani researcher, Siraj Munir, passed away. He strove for promotion of Persian language and introduction of Iran’s prominent literary, cultural, and philosophical figures. He is considered as one of the founders of the Persian Language Association in Pakistan.
24 solar years ago, on this day in 1996 AD, the scholar Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Hussaini, popular as Aqa Najafi Hamedani, passed away at the age of 82 in Hamadan. His major work is the18-volume exegesis of the holy Qur’an titled "Anwaar-e Darakhshaan” in Persian.
6 solar years ago, on this day in 2014 AD, Kashmiri religious scholar and politician, Mowlavi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, who was organizer of the Grand Ashura Procession, passed away in Srinagar at the age of 71.