Today is Monday; 12th of the Iranian month of Aban 1399 solar hijri; corresponding to 16th of the Islamic month of Rabi al-Awwal 1442 lunar hijri; and November 2, 2020, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.
1442 lunar years ago, on this day, a few days after his Hijra or migration from Mecca, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), held the first-ever public Friday Prayer. This landmark congregation was held on the outskirts of Medina at Qoba, where on the Prophet’s instructions the construction of the first-ever mosque had started on Rabi al-Awwal 12. The Prophet had halted at Qoba to await his dear cousin, Imam Ali (AS), who on his instructions had agreed to sleep on his bed the night of Hijra so that he could migrate undetected from the assassins hovering around the abode of divine revelation. The Prophet had also instructed the Imam to return to the people of Mecca the things they used to keep as safe-custody with him as "Amin” (Trustworthy). After three days, the Imam, for whose selfless risking of life on the night of Hijra, God Almighty revealed to the Prophet ayah 207 of Surah Baqarah, left Mecca and a few days later arrived in Qoba with the ladies of the Bani Hashem clan, including his mother, Fatema bint Asad (SA), and his future wife, the Prophet’s Immaculate daughter, Hazrat Fatema Zahra (SA). The Prophet’s holding of the first-ever Friday Prayer is indicative of the religious, social, cultural, and political importance of this congregational ritual, which Muslims have been recommended to perform every week.
1096 lunar years ago, on this day in 346 AH, the noted Islamic historian and geographer, Ali bin Hussain al-Mas’oudi, passed away in Egypt at the age of 62. Among the other writings of Mas’oudi mention could be made of "at-Tanbih wa’l-Ishraaf” (Book of Admonition and Revision).
1049 solar years ago, on this day in 971 AD, Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi, was born a commoner in Ghazni to Sebuktagin, a Turkic slave-soldier of the Iranian Samanid Dynasty of Bukhara, who had risen to become a governor. His mother was said to be a Persian from Zabulistan. He took over his father’s principality in 998 in what is now Afghanistan and enlarged it into an empire by conquering Khorasan in Eastern Iran, parts of Central Asia, and Northwest India including today’s Pakistan.
372 solar years ago, on this day in 1648 AD, as part of the independent struggle of the people of Ukraine 12,000 Jews were massacred by Cossack Bogdan Chmielnicki in Narol Podlia, because of their siding with the Polish occupiers of the country to suppress the Ukrainians and collect taxes from them. Throughout history, the Christians have slaughtered Jews on various pretexts, mainly because of their insulting of the fundamental beliefs of Christianity, including slandering of Prophet Jesus and his mother, the Virgin Mary (peace upon them).
371 lunar years ago, on this day in 1071 AH, the prominent jurist and scholar, Mullah Abdullah Touni Basharwi, known as Fazel Touni, passed away in Kermanshah, western Iran. A product of the seminary of Isfahan, he wrote several books, including "al-Wafiyah” on the fundamentals of faith.
179 solar years ago, on this day in 1841 AD, Akbar Khan successfully revolted against Shah Shuja in Afghanistan, during the 1st Afghan War (1839-1842), and killed British envoy, Lt. Col. Alexander Burnes and his accomplices. By January 1842 the British army retreated with its 4,500 Anglo-Indian troops and 10,000 camp followers. The whole column was wiped out by Ghilzai tribesmen with their long-barreled rifles.
104 solar years ago, on this day in 1916 AD, under instigation of the British, Sharif Hussein, the ruler of Mecca, Medina, and the other cities of Hijaz, styled himself Sultan of Arabia. Earlier on June 5, on the orders of the British he launched an open revolt against Ottoman rule in order to weaken the Turkish Muslims during World War I. Britain had promised to proclaim Sharif Hussein as King of all Arabia after the end of the war, but did not keep its word. Britain, which was playing a double game by supporting the Wahhabi chieftain of Najd, Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud, wanted to see which of its two mercenaries in Arabia, would emerge stronger. When the Wahhabis started inflicting defeats on Sharif Hussein, London tilted towards Abdul-Aziz, but at the same time in order to keep its influence amongst the Arabs, it carved out from Greater Syria, a new country called Jordan and placed Hussein’s son, Abdullah, as king in Amman. The British then placed another son of Hussein, named Faisal, as king of Iraq in Baghdad, in order to deprive the Shi’a Muslim majority of its right to form an independent elected government. Some years later, when Abdul-Aziz and his brutal Wahhabi hordes seized Hejaz, drove out Sharif Hussein, massacred tens of thousands of people in Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, and Ta’ef, and destroyed the sacred cemeteries of Jannat al-Baqie and Jannat al-Mo’alla, the British gifted him with a new and artificial country called Saudi Arabia, and hailed him as king. These were all part of the British plot to weaken Muslims and pave the way for the planting of an illegitimate entity for European Jews in the heart of the Muslim World.
103 solar years ago, on this day in 1917 AD, the scandalous Balfour Declaration was issued by British Foreign Secretary, Arthur James Balfour, calling for setting up an illegal Zionist state in Palestine for European Jews. In May 1948, some 31 years after issuance of this dubious declaration, the illegal Zionist migrants who had been flocking into British occupied Palestine since the end of World War 1, announced the illegitimate birth of Israel, with the support of Britain and the US. Till this day, the Palestinian people and the rest of the Muslim World are suffering from the crimes against humanity of this cancerous tumour called Israel.
71 solar years ago, on this day in 1949 AD, Indonesia gained independence after three-and-a-half centuries of Dutch colonial rule.
70 solar years ago, on this day in 1950 AD, George Bernard Shaw, the Irish-born, English dramatist, critic and social reformer, passed away.
65 solar years ago, on this day in 1955 AD, Iranian researcher, literary figure and university professor, Dr. Ahmad Bahmanyar Kirmani, passed away at the age of 72 in Tehran.
46 solar years ago, on this day in 1964 AD, King Saud of the British-created entity Saudi Arabia was deposed and replaced by his step-brother Faisal, following an 11-year rule on the death of his father, Abdul-Aziz, who is notorious for massacring hundreds of thousands of Muslims, imposing the heretical cult of Wahhabism, and desecrating the holy shrines in Mecca and Medina. Faisal was assassinated in 1975 by one of his nephews, on orders of the CIA, for having imposed the oil embargo on the US, during the 1973 Israeli war against Arab states.
45 solar years ago, on this day in 1975 AD, the Iranian philosopher, jurist, and theologian, Allamah Mirza Abu’l-Hassan Sha’rani Tehrani passed away in his hometown Tehran at the age of 73 and was laid to rest in the mausoleum of Seyyed Abdul-Azim al-Hassani. He wrote many books on diverse subjects, such as theology, jurisprudence, philosophy and Hadith. He translated from Arabic to Persian such books as "Nafas al-Mahmoum” and "Sahifat-as-Sajjadiyah”. His works include: Commentary on the book of "al-Wafi”; Notes on "al-Kafi” in 12 volumes; Annotation of the exegesis "Majma’ al Bayan”; Preface and Notes on "Asrar al Hikam” (Mysteries of Wisdom), and translation of "Flamarion” to French.
14 solar years ago, on this day in 2006 AD the Islamic Republic of Iran successfully test-fired three new models of sea missiles in the Persian Gulf waters, as part of its efforts to boost defence capabilities.
9 solar years ago, on this day in 2011 AD, Fazl-e Hassan Abed, the founder of an anti-poverty group in Bangladesh (BRAC) received the $500,000 education prize awarded by Qatar. BRAC is the world’s largest non-governmental organization with over 120,000 employees. For his contributions to social improvement, he has also has received the Ramon Magsaysay Award, the UNDP Mahboub ul-Haq Award, and the inaugural WISE Prize for Education. In 2015, he received World Food Prize for his "unparalleled” work on reducing poverty in Bangladesh and 10 other countries. His family has contributed to South Asian politics and social movements for nearly four-hundred years, since the Mughal Emperor Jahangir’s era. The family is among remnants of Mughal nobility in Bangladesh, with their ancient home still intact.