Today is Tuesday; 5th of the Iranian month of Esfand 1393 solar hijri; corresponding to 5th of the Islamic month of Jamadi al-Awwal 1436 lunar hijri; and February 24, 2015, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.
1431 lunar years ago, on this day in 5 AH, the first granddaughter of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) was born in Medina to the proud parents, Hazrat Fatema Zahra (SA) and Imam Ali (AS). She was named by the Prophet as "Zainab”, meaning "Ornament of the Father”, and grew up along with her elder brothers, Imam Hasan (AS) and Imam Husain (AS), as the epitome of virtue. Her piety, wisdom, knowledge, patience, courage and eloquence, was ably displayed during the tragedy of Karbala and its equally tragic aftermath when, she, along with her younger sister, Hazrat Omm Kulthoum (SA) and nephew, Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS), exposed the hypocrisy of the tyrannical Omayyad regime, despite being forced to stand as enchained prisoners in Damascus in the court of the despicable Yazid. Hazrat Zainab (SA), whose two youthful sons attained martyrdom in Karbala, universalized and immortalized the mission of her tragically martyred brother, Imam Husain (AS), and thus nursed back to life the pure and pristine Islamic message of her grandfather, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).
1114 lunar years ago, on this day in 322 AH, Qaher-Billah, the 19th self-styled caliph of the usurper Abbasid regime, was deposed after only two years of rule; and when in the state of drunkenness he refused to abdicate, his eyes were blinded, and he was cast into prison. Eleven years later he was freed, and was sometimes seen in beggar's rags and wooden sandals – a sad contrast to his high-sounding title "al-Qaher-Billah” which means "Victorious by the Will of God." He died in poverty in 339 AH at the age of 54, six years after his release from prison and 17 years after losing the caliphate. The caliphate was given to Qaher-Billah when his profligate brother Muqtadir-Billah was deposed, beaten and killed by the courtiers, who feared that the latter’s son might avenge his father's death. Qaher turned out to be even worse, and went to every excess of cruelty and extortion. He tortured his stepmother (mother of Muqtadir) to squeeze wealth from her. He then walled alive his nephew, the son of Muqtadir, in order to remove any rival. Qaher was succeeded by a nephew who survived, named Raazi-Billah, who during his 7-year rule returned the vast orchard of Fadak to the direct descendants of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). Fadak was the personal property of the Prophet and was situated north of Medina near Khaybar. The Prophet had given it to his daughter, Hazrat Fatema Zahra (SA), who used its revenues for the upkeep of the poor and destitute. After the Prophet passed away, the regime in Medina seized Fadak by forging a hadith alleging that Prophets do not leave inheritance and whatever they leave is the property of Ummah. Hazrat Fatema (SA) defended her rights by citing the ayahs of the holy Qur'an which speak of Prophet Solomon inheriting Prophet David, and Prophet Yahya inheriting Prophet Zachariah.
712 solar years ago, on this day in 1303 AD, the Battle of Roslin took place during the First War of Scottish Independence –  lasting from the invasion by England in 1296 until the de jure restoration of Scottish independence with the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton in 1328 (de facto independence was established in 1314 at the Battle of Bannockburn). England under Edward I attempted to establish its authority over Scotland while the Scots fought to keep English rule and authority out of Scotland. The Second War of Scottish Independence was fought from 1332-to-1357 against English encroachment. In 1603, James VI of Scotland inherited the thrones of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Ireland, and thus became King James I of what later came to be known as the United Kingdom. The Scots have always resented the English domination of their homeland.  The Scottish National Party, which supports Scottish independence, won an overall majority in the 2011 general election. A referendum was held September, with independence-seekers polling 45% of the 85% voter turnout.
711 solar years ago, on this day in 1304 AD, the renowned Muslim worldwide traveler, Shams od-Din Mohammad bin Abdullah, known as Ibn Battuta, was born in the northwest African city of Tangiers – in today’s Morocco. As a young man he started his initial journey to perform the Hajj, but after the pilgrimage to Mecca, he kept on travelling, visiting over a period of thirty years, most of the Islamic world as well as many non-Muslim lands in the three continents of Africa, Asia and Europe. His journeys including trips to North Africa, the Horn of Africa, West Africa, Southern Europe and Eastern Europe in the West, and to West Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia and China in the East, cover a total of 75,000 miles or 121,000 km, surpassing by threefold the travels of his near-contemporary Marco Polo of Venice. In Iraq, he visited the shrine in holy Najaf of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), and has related how people seek intercession with God through the First Infallible Successor of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) and are cured of their ailments. Ibn Battuta then travelled all over Iran, and after visiting the Byzantine Empire, Europe and Russia, he arrived in India, where he was appointed the Qazi of Delhi by Sultan Mohammad bin Tughlaq. On his return to his homeland Morocco, he also served as Qazi. He dictated to scribes the details of his travels in his book titled "ar-Rehla", and died at the age of 66.
490 solar years ago, on this day in 1525 AD, the Portuguese poet, Luis Vaz de Camoens, was born in Lisbon. His most important work is "The Lusiads”, which some compare to the renowned Iranian Poet Ferdowsi’s masterpiece "Shahnamah”. He died in 1580.
454 lunar years ago, on this day in 982 AH, the exegete of the Holy Qur’an, Mohammad Mostafa Imadi, popularly known as Abu’s-Saud passed away. Born in the vicinity of city of Istanbul, in western Turkey, he was fluent in Turkish, Persian, and Arabic. He also wrote poetry in both Persian and Arabic. He focused upon the social topics of his community, and wrote numerous books, including "Tafsir Abi’s-Saud”, "Du’a Namah”, and "Qanoun Namah”.
184 solar years ago, on this day in 1831 AD, the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, went into effect, as part of the US policy of ethnic cleansing of native Amerindians in Mississippi, and resulted in the seizure of 11 million acres of the lands of the Choctaw by the White settlers of European origin. It was first treaty in accordance with the Indian Removal Act passed by the Congress. The US is notorious for its ethnic discrimination, genocide, wars and massacres.
167 solar years ago, on this day in the year 1848 AD, King Louis Philippe of France was forced to abdicate and go into exile, three days after start of the Second French Revolution that led to proclamation of the Second Republic of France. In French history this ruling system is referred to the rule of journalists, because eleven republican journalists, led by the French poet and author, Alphonse de Lamartine, were part of the administration.
159 solar years ago, on this day in 1856 AD, Russian mathematician, Nikolay Ivanovich Lobachevsky, died at the age of 64. He served as Chancellor of Kazan University in Tataristan. He gained fame due to his researches and for rejection of the 5th principle of Euclidean geometry. He conducted extensive research on the features of spherical surfaces.
118 solar years ago, on this day in 1897 AD, Henri Frankfort, the Dutch-American archaeologist who established the relationship between Egypt and Mesopotamia, was born. He completed a thoroughly documented reconstruction of ancient Mesopotamian culture and art. The excavations he directed in Egypt (1922, 1925-29) and Iraq (1929-37) were conducted with exemplary archaeological scholarship.
98 solar years ago, on this day 1917 AD, during World War I, the US ambassador in London was given by British intelligence the decoded Zimmermann Telegram, in which Foreign Secretary of the German Empire, Arthur Zimmermann, had messaged to the German ambassador in Mexico, Heinrich von Eckardt, to persuade the government of Mexico to ally itself with Germany in case the US entered the war on the side of Britain. Germany pledged to ensure the return of New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, California and the entire southwest to Mexico that the US had seized in the 19th century. The proposal was intercepted and decoded by British intelligence. Revelation of the contents made the US openly declare war on Germany in April that year. Mexican President Venustiano Carranza assigned a military commission to assess the feasibility of liberation of the said territories from US occupation. The general concluded that it would not be possible for Mexico, which was in the midst of a revolution and far weaker militarily, economically and politically, to defeat the US.
82 solar years ago, on this day in 1933 AD, East African academic and political scientist, Professor Ali Mazrui, was born in Mombasa, Kenya. On completing higher education in Britain, he taught at the University of Uganda in Kampala, and after expulsion by the dictator Idi Amin, he settled in the US, where he taught as professor in several universities. An expert writer on African and Islamic studies as well as North-South relations, he was critical of African socialism and all strains of Marxism. He argued that communism was a Western import just as unsuited for the African condition as the earlier colonial attempts to install European type governments. At the same time he was a prominent critic of the current world order. He believed the capitalist system was deeply exploitative of Africa, and that the West practiced global apartheid. He opposed the West’s interventions in the developing world, such as the US war on Iraq, and was against the policies of the Zionist entity, Israel – one of the first to link the treatment of Palestinians with South Africa's apartheid. Mazrui was also a well known commentator on Islam and Islamism. He rejected violence and terrorism and praised the anti-imperialist sentiment that plays an important role in the modern world. He maintained that the dynamism of the sharia law is compatible with democracy. Mazrui wrote several books, including on his native Swahili language and culture. In October 2014, he died in New York , where he was Director of the Institute of Global Cultural Studies at Binghamton University. As per his will, his body was taken to his native Mombasa and buried in his ancestral graveyard according to Islamic rites.
66 solar years ago, on this day in 1949 AD, the first manmade rocket reached outer space. The two-stage rocket was launched from the White Sands Proving Grounds, New Mexico, US. It was the first to carry telemetry transmitting technical information to ground stations, including high-altitude temperature measurements. It reached a speed of 5,150 mph and an altitude of 244 miles.
57 solar years ago, on this day in 1968 AD, the discovery of a pulsar (a pulsating radio source) was announced. Pulsars prompted studies in quantum-degenerate fluids, relativistic gravity and interstellar magnetic fields.
(Courtesy: IRIB English Radio – http://english.irib.ir)