This Day in History (February 7)

Date: 06 February 2015 - 21:25

News ID: ۱۰۶۶۱

Today is Saturday; 18th of the Iranian month of Bahman 1393 solar hijri; corresponding to 17th of the Islamic month of Rabi as-Sani 1436 lunar hijri; and February 7, 2015, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.
1080 lunar years ago, on this day in 356 AH, Moez od-Dowla Abu’l-Hassan Ahmad ibn Buyeh Daylami, the founder of the Buwaiyhid Dynasty of Iran-Iraq-Oman, passed away in Baghdad after a 22-year reign, and was buried in the graveyard of the Quraish, adjacent to the holy shrine of Imam Musa al-Kazem (AS), the 7th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). In 334, after taking Baghdad and reducing to a mere figurehead al-Mustakfi, the 22nd self-styled caliphs of the usurper Abbasid regime (who a year later was deposed and replaced by al-Muti), he ruled as Amir al-Omara (Chief of the Nobles). For the first time he declared as public holidays the Day of Ghadeer (18th Zilhijja – the Prophet’s proclamation of Imam Ali [AS] as vicegerent on God’s commandment), and the Day of Ashura (10th Moharram – the tragic martyrdom of the Prophet’s grandson, Imam Husain [AS] in Karbala). He also ordered that on the walls of mosques and other main buildings of Iraq and Iran curses should be written against the Omayyad usurper Mu’awiyah ibn Abu Sufyan and other enemies of the Ahl al-Bayt. This practice was emulated in Aleppo and parts of Syria and what is now south-central Turkey by Sayf od-Dowla, the ruler of the Hamdanid Dynasty. Moez od-Dowla’s elder brother Ali who was in control of central and southern Iran was given the title of 'Emad od-Dowla", while the younger brother Hassan, who gained control of northern Iran, took the title of "Rokn od-Dowla". Buwaiyhid rule lasted over a century and was a period of great cultural revival and emergence of outstanding religious scholars, such as Sheikh Mufid, Seyyed Murtaza, Seyyed Radhi, Shaikh at-Tayefa Tusi, etc.
537 solar years ago, on this day in 1478 AD, Thomas More, English lawyer, social philosopher, author, and statesman, who coined the word "Utopia" in the novel of the same name, was born in London to the lawyer and judge, John More. He served as Councilor to King Henry VIII of England and was Lord Chancellor from 1529 to 1532. A bitter opponent of the Protestant Movement, he ridiculed the German Church reformer, Martin Luther, as a heretic in the book "Responsio ad Lutherum", in which he also opposed the English monarch's separation from the Catholic Church and refused to accept the king as Supreme Head of the Church of England. As a result, he was imprisoned in 1534, and the next year was tried for treason, convicted on perjured testimony, and beheaded. In 1516 he had published "Utopia", a name he gave to an ideal and imaginary island state, the political system of which contrasts the contentious social life of European states with the perfectly orderly, reasonable social arrangements. In "Utopia", with communal ownership of land, private property does not exist; men and women are educated alike; and there is almost complete religious toleration. Utopia tolerates different religious practices but does not tolerate atheists, since Thomas More believed that if a person did not believe in God or in afterlife he/she could never be trusted. He also coined the English phrase "grasp at straws" to mean "desperately trying even useless things", in his book "Dialogue of Comfort against Tribulation."
489 lunar years ago, on this day in 947 AH, India’s Persian language historian, Mullah Abdul-Qader Bada'uni, was born. He was a court chronicler and translator from Sanskrit into Persian for the Mughal Emperor, Jalal od-Din Akbar Shah. He translated the Hindu epics, "Ramayana” and "Mahabharata”, into Persian from Sanskrit. His famous work is the history in Persian titled "Muntakhab at-Tawarikh”.
325 lunar years ago, on this day in 1110 AH, the Ottoman Turkish fleet defeated the Venetian fleet in a battle in the Mediterranean near Italy, thus ensuring Muslim supremacy over sea routes.
290 solar years ago, on this day in 1725 AD, in Isfahan, Mahmoud Ghilzai Hotaki, the Afghan occupier of Iran, brutally slaughtered 39 family members of the deposed Safavid monarch, Shah Sultan Hussain, including 11 princes. Mahmoud who had seized control of the Persian Empire in 1722 went mad and was killed in April 1725 by his cousin, Ashraf, who now styled himself king, until he was defeated in battle four years later in 1729 by Nader Quli Afshar (later Nader Shah), the commander of the army of the last Safavid king, Shah Tampasp II. The 6-year Afghan occupation of Iran was a period of great chaos. To the Safavid Dynasty that ruled Iran and adjoining lands for two-and-a-quarter centuries, goes the credit of giving Iran religious identity, national solidarity, cultural affinity, territorial integrity, and sovereignty.
203 solar years ago, on this day in 1812 AD, the English author and novelist, Charles Dickens, was born. He was founder of the Realism Style in English literature. His books include "Oliver Twist" and "David Copperfield" which brought him world fame. Among his other famous novels, mention can be made of "Great Expectations" and "The Tale of Two Cities".
159 solar years ago, on this day in 1856 AD, the Muslim Kingdom of Awadh (the granary of northern India) was annexed by the British, who imprisoned its ruler Wajed Ali Shah, after a 9-year reign and exiled him to Calcutta, thereby ending the 124-year rule of the Naishapuri Dynasty established in 1722 by Seyyed Mohammad Amin Musavi Sa'adat Khan Burhan ul-Mulk of Khorasan, the Nawab-Wazir or prime minister of the Mughal Emperor, Mohammad Shah. Before its migration to India, the family, which was descended from Imam Musa Kazem (AS), the 7th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) had been settled in Naishapur by Shah Ismail I, the founder of the Safavid Dynasty of Iran. With the weakening of Mughal rule, the 7th ruler of Awadh, Ghazi od-Din Haider, crowned himself king of the region which is now part of the Uttar Pradesh and Utranachal Pradesh states of India. The dynasty followed the school of the Prophet's Ahl al-Bayt and adopted the Imami legal system of government that had been codified and successfully implemented for over 170 years in the Deccan (South India) by the Qutb Shahi Dynasty of Iranian origin of Golkandah-Haiderabad. The result was the spread of teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt and the emergence of outstanding ulema, writing in Arabic, Persian, and later Urdu – such as Ayatollah Dildaar Ali Naseerabadi and the celebrated Mir Hamed Hussain Musavi, the author of "Abaqaat al-Anwaar". With their capital, first in Faizabad and then in Lucknow, the rulers of Awadh gave distinct flavour to Indian Muslim culture, dress, arts, literature, cuisine, and the mourning ceremonies for the Martyrs of Karbala by building majestic Hussainiyyas, such as the Asefia Imambara. They also contributed to development projects in the holy cities of Najaf, Karbala and Kazemayn in Iraq. Wajed Ali Shah, during the 31 more years he was alive in exile, transformed the vast 4-mile long Matiaborj area on the River Hooghly near Calcutta into a mini Lucknow, building a grand Hussainiyya and spending lavishly to recreate the pomp and splendour of his opulent days of kingship.
121 solar years ago, on this day in 1894 AD, the Belgian musician, Adolphe Sax, died at the age of 80. He was the son of a seller of musical instruments and invented the Saxaphone.
102 lunar years ago, on this day in 1334 AH, the renowned Islamic scholar, Grand Ayatollah Sheikh Mohammad Ali Nakhchivani, passed away in the holy city of Karbala in Iraq. A student of Ayatollah Fazel Iravani, he was from the Iranian region of Nakhchivan – presently in the Republic of Azerbaijan – and was Source of Emulation for Muslims of Caucasus and Azarbaijan. A master of logic and Arabic literature, wrote numerous books including "Ijtema al-Amr”
41 solar years ago, on this day in 1974 AD, the small island-state of Grenada in the Caribbean Sea gained independence from Britain. The first Europeans to occupy it were the Spanish under Christopher Colombus in 1498. In 1674 it was seized by the French, and over a century later in 1783 it fell to the British. In 1979, five years after independence, Maurice Bishop formed a socialist government and established close relations with Cuba. In 1982, Grenada was attacked and occupied by the US, which brutally killed Bishop. It is now ruled by a US client regime.
36 solar years ago, on this day in 1979 AD, people of various walks of life thronged the residence of the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), to pledge allegiance to him. The same day officers of the armed forces also came to the Beloved Leader, and in a moving ceremony hailed him as the "Saviour of Iran” by reciting a rhythmical anthem in his praise. In his speech to the audience the Imam insisted that the fugitive Shah be brought to justice, and once again called on Prime Minister Shapour Bahktiar to resign.
16 solar years ago, on this day in 1999 AD, King Hussein of the British created state called Jordan died at the age of 64 after a rule of 47 years. Son of Talal, who was deposed by Britain on grounds of insanity, a year after succeeding his assassinated father, Abdullah Ibn Sharif Hussein of Hijaz, he was known as the CIA king for his loyalty to London and Washington. Though claiming descent from Prophet Mohammad’s cousin and divinely-decreed vicegerent, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), he was in secret league with the illegal Zionist entity Israel, and was a staunch opponent of the followers of the Ahl al-Bayt, as was evident by his support for the bloodthirsty Ba'thist dictator Saddam during the 8-year war against the Islamic Republic of Iran (1980-88) and the brutal suppression of Iraq's Shi'ite Arab majority in 1991. He son Abdullah – by a British Christian woman – succeeded him.
9 solar years ago, on this day in 2006 AD, Iranian newspaper Hamshahri announced it would hold a competition for cartoons on the alleged Holocaust to test whether the West extends the principle of freedom of expression to this doubtful incidence, as it did to the insulting caricatures it attributed to the Almighty’s Last and Greatest Messenger, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).
(Courtesy: IRIB English Radio – http://english.irib.ir)