This Day in History (April 20)

Date: 19 April 2016 - 23:10

News ID: ۲۵۷۸۵

Today is Wednesday; 1st of the Iranian month of Ordibehesht 1395 solar hijri; corresponding to 12th of the Islamic month of Rajab 1437 lunar hijri; and April 20, 2016, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.
1405 lunar years ago, on this day in 32 AH, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttaleb, the paternal uncle of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), passed away in Medina at almost 90 years of age and was laid to rest in the sacred Baqie Cemetery by his worthy son, Abdullah, the hadith narrator and exegete of the holy Qur’an, who was a disciple of Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS). Abbas, who had become a rich merchant in the days of ignorance, did not openly profess Islam in Mecca, but it is said that he stood beside his nephew when a group from Medina came to the Prophet for the secret allegiance of Aqaba. He was forced by the pagan Arabs to accompany them to the Battle of Badr in which he was captured by the Muslims and allowed to ransom himself and return to Mecca. Shortly before the peaceful takeover of Mecca by the Prophet, he disassociated from the Meccans and submitted to the Muslims, some twenty year after his wife, "Omm al-Fazl Lubaba bint al-Hareth had accepted Islam, claiming to be second woman to do so. Thereafter he accompanied the Prophet, like other members of the Hashemite clan in various endeavours. Abbas knew that after the passing away of the Prophet, his other nephew, Imam Ali (AS), was the divinely-decreed leader of mankind as was evident by the historic declaration at Ghadeer-Khom. Unfortunately, some of his descendants in blind pursuit of the material world, turned away from the truth, usurped political power by deceiving the Muslims, wrongly called themselves caliphs, and indulged in the persecution of the Prophet’s progeny, to the extent that six of the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt were martyred through poisoning by the Abbasids.
1231 lunar years ago, on this day in 206 AH, the narrator of hadith and historical events, Abu Hudhayfa, passed away. Among his important compilations, mention could be made of "al-Mubtada” on the creation of mankind and the biography of prophets. He has also narrated from Imam Ja’far Sadeq (AS), the account of Prophet Mohammad’s Me’raj or ascension to the ethereal heavens and back in a fraction of the night.
1114 solar years ago, on this day in 902 AD, Amr ibn Layth, the second ruler of the Saffarid Dynasty of Iran, was executed in Baghdad after a reign of 22 years, by the self-styled caliph, Mu’tamid, on falling victim to the Abbasid bait to militarily confront the powerful fellow Iranian Samanid Dynasty of Central Asia and suffering defeat, capture, and handover to the caliph. He started life as a mule-driver and a mason, and when his elder brother, the coppersmith Ya’qoub ibn Layth, embarked on a military career, he fought alongside him. In 875 he became governor of the Khorasani city of Herat (currently in Afghanistan). When Ya’qoub died in Fars in 879 after his abortive invasion of Iraq, Amr managed to become the next Saffarid ruler and immediately made peace with the Abbasids. In 898, he was deceitfully declared as governor of Transoxiana, which was ruled by the Samanids. Mu’tamid enticed Amr to confront the Samanids, but was crushingly defeated and captured. The Samanid ruler, Isma’il ibn Ahmad, sent him in chains to Baghdad, where he was executed in 902.
858 lunar years ago, on this day in 479AH, Spanish Muslims led by Yusuf bin Tashfin defeated Spanish Christians under command of Alphonse VI in the glorious battle of "az-Zalaqa". This decisive battle halted for over two-and-a-half centuries the bid by the Christian powers to drive out Spanish Muslim from the Iberian Peninsula.
619 solar years ago, on this day in 1397 AD, Mahmud I, the 5th king of the Bahmani kingdom of Iranian origin of the Deccan (or southern India) died in his capital Gulbarga after a reign of 19 years. His son Ghiyas od-Din succeeded him, but was blinded and imprisoned by the Turkish slave Lalchin Khan, who placed the younger brother, Shams od-Din on the throne. Five months later, Lalchin and his puppet were deposed by Mahmoud Shah’s cousin Taj od-Din Firouz Shah, the greatest ruler of the dynasty who reigned for 25 years. The Bahmanis patronized and promoted Persian language and poetry, as well as Iranian art, culture, and architecture in the Deccan by inviting from Iran thousands of qualified persons in various fields. The famous Iranian poet Hafez Shirazi was also invited, but changed his mind midway through the journey, sending an excellent piece of poetry to the Bahmani court. The famous Gnostic of Kerman, Shah Ne’matollah Wali, was also requested to come to the Deccan, and instead sent his grandson and later son, who preached the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt in the Bahmani kingdom.
247 solar years ago, on this day in 1769 AD, the Amerindian chief of Ottawa, Obwandiyag or Pontiac, as he was called by the British, against whom he resisted, was assassinated. He struggle against British military occupation of the Great Lakes region began in the May 1763 when Pontiac and followers attempted to take Fort Detroit. In July 1763, he defeated a British detachment at the Battle of Bloody Run, but was unable to capture Detroit. In October he lifted the siege and withdrew to the Illinois Country. The British resorted to diplomacy and as the talks prolonged his influence grew, until he was treacherously killed.
228 lunar years ago, on this day in 1209 AH, Lotf Ali Khan, the last ruler of the Zand Dynasty of Iran, died under torture in prison in Tehran at the age of 25, three years after he was captured through deceit and bribing of the governor of Bam by Agha Mohammad Khan the founder of the Qajarid Dynasty. He was buried in the mausoleum of the Prophet’s descendant, Imamzadah Zaid, near the Tehran Grand Bazaar. An extremely handsome and gallant person, he was an accomplished swordsman who fought for two hours and killed several of his opponents until overpowered. Lotf Ali Khan ruled Iran for five years from his capital Shiraz, and had almost won his last battle against his mortal enemy, Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar, who was put to flight. A tactical error and betrayal by his subordinates cost him the throne and his life. The extremely cruel Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar had him blinded and castrated, and also castrated his minor sons. A few months later, Agha Mohammad Khan was assassinated in Qarabagh, Caucasus. Founded by Karim Khan, a general of Nader Shah Afshar, the Zand dynasty lasted for 45 years, and at its peak held sway over almost all of Iran, along with Basra and parts of the Caucasus, except for Greater Khorasan. To legitimize his rule, Karim Khan had placed the Safavid prince, Ismail III, as a figurehead, and never took the title of Shah, contenting himself with the honourary epithet "Wakil ar-Re’aya” (Representative of the People). He based his administration on social justice, and to this day he has the reputation as one of the most able rulers in Iranian history.
127 solar years ago, on this day in 1889 AD, Nazi dictator, Adolf Hitler, was born in Braunau am Inn, a town in Austria-Hungary (in present day Austria), close to the border with the German Empire. His father was the illegitimate son of a Jew. He joined the German army in World War I and after the war, resentful of the humiliating defeat, founded the Nazi Party by blending his socialist and radical nationalistic views. He was imprisoned for eight months in 1923 for attempts to stage a coup, during which he wrote his book "Mein Kemp” (My Struggle), to introduce his political beliefs. Shortly after release he became German chancellor and a year later the German president. Thereafter, through the dreaded Gestapo, he suppressed his opponents and heavily militarized Germany as part of his plan to avenge the defeat in World War 1. In 1939 he started World War 2 with the goal of conquering all of Europe and if possible the world, by forging alliances with Fascist Italy and Imperial Japan. After initial victories all over Europe, the German Nazi forces were pushed back and finally defeated in 1945. Hitler committed suicide in a bunker in the German capital, Berlin, when the Allied forces converged from all sides for the final assault upon him to end World War 2.
127 lunar years ago, on this day in 1110 AH, Omani sailors who dominated Zanzibar and the eastern coast of Africa defeated the Portuguese in the sea Battle of Mombasa, off the coast of what is now Kenya.
65 solar years ago, on this day in the year 1951 AD, the celebrated Iranian poet and author, Mirza Mohammad Taqi Bahar, titled "Malek osh-Sho’ara” (Poet Laureate), passed away at the age of 64. Born in the holy city of Mashhad, he displayed his sublime talent in writing poems as of a young age. To enhance his knowledge of Persian and Arabic, he attended the classes of the classical poet and scholar, Adib Naishapouri. Bahar who started his studies in an Islamic seminary, knew by heart a good portion of the holy Qur'an at a very early age. At seven he read the "Shahnamah” and grasped the meaning of Ferdowsi's epic poems, and at 8, he composed his first poem, choosing the penname "Bahar” (spring). At 14, he was fluent in Arabic and soon mastered French. At the onset of the Constitutional Movement, he resigned his court position of Poet Laureate and joined the revolutionaries. He clandestinely published the newspaper "Khorasan” in collaboration with Hussein Ardebili, and the journals "Nou-Bahar” (New Spring), and "Tazeh-Bahar” (Fresh Spring), in collaboration with his cousin Sheikh Ahmad. He wrote articles exhorting readers to strive to bring about a parliamentary system of government. After victory of the Constitutionalists, he was elected as Member of Parliament for successive terms. When Reza Khan Pahlavi seized power with British help, he was imprisoned and exiled. Following release in 1934, he served as Professor of Persian Literature at the newly founded Tehran University, where he dedicated most of his time to writing and editing books on Persian Literature and History. In 1945, he served for a short period as Minister of Culture and Education. Notable amongst the works written and edited by Bahar are: "Tarikh-e Sistan” (History of Sistan), "Tarikh-e Mokhtasar-e Ahzaab-e Siyasi” (A Concise History of Political Parties), "Jawame' ul-Hikayaat” (Anthology of Stories), and two volumes of verse, consisting of his own poems.
36 solar years ago, on this day in 1980 AD, Iranian poet and painter, Sohrab Sepehri, died at the age of 52. Born in Kashan, he is considered as one of the five famous Persian poets of the new style known as "Modern Poetry" (without meter or rhyme). His paintings were exhibited in Iran and abroad and won prizes.
19 solar years ago, on this day in 1997 AD, Ayatollah Mirza Ali Gharavi Alyari Tabrizi, passed away in his hometown Tabriz at the age of 96 and was laid to rest in Qom in the holy mausoleum of Hazrat Ma’soumah (peace upon her). A product of the seminary of holy Najaf in Iraq, he attained ijtehad and was an expert in jurisprudence, ethics, theology, gnosis, and philosophy. On his return to Iran, he taught for 65 years at the Tabriz seminary and wrote several books, including a commentary in 15 volumes on "al-Orwat-al-Wosqa”.
6 solar years ago, on this day in the year 2010 AD, an explosion in the Deepwater Horizon oil platform of the British Petroleum Company, led to leakage of oil in the Gulf of Mexico off the US coast on a huge scale. The blast killed 11 workers and the huge volume of the oil which gushed out of this oil platform amounted to more than four million barrels, damaging the fishing industry in the Gulf of Mexico and killing a large number of aquatics. After five months, the well could be capped. British Petroleum was ordered by the court to compensate the damages and forced to pay almost $20bn.
Ordibehesht First is commemorated every year in the Islamic Republic of Iran as National Day for the celebrated Persian poet and mystic, Shaikh Mosleh od-Din Sa’di of Shiraz, who was born in 606 AH and died in 691 AH. He travelled widely and his mausoleum in his hometown Shiraz is a popular site for visitors. He was a master of both Persian prose and poetry, and his works such as "Golestan”, "Bostan”, Nasihat al-Molouk” (or Advice to Kings), and an Anthology of Poems.
(Courtesy: IRIB English Radio – http://parstoday.com/en)