This Day in History (February 14)

Date: 13 February 2018 - 20:52

News ID: ۵۰۰۶۲

Today is Wednesday; 25th of the Iranian month of Bahman 1396 solar hijri; corresponding to 27th of the Islamic month of Jamadi al-Awwal 1439 lunar hijri; and February 14, 2018, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.
1483 lunar years ago, on this day in 45 years before Hijra, Abdul-Muttaleb, the paternal grandfather of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), passed away in Mecca and was laid to rest in the Jannat al-Mu’allah Cemetery – unfortunately desecrated and destroyed by Wahhabi heretics 93 years ago in 1925 when the Godless Aal-e-Saud clan occupied Islam’s holiest city. His father was the monotheist Hashem, a direct descendant of the Prophet Abraham’s (AS) firstborn son, Prophet Ishmael (AS), while his mother was Salmah bint Amr of the Khazraj clan of Yathreb – which was to become known as Medinat an-Nabi or simply Medina, following the migration to that city of his grandson the Prophet. Named Shaibah by his mother, he was brought to Medina by his uncle Muttaleb, following the death of his father Hashem. When the people of Mecca saw Shaibah with his uncle, they thought he was his slave, and called him Abdul Muttaleb, which means slave of Muttaleb. Although Muttaleb tried to explain that the boy was his nephew, the name stuck. Muttaleb continued to manage his brother Hashem's duties until Abdul Muttaleb was old enough to take over. Abdul Muttaleb took over the duties of Saqaya and Rifada when his uncle Muttaleb died. He had many good qualities and made many changes to the lives and habits of the Quraish. In the year known as Aam al-Feel or Year of the Elephant in which his grandson the Prophet of Islam was to be born, a miraculous incident happened, when Abraha, the governor of Abyssinian-occupied Yemen, riding an elephant, marched upon Mecca to raze down the holy Ka’ba and in the process his soldiers seized the camel-herd of Abdul Muttaleb, who boldly approached the invader and demanded the return of his camels. When Abraha mockingly asked him as to why he is not requesting that the Ka’ba should be spared, Abdul Muttaleb said: I am the owner of camels, while the Ka’ba has its own Owner. No sooner did the elephantine army of Abraha tried to storm the city, a swarm of tiny birds appeared overhead by the command of God Almighty, raining death upon men and beasts by dropping pebbles upon them and reducing them to resemble chewed straw, as Surah al-Feel of the holy Qur’an states. To Abdul-Muttaleb goes the credit of having a divinely-inspired dream that led to the rediscovery and unearthing of the spring of Zamzam which God Almighty had caused to burst from under the feet of a thirsty little Ishmael, as his mother Hajar, frantically ran between the hillocks of Safa and Marwa, trying to find water for her seemingly dying son. When grandson Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) was born and the infant soon became orphan with the death of his father Abdullah, the doting grandfather Abdul-Muttaleb took care of the boy until his own death 8 years later, but before breathing his last, gave custody of the child to his other son, the monotheist Imran Abul Taleb – the guardian of both his nephew and the creed of Islam in Mecca. Abdul-Muttaleb’s another son was the valiant Hamzah, who was also a devout Muslim and achieved martyrdom in the Battle of Ohad, which the pagan Arabs imposed upon the Prophet.
1270 solar years ago, on this day in 748 AD, after years of secret networks and simmering discontent, the Hashemiyya Movement came to surface as the Iranian warlord Vehzaadaan-Pour Vandaad Hormoz, known as Abu Muslim Khorasani, drove out the battle-hardened governor, Nasr ibn Sayyar, to capture Marv, capital of the Omayyad province of Khorasan, marking the consolidation of the Abbasid revolt. With the slogan of restoring to the most worthy descendent of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), the rule of the vast Islamic realm – stretching from Spain in the west till the borders of China and India in the east – the Abbasids attracted the support of both Arabs and Persians to the movement to overthrow the Godless Omayyad regime. Marv, founded in the 6th century BC by Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid Empire, became a base for spread of the movement in Khorasan and Transoxiana that resulted in a string of defeats for the Omayyads in Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Egypt, and led to the emergence in 750 of a new dynasty of usurpers. The Abbasids, who claimed descent from the Prophet’s uncle Abbas, exploited the sentiments of the Muslim masses to deprive the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt of their divinely-decreed right of political leadership. Abu Muslim, who ordered his partisans to don black clothes (hence Siyah-Jamegaan) and deceitfully named all males born that year in Khorasan as "Yayha” in memory of the 4th Infallible Imam’s grandson, Yahya ibn Zaid, who was martyred in Jowzajan in 742 by the Omayyads, managed to absorb the followers of the Ahl al-Bayt, whom he eventually betrayed by endorsing the caliphate of Abbas as-Saffah (Bloodshedder) in Kufa, rather than pledge allegiance to the Prophet’s 6th Infallible Heir, Imam Ja’far as-Sadeq (AS) in Medina. Abu Muslim continued to rule Marv and Khorasan as a semi-independent ruler until he paid the price with his life of having supported the Abbasid usurpers. In 755, at the age of 55, when he went to Iraq to meet the 2nd self-styled caliph, Mansur Dawaniqi in Mada’en (Ctesiphon the former Parthian & Sassanid capital), the latter accusing him of heresy in spite of being reminded of his key role in placing the Abbasids in power, was killed and his body thrown into the River Tigris. Throughout the Abbasid era, Marv remained the capital and most important city of Khorasan. From 813 to 818, it was effectively made capital of the Muslim world by Mamoun, the 7th self-styled Abbasid caliph, who forced the Prophet’s 8th Infallible Heir, Imam Reza (AS) to come to Marv from Medina, and after declaring him heir-apparent against his will, martyred him through poisoning in Tous (Mashhad). Marv, which for over two millenniums was an integral part of Iran, was seized in 1785 by Shah Murad the Emir of Bukhara, and is presently part of the Republic of Turkmenistan.
989 lunar years ago, on this day in 450 AH, Abu'l-Abbas Ahmad ibn Ali an-Najashi, passed away in Matirabad near the city of Samarra in Iraq at the age of 78. He is considered the earliest and among the most authentic Shi'ite Muslim scholars of "Ilm ar-Rijaal” (literally, "Knowledge of Men"; it refers to a discipline of Islamic religious science in which the narrators of hadith are evaluated). His book "Rijaal an-Najashi” has been the most reliable source of information about early ulema and scholars of the School of the Ahl al-Bayt of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), and paved the way for later generations to further explore this vital field. Najashi was a student of the celebrated Shaikh Mufid and other prominent scholars, while his father, Ali ibn Ahmad, had studied under the famous Iranian scholar, Shaikh Sadouq, when the latter visited Baghdad. Born with an inquisitive mind that enabled him to embark on a scrutiny of sources and narrators, Najashi belonged to a family of eminent scholars. His seventh ancestor, Abdullah an-Najashi, the governor of Ahvaz and Fars during the reign of Mansour Dawaniqi, the 2nd self-styled caliph of the usurper Abbasid regime, was a student of Imam Ja'far Sadeq (AS), the 6th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). He compiled the Imam's answers to his queries under the title "Risalat-Abdullah an-Najashi”.
669 solar years ago, on this day in 1349 AD, over a thousand Jews were publicly burned to death by Christian mobs while the remainder of their population was forcibly driven away from the German city of Strasbourg, as part of the pogroms, the Church used to frequently conduct against the followers of Judaism in Europe, at a time when Jews living in Islamic lands enjoyed all the freedom and privileges of Muslims, even rising to the post of ministers. The massacre followed the deadly bubonic plague of 1348 which was blamed on the presence of Jews in Christian lands. The practices and behaviour of the Jews was also partly responsible for such massacres, because the Jews played the role of money-lenders and manipulated the economy, which brought about serious problems. European chroniclers report that the Jews were arrogant and unwilling to grant anyone else precedence. Those dealing with them could hardly come to an agreement with them. The Jews’ intransigence, coupled with their slandering of Prophet Jesus and his Virgin mother, Mary (peace upon them), were the reason for their frequent massacres by Christians. Until the start of the 18th century, Jews were forbidden to remain in town after 10 pm in any European country, and heavy taxes were levied on them, including a special tax for any horse that a Jew would ride or bring into the city.
535 solar years ago, on this day in 1483 AD, the founder of the Moghal Dynasty of South Asia, Zaheer od-Din Babar, was born in Andijan in the Ferghana Valley in what is now Uzbekistan. Son of the local ruler, Omar Sheikh – a great-grandson of the Central Asian conqueror, Amir Timur – he was on his mother's side a grandson of Yunus Khan, the ruler of Moghulistan and thus a direct descendent of the fearsome Genghis Khan. Like the rest of the Timurids, Babar had embraced Persian language and culture, although his mother tongue was Chaghatai Turkic. In his obsession to take control of Samarqand he lost Ferghana as well to Obaidullah Khan Shaibani Khan, the ruler of the Uzbeks, who were newcomers to the region and were fast displacing the local Tajiks (or Persian speakers). He accepted Shah Ismail I, the founder of the Safavid Empire of Iran, as suzerain, after rejecting demands from the Ottoman Sultan to acknowledge him as overlord. This alliance enabled him to chalk out an independent kingdom in Kabul, which he used as a base to recapture Samarqand with Safavid help, but soon lost it. Later with his combined Tajik and Turkic military, he conquered the northern parts of the Subcontinent by defeating the Afghan king, Ibrahim Lodhi of Delhi at the Battle of Panipat in 1526 and then routing the huge Rajput-Afghan joint army of Rana Sanga in 1527 to establish the Moghal Empire. He was a poet in both Persian and his Turkic, and was a devotee of the Ahl al-Bayt of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).
261 lunar years ago, on this day in 1178 AH, the Hadith scholar, Abdul-Karim Ibn Ahmad al-Halabi, passed away. He was from Aleppo as his surname suggests, and though he went blind, he wasn’t demoralized and remained a prominent scholar. He has left behind numerous compilations, including "Ad’iyat as-Safar” or supplications to God for safety while on journey.
239 solar years ago, on this day in 1779 AD, Captain James Cook, who is supposed to have discovered Australia, was killed by Hawaiians near Kealakekua on Hawaii Island at the age of 50 for his arrogant colonialist intentions. He spent several years surveying the coasts of Labrador and Newfoundland. He made three expeditions to the Pacific on supposedly scientific trips that were a cover for forcing islands to submit to Britain’s colonial rule.
80 solar years ago, on this day in 1938 AD, illegal Zionist migrants from Europe, who formed the Palmach terrorist outfit in British-ruled Palestine, stormed the Palestinian village of Sa'sa, and for two days indulged in the massacre of men, women, and children, killing over 60 Muslims, as part of their ethnic cleansing campaign to create the illegitimate state of Israel.
73 solar years ago, on this day in 1945 AD, Britain and the US jointly conducted the deadliest bombardment of World War 2 by using a total of 1,773 aircraft to flatten German cities and towns. For three continuous days bombs were rained on population centres, turning them into rubble and killing at least 250,000 men, women and children.
55 solar years ago, on this day in 1963 AD, English surgeon, Martin Scott successfully carried out for the first time a kidney transplant at a hospital in Leeds.
30 solar years ago, on this day in 1988 AD, Kuwait’s leading Shi’a Muslim religious leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Abbas Musawi al-Mohri, passed away in Tehran at the age of 73. Born in Fars Province, after completing his religious education in holy Najaf, Iraq, he was invited to Kuwait by the people of that tiny Persian Gulf Sheikhdom, and soon became a naturalized citizen. As a staunch follower of the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), his house in Kuwait served as the link between Najaf and the outside world, especially Iran, for broadcast of the latter’s speeches and announcements. An eloquent orator himself, he awakened the Kuwaiti people through his lectures and religious discourses. He wrote several works including "Shu’a min at-Tarikh” (Ray of History). Within a year of the establishment of the Islamic Republic in Iran, Ayatollah Abbas al-Mohri was expelled to Tehran by the Kuwaiti regime. His eldest son, Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Baqer Musawi al-Mohri, who was a respected scholar in Kuwait, passed away in that sheikhdom, two years ago. His second son, Ayatollah Seyyed Murtaza Musawi al-Mohri, is still active in Kuwait.
29 solar years ago, on this day in 1989 AD, the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), issued the historic death verdict against the Indian-born British apostate, Salman Rushdie, for writing the blasphemous book 'The Satanic Verses', days after the devilish novel drew Muslim blood in India and Pakistan. Rushdie, who was commissioned by the Zionists and certain western regimes for writing this sacrilegious book to insult Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), Prophet Abraham (AS), and the sanctities of Islam, has been hiding ever since under protection of Britain to escape execution. World Muslims and all conscientious people hailed the Imam's dynamic fatwa, while the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) endorsed it. As per divine laws the Late Imam's fatwa is irrevocable since it concerns an unrepentant apostate born of Muslim parents.
13 solar years ago, on this day in 2005 AD, former Lebanese Premier, Rafiq Hariri, was assassinated by Israeli agents in a bomb blast in Beirut. The US and its proxies in Lebanon by setting up a Kangaroo tribunal under the UN, first tried to put the blame on Syria, and then on the legendry anti-terrorist movement, the Hezbollah, but to no avail, since all documented evidence points in the direction of the Zionist entity.
7 solar years ago, on this day in 2011 AD, as part of the Islamic Awakening, the people of the Persian Gulf island state of Bahrain launched their peaceful uprising against the repressive Aal-e Khalifa minority regime, through a series of mass demonstrations in the capital Manama, calling it the "Day of Rage”. The people’s demand for democratic changes, including end of discrimination against the long-suppressed Shi’ite Muslim majority, was met with teargas and bullets. The first martyr of the peaceful uprising this day was 21-year old Abdul-Hadi Saleh Ja’far Mushaima. The "Maidan Lu’lu” (Pearl Square) soon became the site of peaceful mass protests that were savagely attacked by the regime with the help of Saudi Arabian soldiers who desecrate mosques and Hussainiyahs, and burn copies of the holy Qur’an.
6 solar years ago, on this day in 2012 AD, US filmmaker Sean Christopher Stone embraced the truth of Islam in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and added "Ali” to his name in honour of Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), the dear cousin, son-in-law and divinely-decreed heir of the Almighty’s Last Messenger to all mankind, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). Son of the famous film director, Oliver Stone, he told a news conference, following his conversion: "It's a mistake to believe that Islam is antagonistic towards Judaism and Christianity. What we need is to understand each other's beliefs and to establish dialogue. The most important thing is I hope I can help Americans to understand the true nature of Islam. I feel good when I enter a mosque. I believe there is only one God.”
He is currently making a documentary focusing on Jinns or genie – a species of semi intelligent shadowy beings created of fire, unlike the human being whose essence is of clay.
5 solar years ago, Azizollah Joweini, prominent Persian language scholar and an authority on the classical Iranian poet, Abu’l-Qasem Ferdowi’s epic "Shahnameh” and its various manuscripts, passed away in Tehran at the of 87. Born in Isfaraen, he devoted his life to literary pursuits writing and editing some 80 books and articles on Persian and Arabic masterpieces, especially the "Shahnameh”.
(Courtesy: IRIB English Radio – http://parstoday.com/en)