This Day in History (March 12)

Date: 11 March 2018 - 21:26

News ID: ۵۱۰۳۱

Today is Monday; 21st of the Iranian month of Esfand 1396 solar hijri; corresponding to 23rd of the Islamic month of Jamadi as-Sani 1439 lunar hijri; and March 12, 2018, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.
1232 lunar years ago, on this day in 207 AH, Taher ibn Hussain, the Iranian general of the Abbasid regime, also known as "Dhu'l-Yaminayn”  (The Ambidextrous), and "al-A’waar” (The One-Eyed"), was poisoned to death on the orders of the self-styled Abbasid caliph, Mamoun, shortly after he had omitted the caliph’s name from the Friday Prayer sermons and declared the independence of Greater Khorasan – covering what is now western Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kirghizstan, parts of Turkmenistan, and most of Uzbekistan. Born in Pushang, a village near Herat, he rose into prominence during the rule of Haroun and after him served the cause of Mamoun for the caliphate against the rule of Amin in Baghdad. In the decisive Battle of Rayy he scored a surprise victory over the formidable army of Ali ibn Isa ibn Mahan, and after killing him, led the armies into Iraq to defeat and kill Amin and proclaim Mamoun as the sole caliph. He is considered the founder of the short-lived Taherid dynasty of Khorasan that was overthrown by the Saffarids, who were also Iranians.
809 solar years ago, on this day in 1209 AD, Iranian poet, Jamal od-Din Ilyas ibn Yusuf ibn Zaki, known as "Nizami Ganjavi”, passed away at the age of 68 in his hometown, the Iranian city of Ganja – currently in the Republic of Azerbaijan. He is considered the greatest panegyric poet of Persian language who brought a realistic style to the Persian epic. His heritage is widely shared by Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Subcontinent. Often referred to as "Hakeem” or "the Sage", Nizami’s poems show that not only he was fully acquainted with Arabic and Persian literatures and with the oral and written popular and local traditions, but was also familiar with such diverse fields as mathematics, astronomy, astrology, alchemy, medicine, botany, Qur'anic exegesis, Islamic law, Iranian myths, history, ethics, philosophy, music, and the visual arts. Nizami is best known for his five long "Mathnavis” (narrative poems), which are in double-rhymed verses. Known as "Panj Ganj” (Five Treasures) or "Khamsa-e Nizami”, the first of this is "Makhzan al-Asrar” (Storehouse of Mysteries), which was influenced by Sana’i of Ghazna's monumental "Hadiqat al-Haqiqa” (Garden of Truth). The other four are romances, like "Khosrow va Shirin”, "Layla va Majnoun”, "Bahram-Nameh or "Haft-Paykar” and "Iskhandar-Nameh” (on Alexander the Macedonian)”. The "Khamsa” was a popular subject for lavish manuscripts illustrated with painted miniatures at the Persian and Moghal courts in later centuries. Examples include the "Khamsa” of Nizami created for India's Moghal Emperor Jalal od-Din Akbar in the 1590s. The legacy of Nizami is widely felt in the Islamic world, and besides Persian, his poetry has influenced the development of Arabic, Turkish, Kurdish and Urdu poetry amongst many other languages. Amongst the many notable Persian poets who have taken the "Khamsa” of Nizami as their model, mention may be made of Amir Khosrow Dehlavi, Khajui Kermani, Abdur-Rahman Jami of Herat, Mir Mohammad Amin "Rouh al-Amin” Shahristani of the Safavid and Qutbshahi courts, and Abdul Qader Bidel Dehlavi.
763 lunar years ago, on this day in 676 AH, the great Islamic scholar and researcher, Shaikh Abu'l-Qasim Ja'far bin Hasan al-Hilli, who has earned lasting fame as Muhaqqiq Hilli, passed away. He was maternal uncle of the immortal scholar Allamah Hilli as well as his tutor. He wrote several books on Fiqh. The most important among them are: "ash-Shara'e”, "Ma'arij, Mu'tabar”, "al-Mukhtasar an-Naf'e” etc. Muhaqqiq Hilli was a student of the students of great scholars such as Ibn Idris Hilli. He is acknowledged as the greatest amongst the Fuqaha, and whenever the term "Muhaqqiq" (Reserarcher) is used, it refers to him alone. The great philosopher and mathematician, Khwajah Naseer odDin Tousi speaks highly of Muhaqqiq whom he met in Hilla, and attended his classes of Fiqh. Muhaqqiq Hilli's book "ash-Shara’e" is still a part of curriculum in most Islamic seminaries today in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Bahrain, India, and Pakistan.
468 solar years ago, on this day in 1550 AD, Spanish invaders, armed with swords and firearms and mounted on horses, massacred over 4,000 Mapuche Amerindian natives in the Battle of Penco during the Arauco War in what is now Chile. The Spanish went on to destroy seven flourishing cities of the natives. The Arauco War sporadically continued for two centuries during which the Mapuche safeguarded their independence in the mountainous areas with the Bio Bio River being the border between them and the European settlers. In 1883, the Araucanيa independent region was occupied by the government of Chile.
407 solar years ago, on this day in 1611 AD, Emperor Noor od-Din Jahangir of Hindustan (northern Subcontinent) granted a "farman” or royal order permitting the English to establish factories at Surat, Gogha, Ahmadabad, and Cambay in Gujarat on the western coast. Surat thus became the first established settlement in India of the crafty English, who with the weakening of the Mughal Empire in the second half of the 18th century gradually extended their control over the whole of the Subcontinent.
209 solar years ago, on this day in 1809 AD, Britain signed a treaty with Iran forcing the French out of the country. Franco-Iranian relations had cautiously grown over the past two centuries, following the Safavid Emperor Shah Abbas the Great’s sending of a trade delegation to Paris. France’s reaction was slow because of its excellent ties with the Ottoman Empire. After the French Revolution and rise of Napoleon Bonaparte and his invasion of Ottoman-ruled Egypt and Syria, Franco-Iranian ties were formally established as a counterweight to their common enemy, Czarist Russia. Napoleon’s main intention was a passage to India for French troops to join Fath Ali Khan Tipu Sultan of Mysore to drive out the British from the Subcontinent. However, once Napoleon cultivated friendly ties with Russia, and Tipu Sultan was overthrown by the British, he gave cold shoulder to the agreement with Iran during the Czarist encroachments in the Caucasus. Frustrated by France's empty promises, Fath Ali Shah Qajar invited the British and a treaty was signed that stipulated expulsion of the French from Iran. Now it was the turn of the British to double-cross the Shah. The treaty required Iran to renounce any previous treaties with any European power and to prevent the army of any European power from marching through its territory to India, while Britain promised military aid and subsidies if Iran was attacked by any European power. Iran was once more betrayed. When Iran invoked the provision requiring the British to provide aid in the event of an attack, during the Russian invasion in 1826, Britain refused to honour it.
164 solar years ago, on this day in 1854 AD, the Treaty of Constantinople was concluded between France, Britain, and the Ottoman Empire in the Turkish capital, Istanbul. The three powers formed a coalition against Russian expansion, and defeated the Czarist armies in the Crimean War in what is now Ukraine.
99 lunar years ago, on this day in 1340 AH, the Islamic scholar, Ayatollah Mullah Habibollah Sharif Kashani, passed away at the age of 78. He reached the status of Ijtehad at the young age of 18. In addition to focusing on scientific and ethical issues, he also participated in political affairs. He has left behind a large number of compilations, including "Asrar al-Aarefin” (Mysteries of Gnostics).
97 solar years ago, on this day in 1921 AD, the crafty British government held a conference in Cairo, the capital of its client state of Egypt, presided by its Colonial Secretary, Winston Churchill, in order to strengthen London’s hold on the Arab territories of the Ottoman Empire it had acquired as a result of its victory in World War One. During the 18-day controversial conference that lasted till March 30, lines were drawn on the regional map to create artificial states for Britain’s Arab stooges as well as a future Zionist entity in Palestine for European Jews, in line with the Sykes-Picot Accord of 1916 between Britain and France, and the scandalous Balfour Declaration of 1917. Lebanon was detached from Syria and both lands were formally placed under French control. Britain declared its old agent, Sharif Hussain of Mecca, as Sultan of Hijaz, and then created for two of his sons, Faisal and Abdullah respectively, the new kingdoms of Iraq and Jordan. At the same time the desert brigand Abdul Aziz ibn Saud was announced king of Najd and continued to receive monthly salary from Britain. In 1925, Abdul-Aziz was given green signal by London to attack and occupy Hijaz after perpetrating bloodbaths in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, the port city of Jeddah and the mountain resort of Ta’ef. He later seized control of the eastern potentially oil-rich eastern part of Arabia from its local Shi’a Muslim rulers, and then occupied Najran, Jizan, and Asir from Yemen. The British in 1932 declared him king of a new state named Saudi Arabia. Winston Churchill wanted to keep an air corridor to Iraq, where the Royal Air Force was dropping poison gas on what he called the Shi’a Muslim Arab tribes as "rebel”.
88 solar years ago, on this day in 1930 AD, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi of India led the civil disobedience movement against British colonial rule, by walking over three hundred kilometers in protest against increasing taxes on salt. He and his thousands of followers went to the sea coast in Gujarat to prepare salt themselves. This measure by Gandhi turned into the symbol of his passive resistance, which finally forced Britain to retreat. Gandhi used to say that his inspiration against injustice was the movement of the Martyr of Karbala, Imam Husain (AS), the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).
50 solar years ago, on this day in 1968 AD, the island state of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa gained independence from British colonial rule. Britain had seized Mauritius from France in 1814 on Napoleon's defeat. Mauritius covers an area of almost 2,000 sq km and its population stands at over a million people. It has a 20-percent plus Muslim population.
39 solar years ago, on this day in 1979 AD, following victory of the Islamic Revolution, Iran withdrew from CENTO (Central Treaty Organization), which practically dissolved. It was formed as a military organization in 1954 by the British as the Baghdad Pact that included Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Pakistan, with the US holding observer status. Following overthrow of the British-installed Iraqi regime in 1958 and Baghdad's withdrawal, the organization was named CENTO, to link the chain around the Soviet Union from Europe to Southeast Asia between NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Europe), and SEATO (South East Asia Treaty Organization). Earlier, Pakistan had left CENTO in protest to the lack of support during its war with India, and with the ouster of the Shah’s regime, CENTO practically ceased to function. Prior to it, SEATO had dissolved following the US debacle in Vietnam.
38 lunar years ago, on this day in 1400 AH, Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Baqer as-Sadr, and his equally learned sister, Amena Haidar, popular as Bint al-Hoda, after days of torture in prison were martyred by Saddam, the tyrannical ruler of the Ba'th minority regime of Baghdad. Ayatollah Sadr was a brilliant scholar and studied under such immortal ulema as Grand Ayatollah Mohsin al-Hakeem and Grand Ayatollah Abu’l-Qassem Khoei. At a young age he had reached the status of Ijtehad – or independent reasoning based on Holy Qur'an and Prophet's Hadith. His lectures at the Najaf Seminary, during which he used to critically evaluate the western and eastern materialistic schools of thought, were widely attended by youths and academicians. He wrote outstanding works on Islamic economic and philosophy titled "Iqtasadona” (Our Economics) and "Falsafatona” (Our Philosophy). The awareness which he instilled in the Iraqi people, especially political consciousness, greatly alarmed the oppressive Ba'thist regime, in view of his attachment to the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA). Following the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran and the jubilation of the Iraqi people for repeating this experience in Iraq, Ayatollah Sadr and his socially active sister, were imprisoned, tortured and brutally martyred. Grand Ayatollah Baqer as-Sadr authored many valuable books. His religious-political legacy is alive today, since many of the statesmen in the Iraqi administration are either his students or inspired by his thoughts.
33 solar years ago, on this day in 1985 AD, Ayatollah Mahmoud Ansari Qomi passed away at the age of 63. Born in holy Qom, he completed his higher religious studies at the famous seminary of holy Najaf in Iraq, and on return to Iran, was active in the 5 June 1963 uprising launched by the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA). He strove to resolve people’s problems, both before the revolution and after the overthrow of the Shah. He wrote several books.
25 solar years ago, on this day in1993 AD, several bombs exploded in Mumbai, India, resulting in the death of about 300 people and injuring hundreds more.
11 solar years ago, on this day in 2007 AD, Australia's Muslims announced plans to form a political party to fight the growing Islamophobia in that country.
7 solar years ago, on this day in 2011 AD, tens of thousands of peaceful protesters marched on a palace of the repressive Aal-e Khalifa minority regime in Manama, the capital of the Persian Gulf state of Bahrain, after clashes with police.
(Courtesy: IRIB English Radio – http://parstoday.com/en)