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News ID: 37693
Publish Date : 11 March 2017 - 20:57

This Day in History (March 12)



Today is Sunday; 22nd of the Iranian month of Esfand 1395 solar hijri; corresponding to 13th of the Islamic month of Jamadi as-Sani 1438 lunar hijri; and March 12, 2017, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.
1369 lunar years ago, on this day in 69 AH, the pious lady, Hazrat Omm al-Baneen (peace upon her), the mother of the valiant standard-bearer of Karbala, Hazrat Abbas (AS), passed away in Medina, and was laid to rest in the Baqie Cemetery, next to Safiyyah and Atekah, the paternal aunts of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). Her real name was Fatema, the daughter of Huzaam of the al-Kulabiyya clan noted for its courage and loyalty. Imam Ali (AS) married her several years after the passing away of his beloved wife, the Prophet’s Immaculate daughter, Hazrat Fatema Zahra (peace upon her).The reason she is called Omm al-Baneen is because she bore several sons, four to be exact, and all of whom were martyred in Karbala. After the heartrending tragedy of Karbala, she accomplished her political and social mission by keeping alive the heroic epic of Ashura in the best way possible, including elegies that are considered masterpieces of Arabic literature.
1008 lunar years ago, on this day in 430 AH, the prominent Muslim scientist and polymath, Abu Ali Hassan Ibn al-Haytham, known to medieval Europe by his Latinized name of Alhazen, passed away in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, at the age of 76. Born in Basra in the Iraqi province of the Iranian Buwayhid (or Daylamite) Empire, he made vital contributions to optics, medicine, physics, astronomy, mathematics, visual perception, ophthalmology, philosophy, and various other sciences, and is the inventor of the telescope and the magnifying glass. He conducted extensive research on light rays, determining the relationship between the angle of light radiation and the angle of its reflection. He wrote insightful commentaries on the works of the ancient Greek philosophers and scientists such as Aristotle, Ptolemy, and Euclid. Ibn al-Haytham was active in both Basra and Baghdad and after visiting Islamic Spain he settled in Egypt which was ruled by the Fatemid Ismaili Shi’a Muslim dynasty. He was a follower of the school of the Ahl al-Bayt, and was associated with the renowned academy of al-Azhar, which derives its name from "az-Zahra” (or the Radiant), the famous epithet of Hazrat Fatema (peace upon her), the Immaculate Daughter of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). In Egypt he took up the project of controlling the floods of the Nile. He is said to have written over 200 books and treatises, the most famous of which is "Kitab al-Manazer” on Optics that was extensively used by later European scholars such as Roger Bacon, Johannes Keppler, and Galileo Galilei. Among his works, mention could be made of the "Configuration of the World”, "On the Formation of Eclipse”, "On the Milky Way”, "The Model of the Motions of Each of the Seven Planets”, and "Treatise on the Influence of Melodies on the Souls of Animals”. Among his prominent students were Sorkhab, an Iranian scientist from Semnan and Mubashir ibn Fatek, an Egyptian.
808 solar years ago, on this day in 1209 AD, the 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 narrative poems, or "Mathnavis”, which are in double-rhymed verses. The main one is the "Panj Ganj” (Five Treasures), which is famous as "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”, "Bahram-e Gur”, "Iskhandar-Nameh” (on Alexander the Macedonian)”, "Laylia va Majnoun”. The "Khamsa” was a popular subject for lavish manuscripts illustrated with painted miniatures at the Persian and Mughal courts in later centuries. Examples include the "Khamsa” of Nizami created for India's Mughal 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.
467 solar years ago, on this day in 1550 AD, the 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.
406 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.
208 solar years ago, on this day in 1809 AD, Britain signed a treaty with Iran forcing the French out of the country. Franco-Persian 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-Persian 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.
163 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.
96 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 Brtiain’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”.
87 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).
49 solar years ago, on this day in 1968 AD, the island state of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa gained its independence from British colonial rule. Britain had seized Mauritius from the French in 1814 following Napoleon's defeat. Today Mauritius is a republic. It 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.
38 solar years ago, on this day in 1979 AD, following the 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.
37 solar years ago, on this day in 1980 AD, the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), issued a decree for establishment of the Foundation of Martyrs to take care of the families of those who had achieved martyrdom in the struggle against the Shah's despotic regime. His message partly read: "We all know that the Islamic Movement and victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution is indebted to selflessness of different strata of people. First of all, the martyrs of the Islamic Revolution, and those, who have been disabled on this righteous path should be praised. Hence, taking care of the affairs of families of martyrs and the disabled is very essential and these families should be respected in the best possible manner.”
32 solar years ago, on this day in 1985 AD, the Iranian author, translator and musician, Dr. Hussain Gol-e Golab, passed away at the age of 89. Son of the prominent Qajarid era painter and photographer, Mirza Mahdi Khan Mosawir ol-Molk, he was born in Tehran and after graduation taught natural sciences at the famous Dar al-Fonoun Academy for almost a decade. He wrote 12 books on natural sciences and became principal of the College of Literature and Sciences. He later served as Chief Editor of the newly established Farhangistan or Academy of Persian Language and Culture. Dr. Gol-e Golab also translated several works into Persian and was skilled in music, composing a number of musical notes.
24 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.
10 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.
6 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)