Today is Monday; 27th of the Iranian month of Khordad 1398 solar hijri; corresponding to 13th of the Islamic month of Shawwal 1440 lunar hijri; and June 17, 2019, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1363 solar years ago, on this day in 656 AD, Othman ibn Affan, after a 12-year rule as caliph (political ruler), was murdered by Muslims because of nepotism and violation of the principles of the holy Qur’an and the Sunnah of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). On the death of Omar ibn Khattab, he was chosen caliph by his kinsman Abdur-Rahman ibn Owf on readily agreeing to accept all conditions stipulated by the 6-man council, when the Commander of the Faithful Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS) on being offered the caliphate refused to follow the innovations that had crept in after the passing away of his cousin the Prophet, saying he will abide only by the Law of God and the Practice of the Prophet. Of weak character, Othman alienated the pious Islamic elite through his acts, including discrimination against the prominent companion of the Prophet, Ammar ibn Yasser and exiling of Abu Zar Gheffari the Prophets’ famous companion – first to Syria and then to the desert of Rabadha. Othman greatly strengthened his dubious Omayyad kinsman Mu'awiyah ibn Abu Sufyan, who was confirmed as governor of the large formerly Roman province of Syria, and then to the shock and surprise of the Muslims, he recalled to Medina two of the most wicked Omayyads, Hakam bin Aas, and his son, Marwan bin Hakam, whom the Prophet had exiled because of their extremely evil nature. These and other factors led to his killing, despite the earnest efforts of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (AS), to try to find a solution to the crisis that was exacerbated when a group of Egyptian revolutionaries who had met Othman and promised redress to their complaints, caught the caliph’s emissary carrying a secret letter to the governor of Egypt, with orders to execute them on their return. He was buried in the Jewish cemetery when the Muslims prevented his burial in the sacred Jannat al-Baqie Cemetery.

1246 lunar years ago, on this day in 194 AH, the famous Iranian Sunni Muslim compiler of hadith, Mohammad Ibn Ismail Ibn Ibrahim Ibn Bardizbah ibn Bazzabeh Bukhari, was born in the ancient Iranian city of Bukhara in what is now the Republic of Uzbekistan, in a family which before conversion to Islam was either Zoroastrian or Jewish. He started collecting hadith from anyone who could relate. In his late teens, along with his brother and mother, he travelled to Mecca for pilgrimage. After visiting the centres of learning, exchanging information on hadith from over 1,000 persons, and recording more than 600,000 narrations, he returned to his hometown after a 16-year absence. Here he compiled his "al-Jame' as-Sahih", which is revered as "Sahih Bukhari" by Sunni Muslims, and contains 7,275 hadith selected as per his inclination. Although he has acknowledged some of the unparalleled merits of the Ahl al-Bayt, he did not visit the rightful heirs of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) or met their disciples for precise information on authentic hadith. It is claimed that it was fear of the wrath of the Abbasid regime that made him omit any hadith related from such an outstanding authority as the Prophet's 6th Infallible Heir, Imam Ja'far Sadeq (AS), but he felt no inhibitions to include in his so-called "Sahih" narrations from dubious persons – even avowed enemies of the Prophet's Household. In 250 AH he settled in Naishapur in Khorasan, following his expulsion from Bukhara for issuing a weird fatwa against the letter and spirit of the shari'ah that persons drinking the milk of the same cow, goat or donkey, are foster siblings and hence ineligible for marriage with each other. Here he met another Iranian with Sunni inclinations, named Muslim Ibn Hajjaj, who became his student, and eventually collector of a separate book on hadith, known as "Sahih Muslim". Bukhari died at the age of 62 while on a visit to Khartank, a village near Samarqand.

775 solar years ago, on this day in 1244 AD, following the June 12 Disputation of Paris between Christian priests and Jewish rabbis, in which the followers of Judaism were found guilty of slandering the Immaculate personalities of Prophet Jesus and his mother, the Virgin Mary (peace upon them), twenty-four carriage loads of Jewish religious manuscripts were burnt in Paris.

693 solar years ago, on this day in 1326 AD, Malik Maqboul Telangani was made minister in Delhi by Sultan Mohammad Tughlaq and bestowed the title of Qawwam ul-Mulk. Born as Kattu Yugandhar in a noble Hindu family of Warangal in the Deccan, and made commander of the Kakatiya Kingdom with the title Ganna Nayaka by King Prataparudra, he was captured in battle by the army of the Delhi Sultanate, and embraced the truth of Islam. Because of his sincerity and loyalty he won the confidence of Sultan Mohammad Tughlaq and was appointed governor of Multan (in today’s Pakistan). His administrative abilities in the Punjab won praise and he was later sent to his native Deccan to deal with the rebellion of his former overlords, the Kakatiyas. On return to Delhi he rose rapidly in ranks to the extent that the next king, Feroze Shah Tughlaq, made him finance minister and then vizier (prime minister) with the title Khan-e Jahan. He mastered the Persian language and accompanied the Sultan on the expedition to Gujarat and successfully subdued the rebels. Feroz Shah would refer to him as “my brother” and during the Sultan’s six-month absence in Sindh, Khan-e Jahan Telangani ably administered Delhi. He never exceeded his powers, and had a strong desire to perform the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, which he couldn’t undertake because of state responsibilities. He built several mosques in and around Delhi and on his death his son, Jauna Khan, inherited his position as vizier. Built in 1388, his tomb adjacent to the Sufi shrine of Seyyed Nizam od-Din Awliya was the first octagonal mausoleum in Delhi. The only other octagonal mausoleum predating it in the Subcontinent is the Sufi shrine of Shah Rukn-e Alam in Multan.

557 solar years ago, on this day in 1462 AD, Vlad the Impaler, the murderous ruler of Wallachia in Romania, attempted to assassinate the Ottoman Sultan Mohammad II, the Conqueror of Constantinople. Also known as "Dracula" which means Son of Dragon, his sadistic cruelties later inspired stories of the bloodsucking Vampire. He is said to have impaled nearly 100,000 Turkish Muslims, although despite claiming to be a defender of Christianity, he impaled and burned tens of thousands of Christians as well during his 19-year reign of terror that ended with his defeat by his consanguineous brother, Radu, who had embraced Islam and was appointed Pasha of Wallachia by the Ottoman Sultan. Vlad, who along with Radu had been sent to the Ottoman court while an adolescent, and taught martial arts, the holy Qur'an as well as the Turkish and Persian languages, developed a deep hatred for his brother because of his being favoured by the young prince Mohammad, the future Sultan. In 1447, on the death of his father he was installed as ruler of his homeland by the Ottomans, but instead of showing gratitude, he turned against them and started the brutal killing of Turkish envoys and tradesmen. In 1462, fed up with his savagery, Sultan Mohammad II led a massive army across the River Danube, with Radu at the head of the famous Jan-Nisari Corps. Vlad fled and during his retreat burned and killed everything in sight. When the Ottoman forces approached, they encountered over 20,000 of their soldiers impaled by the forces of Vlad, creating a "forest" of dead or dying bodies on stakes. This atrocious, gut-wrenching sight was too much to bear and Sultan Mohammad turned back in disgust. Four years later Vlad, who fled to Hungary, was imprisoned for ten years by the local Christian ruler for crimes against humanity. On release in 1476, when he attempted to stir up sedition once again, he was killed by the Ottomans and his head sent to Constantinople.

529 lunar years ago, on this day in 911 AH, the famous jurisprudent Shaikh Zayn od-Din al-Juba'i al-Ameli, known as “Shaheed Thani” (Second Martyr), was born in Jabal Amel in Lebanon. He is believed to have some connection with Tous in Khorasan, because he occasionally signed his name as "at-Tousi ash-Shami" – the second part pertaining to Greater Syria since Lebanon like Palestine and Jordan is actually a part of Syria. After initial study under his father, he was groomed for some 8 years by the celebrated Shaikh Ali bin Hussain bin Abd al-Aali Muhaqqaq Karki, and by the age of 33 became a Mujtahed. He had also studied in Damascus under Sunni ulema, and became an authority on such texts as “Sahih Bukhari” and “Sahih Muslim”. He visited Egypt to study medicine, geometry, prosody and logic from different teachers. He performed the Hajj pilgrimage and visited Bayt al-Moqaddas, in addition to travelling to Iraq for the pilgrimage to the shrines of the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt. During a visit to Istanbul he had a lively discussion with the Chief Qazi of the state, Mohammad bin Mohammad Qazizadah ar-Roumi, to whom he presented a treatise titled “Ten Knowledges” that greatly impressed the latter. He was permitted to teach at the Nooriyah Islamic School in Ba’lbek, where he taught the five schools of Islamic jurisprudence, that is, Ja'fari, Hanafi, Shafei, Maliki and Hanbali. Apart from proficiency in jurisprudence, he was well versed in theology, philosophy, Gnosis, medicine and astronomy. A man of piety, known for his austere way of life, his students have recorded in his biography that he maintained his family by selling wood that he cut during the nights, and then sat to teach during the day. Some pseudo ulema adverse to Islamic unity, conspired against him, labeled false accusations, and complained to the Ottoman Sultan. In mid Ramadhan 965 AH, he was brutally beheaded on his way to see the Sultan, and a shrine was built by Turkmens on the site as they realised his stature. His assassin was killed on the Sultan's orders. He is the author of several books, but his greatest work is the commentary he wrote on the jurisprudential manual "Lum'at-ad-Dimashqiyya" (The Damascene Glitter) of the First Martyr, Mohammad Jamal od-Din al-Makki al-Ameli, titled "ar-Rawdhat-al-Bahiyah ft Sharh al-Lum'at-ad- Dimashqiyya" (The Beautiful Garden in Interpreting the Damascene Glitter).

443 solar years ago, on this day in 1576 AD, the leader of the uprising of the Dutch against Spanish rule, William Silent, declared Holland’s independence. The uprising had started in 1568, but despite the declaration of independence, the Spanish continued to suppress the Dutch until 1609, when a peace treaty was concluded recognizing Holland’s independence from Spain. Following independence, Holland started occupying other lands, including Muslim Indonesia, and became a major colonial power, before declining in the late 17th century.

388 solar years ago, on this day 1631 AD, Empress Momtaz Mahal of Hindustan (northern Subcontinent), died during childbirth in Burhanpur in the northern Deccan. Her husband, Moghal Emperor Shah Jahan, who deeply loved her, was to spend the next 17 years building over her tomb a magnificent mausoleum of white marble, the famous Taj Mahal in Agra, which is one of the 7 Wonders of the World. Born into a family of Iranian nobility and named Arjmand Banu Begum, she was a daughter of Abu’l-Hassan Asef Khan the son of Mirza Ghiyas Beg Tehrani entitled E'temad od-Dowla. She was thus a niece of Empress Noor Jahan, the wife of previous Emperor, Jahangir. Momtaz Mahal, who was a Shi'ite Muslim, gave birth to fourteen children including Mohammad Aurangzeb the next Emperor and last of the Great Mughals.

222 solar years ago, on this day in 1797 AD, Agha Mohammad Khan, the Founder of the Qajarid Dynasty of Iran, was assassinated at the age of 56, three years after crowning himself the Shah. Son of the tribal leader, Mohammad Hassan Khan, he was castrated at the age of 6 on the orders of Adil Shah Afshar to prevent him from becoming a political rival, but this loss did not hinder his career, although it made him cruel and merciless. He became chief of the Qajarid tribe in 1758, but four years later he was captured and sent to Shiraz as a hostage at Karim Khan Zand’'s court, where he lived for 16 years, until his escape in 1779. The same year, the death of Karim Khan plunged Iran into a series of civil wars over the succession, with many members of the Zand dynasty ascending the throne in the space of only ten years. Agha Mohammad Khan took the opportunity to launch a rebellion and in 1794 succeeded in capturing Lotf Ali Khan, the last Zand ruler. Two years later he proclaimed himself Shahanshah (King of Kings). He was, however, a man of extreme violence who killed almost all who could threaten his hold on power. In 1795 he conquered Georgia in the Caucasus, which was formerly part of the Safavid Empire. In the same year he also conquered Khorasan and tortured to death its ruler Shah Rukh, the grandson of Nader Shah Afshar. In 1796 he moved his capital from Sari in his home province of Mazandaran to Tehran. Although the Russians took Derbend in Daghestan and briefly occupied Baku in Northern Azerbaijan in 1796, he successfully expanded Iranian influence into the Caucasus, reasserting sovereignty over its former dependencies. He was succeeded by his nephew, Fath Ali Shah.

143 solar years ago, on this day in 1876 AD, the Battle of the Rosebud in Montana resulted in the victory of 1,500 Sioux and Cheyenne tribesmen led by Crazy Horse over US General George Crook's forces during the genocidal wars launched by the white American administration against the Native Amerindians.

142 solar years, on this day in 1877 AD, the Nez Perce Amerindian tribe defeated the US Cavalry at White Bird Canyon in the Idaho Territory during the genocidal wars launched by the white American administration to exterminate the natives.

117 lunar years ago, on this day in 1323 AH, the prominent Islamic scholar, Ayatollah Shaikh Mohammad Taha, passed away at the age of 83. Born in holy Najaf in Iraq, he acquired knowledge under the prominent Islamic scholar, Sheikh Morteza Ansari Dezfuli. He was a polymath in theology, jurisprudence, hadith, and exegesis of the Holy Qur'an. He has left behind several books, including an annotation on "Ma'alem al-Osoul".

102 lunar years ago, on this day in 1338 AH, Ayatollah Mirza Mohammad Taqi Shirazi issued the fatwa for jihad against the British invaders of Iraq, following the occupation of Basra and Baghdad during World War I. Known as the “Revolution of the 1920s”. The edict united Iraqis, who initially inflicted defeats on the British army, until crushed by the superior fire power of the invaders. Earlier in 1329 AH, following the invasion of northern Iran by Russian forces and the killing of Iranian Muslims, Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Shirazi, who had not yet migrated to Iraq, issued a fatwa to the effect that it is an obligation to resist the Russian aggressors. In 1332 AH, when Britain and its allies launched Word War 2 against the Ottoman Empire, Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Shirazi, along with other prominent scholars of Iraq, issued statements about the obligation of jihad against the invading forces. Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Shirazi's migration to Karbala facilitated coordination of the local ulema with the ulema of Najaf, as well as contacts with nomads for resistance against the occupiers. The British martyred him through poisoning, and exiled to Iran the other two prominent combatant scholars, Sheikh Kashef al-Gheta and Sheikh Mohammad Khalesi. They then installed in Baghdad an imported king – Faisal, a son of the British agent of Hejaz, Sharif Hussain.

94 solar years ago, on this day in 1925 AD, a treaty prohibiting the first use of chemical and biological weapons, called the “Geneva Protocol”, was signed in Geneva. One of the main reasons behind it was the wide scale usage of chemical weapons by Germany during World War I. Nonetheless, this treaty has up to now been breached by many states, including the US during the Vietnam War, and the Ba'th minority regime of Saddam, which with western help killed or maimed several thousand Iranians and Iraqi Muslims.

75 solar years ago, on this day in 1944 AD, Iceland gained independence from Denmark, and in 1949 joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Iceland is an island state covering an area of more than 102,000 sq km.

60 lunar years ago, on this day in 1380 AH, the famous Source of Emulation (Marja’), Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Hussain Borujerdi, passed away in the holy city of Qom at the age of 88 and was laid to rest in the mausoleum of Hazrat Fatema Ma’soumah (SA). Born in Boroujerd in a scholarly family descended from Imam Hasan Mujtaba (AS), the elder grandson and second Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), he completed his higher studies at the Seminary of holy Najaf, under prominent ulema such as Akhound Mullah Mohammad Kazem Khorasani, Ayatollah Shaikh osh-Shari’ah Isfahani, and Allamah Seyyed Kazem Yazdi. On his return to Iran, he became head of the Qom Seminary. A pious scholar well versed in different Islamic sciences, he promoted the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt abroad by sending Seyyed Muhaqqiqi to Hamburg, Germany, Aqa-e-Shari'at to Pakistan, al-Faqihi to Medina and Seyyed Musa as-Sadr to Lebanon. He established cordial relations with Mahmoud Shaltut, the Grand Shaikh of Egypt’s al-Azhar Seminary. Together, the two scholars set up in Cairo the "Centre for Proximity among Islamic Schools of Jurisprudence”. Shaltut issued a famous fatwa accepting the Shi'a creed as one of the recognised schools of Islamic jurisprudence. Grand Ayatollah Borujerdi opposed the British-installed and American-backed Pahlavi regime's policies as "agrarian destruction." In his view, the confiscations of large concentrations of landholdings disrupted the fabric of rural life and eroded religious institutions. He groomed a large number of scholars such as Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Reza Golpayegani, Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Sistani, Grand Ayatollah Lotfollah Safi Golpayegani, Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Fazel Lankarani, Grand Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi, Ayatollah Morteza Motahhari, Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Hussaini Beheshti, etc. He wrote several books and treatises.

40 solar years ago, on this day in 1979 AD, the Father of Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA) ordered setting up of the Construction Jihad Organization for self-sufficiency of Iran and for eradication of poverty and deprivation. People of various strata of society, especially pupils, students, and committed and educated youths, responded to the Imam's call and thus started the nationwide mobilization for revival and reconstruction of disadvantaged regions. Construction Jihad has done commendable services, and was active during the eight-year Holy Defence to safeguard Iran's independence and territorial integrity against Saddam's US-supported Ba'thist war machine. Its valuable service cover rural industries, agriculture, animal husbandry, dam construction, natural resources, watershed management and dozens of other fields. It is also active in a number of African states such as Tanzania, Ghana, and Zimbabwe. In 1983, Construction Jihad Organization turned into a Ministry, and in 2000 was merged with the Ministry of Agriculture.

37 solar years ago, on this day in 1982 AD, the Azad (Open) University was established in the Islamic Republic of Iran with nationwide branches in order to help the growing number of those seeking academic qualifications to pursue higher education. With branches throughout Iran and also in some countries abroad, it is one of the largest comprehensive systems of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the world. Over the years, IAU has promoted “higher education for all” as its key objective. Currently it has an enrollment of 1.7 million students. It has university branches in UAE, Britain, Lebanon and Afghanistan.

6 solar years ago, on this day in 2013 AD, Jalil Shahnaz, one of the greatest maestros of Persian classical music and a virtuoso of the tar, died at the age of 92. Born in Isfahan, he studied under the supervision of Abdul-Hussain Shahnazi. In 1949 he started his professional career at Radio Isfahan and in 1957 he was invited to cooperate with Radio Tehran. In the capital he worked as a soloist at Golha program for years. In 2004, he was awarded as Immortal Face of Iranian Arts and Music.

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