Today is Thursday; 30th of the Iranian month of Khordad 1398 solar hijri; corresponding to 16th of the Islamic month of Shawwal 1440 lunar hijri; and June 20, 2019, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1562 solar years ago, on this day in 457 AD, Yazdegerd II, the sixteenth Emperor of the Sassanid Empire of Iran, died after a reign of 19 years, and was succeeded by his son, Hormizd III. Son and successor of Bahram V, he spent most of his reign in war against the Hephthalites (Pashtuns) and imposing Zorastrianism on other people.  In 440, Yazdegerd II waged a war against the Roman Empire, making Emperor Theodosius II sue for peace by sending his commander, Anatolius, to the Iranian Emperor’s camp with promise of payment. He then subdued Armenia and sent many Armenian nobles, priests, and troops, to the eastern Sassanid provinces to protect the borders from the invasions of the nomadic Huns. In 453, he moved his court to Naishapur in Khorasan to face the threat from the Huns. He spent many years in war against the Huns, and after that again turned his attention towards Armenia, Caucasian Albania and the Roman Empire. Yazdegerd II was known for his religious zeal in promoting Zoroastrianism, leading to persecutions of Christians, mostly Assyrians. Under his reign, 153,000 Assyrians were massacred solely in Kirkuk in what is now Iraq.

1433 lunar years ago, on this day in 7 AH, the Almighty’s Last and Greatest Messenger, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), performed an astounding miracle known as “Radd ash-Shams” (Return of the Setting Sun), when he supplicated to God to reverse the revolve of Planet Earth for some moments so that the resulting daylight allows his cousin and divinely-decreed vicegerent Imam Ali (AS) to formally perform the Asr or late afternoon ritual prayer, which the Imam had performed through gestures, so as not to disturb the descent of Divine Revelation on the Prophet whose head was resting on his lap. This is indeed one of the proofs of the significant status of Imam Ali (AS). It happened that the Prophet had sent the Imam on an errand, and when the latter returned after discharging the duties entrusted to him, the Asr Congregational Prayer was over. At this time, the Prophet suddenly felt the descent of Divine Revelation upon him, and rested his head on his cousin’s lap. The revelation lasted till the sun was about to set, and on getting up the Prophet asked the Imam whether he had performed the Asr Prayer in the proper manner. The Imam replied: since your blessed head was on my lap and you were receiving Divine Revelation, I couldn't disturb you and performed the Asr Prayer with gestures. The Prophet supplicated to God and suddenly daylight appeared as it is at the time of the Late Afternoon Ritual Prayer, allowing Imam Ali (AS) to perform the Asr Prayer in its proper manner. This event has been recorded by both Shi’a and Sunni historians and authorities of Hadith. A mosque was built at the place where the miracle had occurred in Medina, and was known as “Masjid Radd ash-Shams”. It stood for centuries and was a site of pilgrimage for both Sunni and Shi’a Muslims, until it was demolished in the 1980s by the heretical Wahhabi regime of Saudi Arabia.

This miracle is not a matter of surprise, since according to Islamic texts, as well as biblical sources, the sun had stood still for several hours for Prophet Joshua the successor of Prophet Moses, during a battle with the infidels. This is indicative of the Power of the Almighty Creator over the elements of nature, which are His Own creation and function according to His Will, without the least disturbance in the orderly functioning of the universe.

It is also worth noting that the full moon had miraculously split in two when the Prophet of Islam prayed to God and pointed his finger towards the sky, in response to the demand of some pagan Arabs led by Abu Jahl, along with a group of Israelites, to prove his mission. The first two ayahs of Surah al-Qamar refer to this fact as follows: "The Hour has drawn near and the moon is split. If they see a sign, they turn away, and say, ‘An incessant magic!"

As is clear from the ayahs, the Arab pagans tried to deny this manifest miracle which was produced on their demand, by calling it magic or sorcery, while the Jew immediately accepted Islam, since he had read in the Torah how God made the sun and the moon stand still for Prophet Joshua (AS).

The return of the sun or more properly the momentarily reverse of the Revolving Earth, in a smooth manner and without the least jolt to the world of creation, happened again for Imam Ali (AS) in Hillah, Iraq, during his caliphate, when he supplicated to God to allow a group of Muslims who had missed the Asr Prayer while engaged in defence preparations.

1014 solar years ago, on this day in 1005 AD, the 7^th self-styled caliph of the Ismaili Shi'ite Muslim Fatemid Dynasty of Egypt-North Africa-Syria, Ali az-Zaher, was born in Cairo to al-Hakem be-Amrillah, at whose mysterious disappearance in 1021, he was proclaimed caliph at the age of 16 under the regency of his aunt Sitt al-Mulk – notorious for her extermination from Egypt of the Druze sect, which regarded Hakem as God’s incarnation. He died at the age of 31 due to a plague after a 15-year reign. His weakness allowed the Turkic slave guards to vie for power, as a result of which the Empire slipped into decadence, although his able Iraqi vizier, Ali bin Ahmad Jarjarai, restored order and stopped the bid of the Byzantine Christian Empire to encroach upon Syria and Aleppo.

930 lunar years ago, on this day in 510 AH, the hadith scholar and historian, Ahmad Ibn Yusuf Ibn Azraq al-Fareqi, was born in the Miyafareqeen region of what is now southeastern Turkey. He travelled widely, becoming familiar with social state of the masses, their customs, and the historical developments of the said regions. These journeys are recorded in his magnum opus titled "Tarikh al-Fareqi", which is a general history with special focus upon the author's native region of Miyafareqeen and Amed. He died in 577 AH at the age of 67 years.

521 solar years ago, on this day in 1498 AD, the Iranian historian, Mohammad bin Khwandshah, popularly known as Mir-Khwand, passed away in Herat, which was then part of Khorasan and is now in present day Afghanistan. He was from a well-known Seyyed family of Bukhara tracing descent to Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). Spending most of his life in Herat in the court of the last Timurid sultan, Hussain Bayqarah, he enjoyed the patronage of the renowned minister, Ali Shir Nava’i, a celebrated writer and poet himself. At the request of his patron, he wrote the general history in Persian titled "Rowzat os-Safa" (Garden of Purity). The work is composed of seven large volumes and a geographic appendix, often considered an 8th volume. The history begins with the pre-Islamic Persian kings and surveys the major Muslim rulers of Iran up to his times. Mir-Khwand’s maternal grandson, the historian Khwandamir, who migrated to Mughal India, wrote a sequel to it, and in the 19th century the Iranian scholar Reza Qoli Khan Hedayat wrote a supplement to this work. Mir-Khwand is often criticized for his highly embellished and bombastic style and for his uncritical approach to the sources, but his history preserves sections from earlier works that have since been lost. Volumes 5 and 6 are particularly reliable, for they utilize the abundant historiographic materials of the Mongol and Timurid periods and furnish independent information on events contemporary or near contemporary to the author’s lifetime.

388 solar years ago, on this day in 1631 AD, Baltimore in Ireland was attacked by a naval force of Algerians and Ottoman Turks, along with Dutch converts to Islam, in the biggest such operation by Muslims in the British Isles in retaliation for European Christian acts of piracy on the African coasts for abduction of black people and their selling as slaves in the Americas. The Muslim naval force was led by Murad Ra’ees, a Dutch captain, who before conversion to Islam was named Jan Janszoon van Harlem. Most of the hundred-odd captives taken to North Africa were English settlers who were exploiting the local Irish people. Three of the captives who were Irish were released and returned to Ireland. The rest started a new life in Algeria and in Istanbul in the palace of the Sultan, since Islam discourages slavery and considers the Mamluk as adopted persons entitled to all privileges as Muslims, including education and training in military, administrative affairs and various other vocations. In the 17th and most of the 18th century, the Mediterranean Sea was a virtual Ottoman Lake with Turkish, Algerian, and Moroccan navigators, wrongly called Barbary Corsairs by the Europeans, operating in the Atlantic Ocean as far as the North Sea and the coasts of Iceland.

263 solar years ago, on this day in 1756 AD, with the fall of the British garrison of Fort William to Mirza Mohammad Siraj od-Dowla, the 18-year old Nawab of Bengal, John Zephaniah Holwell invented the myth of the "Black Hole of Calcutta" to tarnish the image of the Indian people by alleging that 146 Englishmen were crammed in a 14 by 18 feet (4.3 × 5.5 m) dungeon that resulted in the death of 123 of them. Holwell, who claimed to be a survivor, has long been disproved by historians and researchers. R.C. Majumdar in his book "An Advanced History of India" has dismissed the Black Hole story as entirely baseless. British scholar J.H. Little in his article, titled "The 'Black Hole'—The Question of Holwell's Veracity", argues that Holwell's version is nothing but "a gigantic hoax" – invented to rouse sentiments in Britain for military intervention in India. Fort William was set up to protect the British East India Company's trade in Bengal from European rivals such as the French and the Dutch. Siraj od-Dowlah, who was the local ruler of Iranian origin, objected to the British interference in the internal affairs of Bengal, perceiving the militarization of Fort William as a threat to its independence. He ordered an immediate stop to military enhancement and when the British paid no heed, he laid siege and seized the fort. In 1757, the British sent a military force under Robert Clive and by bribing officers of Bengal including the Prime Minister, defeated Siraj od-Dowla in the Battle of Plassey, and later murdered him.

144 solar years ago, on this day in 1875 AD, Ryukyu Islands in the Pacific Ocean, where for several centuries the independent Ryukyu kingdom ruled, were seized by Japan, and in 1879 named the Okinawa Prefecture. Towards the end of World War II, the Okinawa archipelago, which covers an area of 1250 sq km, was occupied by US forces who killed over a quarter of the local people. The US has refused to withdraw from Okinawa, even after 1972 accord for withdrawal, and the frequent demand by the local people for end of American military presence.

142 solar years ago, on this day in 1877 AD, Alexander Graham Bell installed the world's first commercial telephone service in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

107 solar years ago, on this day in 1912 AD, Polish Scientist, Dr. Casimir Funk discovered vitamins. Conducting extensive research, he found that in the food we consume contains some organic combinations that are rather low in amount but are necessary for the metabolism, growth, and health. He named these organic combinations as vitamins. There are different kinds of vitamins, namely A, B, C, D, E, and K vitamins, with each of them having their own features and functions.

89 lunar years ago, on this day in the Source of Emulation, Ayatollah Shaikh Abdullah Mamaqani, passed away at the age of 60. Born in holy Najaf to the great scholar Ayatollah Mohammad Hassan Mamaqani, who personally groomed him, he in turn groomed many scholars and wrote several books, including the 3-volume “Tanqih al-Maqal fi Ilm ar-Rijal”, “Miqyas al-Hidaya fi Ilm ad-Daraya”, and “al-Fawa’ed at-Tibbiyya”. His famous Will to his sons has been translated into several languages, including English. It contains important points on “Usoul Din”  or the Five Fundamentals of Faith, the benefits of “ziyarah” or visitation to the shrines of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) and the Infallible Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt, and the importance of “Azadari” or mourning ceremonies for the Martyr of Karbala, Imam Husain (AS).

59 solar years ago, on this day in 1960 AD, the Mali Federation gained independence from France and later split into Mali and Senegal. Mali, which for centuries was part of various Muslim empires, fell under the control of France during the late 19th century. By 1905, most of the area was under colonial rule as a part of French Sudan. In early 1959, French Sudan (which changed its name to the Sudanese Republic) and Senegal united to become the Mali Federation. Senegal withdrew from the federation in August 1960, which allowed the Sudanese Republic to become the independent Republic of Mali on 22 September 1960. Both Mali and Senegal are predominantly Muslim countries. Timbuktu, the capital of Mali, is noted for its Islamic culture, Arabic manuscripts, and Sufi shrines, some of which were destroyed by al-Qa'eda terrorists during an insurrection.

25 solar years ago, on this day in 1994 AD, the MKO terrorists committed a blasphemous crime in Mashhad by triggering a bomb blast in the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS), the 8^th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), while pilgrims were commemorating the anniversary of the tragedy of Ashura – the 10^th of Moharram. Scores of pilgrims were martyred or wounded and part of the holy shrine was damaged. The Leader of Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, in his message of condolences to the Iranian nation, said: By committing such a sacrilegious crime, the MKO terrorists showed they are not committed to any humanitarian principle; and their enmity toward the courageous and faithful Iranian nation has no limits.

17 solar years ago, on this day in 2002 AD, the renowned Islamic missionary, Hojjat-al-Islam Seyyed Sa’eed Akhtar Rizvi, passed away at the age of 75 in Tanzania, and was laid to rest in Dar-es-Salaam. Born in Ushri, Saran district, Bihar state, India to the religious scholar Seyyed Abul-Hassan Rizvi, he completed his studies at the Islamic seminary of holy Najaf in Iraq, where he mastered the Arabic and Persian languages as well, besides in native Urdu and English. In 1959 he was sent as missionary to Lindi in Tanzania, and in 1964 founded the Bilal Muslim Mission, whose branches he soon established in various cities of Tanzania and Kenya. Through his mission he introduced correspondence courses in Islamic studies in English and Swahili – language in which he became proficient and also learned Gujarati and Hindi. He traveled and lectured to university students in Africa, Europe, Canada and USA; and authored over 140 books, of which 22 have been translated into several world languages. Through his selfless endeavours, over 100,000 ethnic Africans discovered the truth of Islam, and became followers of the School of the Blesse Household (Ahl al-Bayt) of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). His son, Hojjat-al-Islam Seyyed Mohammad Rizvi, is based in Canada, and is the Chief Missionary of the Islamic Shi’a Ithna‘asheri Ja’fari Centre of Toronto.

AS/SS