Today is Monday; 17th of the Iranian month of Tir 1398 solar hijri; corresponding to 5th of the Islamic month of Zilqa’dah 1440 lunar hijri; and July 8, 2019, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

Some 4,500 lunar years ago, on this day, by the command of God Almighty, Prophet Abraham, along with his firstborn son, Ishmael, started rebuilding the holy Ka'ba in Mecca, a millennium and one-hundred-and-eighty seven (1187) years after it was destroyed by the great deluge of the days of Prophet Noah. Built by Adam at the dawn of creation as the Symbolic House of the Unseen but Omnipresent God, the cube-shaped edifice had been reduced to red-hued hillock by the roaring waters. The Hajar al-Aswad (Sacred Black Stone) was recovered from nearby Mount Abu Qubais, and installed in one of the corners of the Ka'ba by father and son. “As Abraham raised the foundations of the House with Ishmael, [they prayed]: ‘Our Lord, accept it from us! Indeed You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.’” (Holy Qur’an 2:127)

1080 solar years ago, on this day in 939 AD, “Ghaybat a-Kobra” (Major Occultation) of the namesake and 12th and Last Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), commenced following the death of Ali Ibn Mohammad Samari the last of the Four Deputies (Nawwab al-Arba’), who had been informed six days before his death through an epistle by the Imam to tell the faithful that no other Deputy would replace him. The Imam’s Letter reads:

"In the Name of Allah the All-Compassionate the All-Merciful; O Ali Ibn Mohammad Samari, in the grievance of your death shall God grant your brothers a great reward. You will leave this world in 6 days. Settle your affairs and do not assign a successor for yourself. The time of the “Ghaybat al-Kubra” (Major Occultation) has arrived and I will not reappear until Allah grants me the permission to do so, and my reappearance will only be after a long time and the pitilessness of hearts and the overspread of injustice on the Earth. There will be those who will announce themselves as my deputy to my Shi’ites (followers). Beware that if anyone before the emergence of the (bloodthirsty) Sufyani and the Loud Announcement from the sky, makes any such claims (to be my deputy), then (he/she) is a liar and a deceiver as all movements and influences are from none but Allah."

The 69-year period of “Ghaybat as-Soghra” (Minor Occultation) that had started on the martyrdom of the Prophet’s 11th Infallible Heir, Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS) for his 5-year old son and successor thus ended, and during the long period of the Major Occultation the faithful have been advised to refer to devout, sincere, pious, far-sighted, and courageous ulema for guidance, until God orders the 12th Imam’s reappearance as Mahdi al-Qa’em (AS) to cleanse the Planet of all vestiges of oppression and corruption by establishing the global government of peace, prosperity and justice.

920 solar years ago, on this day in 1099 AD, as part of the First Crusader invasion of Muslim lands, 15,000 Christian soldiers marched in a religious procession around Bayt al-Moqaddas as its Muslim defenders looked on. Bayt al-Moqaddas was then under the rule of the Fatemid Ismaili Shi’ite Muslim Dynasty of Egypt-North Africa. Because of disunity in Muslim ranks, coupled with the underestimation of the designs of the enemies, this holy Islamic city was seized by the Crusaders, who massacred as many as 70,000 men, women, and children of various ethnicities, including Arab, Iranian, Turkish and Kurdish. It took 88 years for the Muslims to close ranks and liberate Bayt al-Moqaddas in 1187 under a united Muslim force of Arabs, Iranians, Kurds, and Turks.

776 lunar years ago, on this day in 664 AH, the theologian, hadith scholar, historian, and literary figure, Ali Ibn Musa Razi od-Din, popularly known as "Seyyed Ibn Tawous" passed away at the age of 75. The House of Aal-e Tawous was originally from Medina tracing its descent from Imam Hasan Mojtaba (AS), the elder grandson of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). He belonged to a most famous religious and scholarly family in the Iraqi city of Hillah. He spent his childhood and teenage years in Hillah, studying under his grandfather and father, before leaving for Najaf, Karbala and Kazemayn. He stayed in Baghdad for 15 years, mastering different branches of science including theology and astronomy. He led an ascetic life and rejected posts offered by the caliphs of the usurper Abbasid regime. He was a prolific writer and has left behind a number of books in ethics, theology, philosophy, hadith, and astronomy, which have been translated and reprinted on several occasions. Among his important compilations is titled "al-Luhouf", on the heartrending events of the tragedy of Karbala, and is considered one of the authentic accounts of the martyrdom of the Prophet’s younger grandson, Imam Husain (AS). His other important book is: "al-Malahem wa’l-Fitan", on the events to occur in the end times, prior to and concurrent with the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (AS), the 12^th Infallible Successor of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). He is also the author of the famous Prayer Manual "Iqbal al-A'maal". His brothers and son were also famous scholars.

551 lunar years ago, on this day in 889 AH, Mahmoud Shah I (Begara), the most prominent Sultan of Gujarat, captured the Rajput stronghold of Champaner, completely rebuilt it, and renamed it Mohammadabad. He transferred his capital to this city from Ahmadabad – built by his great-grandfather and founder of the Muzaffarid Dynasty, Ahmad Shah I. Mahmoud Shah built a magnificent Jama Masjid in Champaner, which ranks amongst the finest architectural edifices of the Indo-Persian style in Gujarat. It is an imposing structure on a high plinth with two tall minarets 30 m tall, 172 pillars and seven mihrabs, in addition to carved entrance gates with fine latticed windows, topped by domes. He also captured Bombay during his 43-year rule, styling himself "Sultan al-Barr wa'l-Bahr" (King of the Land and the Sea). He laid the foundation of the city of Mahmoudabad (Junagadh), adorning it with a palace, beautiful buildings and extensive gardens. In order to thwart the designs of the Portuguese, he entered into an alliance with the Mamluk Sultans of Egypt and the Turkish Ottoman Empire. It was during his time that the famous naval Battle of Diu was fought off the coast of India, resulting in a shattering defeat for the European invaders by the joint fleets of Gujarat, Egypt and the Ottomans. Persian literature flourished at his court.

140 solar years ago, on this day in 1880 AD, the French scientist and founder of science of Phrenology, Pierre Paul Broca, died at the age of 56. He conducted extensive research on the skulls of the deceased and made major discoveries. He realized that the left side of the brain is responsible for speaking and any harm to this part would lead to speech disorders.

63 solar years ago, on this day in 1956 AD, Italian thinker and author, Giovanni Papini, died at the age of 75. He was born in Florence and went through a tough childhood, but his interest in learning led him to frequent public libraries, which helped him develop his sublime talent in literature. He wrote his autobiography at a young age, disclosing his mental trauma and non-belief in religion. After World War I, he felt a major spiritual change within him that awakened his innate feelings for faith in Almighty God. He has stated his views and thoughts in his books.

37 solar years ago, on this day in 1982 AD, Iranian calligrapher, Mirza Ahmad Najafi Zanjani, popularly known as “Ma’soumi”, passed away. While studying Islamic sciences at the Najaf Seminary in Iraq, he started learning the art of calligraphy. His works include 110 books, and more than 250 inscriptions for mosques and historical monuments. The inscriptions in Mashhad at the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza (AS), the 8th Infallible Successor of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), and also at Tehran University, are the two most famous works of this acclaimed calligrapher.

34 solar years ago, on this day in 1985 AD, revolutionary Islamic scholar, Ayatollah Mohammad Mahdi Rabbani Amlashi, passed away at the age of 51. Born in a religious family in the holy city of Qom, he started his Islamic studies in his hometown. He was politically active against the despotic regime of the Shah and was imprisoned for six years. After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, he was named by Imam Khomeini (RA) as a juriconsult member of the Council of Guardians.

25 solar years ago, on this day in 1994 AD, Leader of North Korea and Secretary-General of the country’s communist party, Kim Il-Sung, died at the age of 82. In 1945, he led the Korean communists and in 1948 upon foundation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, he was instated as the premier. He was Commander-in-Chief during the Korean War and was instated as president in 1972. He ably led the country despite the US plot and division of the Korean Peninsula into North and South. He maintained independence from the two major communist powers, the Soviet Union and China. The measures taken by Kim Il-Sung for reconstruction and industrial development of North Korea were highly successful.

24 solar years ago, on this day in 1995 AD, jurisprudent and prominent researcher, Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Hussain Hussaini Tehrani, passed away in his hometown Tehran at the age of 69. After studying in holy Qom under Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Hussain Boroujerdi, and the famous exegete of the holy Qur’an, Allamah Seyyed Mohamnmad Hussain Tabatabai, he left for Iraq to study at the seminary in Holy Najaf, were he studied under Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Abu’l-Qassem Khoie, and Ayatollah Seyyed Mahmood Shahroudi. On his return to Iran he was engaged in grooming students and writing books in Persian, including the 18-volume “Imam-Shinasi” (Cognizance of the Imam), the 10-volume “Ma’ad-Shinasi” (Understanding Resurrection), the 4-volume “Noor-e Malakout-e Qur’an” and “Rooh-e Mojarrad” (The Detached Soul) on Gnosis. In this last named book, he has mentioned in detail his meeting with the reclusive Gnostic Seyyed Hashem Haddad and how his spiritual guidance totally transformed him, taking him to higher levels of spirituality.

20 solar years ago, on this day in 1999 AD, prominent Iranian thinker, Ayatollah Dr Mahdi Ha’eri Yazdi, passed away at the age of 77 and was laid to rest in the holy mausoleum of Hazrat Ma’souma (SA) in Qom. Son of the Reviver of the Islamic Seminary of Qom, Grand Ayatollah Shaikh Abdul-Karim Ha’eri Yazdi, after initial studies under his elder brother, Ayatollah Morteza Ha’eri and Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Reza Golpayegani, he became a student of the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Hussain Boroujerdi, Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Hojjat Kohkamrehi, Ayatollah Seyyed Taqi Khansari, Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Khansari, and Allamah Mirza Mahdi Ashtiani, mastering theology, jurisprudence, philosophy and other sciences. He was sent to the US as representative of Grand Ayatollah Boroujerdi to North America, where besides teaching Islamic sciences and supervising affairs of the Shi’a Muslim community, he studied western philosophy at the University of Michigan in the US and the University of Toronto in Canada, obtaining PhD in this field. He taught Islamic studies and Persian literature at American universities. In 1979 he returned to Iran and wrote several books in different fields, such as rationalism, Qur’anic sciences, metaphysics, philosophy and political theories. In 1992 he published "The Principles of Epistemology in Islamic Philosophy: Knowledge by Presence". The book aimed to present Western scholars and philosophers a theme that he considered most important: knowledge by presence - knowledge that arises from immediate and intuitive awareness.

AS/SS