Today is Monday; 13th of the Iranian month of Ordibehesht 1395 solar hijri; corresponding to 24th of the Islamic month of Rajab 1437 lunar hijri; and May 2, 2016, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1430 lunar years ago, on this day in 7 AH, the impregnable fortress of Qamous in the vast tract of Khaybar, 150 km north of Medina on the road to Syria, was single-handedly captured by the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (AS), who after overcoming in personal combat the fearsome Israelite warlords, Marhab and Antar, pulled from its hinges the huge gateway that several Jewish strongmen used to open and close. Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) had to undertake the campaign on learning of the plots and seditions of the ever-rebellious Israelites, who in violation of the accords were contemplating military measures, including raid on Medina, in addition to their funding of pagan Arab tribes to attack Muslims from time to time. The Prophet’s sudden arrival on the scene with some 1,500-odd Muslims caught the estimated 10,000 armed Israelite force off guard, and forced the leaders of various Jewish tribes to agree to pay tribute. Of the forts that resisted, the Muslims forced almost all of them to surrender after several weeks of siege. The principal Israelite fortress of Qamous, however, not just continued to hold out but its defenders drove away with losses the expeditions led by the Prophet’s companions. At last the Prophet said he would be giving the command tomorrow to the person “who loves God and the Prophet and is in turn loved by God and the Prophet; an intrepid attacker (Karrar) who never retreats (Ghayra Farrar).” On the morning the Prophet invoked the famous phrase “Nad-e Aliyyan Mazhar al-Aja’eb” (Call Ali the Manifestation of Wonders). His dear cousin and son-in-law, who because of eye inflammation was not participating in the campaign was brought before him. The Prophet applied his saliva to his eyes, which were miraculously cured. The rest is history, and the Prophet gave fair terms to the Jews after surrender, allowing them to live in peace. It is worth noting that before this campaign the Prophet had received the vast orchard of Fadak as a personal gift without the involvement of Muslims, arms, and hostilities. On God’s command he gave Fadak to his daughter, Hazrat Fatema Zahra (SA), who used to spend its income for the poor and needy, until it was seized from her by the first and second self-styled caliphs.

1336 lunar years ago, on this day in 101AH, on this day in 101 AH, the Omayyad ruler, Omar bin Abdul-Aziz, died due to poisoning of his food after a reign of three years during which he renounced the oppressive and un-Islamic policies of his predecessors. One of his first acts on becoming caliph was to issue a decree to halt the blasphemous cursing of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (AS), during Friday prayer sermons – a sacrilegious practice begun by the hardcore heathen, Mu’awiyya ibn Abu Sufyan, who through such acts intended to keep the growing neo Muslim population ignorant of the God-given right to rule of the Prophet’s rightful successor. Omar ibn Abdul-Aziz next returned to the Ahl al-Bayt the large tract of Fadak whose income had now swelled to 40,000 dinars, since this was the property of the Prophet’s daughter, Hazrat Fatema Zahra (SA) from whom the first and second self-styled caliphs had illegally seized. He is also credited with various other reforms like abolition of drinking, forbidding public nudity, and elimination of mixed bathrooms for men and women, which the Godless Omayyad caliphs had initiated. He was succeeded by the ungodly Yazid bin Abdul-Malik, who immediately reversed the policies of his predecessor and again seized Fadak.

1098 lunar years ago, on this day in 339 AH, the famous Islamic scientist and philosopher, Abu Nasr Mohammad al-Farabi, passed away at the age of 82 in Aleppo, Syria, where he was a luminary at the court of Amir Saif od-Dowla. Born in an Iranian family in Farab, beside the River Jaxartes in Central Asia, after preliminary education he set out for the then centre of the Islamic world, Baghdad, where he studied philosophy, especially Aristotle's peripatetic philosophy under the Christian scholar, Yuhanna bin Haylan. Farabi mastered Greek language and wrote commentaries on Aristotle’s works. In view of this, he was acclaimed as “Mo'allem as-Sani” (or Second Teacher), while Aristotle was “Mo'allem al-Awwal” (or First Teacher). Farabi's school of philosophy breaks from Plato and Aristotle and moves from metaphysics to methodology, a move that anticipates modernity. As a follower of Prophet Mohammad’s (SAWA) Ahl al-Bayt, he discovered the limits of human knowledge, compared to divinely-revealed wisdom. He says in the preface of his work “Ehsa al-Oloum” that his most important goal in writing this book is to present a list of the various branches of sciences of his era and cognize the main and secondary elements of each particular branch of knowledge. He strove to prove that there is no contradiction between rationalistic philosophy and Islam. He is thus regarded as founder of Islamic political science. Farabi’s most important views are raised in his books like “Kitab as-Siyasah” (or Book of Politics), and “as-Siyasat al-Madaniyah” (on Civics). He viewed religion as a symbolic rendering of the Ultimate Truth, and, like Plato, saw it as the duty of the philosopher to provide guidance to the state. He, however, differed from the Platonic view and said the “Medinat-al-Fazela” or Perfect State is the one that is ruled by the Prophet or the divinely-appointed Imam, instead of the philosopher-king envisaged by Plato. He pointed out that the “Perfectly Ideal State” was founded in Medina by Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), who was in direct communion with God. In his excellent book “Mabadi Ara al-Ahl al-Madinat al-Fazelah” (or Basis of Views of the People of the Perfect State), he says the ideal government strives to heal the souls of the people, establishes justice and guides them towards "true happiness". He classifies as "vicious", the societies that have fallen short of the ideal of the "Perfect State", and divides them into three categories – ignorant, wicked and errant. He uses the term “Madinat az-Zallah” (or Vicious Society), saying that ignorant societies have, for whatever reason, failed to comprehend the purpose of human existence, and have supplanted the pursuit of happiness for another (inferior) goal, whether this be wealth, sensual gratification, or power. It is interesting to note that modern western democratic societies also fall into this category, as they too lack any guiding principle. According to Farabi, the second and third categories of vicious societies, that is the wicked and the errant, have understood the true human end, but they have failed to follow it; the former because it has willfully abandoned it, and the latter because its leaders have deceived and misguided them. This great Muslim philosopher was an expert in other branches of sciences like logic, sociology, mathematics, cosmology, alchemy, psychology, education, and music. He wrote around 70 books.

656 solar years ago, on this day in 1360 AD, the Yongle Emperor, the third ruler of the Ming Dynasty, who unified China during his 22-year long reign (1402-1424), and patronized Muslims, was born as Zhu Di. He was created Prince of Yan at the age of ten with his capital at Beiping (modern Beijing), by his father, the Hongwu Emperor. Later, as per the will of his deceased father, he acknowledged the rule of his nephew, the Jianwen Emperor, but when the latter started demoting and executing his uncles, Zhu Di found pretext to rebel. After sacking Nanjing in 1402, he declared himself the new emperor, calling his era “Yongle” or the time of "Perpetual Happiness". His even handed approach helped him win the support of the people and unify China. His love for Chinese culture sparked a sincere hatred for Mongolian culture. He considered it rotten and forbade the use of popular Mongolian names, habits, language, and clothing, as part of his efforts to eradicate Mongolian culture from China. Yongle ordered construction and repair of Islamic mosques during his reign. Two mosques were built by him, one in Nanjing and the other in Xi'an and they still stand today. Repairs were encouraged and the mosques were not allowed to be converted to any other use. Among his favourties was the Muslim general of Iranian origin, Zheng He – great-great-great-grandson of Seyyed Ajjal Shams ol-Din Omar – who undertook major voyages of exploration into the South Pacific and Indian Oceans.

497 solar years ago, on this day in 1519 AD, Italian painter, draftsman, sculptor, architect, and engineer, Leonardo Da Vinci, died at the age of 67. He was a genius who designed buildings, bridges, canals, forts and war machines. He kept notebooks sketching his ideas that show his fascination with birds and flying, including such fantastic designs as flying machines, which Islamic scientists in Baghdad, Cairo and Cordoba (Islamic Spain), had experimented centuries before him. He is also best known for such paintings as “Mona Lisa” and “The Last Supper.”

225 lunar years ago, on this day in 1212 AH, the great Gnostic scholar, Seyyed Mohammad Mahdi Tabatabaie, famous as Bahr al-Uloum (Ocean of Knowledge), passed away at the age of 57 in holy Najaf and was laid to rest beside the tomb of the famous Founder of the Najaf Seminary, Abu Ja’far Shaikh at-Ta’efa Tusi. Born in the holy city of Karbala, in Iraq, in a family related to the celebrated Allamah Majlisi of Iran, he studied in his hometown, Karbala, under his scholarly father Seyyed Morteza ibn Mohammad Boroujerdi and later under Shaikh Yousuf Bahrani (author of the book "Hada'eq an-Nasera"). He then moved to famous Islamic Seminary of holy Najaf, where he attained Ijtihad. At the age of 31, he came to Mashhad in Khorasan where he stayed for for seven years, learning different sciences, as well as philosophy from Mirza Mahdi Shahid Khorasani. His teacher, because of his extensive knowledge, called him “Baḥr al-Uloum” His sons, grandsons, and direct descendants in Iran and Iraq have continued to use this title as family name. He returned to Najaf to teach, and on the passing away of his teacher, Waheed Bahbahani, he became Marja’ (Source of Emulation). He did not confine himself to academic circles, but was also fully involved in social affairs, and strove to resolve the problems facing the people. He was fully proficient in jurisprudence, Hadith, theology, exegesis of the holy Qur’an and the science of transmitters. On his authority, in view of his contacts with the Lord of the Age, Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance), the exact spots in the Grand Mosque of Kufa and the Sahla Mosque, associated with the Prophets and the Imams, were determined. He groomed a large number of students such as: Seyyed Sadr od-Din Ameli, Shaikh Ja’far Najafi, Seyyed Jawad Ameli, Shaikh Abu Ali Haeri, Mulla Ahmad Naraqi, Seyyed Muhammad Mojahed, Seyyed Abu’l-Qasem Khwansari, Seyyed Dildar Ali Lakhnavi (of India). He wrote several books, including “al-Masabih” on jurisprudence, “ad-Durrah an-Najafiyyah”, “Mishkat al-Hedayah” and “Tuhfat- al-Keraam” on history of Mecca and Masjid Bayt al-Haraam (Great Sacred Mosque), besides a Collection of poems on the merits of the Infallible Imams of the Household of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).

162 solar years ago, on this day in 1854 AD, Iranian poet, Mirza Habibollah Qa’ani Shirazi passed away at the age of 46. He was the most brilliant and celebrated Persian poet of the 19th century, known for his melodious verses. His famous elegy on the Martyr of Karbala, Imam Husain (AS), is still popular in Iran. This elegy is inscribed on the walls of the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS) in Mashhad. Considered to be the last of the classical poets, Qa’ani, in this tribute, breaks with the tradition of explanatory poetry and pays his tribute to the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) in the form of question and answer or a dialogue

75 solar years ago, on this day in 1941 AD, Britain again invaded Iraq to oust the nationalist government of Prime Minister Rashid Aali al-Gilani who had staged a coup to end British influence by removing from power Abdullah bin Ali, the regent of the 6-year old king, Faisal II, whose grandfather Faisal I of Hijaz was installed as king in 1921 by London against the wishes of the Iraqi people, after crushing the popular uprising of 1920 led by Ayatollah Shaikh Kashef al-Gheta and Ayatollah Mirza Mohammad Taqi Shirazi. London feared that Gilani might take control of the oil industry from Britain, in view of his links to Germany and the Axis powers. The war ended on May 29 when Gilani fled to Iran and an armistice was signed on May 31. Gilani, a Sunni Muslim and descendant of Baghdad’s prominent Sufi of Iranian origin, Sheikh Abdul-Qader Gilani, could not stay long in Iran and fled to Germany when the British dethroned their agent Reza Khan Pahlavi for his pro-German views and exiled him to the island of Mauritius, , replacing him with his 21 year old son Mohammad Reza. After the German defeat in World War 2, Gilani sought asylum in Saudi Arabia before returning to Iraq in 1958 on the overthrow of the British-installed monarchy by General Abdul-Karim Qassim. He was implicated in a plot to seize power, was sentenced to death, but pardoned and exiled. He died in Beirut, Lebanon in 1965.

71 solar years ago, on this day in 1945 AD, World War II: Fall of Berlin: The Soviet Union announced the capture of Berlin and Soviet soldiers hoisted their red flag over the Reichstag building.

59 solar years ago, on this day in 1957 AD, controversial US Senator, Joseph McCarthy, died. During the early years of the Cold War, he headed an Inquisition-like Senate Committee, which on the pretext of countering communist activities in the US, suppressed critics of the American political and social system by jailing authors, journalists, and even artists. This era is known as McCarthyism in US history. The term McCarthyism, coined in 1950, was applied to similar anti-communist activities. Today the term is used more generally in reference to demagogic, reckless, and unsubstantiated accusations, as well as public attacks on the character and/or patriotism of political opponents.

34 solar years ago, on this day in 1982 AD, during the Falklands War in the British-occupied Malvinas Islands of Argentina, a British submarine sank the Argentine cruiser “General Belgrano”, resulting in the death of some 600 Argentine sailors. Terence Thornton Lewin, British military commander, was regarded as the one who persuaded Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to order the sinking.

12 solar years ago, on this day in 2004 AD, the infamous Yelwa massacre occurred in Nigeria when the Christians brutally massacred over 630 Muslim nomads including women, children and old men. The Christians surrounded Yelwa town, and according to Human Rights Watch, over the next two days 660 Muslims were massacred, including the patients in the al-Amin clinic. Twelve mosques and 300 houses went up in flames. Young girls were marched to a nearby Christian town and forced to eat pork and drink alcohol. Many were raped, and 50 were brutally killed.

8 solar years ago, on this day in 2008, cyclone Nargis struck Burma, killing over 138,000 people and leaving millions of people homeless.

5 solar years ago, on this day in 2011 AD, leader of the CIA-created al-Qa’eda terrorist outfit, Saudi national Osama bin Laden, was killed by US special forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan, ending an almost decade-long manhunt for him. Osama, a multimillionaire, was used by Washington in the 1980s to supply arms to the mujahideen during the occupation of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union. He again proved handy to American interests in the 1990s, in creating the Taleban to take over Afghanistan and tarnish the image of Islam with brutalities resembling medieval European laws. When he fell out with his backers, he was dumped and framed for the highly suspicious 9/11/2001 incidents in New York, as a pretext for the US invasion and occupation of that country. Osama’s body was thrown into the sea by the Americans in order to erase any trace of him after his death.