Today is Sunday; 23rd of the Iranian month of Khordad 1395 solar hijri; corresponding to 6th of the Islamic month of Ramadhan 1437 lunar hijri; and June 12, 2016, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

Over three-and-a-half lunar millenniums ago, on this day (Ramadhan 6), God revealed the Torah to Prophet Moses (AS) on Mount Sinai for the guidance of the Israelites after they had been delivered from bondage in Pharaonic Egypt. Islam regards Moses as one of the five Great Messengers of God – the other four being Noah, Abraham, Jesus and the last and greatest of them all, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). He has been mentioned some 500 times in the holy Qur'an, which confirms the Torah revealed to him. Unfortunately, over the centuries the Israelites have tampered with the contents of this holy book to such an extent that except for some scattered passages, nothing remains in the present Torah of the revealed words of God.

1236 lunar years ago, on this day in 201 AH, a grand ceremony was held in the Khorasani city of Merv (currently in Turkmenistan) by the Abbasid caliph, Mamoun, to officially declare Imam Reza (AS), the 8^th Infallible Successor of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), as heir apparent. This was part of an intricate plot to tarnish the unsullied image of the Ahl al-Bayt. Courtiers and the masses, beginning with Mamoun's own son, Abbas, swore allegiance to Imam Reza (AS), in whose name coins were minted, while the official colour of the Abbasids was changed from the black to the green of the Prophet's Household. The crafty Mamoun, alarmed at the popularity amongst the masses of the Prophet's progeny and concerned about the lack of legitimacy of the rule of the Abbasids, who had deceived the ummah some 70 years earlier to hijack the caliphate after obliterating the Omayyad usurpers, forced Imam Reza (AS) to leave Medina and come to his capital Merv in distant Khorasan. Here he offered to abdicate the caliphate in the Imam's favour, but was frustrated in his devilish design by the curt reply: "If the caliphate is really yours, you ought not give to others what God has given you as a trust; and if it does not belong to you, how can you give to others what is not yours." After over two months of pressures coupled with threats of covert death, he forced the Imam to at least accept being his heir apparent, despite the glaring age gap of 22 years between the young 31 year old ruler and the 53-year old heir apparent, who might not be expected to outlive the person he was supposed to succeed. To the horror of Mamoun, his plot backfired as the popularity of Imam Reza (AS) further grew among the people. Two years later in 203 AH, he martyred the Imam through poisoning of food, and shifted the Abbasid capital back to Baghdad.

974 lunar years ago, on this day in 463 AH, the renowned Iranian Imami theologian, Abu Ya'la Hamza Ibn Abdullah Sallar Ibn Abdul-Aziz Daylami, passed away. He was a prominent student of the celebrated Shaikh Mufid and after him of the renowned Seyyed Mortaza Alam al-Hoda. Among his works, mention can be made of “al-Abwaab wa'l-Fosoul”, “at-Taqrib fi'l-Usoul”, and "al-Marasem al-Alawiyya fi Ahkaam an-Nabawiyya". He is not to be confused with another famous theologian Abu Ya'la al-Ja'fari, the son-in-law of Shaikh Mufid, who passed away ten days later on 16^th of Ramadhan in the same year. It is worth noting Abu Ya'la is a common “kunya” (agnomen) of all those persons whose name is Hamza.

872 solar years ago, on this day in 1144 AD, the Iranian Sunni Muslim exegete of the holy Qur'an, narrator of hadith, and linguist, Abu'l-Qasim Mohammad Ibn Omar Zamakhshari, died at the age of 72 in the city of Gurganj in the ancient Iranian land of Kharazm, which today is divided between the Central Asian republics of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. He was born in the village of Zamakhsar and studied in Samarqand and Bukhara. He later lived in Baghdad for some years. He followed the rationalistic Mu'tazali doctrine and was known as “Jarallah” (or Neighbour of God), since he stayed for several years in the city of Mecca, spending his time at the holy Ka'ba, the symbolic House of God Almighty. He wrote both in Persian and Arabic, and is best known for “al-Kashshaaf”, a commentary on the holy Qur'an, which is famous for its deep linguistic analysis of the ayahs. Another of his famous books is “Rabi al-Abraar”, a voluminous reference work in which he has exposed the dubious parentage of Mu’awiya ibn Abu Sufyan. He has recorded many of the God-given merits of the Ahl al-Bayt of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) and their superiority over all Muslims.

776 solar years ago, on this day in 1240 AD, an inter-faith debate, known as the “Disputation of Paris”, started between a Christian monk and four rabbis, on the orders of King Louis IX of France. Nicholas Donin, a member of the Franciscan Order and a convert to Christianity from Judaism, represented the Christian side against the Jewish Rabbis named Yechiel of Paris, Moses of Coucy, Judah of Melun, and Samuel ben Solomon of Chateau-Thierry. Donin had translated the Talmud – a Jewish religious book written around 200 AD, and pressed 35 charges against it, by referring to a series of blasphemous passages about Prophet Jesus and his virtuous mother, the Virgin Mary (peace upon them), whom the Jews slander. In one of the Talmudic passages, for example, Prophet Jesus is depicted as being cast into Hell, while another passage permits Jews to kill all non-Jews.  The Talmud, which is a distortion of the monotheistic teachings of Prophet Moses (PuH), also contains insulting remarks against Adam the father of mankind, and against Prophet Noah. At the end of the long debate lasting several days, Christian theologians condemned the Talmud to be burned as a blasphemous book. On June 17, 1244 twenty-four carriage loads of Jewish religious manuscripts, collected from various parts of France, were set on fire in the streets of Paris.

635 solar years ago, on this day in 1381 AD, The Peasants' Revolt occurred in England. Also known as Tyler's Rebellion, it was not only the most extreme and widespread insurrection in English history but also the best-documented popular rebellion to have occurred during medieval times. The Tower of London was stormed and those summarily executed included the Lord Chancellor (Simon of Sudbury, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who was particularly associated with the poll tax), and the Lord Treasurer (Robert de Hales, the Grand Prior of the Knights Hospitallers of England). The names of some of the leaders of the revolt, John Ball, Watt Tyler and Jack Straw, are still familiar in popular culture, although little is known of them. The revolt later came to be seen as a mark of the beginning of the end of serfdom in medieval England, although the revolt itself was a failure. It increased awareness in the upper classes of the need for the reform of feudalism in England and the appalling misery felt by the lower classes as a result of their enforced near-slavery. It was brutally suppressed by the king and a large number of peasants were executed.

480 solar years ago, on this day in 1534 AD, the Turkish navy led by Khair od-Din Barbarossa allowed Giulia Gonzaga to kidnap & plunder Naples in Italy.

476 solar years ago, on this day in 1540 AD, the country known as Chile in South America was occupied by the Spanish invaders, after earlier defeats at the hands of the indigenous Mapuche people. The Spanish brutally suppressed the Amerindians and plundered the rich resources of the land. In 1817, the Argentinean commander, Jose de San Martin, attacked the Spanish and liberated Chile in the following year.

466 solar years ago, on this day in 1550 AD, the city of Helsinki, Finland – belonging to Sweden at the time – was founded by King Gustav I of Sweden.

124 solar years ago, on this day in 1892 AD, Grand Ayatollah Shaikh Zain ol-Abedin Mazandarani, passed away at the age of 80 in the holy city of Karbala, where he was based as the “Marja’” or Source of Emulation for Shi’a Muslims worldwide. Born in Babol in Mazandaran Province on the Caspian Sea, after preliminary studies in Iran, he left for Iraq for higher studies at the holy city of Karbala, and 8 years later he shifted to the famous Islamic seminary of holy Najaf to study under the celebrated Grand Ayatollah Sheikh Morteza Ansari Dezfuli. On attaining the status of “Ijtihad”, he returned to Karbala at the age of 37, where he lived until the end of his life, grooming students and writing books, which include “Dhakhirat-al-Ma’ad”, “Zinat-al-Ebaad”, and “Treatise on Hajj Rituals”. He always thought of the poor and the needy and strove to solve their problems. He was also very modest and was highly respected by the ulema and people. He was instrumental in enlightening a sizeable section of the Nizari Ismaili community of India with the rational beliefs of the “Ithna-Ash’ari” (Twelver) School during discussions in Karbala with a Khoja delegation that had come on pilgrimage. At his behest Mullah Qader Hussain returned to the Subcontinent espousing the Twelver Shi’ite creed. His preaching was instrumental in convincing several more Khoja families to leave Nizari Ismailism and become Twelvers.

102 solar years ago, on this day in 1914 AD, the first experiment for harnessing of solar thermal energy took place on the outskirts of the Egyptian capital, Cairo. It was conducted by American physicist, Frank Schuman, who managed to run a 50 horse-power steam engine by harnessing the sun’s rays. This test shaped the basis of the solar-powered driving engines.

97 solar years ago, on this day in 1819 AD, English novelist, Charles Kingsley was born in Holne, Devon, Britain. He was a prolific writer and his works include, such famous classics as “Westward Ho!”, “The Water-Babies” and “Madam How and Lady Why”.

36 solar years ago, on this day in 1980 AD, the Founder of Islamic Republic of Iran, Imam Khomeini (God bless him), ordered establishment of Cultural Revolution Headquarters for reformation of universities. The message called for plans to evaluate courses based on Islamic culture and values in order to develop Iran’s higher education system by removing influences of undesirable western values.

33 solar years ago, on this day in 1983 AD, Iran’s lady jurisprudent, mujtaheda, and exegete of the Holy Qur’an, Seyyedah Bano Nosrat Begum Amin, passed away in the central Iranian city of Isfahan at the age of 88. Daughter of Seyyed Moḥammad Ali Amin at-Tujjar, she was married to her cousin, Mirza Moin at-Tujjar. Several ladies of her family were noted for their high degree of religious scholarship. Her aunt was the mujtaheda, Seyyedah Hashimiyah at-Tujjar, while her student and husband’s niece was the equally prominent, Seyyedah Iffat az-Zamaan Amin Iftekhar at-Tujjar. She groomed numerous lady students, including the famous Zeenat-as Sadaat Homayuni, the director for thirty years of Isfahan’s Women’s Seminary Maktab-e Fatemah. Bano Nosrat wrote several books such as the 15-volume exegesis of the Holy Qur’an titled “Makhzan al-Irfan” in Persian. She also authored for the moral uplifting of Iranian women the book “Ravesh Khoshbakhti va Towsiyeh beh Khaharan-e Imani” which means “Methods of Happiness and Prosperity for Sisters-in-Faith”. Another of her excellent books is on the unsurpassed merits of the Commander of the Faithful Imam Ali (AS) titled “Makhzan al-La’ali fi Manaqeb Mawla-al-Mawali, Ali.” She was a staunch supporter of the Islamic Revolution and was held in deep respect by Imam Khomeini (God bless him).

25 solar years ago, on this day in 1991 AD, the first free presidential polls were held in the Russian Federation after the disintegration of the Soviet Union and resulted in the election of Boris Yeltsin as president.

5 solar years ago, on this day in 2011 AD, the repressive Aal-e Khalifa minority regime of the Persian Gulf island of Bahrain, sentenced 20-year old university girl student, peace activist, and budding Arabic poet, Ayat Hassam Mohammad al-Qurmezi, to imprisonment on absurd charges, including inciting hatred, after some two-and-a-half months of torture following her kidnapping from her home at gunpoint, for reciting poems critical of the regime. There were widespread protests in her support in many countries including the Islamic Republic of Iran. Even after release, she has remained under house arrest. On Wednesday, February 23, 2011, during the early days of the uprising of Bahrain’s long-suppressed majority for their denied rights, Ayat al-Qurmezi delivered a poem from the podium to the gathering of pro-democracy demonstrators at the Pearl Roundabout in Manama that was critical of the regime’s policies and specifically those of Khalifa ibn Salman Aal-e Khalifa, the longtime tyrannical prime minister. On March 6, 2011, she read out another poem to a huge gathering at the same venue (since demolished) censuring the self-styled king, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Aal-Khalifa. Her widely applauded poem included the verse: “We are the people who will kill humiliation and assassinate misery. Don't you hear their cries? Don't you hear their screams?" Another verse of her poem has an imaginary dialogue between the Devil and Sheikh Hamad, in which the Satan complains to his pupil: “Hamad, the Bahraini people have shaken me. Don't you hear their cries?”

AS/ME