Today is Saturday; 29th of the Iranian month of Khordad 1395 solar hijri; corresponding to 12th of the Islamic month of Ramadhan 1437 lunar hijri; and June 18, 2016, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

A Little over Two Millennia ago, on this day (Ramadhan 12), God revealed the Evangel to Prophet Jesus (AS) for the guidance of the Israelites who had long deviated from the path of Prophet Moses (AS). It was a purely monotheistic scripture, whose contents were later distorted by those that emerged as Christians. Currently, there are countless and contradictory versions of the Bible amongst the various Christian sects, whose beliefs are against what Prophet Jesus (AS) preached. For instance, Jesus (AS) has been turned into a godson, while passages pertaining to the advent of Islam and the mission of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), called "Ahmad" (Hmda in the original Evangel), have been removed

1436 lunar years ago, on this day in 1 AH, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), some six months after his migration to Medina from Mecca, established the Accord of Fraternity among Muslims, with each Mohajer or Migrant from Mecca becoming the brother-in-faith of an Ansar or Muslim Helper from Medina. The Accord of Fraternity was a key factor in fostering unity and burying the age-old tribal differences of the Arabs. It was so firm and enduring that if a pair was martyred in battle (the infidels used to impose upon Muslims), the two to be buried in a single grave. By the command of God, the Prophet paired 740 of his companions, every two of them on the basis of their characteristics, sharing of habits – whether good or bad – and above all their natural inclinations and friendship towards each other. Thus Salman Farsi and Abu Zar Gheffari were paired as brothers, while another pair was Meqdad ibn Aswad and Ammar ibn Yasser – these four were noted for their lofty degrees of faith and firm adherence to the path of truth which would become manifest both during the Prophet’s lifetime and after him when they would stand firmly beside his divinely-decreed vicegerent, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS). Of the others paired together were Zubair and Talha; Abu Bakr and Omar Ibn Khattab; Osman Ibn Affan and Abdur-Rahman Ibn Auf, etc. For his own, part, the Prophet, whose merits and superiority were beyond any Mohajer or Ansar, took hold of the hand of his worthy cousin, Imam Ali (AS), to declare him brother in this world and in afterlife.

1398 solar years ago, on this day in 618 AD, Li Yuan became Emperor Gaozu of Tang, initiating three centuries of Tang Dynasty rule over China.

1275 solar years ago, on this day in 741 AD, Byzantine emperor, Leo III the Isaurian, died at the age of 56 after a reign of 24 years, having seized the throne treacherously in 1717, by deceitfully orchestrating the defeat of the Omayyad siege of Constantinople. As part of his plan to rise up against Emperor Theodosios III, he had tricked the Muslims to send a huge armada of ships, and then betrayed them after seizing the throne for himself, resulting in the disorderly retreat of 1,800 ships sent by the Omayyad regime. The year-long siege marked the culmination of twenty years of attacks and progressive Arab occupation of Byzantine borderlands. Leo, whose original name was Konon, having secured the near extinction of the Empire, invited Slavic settlers into the depopulated districts and when a decade or two later, the Omayyads renewed their invasions in 726 and 739, as part of the campaigns of the tyrant, Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik, they were decisively beaten, particularly at the Battle of Akroinon in 740 in western Anatolia in what is now Turkey. Leo’s military efforts were supplemented by his alliances with the Khazars and the Georgians to keep the Muslims in check. His most striking legislative reforms dealt with religious matters, especially iconoclasm (Icon-breaking). After a successful attempt to enforce the baptism of all Jews and Montanists in the empire (722), he issued a series of edicts against the worship of images (726–729).

840 lunar years ago, on this day in 597 AH, the famous scholar, Abdur-Rahman Ibn Ali Ibn Mohammad, popular as Abu'l-Faraj Ibn al-Jowzi, passed away in Baghdad at the age of 87. He is known for his works in exegesis of the holy Qur'an as well as his numerous hadith writings and books on history. Although a Sunni, he is also famous for the theological stance that he took against other Hanbalis. Ibn al-Jowzi is perhaps the most prolific author and his writings total over 200 books and treatises, which are over 300 in numbers. Among his famous books, mention can be made of the 10-volume history "al-Montazam fi Tarikh al-Omam" and a book on the unsurpassed merits of Imam Ali (AS), as well as one permitting the cursing of Yazid Ibn Mu'awiyya, the killer of Imam Husain (AS) titled:"ar-Radd ala'l-Muta’seb al-Anid al-Mane' min Dham al-Yazid"

725 solar years ago, on this day 1291 AD, Alfonso III of Aragon died at the age of 26 years. He was hostile to the Muslims of Spain and during his 6-year reign occupied the Muslim state of Manurqa in the Balearic group of islands in the Mediterranean Sea – known today as Minorca

204 solar years ago, on this day in 1812 AD, the US Congress declared war on Britain and Canada. The war lasted two years and eight months. Although no boundary changes occurred, its outcome resolved many issues which remained from the rebellion of the 13 New England colonies that declared themselves the United States of America and fought the 8-year war (1775-1783) to force the British to grant independence. The US declared war for several reasons, including trade restrictions brought about by Britain's continuing war with France, the impressments of American merchant sailors into the Royal Navy, British support of American Indian tribes against US expansion, and American plan in annexing British North American territory (part of modern-day Canada). The war was fought in three principal theatres. Firstly, at sea, where each side attacked the other's merchant ships, while the British blockaded the Atlantic coast of the US and mounted large-scale raids in the later stages of the war. Secondly, both land and naval battles were fought on the US-Canadian frontier, which ran along the Great Lakes. Thirdly, the Gulf of Mexico Coast also saw major land battles in which the American forces defeated Britain's Amerindian allies and a British invasion force at New Orleans. The British took control of eastern Maine, along with parts of Michigan and Wisconsin, and held it with their Amerindian allies for the duration of the war. In the southwest, The British victory at the Battle of Bladensburg in August 1814 allowed them to capture and burn the US capital, Washington. In Canada, victories over invading US armies became iconic and promoted the development of a distinct Canadian identity with strong loyalty to Britain. Canada and the US continue to commemorate this war, while it is scarcely remembered in Britain, since it was fought far off in the Americas and regarded as a sideshow to the much larger Napoleonic Wars raging in Europe. At the end of the war, Britain and the US signed the Treaty of Ghent and all parties returned occupied land to its pre-war owner.

201 solar years ago, on this day in 1815 AD, the decisive Battle of Waterloo marked the end of the power and conquests of French emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte. Fought near the village of Waterloo in Belgium, the British and the Prussian armies led by Duke of Wellington and Von Blucher, sealed the fate of Napoleon, who was subsequently captured by the British and sent to exile to Saint Helena Island, where he died a few years later.

116 solar years ago, on this day in 1900 AD, Empress Dowager Longyu of China ordered all foreigners killed, including foreign diplomats and their families.

94 lunar years ago, on this day in 1343 AH, the renowned theologian, Ayatollah Shaikh Mahdi Khalesi, passed away at the age of 66. Born in the holy city of Kazemain in Iraq, he built a reputation for promotion of virtue and prevention of vice in society. He opposed the British invasion of Iraq, and along with other scholars, such as Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Shirazi and Shaikh Mohammad Hussain Kashef al-Gheta, joined the revolution against the turning of Iraq into a monarchy led by the imported king, Faisal, a son of the British agent of Hejaz, Sharif Hussain. During his stay in Iran he taught at the howza. Books written by him include “Kifayat al-Osoul”, and “Anaween al-Osoul”.

88 solar years ago, on this day in 1928 AD, Norwegian polar explorer, Roald Engelbregt Amundsen, disappeared along with five crew in the Arctic at the age 55 and was given up as dead after a search of several months. The bodies were never found. In his twenties, he interrupted his studies in medicine to join the first winter expedition to the Antarctic, sailing in 1897 as first mate on the Belgica, a Belgian expedition. On his next voyage during 1903-06 he established the Northwest Passage. In 1904 he located the site of the North Magnetic pole. When he turned his attention to the Antarctic, he achieved his quest to be the first to reach the South Pole on 14 December 1911. After three unsuccessful attempts, he was among the first to cross the Arctic by air in 1926 when he made a flight by dirigible from Spitsbergen, across the North Pole, to Alaska.

80 solar years ago, on this day in 1936 AD, the famous Russian author and political activist, Alexei Maximovich Peshkov, known by his penname Maxim Gorky (“bitter advice” in Russian), died at the age of 68. It is believed that he was killed by agents of Soviet dictator, Joseph Stalin. Born in Nizhny Novgorod, the abysmal poverty of his family, forced him to work during his studies. He started writing stories very soon and while working at railway workshop at Tbilisi, Georgia, his first story was published in the local newspaper. His stories brought him money and fame. He focused on the miserable life of the Russian people and sought solutions to social problems. The brutal shooting of workers marching to the Tsar with a petition for reform on 9 January 1905 (known as the "Bloody Sunday"), which set in motion the abortive Revolution of 1905, made Gorky closely associated with Vladimir Lenin and Alexander Bogdanov's Bolshevik wing of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party. He wrote the play “Children of the Sun”, nominally set during an 1862 cholera epidemic, but universally understood to relate to contemporary events. He next wrote the famous book “Mother”, in admiration of the struggles of Russian workers and as a result had to leave Russia in 1906. He lived in exile, mostly on the Italian island of Capri until an amnesty granted in 1913 on the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty allowed him to return to Russia, where he continued his social criticism. During World War I and the revolutionary period of 1917, his apartment turned into Bolshevik staff headquarters. These relations became strained, however, after his newspaper “Novaya Zhizn” was subjected to Bolshevik censorship during the ensuing civil war. Gorky published a collection of essays critical of the Bolsheviks called “Untimely Thoughts” in 1918. The essays call Lenin a tyrant for his senseless arrests and repression of free discourse, and an anarchist for his conspiratorial tactics. Gorky compared Lenin to the Tsar. He termed Lenin "a cold-blooded trickster who spares neither the honor nor the life of the proletariat." He was exiled and spent the period from 1921 to 1928 living abroad, mostly in Sorrento, Italy, where he wrote several successful books. On the personal invitation of Stalin, he returned definitively to the Soviet Union in 1932, and for a while was officially feted by the dictator for propaganda purposes. With the increase of Stalinist repression, especially after the assassination of Sergei Kirov in December 1934, Gorky was placed under house arrest. Two years later after the sudden death of his son, he also suspiciously died.

65 solar years ago, on this day in 1951 AD, following the ratification of the act for nationalization of Iran’s oil industry on March 20, 1951, a board comprised of Iranian experts took charge of the executive affairs of the National Iranian Oil Company this day, as per the recommendations of Ayatollah Seyyed Abu’l-Qassem Kashani and Iranian premier, Dr. Mohammad Mosaddeq, thereby dissolving the British controlled Anglo-Iranian Oil Company and dismissing the 450-odd foreign staff. The Iranian people achieved a landmark victory this day against domestic despotism and foreign hegemony in the face of British plots and threats.

63 solar years ago, on this day in 1953 AD, Egypt became a republic, ending the 150-year rule of the Khedive Dynasty founded by Mohammad Ali Pasha, the Albanian general of the Ottoman Sultan. Egypt’s failure in its confrontation with the illegal Zionist entity in 1948 war led to resentment among Egyptians toward King Farouq, leading to formation of a secret organization in the army, known as the Free Officers Movement, opposed to British domination. In 1952 a coup led by Major General Mohammad Najib and Colonel Jamal Abdun-Nasser, forced the king to abdicate in favour of his young son Ahmad Fouad, who was subsequently deposed this day on announcement of the republic and declaration of Najib as president. A year later Najib was ousted by Nasser, who espoused the Pan Arab policy for revolutions in different Arab states.

39 solar years ago, on this day in 1977 AD, the Iranian author and thinker, Dr. Ali Shariati, passed away at the age of 44 in London, and his body was brought to Syria and buried in Damascus in the mausoleum of Hazrat Zainab (SA) – the granddaughter of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). Born in a religious and academic family in Mazinan village near the northeastern city of Sabzevar, Khorasan, during his academic years he started his political activities against the despotic Pahlavi regime. After obtaining PhD in Sociology of Religions from France's Sorbonne University, he returned to Iran and established himself as an influential orator at Tehran’s Husseiniyeh Irshaad, alongside prominent lecturers and thinkers such as Ayatollah Morteza Motahhari and Hojjat al-Islam Dr. Mohammad Javad Bahonar. Shariati was a prolific writer and has left behind more than 200 works in books, journals, and tapes of his speeches. Among his valuable books, mention can be made of “Islam and Mankind”, "Hajj", "Marxism and Other Western Fallacies: An Islamic Critique", "Martyrdom", "A Visage of Prophet Mohammad", and "Fatemah is Fatemah."

33 lunar years ago, on this day in 1404 AH, the reclusive Gnostic Seyyed Hashem al-Haddad, passed away at the age of 86 in his hometown Karbala, Iraq. He was a student of the famous Gnostic Jurisprudent Seyyed Ali Qazi Tabatabai, with whom he was associated for 28 years in the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala. In turn he was the teacher of such prominent ulema as Ayatollah Abdul-Hussain Dastghayb, Ayatullah Seyyed Abdul-Karim Razawi Kashmiri, Ayatollah Seyyed Mustafa Khomeini, Ayatoallah Morteza Motahhari, Seyyed Ahmad Fihri Zanjani and Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Hussain Hussaini. The last named scholar wrote the excellent book “Rooh-e Mojarrad” (or The Detached Soul) on Gnosis, in which he has mentioned in detail how Seyyed Hashem Haddad’s spiritual guidance totally transformed him, taking him to higher levels of spirituality. Seyyed Hashem loved poems of the Persian masters Shams Maghrebi, Hafiz Shirazi and Mowlana Rumi. He was also a great admirer of the Spanish Muslim Gnostic Mohy od-Din Ibn Arabi, but at times has criticized some of his views. He regarded the martyrdom of Imam Husain (AS) as the supreme example of love for God, the most beautiful manifestation of glory and the beauty of the attributes of Divine Mercy and Wrath. In his opinion, if a spiritual wayfarer becomes cognizant of even a little of the divine manifestations of the epic of Ashura, he will go unconscious forever.

19 solar years ago, on this day in 1997 AD, Turkish premier, Najm od-Din Erbakan, was undemocratically removed from office by the laic military generals because of his attempts to restore to the Muslim masses of Turkey their denied rights and lost identity. Born in the northern city of Sinop, he studied Mechanical Engineering at Istanbul University, on the completion of which he left for Germany to obtain a PhD at Aachen University. On return to Turkey, he was appointed a university professor in 1967. He entered politics in 1969, and was soon elected MP. He founded several Islamic-oriented parties, which the military authorities forcibly dissolved. He became leader of the Welfare Islamic Party in 1987, and in 1996 was democratically elected as Prime Minister. His Islamic policies were unbearable for the Kemalist military, the Zionist entity called Israel, and the US. He was ousted a year later, his party was outlawed, and he was banned from political activities for five years. Erbakan died in 2011 at the age of 84.

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