Today is Friday; 4th of the Iranian month of Tir 1395 solar hijri; corresponding to 18th of the Islamic month of Ramadhan 1437 lunar hijri; and June 24, 2016, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

Over three millennium lunar years ago, on this day (Ramadhan 18) God Almighty granted Zabour or the Book of Psalms to Prophet David (Dawoud), whose excellent tone in reciting the praise of the Lord Most High, used to enrapture birds and beasts of the wilderness. Like all other Prophets of God, David foretold of the advent of Islam and the Last and Greatest Messenger, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).

786 solar years ago, on this day in 1230 AD, the siege of the Muslim province of Jayyan in southern Spain was started by Christian mercenaries from various parts of Europe. Four months later the Spanish Muslims defenders forced the Christians to retreat. Earlier the traitor, Abdullah al-Bayasi had joined the Christian aggressors against fellow Muslims, but failed to break the resolve of the defenders.

702 solar years ago, on this day in 1314 AD, the Battle of Bannockburn during the First War of Scottish Independence against English hegemony, concluded with a decisive victory by Scottish forces led by Robert the Bruce. In 1328, after 14 years of struggle, England forced to recognize Scottish independence by signing the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton.

618 solar years ago, on this day in 1398 AD, Founder of the Ming Dynasty of China, the Hongwu Emperor, died at the age of 70 after a reign of 30 years. Born in a peasant family and named Zhu Yuanzhang, he liberated China from the rule of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, and transformed it into a major power. Although born a Buddhist, he embraced the Confucian doctrine, and showed inclination towards Islam. He ordered the construction of several mosques in Nanjing, Yunnan, Guangdong, Xijing and Fujian, and had inscriptions praising Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) placed in them. He rebuilt the Jinjue Mosque in his capital Nanjing, and large numbers of the Muslim Hui people moved to the city during his rule. He had some ten Muslim generals in his military, including Chang Yuchun, Lan Yu, Ding Dexing, Mu Ying, Feng Sheng and Hu Dahai. He personally wrote a 100-word praise (baizizan) on Islam, Allah and the Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).

255 solar years ago, on this day in 1762 AD, the British deceitfully seized Patna in Bihar, but the next day Mir Qassim Ali Khan the Nawab-Nazem of Bengal defeated them to retake the city. The British soon conspired to replace Qassim Ali Khan with his father-in-law, Mir Ja’far Ali Khan, whom they had installed as Nawab-Nazem a few years earlier after he had betrayed Siraj od-Dowla, the last independent ruler of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, at the Battle of Plassey in 1757. 

204 solar years ago, on this day in 1812 AD French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte with a huge 350,000 army crossed the Neman River to begin the invasion of Russia, in violation of the non-aggression pact signed by the two sides five years earlier. Napoleon advanced till Moscow, but the freezing cold of Russia, coupled with delay in the arrival of food and ammunitions for French soldiers grounded his army and finally forced him to retreat, during which Russian forces raided and killed many French soldiers. The defeat of Napoleon in Russia marked the beginning of the collapse of Napoleon’s empire.

204 solar years ago, on this day in 1812 AD, Caracas, which is now the capital of Venezuela, was taken by South American freedom-fighter Simon Bolivar after crushing the Spanish colonialists. Bolivar as president set up the Greater Columbia Federation, which included Venezuela, Columbia, Panama, Bolivia and Ecuador. After him the federation collapsed.

178 solar years ago, on this day in 1838 AD, the indecisiveness of Mohammad Shah Qajar, coupled with treason among his ministers, who were bribed by the British, resulted in the failure of the Iranian army to liberate Herat, the capital of Khorasan, from Afghan occupation. The siege of the city began in November 1837 and Herat could well have been liberated in view of the superiority of the Iranian army, which became the victim of British-Russian intrigues as part of the Great Game of the two superpowers in Central Asia. While the British viewed a resurgent Iran as threat to their vested interests in the Subcontinent and banned the teaching of Persian language in India in late 1837, Yar Mohammad the Pashto chieftain in occupation of Herat, unleashed a reign of terror on the local population, ruthlessly confiscating supplies and money and brutally crushing even the slightest hint of a pro-Persian movement among the citizens. He savagely decapitated Iranian prisoners of wars and sympathizers and gruesomely displayed their heads on the ramparts. The Afghan occupiers were assisted by the prominent Anglo-Indian mercenary, Eldred Pottinger, whose military skills, coupled with British threats to attack Iran, thwarted Mohammad Shah’s attempts to enter Herat after the Iranian army had breached its walls. Iran made one last attempt to liberate Herat from Afghan occupation in 1856-57, but was again defeated because of British meddling.

157 solar years ago, on this day in 1859 AD, the Battle of Solferino broke out between Austria and the allied French and Sardinian armies, resulting in the defeat of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, thereby setting the stage for unity of Italy, in the face of Austrian opposition.

141 lunar years ago, on this day in 1296 AH, the prominent Iranian literary figure and researcher, Mirza Abdul-Azim Khan Qareeb, was born in the northeastern Iranian city of Gorgan. Following the completion of preliminary studies, he conducted extensive research on grammar, logic, mathematics, and literature, and later on lectured literature. He has left behind numerous compilations for promotion and introduction of Farsi language and literature, including the book: “Farsi Grammar”, and “Badaayat al-Adab, Fawaa'ed al-Adab”, which includes the best works of renowned Iranian authors and poets, and their biographies. He has also corrected a number of classical Persian literature works, including "Boostan”, and “Golestan” of the famous Iranian poet, Shaikh Mosleh od-Din Sa’di

53 solar years ago, on this day in 1963 AD, the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (God bless him), was transferred from holy Qom to the Eshratabad military barracks in Tehran by the notorious intelligence outfit, SAVAK, following the historic mass uprising of 15th Khordad (June 5). Forty days later, the Pahlavi regime exiled him to Turkey, from where a year later he moved to Iraq and took up residence in Najaf near the holy shrine of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), before returning to Iran in February 1979 to lead the Islamic Revolution to victory that ended 2,500 years of monarchy.

28 solar years ago, on this day in 1988 AD, Saddam of the repressive Ba'th minority regime of Iraq, with US support, ordered chemical bombardment of Iranian combatants stationed in Majnoun Islands during the 8-year imposed war. In these barbaric air raids, hundreds of Iranian combatants were martyred or wounded. The world turned a blind eye to the use of internationally banned chemical weapons against Iran by Saddam, who parallel with the victories of Iranian combatants intensified usage of chemical weapons. The Ba'thist army used chemical weapons against Iran at least on 200 different occasions during the 8-year war, wounding and martyring nearly 30,000 Iranian soldiers and civilians.

AS/ME