Today is Sunday; 13th of the Iranian month of Tir 1395 solar hijri, corresponding to 27th of the Islamic month of Ramadhan 1437 lunar hijri; and July 3, 2016, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

877 lunar years ago, on this day in 560 AH, the famous Spanish Muslim philosopher and Gnostic, Mohi od-Din bin Mohammad Ibn al-Arabi was born in Andalusia, southern Spain. A child prodigy, after acquiring the sciences of the day, he left Spain at the age of 30 to travel over the Islamic world, acquiring further knowledge and writing books during his journeys, which took him on pilgrimage to Mecca, and far off places like Baghdad in Iraq and Qonya in what is now Turkey. In 620 AH, he settled in Damascus, where he lectured and wrote books. Among his well-known works are “Fusus al-Hikam” (Bezels of Wisdom), and “Futuhaat al-Makkiyya”. His Gnostic school of thought has continued to have a profound impact over the centuries despite the senseless attacks on him by the pseudo scholar Ibn Taimiyya, who failed to taint Ibn Arabi’s saintly personality for elaborating the Qur’anic concepts of “wasila” (means of attaining the proximity of God) and “shafa’a” (power of intercession) that God has granted to Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) and the Infallible Imams. He passed away in Damascus in 638 AH.

708 solar years ago, on this day in 1308 AD, Sultan Ala ud-Din Khilji laid siege to the famous fort of Siwana, situated on a hilltop in the Marwar region of what is now Rajasthan state of India. Two months later he captured the fort. Ala ud-Din, the second ruler of the Persianized Turkic Dynasty, known as Khilji, because of its origin from Khilj in Afghanistan, ruled the greater part of the subcontinent for 20 years, after succeeding his uncle, Sultan Jalal ud-Din Firuz. He was a brilliant strategist and an outstanding military commander, although a ruthless person. He was the first Muslim ruler to penetrate into the Deccan or southern India, and is also noted in history for being one of the few rulers in the world to have repeatedly defended his empire against Mongol invasions. He defeated large Mongol armies and then launched punitive expeditions against them in Central Asia, around modern-day Afghanistan. During his rule, many Iranians migrated to what are now India and Pakistan, to escape the Mongol menace.

498 solar years ago, on this day in 1518 AD, Li Shizhen, Chinese polymath, who was a mineralogist, medical doctor, scientist, pharmacologist, herbalist and acupuncturist of the Ming dynasty, was born. His major contribution to clinical medicine was his 27-year work, which is found in his scientific book Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica). He is considered to be the greatest scientific naturalist of China, and developed many innovative methods for the proper classification of herb components and medications to be used for treating diseases. The “Bencao Gangmu” has 1,892 entries; each entry with its own name called a gang. The book has details about more than 1,800 drugs, including 1,100 illustrations and 11,000 prescriptions. It also described the type, form, flavour, nature and application in disease treatments of 1,094 herbs. This book has been translated into many different languages, and remains as the premier reference work for herbal medicine. It also includes various related subjects such as botany, zoology, mineralogy, and metallurgy.

478 lunar years ago, on this day in 959 AH, the prominent theologian, Hassan bin Zain od-Din, was born in Lebanon to Shaikh Zain od-Din al-Jubai Shaheed Thani (Second Martyr). He was a product of the Najaf Seminary in Iraq and wrote the famous book “Ma’alem al-Usoul”. On returning to his homeland he groomed numerous students and passed away in 1011 AH.

327 lunar years ago, on this day in 1110 AH, the prominent Islamic scholar, Allamah Mohammad Baqer Majlisi, passed away in his hometown Isfahan and was laid to rest beside his equally renowned father, Mullah Mohammad Taqi Majlisi the First. His grandfather, Maqsood Ali was also a theologian and the genealogy of the family is traced back to the famous scholar, Abu Nu’aym Ahmad bin Abdullah Isfahani, the author “Hulyat-al-Awliya” and “Zikr-e Akhbar-e Isfahan.”By the age of 25, he gained certification of "riwayah" from the famous philosopher Mullah Sadra to teach. He was appointed Shaikh ol-Islam (Chief Religious Leader) by the Safavid King, Shah Sultan Hussain. During his 84-year lifespan, he wrote and compiled as many as 600 volumes of books and treatises, including the famous encyclopedic work “Bihar al-Anwaar” on hadith. His books are considered as the most important reference books for Muslims. He also popularized the Friday Prayers and guided tens of thousands of people towards the school of Prophet Mohammad’s (SAWA) Ahl al-Bayt.

262 solar years, on this day in 1754 AD, during the French and Indian Wars, George Washington, the future first president of the US, who was then a British officer, surrendered to the French forces what is now Pittsburg in southwestern Pennsylvania and which was called Fort Necessity. This left the French in control of the Ohio Valley, and marked the beginning of the French & Indian War also called the 7 Years' War. The war changed economic, political, governmental and social relations between three European powers (Britain, France, and Spain), their colonies and colonists, and the natives that inhabited the territories they claimed. France and Britain both suffered financially because of the war, with significant long-term consequences. The Seven Years' War nearly doubled Britain's national debt. The Crown, seeking sources of revenue to pay off the debt, attempted to impose new taxes on its colonies. These attempts were met with increasingly stiff resistance, until troops were called in so that representatives of the Crown could safely perform their duties. These acts ultimately led to the start of the American Revolutionary War.

183 solar years ago, on this day in 1863 AD, during the US civil war, the Battle of Gettysburg ended around the town of the same name in Pennsylvania, in a disastrous defeat for the Confederates, because of General Robert E. Lee's strategic blunder in ordering his forces to mount the Pickett’s charge against the Union army, despite the advice of his commanders of the impracticability of such an operation. It is the largest military conflict in North American history. The battle involved the largest number of casualties of the entire 5-year war and is often described as the war's turning point. Lee’s retreat to Virginia ended the Confederate plan to invade the Union North.

133 solar years ago, on this day in 1883 AD, the Czech author, Franz Kafka, was born. Given that he had a tough childhood, Kafka had a pessimistic viewpoint and was a Nihilist, which is completely evident in his books. His most famous work is “The Trial”.

112 solar years ago, on this day in 1904 AD, Theodor Herzl, the founder of the racist and terrorist outfit, Zionism, died at the age of 44.  Born in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, and named Benjamin Ze’ev Herzl, he later took up residence in Austria, where in1895 he wrote the controversial book titled “Jewish State” in which he bragged about the so-called racist superiority of the Jews. In 1897, Herzl and his co-thinkers in a gathering in Switzerland formally called for occupation of the Muslim land of Palestine. He died in 1904.

81 lunar years ago, on this day in 1356 AH, Ayatollah Seyyed Hassan Modarris was martyred through poisoning by agents of the despotic British-installed Pahlavi ruler, Reza Khan, in the city of Kashmar, Khorasan, at the age of 68, for his untiring efforts to safeguard freedom and liberties in Iran. Born near the city of Ardestan in central Iran, on completion of his studies, he left for the holy city of Najaf in Iraq, to attend the classes of prominent ulema, such as Ayatollah Mirza Hassan Shirazi. On returning to Iran, Ayatollah Modarris started his struggles against the despotic regime and its colonial masters. He was elected to the parliament and lobbied for implementation of Islamic laws in the country, a factor that angered Reza Khan, who exiled him from Tehran.

45 solar years ago, on this day in 1971 AD, the renowned Persian literary figure and lexicographer, Dr. Mohammad Moin, passed away at the age of 57. Born in a religious family in the northern Iranian city of Rasht, he learned Arabic at a young age, and following the completion of his studies at Tehran's Dar al-Fonoun Academy, he went on obtained a PhD in Persian Language and Literature. As of 1942, he began lecturing and researching at Tehran University. As of the year 1946, with the start of publication of the famous Persian lexicon “Lughat-Nameh Dehkhoda” by Allamah Ali Akbar Dehkhoda, he started cooperation with him, and was awarded by several world universities and academic-literary foundations. His valuable works include the 6-volume “Persian Lexicon”, and “Iran’s Culture”.

28 solar years ago, on this day in 1988 AD, the US in a blatant act of terrorism, shot down an Iranian Airbus passenger plane en route from Bandar Abbas to Dubai, by firing two missiles from the warship Vincennes that had ventured into Iranian coastal waters in the Persian Gulf. All 298 passengers and crew on board were killed. The regular four-days a week Iran Air Flight 655 was deliberately shot down by the US in a show of Washington’s support for the Saddam who was suffering defeat after defeat in his US-instigated 8-year war against the Islamic Republic. The US lied to the world media regarding the incident and tried to depict it as a mistake, but soon in an insult to the Iranian nation, the US President granted a medal of bravery to Captain Will Rogers for his cowardly act of terrorism in downing the Iranian passenger plane.

3 solar year ago, on this day in 2013 AD, Egyptian president, Mohammad Morsi, was toppled by a military coup led by General Abdul-Fattah as-Sisi, exactly a year after he had been elected in the country’s first and only fair and free elections. A member of the Muslim Brotherhood, who failed to solve the political and economic problems of the country, had ironically promoted Sisi to the post of the topmost military commander. Although he called himself Islamist, he supported the scandalous Camp David Treaty with the illegal Zionist entity, and allowed Takfiri elements to terrorize Egypt’s Christian and Shi’ite Muslim minorities. He also adopted a wrong regional policy by supporting terrorists in Syria and relying on Saudi Arabia, which betrayed him by openly backing the coup plotters.

AS/ME