Today is Saturday; 9th of the Iranian month of Mordad 1395 solar hijri; corresponding to 25th of the Islamic month of Shawwal 1437 lunar hijri; and July 30, 2016, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1382 solar years ago, on this day in 634 AD, Battle of Ajnadayn, the first major pitched encounter between the Muslim Arabs and the army of Byzantine or the Eastern Roman Empire occurred near Beit Shemesh in Palestine, 30 km west of Bayt al-Moqaddas, resulting in the victory of Muslims.

1289 lunar years ago,on this day in 148 AH, Imam Ja'far Sadeq (AS), the 6^th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), was martyred in Medina through poison by the Abbasid caliph, Mansour Dawaniqi. Imam Sadeq (AS) needs no introduction, since it was he who bequeathed to posterity the dynamism of the genuine practice and behavior of his ancestor the Prophet that stands out as the “Shari'ah” or proper way of guidance for the believers. During his 34-year imamate, he trained for the benefit of humanity as many as 4000 scholars in various branches of science, including the Father of Chemistry, Jaber ibn Hayyan, who was known to medieval Europe as Geber. The “Fiqh al-Ja'fari” or the Ja'fari School of Jurisprudence is his immortal legacy, which unlike other jurisprudential schools, is based on rationality and intellect.

1254 solar years ago, on this day in 762 AD, a gigantic urbanization project started at the village of Baghdad, which in Old Persian means “God-given”, following its selection as the capital of the Abbasid caliphate by the tyrant Mansur Dawaniqi, who named it “Madinat as-Salaam” or City of Peace. A bitter enemy of the Household of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), he chose the location, 30 km from Ctesiphon, the capital of the Persian Empire, and commissioned the Barmakid Iranian family of viziers to carry out the project, supervised by the astrologers Naubakht Ahvaz, a Zoroastrian, and Mashallah, a Jew, who believed work should start in July under the sign of Leo, which is associated with fire and symbolizes productivity, pride, and expansion. The city was designed as a circle about 2 km in diameter, and hence was called the "Round City". The circular design of the city was a direct reflection of the traditional Persian urban design, modeled on the Sassanid city of Gur in Fars, built 500 years earlier. Soon Baghdad became a centre of learning, as well as of vice and Arabian Nights debaucheries, until it was sacked in 1258 by the Mongol hordes of Hulagu Khan – a catastrophe from which it never fully recovered. Following the creation of Iraq as a country by the British last century, Baghdad became the capital of a modern state, and has gradually grown into a metropolis. Today, it is the second largest city in the Arab World after Cairo, the capital of Egypt, and the second largest city in Western Asia after Tehran, the capital of Iran.

901 lunar years ago,on this day in 536 AH, the hadith scholar and author, Ahmad Heravi, passed away. He was a prominent lecturer of the Nizamiyyah Academy in the Khorasani city of Balkh (presently in Afghanistan). His most renowned student was Rashid od-Din Watwaat, the prominent Iranian literary figure. He also lectured for a while at Baghdad’s Nizamiyya Academy while returning from the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

756 lunar years ago, on this day in 681 AH, the Spanish Muslim Arabic grammarian and Islamic law expert, Abdur-Rahman bin Abdullah as-Suhayli, died at the age of 73 in Marakesh, three years after coming to Morocco on the invitation of Sultan Abu Yusuf Ya'qub al-Mansur of the al-Muwahidin dynasty. He was born in Fuengirola, which was known as Suhayl during Muslim rule in Spain. He wrote books on Arabic grammar and Islamic law. He also wrote a a commentary on the Prophet's biography by Ibn Hisham.

553 solar years ago, on this day in 1463 AD, Shams od-Din Mohammad Shah III, son of Humayun Shah, ascended the Turquoise Throne of the Bahmani Kingdom of Iranian origin of the Deccan (southern India) at the age of 10, following the sudden death of his elder brother, Nizam od-Din Ahmad Shah III, after a reign of only two years. He was assisted by a regency council made up of his mother, Makhdouma-e Jahan Nargis Begum and the two venerable descendants of the Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) – probably of the Ne’matollahi Sufi Order of Kerman, Iran, Shah Mohibollah and Seyyed Hanif. Mohammad Shah got married at the young age of 14, and gradually took over state affairs, naming the sagacious Iranian migrant statesman, Malik ut-Tujjar Mahmoud Gawan as Prime Minister. Gawan, who was from Gilan on the Caspian Sea coast, helped the Bahmani State attain prosperity unequalled in the whole of its history during his almost 20-year role in state affairs. During this period Parenda Fort, the Great College, and Madrasah at Bidar were built. Kapileswar of Orissa was defeated in 1470 in the east, while Goa on the west was annexed. The boundaries of the Bahmani Kingdom now touched the Bay of Bengal in the east and the Arabian Sea in the west. Gawan was one of the first ministers in Medieval India to order a systematic measurement of land, fixing the boundaries of villages and towns and making a thorough enquiry into the assessment of revenue. He invited scholars from Iran, Iraq, and Central Asia to launch a cultural renaissance. Some jealous nobles at the court of Bidar, however, conspired against him and prepared a false paper claiming he wanted the Deccan to be partitioned between him and the ruler of Orissa. Mohammad Shah III made the fatal mistake of sentencing the 73-year loyal minister to death, a measure that brought about the decline and fall of the Bahmani Kingdom, although later he discovered the truth and rued his decision. Mohammad Shah, also known as Lashkari for his military exploits that were largely the result of Gawan’s sound strategy, died after a reign of 19 years, following which the kingdom splintered into five independent sultanates during the long but nominal reign of his son and successor, Mahmoud Shah.  

520 lunar years ago, on this day in 917 AH, Muzaffar Shah II of Gujarat in western India received an embassy from Shah Ismail I, the Founder of the Safavid Empire of Iran. The delegation from Tabriz arrived with rich presents to felicitate the Gujarat sultan on his accession and also to announce the grand victory of the Iranian forces over the Uzbek ruler Mohammad Khan Shaibani at the Battle of Merv on 30^th Sha’ban 916 AH. At first, the Persian envoy was honourably received, but subsequently his entourage was attacked and his property destroyed by a mob inflamed either by anti-Shi’ite feeling, or, according to one version, by the machinations of Saheb Khan, the exiled prince of the Malwa. Muzaffar Shah was compelled to pay heavy compensation for the losses suffered by the Iranian envoy. Iranians from different walks of life migrated and settled in Gujarat, both during the 175 years of its existence as an independent sultanate and its subsequent role as a Mughal province that served as the centre of trade with the Muslim World through the sea route.

414 solar years ago, on this day in 1602 AD, the Dutch by setting up a trade post in Sumatra started their political influence in Indonesia, under the name of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). In 1800 VOC was formally dissolved because of bankruptcy and the government of the Netherlands established the Dutch East Indies as a nationalized colony. For most of the colonial period, Dutch control over the archipelago was tenuous outside of coastal strongholds. Only in the early 20th century did Dutch dominance extend to what was to become Indonesia's current boundaries. The country, which is made up of over 17,500 islands and a predominantly Muslim population, was occupied by Japan during World War 2. In 1949, Indonesia declared its independence under the leadership of Ahmad Sukarno by thwarting Dutch efforts to re-establish colonial hegemony.

387 solar years ago, on this day in 1629 AD, an earthquake in Naples, Italy, killed about 10,000 people.

124 solar years ago, on this day in 1892 AD, the prominent scholar Ayatollah Mullah Ahmad bin Ali Akbar, popular as Fazel-e Maraghi, passed away in Tabriz and his body was taken to holy Najaf, Iraq, for burial at the famous Wadi as-Salaam (Valley of Peace) Cemetery near the holy shrine of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (AS). Born in Maragheh, he resided in Tabriz, and completed his higher religious studies in holy Najaf, where among his teachers was the celebrated Ayatollah Sheikh Morteza Ansari Dezfuli. On return to Iran he taught jurisprudence, theology and other sciences. He groomed several students and authored books on various topics, including “Exegesis of the Holy Qur’an” and “Annotation of the Nahj al-Balagha”.

118 solar years ago, on this day in 1898 AD, Prussian statesman and 1^st Chancellor of unified Germany, Otto von Bismarck, died at the age of 83. A skillful politician, he dominated German and European affairs from the 1860s until 1890. In 1862, following his appointment by King Wilhelm I as Minister President of Prussia, he engineered a series of wars against Denmark, Austria and archenemy France that unified the German-speaking states (excluding Austria) into a powerful German Empire under Prussian leadership. With that accomplished by 1871 he skillfully used balance of power diplomacy to preserve German hegemony in Europe. He remained undisputed world champion at the game of multilateral diplomatic chess for almost twenty years. His diplomacy of realpolitik and powerful rule at home gained him the nickname of "Iron Chancellor". German unification and its rapid economic growth were indebted to his policies. In 1890, Bismarck was dismissed by the German Emperor, Wilhelm II. After his dismissal he started writing his political testament, in which he highly criticized the emperor.

36 solar years ago, on this day in 1980 AD, the Pacific archipelago of Vanuata gained independence from joint British-French rule. Known as New Hebrides during European colonial rule, Vanuata Islands have been inhabited since pre-history by Polynesians.

29 solar years ago, on this day in 1987 AD, hundreds of Hajj pilgrims from Iran and other countries, while observing in holy Mecca the divine ritual of disavowal of disbelievers, on the 6th Zilhijja 1407 AD, were martyred by Saudi forces, on the orders of Interior Minister, Nayef Ibn Abdul-Aziz. The Hajj pilgrims observe this ritual every year on the basis of the opening ayahs of Surah Towbah of the Holy Qur'an, where God commands the believers to declare their disavowal of disbelievers or “Bara'at min al-Mushrikin”. During this ritual, Hajj pilgrims call on Muslims to close ranks and announce their resentment toward the archenemies of Islam, especially the US and the illegal Zionist entity. The inspiration behind revival of this Islamic practice was the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA). The present Leader of Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, also stresses the importance of this ritual as instrumental in awakening Muslims and preserving their dignity.

10 solar years ago, on this day in 2006 AD, during the 33-day Israeli War, at least 28 civilians, including 16 children were martyred in Qana, southern Lebanon, in an air raid by Zionist planes, in what is known as the Second Qana massacre. The myth of invincibility of the illegal Zionist entity was shattered by the Islamic Resistance, led by the legendry anti-terrorist movement, the Hezbollah.

8 solar years ago, on this day in 2008 AD, Media watchdog “Ofcom” fined the BBC 400,000 pounds, the largest financial penalty it has ever issued against the British Broadcasting Corporation, for misleading the public through fake quizzes and competitions. BBC is also the mouthpiece of western propaganda against countries not following the Anglo-American line, especially Muslim states, such as the Islamic Republic of Iran.

7 solar years ago, on this day in 2009 AD, Iran detained 3 Americans after they illegally crossed the border from northern Iraq into Iranian territory in a mountainous area. As per international laws for protection of national security, Iran arrested Shane Bauer, Sara Shourd and Josh Fattal, who were interrogated to determine whether they were spies. Sarah Shourd was released 14 months later on humanitarian grounds for being a woman. Fattal and Bauer were convicted of illegal entry and espionage and each sentenced to 8 years in prison, but after due apologies, the two were released over two years later on September 21, 2011.