Today is Tuesday; 30th of the Iranian month of Shahrivar 1394 solar hijri; corresponding to 18th of the Islamic month of Zi’l-Hijjah 1437 lunar hijri; and September 20, 2016 of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

The 18th of Zil-Hijjah is a Great Day in the History of Mankind. On this day in antiquity great miracles happened, such as the turning into a garden of the huge fire the tyrant Nimrod had ignited and flung Prophet Abraham into it. On this day, Prophet Moses, on divine commandment, designated Prophet Joshua as his successor, and in the following centuries Prophet Solomon appointed Asef Ibn Barkhiya as his deputy, and Prophet Jesus (AS) named Simeon as his vicegerent.

2496 solar years ago, on this day in 480 BC, an Iranian army was defeated by an alliance of Greek city states in the Battle of Salamis in the straits between the mainland and the island of Salamis in the Saronic Gulf near Athens. To block the advance of the Persian Achaemenian Emperor, Xerxes I, the Greeks blocked the pass of Thermopylae, while an Athenian- led allied navy engaged the Iranian fleet in the nearby straits of Artemisium. In the resulting Battle of Thermopylae, the Greeks were annihilated, while in the Battle of Artemisium they suffered heavy losses and retreated. This allowed the Persians to conquer Boeotia and Attica. The Iranian navy then sailed into the Straits of Salamis and tried to block both entrances. In the cramped conditions of the Straits the great Iranian numbers were an active hindrance, as ships struggled to maneuver and became disorganised. Seizing the chance, the Greek fleet formed in line and scored a decisive victory, sinking or capturing at least 300 ships. As a result Xerxes withdrew to Asia Minor with much of his army, leaving Mardonius to complete the conquest of Greece. However, the following year, the remainder of the Persian army was beaten at the Battle of Plataea and the Persian navy at the Battle of Mycale. The Achaemenians made no more attempts to conquer the Greek mainland. Salamis and Plataea thus marking a turning point in the Greco-Persian Wars. According to historians, an Iranian victory would have meant the end of development of Ancient Greece, and by extension there would not have been any advanced western civilization today.

1427 lunar years ago, on this day in 10 AH, on divine commandment, on revelation of ayah 67 of Surah al-Ma'edah, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) proclaimed his cousin and son-in-law, Imam Ali (AS) as vicegerent at the pond or Ghadeer of Khom near Juhfa while returning to Medina from his farewell Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. After a memorable sermon to a gathering of 120,000-plus pilgrims, the Prophet raised the Imam’s hand, and expressed the immortal phrase, "Man kunto Mowla fa haza Aliyun Mowla" (For whomsoever I am Master, this Ali is his Master). God then revealed ayah 3 of Surah Ma'edah announcing the perfection of faith, completion of divine favours, and decreeing of Islam as the universal religion. For the next three days during the Prophet's stay at Ghadeer-Khom, every single person of this huge gathering personally pledged allegiance to Imam Ali (AS) as Amir al-Mominin (Commander of the Faithful) by clasping the palm of his right hand. For the convenience of the women attendees, the Prophet ordered the placing of water-filled basin in which Imam Ali (AS) dipped his hands and withdrew, while the ladies took turn to dip their own hands as proof of their allegiance to him. Hence, this day is a Grand Eid for Muslims and we congratulate our dear listeners on this auspicious event.

1402 lunar years ago, on this day in 35 AH, the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (AS), reluctantly assumed charge of the political leadership of the Islamic realm upon the insistence and begging of the Muslims to take up the reigns of the caliphate, of which he was deprived 25 years earlier on the passing away of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), despite his proclamation as the righteous caliph at Ghadeer-Khom and the swearing of allegiance to him by 120,000 Muslims. This fresh pledge of allegiance to him happened three days after the killing of Othman ibn Affan, and thus started the only instance of the model administration of social justice in history.

829 solar years ago, on this day in 1187 AD, the Kurdish ruler of Egypt-Syria, Salah od-Din Ayyoubi began the siege of Bayt al-Moqaddas which the Crusader invaders from Europe had seized in 1099 from the Fatemid Ismaili Shi’ite Muslim dynasty of Egypt. His army of Turks, Arabs, Iranians and Kurds liberated Bayt al-Moqaddas on October 2 after 88 years of occupation by the illegal Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.

765 lunar years ago, on this day in 672 AH, the famous Iranian Islamic religious scholar and scientist, Khwaja Mohammad Naseer od-Din Tusi, passed away at the age of 75 in Kazemain, Iraq, and was laid to rest in the mausoleum of Prophet Mohammad’s (SAWA) 7th Infallible Heir Imam Musa al-Kazem (AS). Born in Tus, Khorasan, he was a scientist, philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician, who made valuable contributions to world civilization. Even the Mongol invaders acknowledged his genius and Hulagu Khan, appointed him as his scientific advisor. Naseer od-Din Tusi built the famous observatory at Maragheh. It had various instruments such as a 4-meter wall quadrant made from copper and an azimuth quadrant which was his unique invention. Using accurately plotted planetary movements, he modified Ptolemy's model of the planetary system. The observatory and its library became a centre for a wide range of work in science, mathematics and philosophy. He wrote some 80 books on various subjects including theology, ethics, science, philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, etc., in both Arabic and Persian.

688 solar years ago, on this day in 1328 AD, the highly controversial Hanbali scholar, Ahmad ibn Abdul-Haleem Ibn Taymiya, died in Damascus at the age of 65, while serving a prison sentence for discouraging celebrations on the Prophet of Islam’s birth anniversary, for declaring pilgrimage to the Prophet’s tomb as “bid’ah” (or innovation), and for belittling the sanctity of Islam’s two principal mosques – the Masjid al-Haram around the holy Ka’ba in Mecca and Medina’s Masjid an-Nabi that encloses Prophet of Islam’s holy shrine. Earlier also, he had spent over 18 months in jail in Cairo (1319-21) for his views which the ulema considered heretical. Born in Harran in upper Mesopotamia, which is currently in Turkey on the Syrian border, he indulged in vitriolic criticism of not just Christians, but also of fellow Muslims, to the extent that without bothering to properly study the works of the famous Spanish Muslim Gnostic, Mohi od-Din Ibn Arabi, he branded him an unbeliever – an accusation that brought swift response from scholars who wrote books against him. He came to Iran to the court of the Mongol Muslim ruler, Ghazaan Khan, with a delegation of scholars and courted trouble by his rash attitude and lack of manners. Ibn Taymiya has earned lasting notoriety for forbidding pilgrimage to holy shrines, as well as his call to return to the days and ways of the Salaf – instead of the Prophet’s pure and pristine “Sunnah” (practice) and “Seerah” (behaviour) and the teachings of the Immaculate Ahl al-Bayt. Salaf, which means predecessor, is a reference to early Muslims, especially those who assumed power of the Islamic state, even though neither the Prophet had delegated them any authority nor God has given them any legitimacy in the holy Qur’an. The fact of the matter is that most of the Salaf, who were bitter enemies of the Prophet before becoming reluctant converts to Islam from decades of idolatry and sinful life, continued their violation of the letter and spirit of the holy Qur’an even after becoming Muslims, as is evident by their persecution and killing of the Ahl al-Bayt. This is clear by the seditious actions of the present day Salafis, who under the guise of Islam indulge in the most heinous forms of terrorism against Muslims, including the destruction of holy shrines.

638 solar years ago, on this day in 1378 AD, Cardinal Robert of Geneva, notorious as the "Butcher of Cesena", was elected as Avignon Pope Clement VII. In 1377, while serving as papal legate in upper Italy, he personally commanded troops lent to the papacy during the ‘War of the Eight Saints’, to reduce the small city of Cesena in the territory of Forlì, by authorizing the massacre of some- 8,000 civilians, an atrocity even by the rules of war at the time.

628 solar years ago, on this day in 1388 AD, Ferouz Shah, the 3rd Sultan of the Turkic Toghlaq Dynasty of North India, died in Delhi at the age of 79, after a 37-year reign. The son of Rajab and a Hindu princess, he succeeded his eccentric cousin, Sultan Mohammad Toghlaq, but ruled a much shrunken empire, as Bengal, Gujarat and the Deccan had already seceded as independent Muslim dynasties. Ferouz Shah did not pursue any expansionist policy and worked to improve the infrastructure of the realm under his control, building canals, hospitals, and caravanserais, and creating and refurbishing reservoirs. He was fond of learning and had a large personal library of books in Persian, Arabic and other languages. During his reign Sanskrit books, including Hindu religious works were translated into Persian. The famous Persian history of his reign is "Tarikh-e Ferouz Shahi" written by Shams-e Siraj Afif.

497 lunar years ago, on this day in 940 AH, the great scholar, Shaikh Ali Ibn Abdul-Ma’ali al-Karki, passed away in Isfahan, the capital of the Safavid Empire of Iran. Born in Jabal Amel in what is now Lebanon, he was invited to Iran and appointed Shaikh ol-Islam by Shah Tahmasp I. Known as Muhaqqiq Thani (Second Researcher), he wrote several books, the most notable being “Jame’ al-Maqased”. Once, when a scholar, resentful of the formal establishment of the School of Prophet Mohammad’s (SAWA) Ahl al-Bayt as the official creed of Iran in 927 AH, claimed that according to “abjad” or numerical values of letters the year equals “Madhab-e Na-Haq” (or false creed), Muhaqqiq al-Karki immediately responded by saying why was he taking the Persian version of the alphabets, when the language of the Qur’an is Arabic, in which the letters for the year 927 combine to form “Madhabuna Haq” , which means “Ours is the Righteous Creed.

396 solar years ago, on this day in 1620 AD, the Battle of Jassy took place in Romania when the Ottoman Turks beat King Sigismund III of Poland.

238 solar years ago, on this day in 1778 AD, Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, a Baltic-German officer in the Imperial Russian Navy, cartographer and explorer, who ultimately rose to the rank of Admiral, was born in Saaremaa, Governorate of Livonia, now in Estonia. He participated in the first Russian circumnavigation of the globe and later, along with Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev, led another circumnavigation expedition, which discovered Antarctica in the South Pole. “Bellinsgauzen”, a crater on the far side of the Moon is named in his honour. He died at the age of 73 in St. Petersburg.

223 lunar years ago, on this day in 1214 AH, the famous Islamic scholar, Ayatollah Sheikh Morteza Ansari, was born in Dezful, southwestern Iran. Blessed with a sharp mind, he mastered the sciences of the day in holy Najaf in Iraq, and at the age of 35 attained the status of Ijtehad. He presented dynamic ideas in theology and jurisprudence. The main feature of his works is simplicity of language and rational approach to problems on the basis of the holy Qur'an and the Hadith. His books "ar-Rasael" and "al-Makaseb" are taught till this day at seminaries worldwide.

206 solar years ago, on this day in 1810 AD, the famous Urdu and Persian poet of India, Mir Mohammad Taqi Mir, passed away at the age of 87. Born in Agra in a religious family descended from the Infallible Imams of the Prophet's Household, he was one of the pioneers who gave shape to Urdu language, and is considered the principal poet of the Delhi School. He later migrated to Lucknow at a time when Urdu language and poetry was in its formative stage. Mir's instinctive aesthetic sense helped him strike a balance between the indigenous expression and new enrichment coming in from Persian imagery and idiom. A prolific author in both Urdu and Persian, he wrote his autobiography titled "Zikr-e Mir" in Persian. In addition to his "Kulliyat-e Farsi" or Persian language collection of poems, he composed six divans in Urdu.

185 solar years ago, on this day in 1831 AD, the first bus empowered by steam engine was manufactured in Europe. It had the capacity to carry thirty passengers; and maintained a low speed.

159 solar years ago, on this day in 1857 AD, British troops of the East India Company captured Delhi to crush the Indian Uprising of 1857, and cold-bloodedly massacred the people. They dethroned the last Mughal monarch, the aged Bahadur Shah Zafar, and before exiling him to Rangoon in Burma (Myanmar), mercilessly shot his sons and grandsons. They then sadistically sent their heads to the king as gifts on the day of Nowrouz, or the Spring Equinox, when traditional celebrations were in progress for the new solar hijri year.

149 solar years ago, on this day in 1867 AD, with annexation of Hungary to Austrian soil, Franz Joseph was officially instated as Austro-Hungarian emperor. Hungary, which had been part of the Ottoman Turkish Empire before its seizure by Austria, gained independence at the end of World War I following Austria's defeat.

146 solar years ago, on this day in 1870 AD, Rome was seized by the forces of King Victor Emmanuel II, resulting in the unification of Italy as a national state.

83 solar years ago, on this day in 1933 AD, Annie Wood Besant, British socialist, theosophist, women's rights activist, writer, orator and supporter of Irish and Indian self-rule, died in Adyar, Madras Presidency at the age of 86. She became involved with union actions including the Bloody Sunday demonstration and the London Match-Girls Strike of 1888. She was a leading speaker for the Fabian Society and the Marxist Social Democratic Federation (SDF). She was elected to the London School Board for Tower Hamlets, topping the poll even though few women were qualified to vote at that time. She became a member of the Theosophical Society and a prominent lecturer on the subject. As part of her theosophy-related work, she travelled to India. In 1898 she helped establish the Central Hindu College and in 1922 she helped establish the Hyderabad (Sind) National Collegiate Board in Mumbai, India.  She joined the Indian National Congress. When World War I broke out in 1914, she helped launch the Home Rule League to campaign for democracy in India and dominion status within the British Empire. This led to her election as president of the India National Congress in late 1917. She was arrested, prompting the Congress and the Muslim League to threaten to launch joint protests if she were not set free. Anne Wood Besant was a firm opponent of the Church of England as a state-sponsored faith. In fact, she was critical of Christianity, saying that for centuries the leaders of Christian thought have spoken of women as a necessary evil, and that the greatest saints of the Church were those who despised women the most. She wrote: "Against the teachings of eternal torture, of the vicarious atonement, of the infallibility of the Bible, I leveled all the strength of my brain and tongue, and I exposed the history of the Christian Church with unsparing hand, its persecutions, its religious wars, its cruelties, its oppressions.” (Annie Besant, An Autobiography Chapter VII). In the section titled "Its Evidences Unreliable" of her work titled "Christianity", Besant presents the case of why the Gospels are not authentic:

“Before about AD 180 there is no trace of the FOUR gospels among the Christians.  ...As it is not pretended by any that there is any mention of four Gospels before the time of Irenaeus, excepting this "harmony," pleaded by some as dated about AD 170 and by others as between 170 and 180, it would be sheer waste of time and space to prove further a point admitted on all hands. This step of our argument is, then on solid and unassailable ground —that before about AD 180 there is no trace of FOUR gospels among the Christians. Before that date, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, are not selected as the four evangelists.”

68 solar years ago, on this day in 1948 AD, Dr. Husain Salah od-Din, the Maldivian writer and an influential poet and scholar of English, Arabic, Persian, Urdu and the local Dhivehi language of the Maldives archipelago, passed away at the age of 67. He was buried in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He greatly contributed to Maldivian literature. He also served as the Chief Justice of the Maldives for a long time. His most famous work is the Biography of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), which is broadcast till this day in the month of Ramadhan by Radio Maldives.

37 solar years ago, on this day in 1979 AD, after 13 years in power of which the last three were as the self-styled emperor of the Central African Republic, Jean Bedel Bokassa was replaced by his masters the French, with David Dacko, whom he had overthrown in a military coup in 1966. Bokassa lived lavishly in France where he had a chateau and other property bought with the money he had embezzled. A brutal dictator, during his reign of terror, he took all important government posts for himself. He personally supervised judicial beatings and in 1977, in emulation of his hero Napoleon Bonaparte, he crowned himself emperor in a ceremony costing $20 million, practically bankrupting the country. His diamond-encrusted crown cost $5 million. In 1979 he had hundreds of schoolchildren arrested for refusing to wear uniforms made in a factory he owned, and personally supervised the massacre of 100 schoolchildren.

16 solar years ago, on this day in 1990 AD, South Ossetia declared independence from the Republic of Georgia. Ossetia is an ethno-linguistic region located on both sides of the Greater Caucasus Mountains, largely inhabited by Ossetians, whose language is part of the eastern Iranian branch of the Indo-European family of languages. The northern portion of the region consists of the republic of North Ossetia–Alania within the Russian Federation, while the southern has seceded from Georgia, especially after a fighting a war in 2008.

10 solar years ago, on this day in 2006 AD, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez took his verbal battle with the US to the floor of the UN General Assembly, calling President George W. Bush “the devil”. "The devil came here yesterday," Chavez said. "He came here talking as if he were the owner of the world."

5 solar years ago, on this day in 2011 AD, former president of Afghanistan, Burhan od-Din Rabbani, was assassinated on his 71^st birthday by a Taliban terrorist, who visited him on the pretext of holding talks. An ethnic Persian-speaking Tajik and an Islamic scholar, he founded the first Afghan mujahideen movement, before the 1979 Soviet invasion. After the downfall of the pro-Soviet regime in 1992, he was elected president and served in the post until the seizure of Afghanistan by the Taliban militia in 1996. Thereafter, he was part of the Northern Alliance fighting the Taliban terrorists until their ouster in 2001 by the US.

AS/ME