Today is Monday; 23rd of the Iranian month of Esfand 1395 solar hijri; corresponding to 14th of the Islamic month of Jamadi as-Sani 1438 lunar hijri; and March 13, 2017, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1393 solar years ago, on this day in 624 AD, the pagan Arabs of Mecca lost the Battle of Badr, which they had imposed as the first armed encounter upon Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). With God’s help the poorly armed Muslim defenders, numbering only 313, emerged victorious against the more than a thousand fully armed Arab aggressors. The hero of the battle was the Prophet’s dearest first cousin, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), who subsequently became his son-in-law, and was later proclaimed by him as vicegerent on the express commandment of God Almighty at the historic gathering of Ghadeer-Khom.

933 lunar years ago, on this day in 505 AH, the prominent Iranian Sunni Muslim scholar, Abu Hamed Mohammad Ghazali Tusi, passed away. Born in Tabaran near Tus in Khorasan, he was a prodigy and at the age of 28 became a prominent scholar, whose fame led the vizier, Khwajah Nizam ol-Mulk Tusi, to invite him to lecture at Baghdad’s famous Nizamiyah Academy. After several years he left for Syria, lived in Bayt ol-Moqaddas for some years, and following performance of the Hajj pilgrimage, returned to his native Iran where he spent the rest of the years of his life. He was known as Hojjat ol-Islam (authority in Islam), and was proficient in jurisprudence and Sufism, as well as scholastic theology. He is the author of the famous book “Ihya Oloum ad-Din” (in Arabic), and later wrote its summary in his native Persian titled “Kimiya-e Sa’adat”. He stirred controversy through his work “Tahafut al-Falasifa” (Incoherence of the Philosophers), which is a criticism of the Iranian Islamic genius, Abu Ali Ibn Sina’s rational evaluation of Aristotle’s views and the contribution to Islamic philosophy by Abu Nasr Farabi. In response, the Spanish Muslim philosopher, Ibn Rushd (Averroes) wrote “Tahafut at-Tahafut” (Incoherence of the Incoherence), which is a refutation of Ghazali’s views, while in the subsequent century, the brilliant Iranian polymath, Khwajah Naseer od-Din Tusi wrote a highly acclaimed defence of Ibn Sina and Islamic philosophy.

570 solar years ago, on this day in 1447 AD, Shah Rukh Mirza, the ruler of Iran, Central Asia and what is now Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan and northwestern India, died during a journey to Rayy (near modern Tehran) at the age of 70 after a reign of 42 years. He was the son and successor of the fearsome Turkic conqueror, Amir Timur, and in contrast to his father, was a peace-loving ruler. His mother was a Tajik lady. Although he lost Iraq to the Qara Quyunlu Turks, he hotly contested for control of Anatolia (modern Turkey) with the Ottomans, who were decisively crushed by his father. His capital was Herat in Khorasan – currently in Afghanistan. He was a great patron of the arts sciences, especially Persian architecture and literature, as well as works in Chaghatay and Arabic languages. Shah Rukh commissioned a number of historical and geographic works by the Iranian scholar Hafez-e Abru. Among them is “Tariḵh-e Shah Rukh” – a history of his reign that was later incorporated by its author into the larger "universal history" compilations “Majmu’a-e Ḥafeẓ-e Abru” (a universal history work) and “Majma’ at-Tawariḵh as-Solṭani” (section “Zobdat at-Tawarikh-e Baysonqori”). His wife, the highly refined Iranian lady, Gowhar Shad, funded the construction of two outstanding mosques and theological colleges in Mashhad and Herat. The Grand Gowhar-Shad-Mosque adjacent to the shrine of Imam Reza (AS) – the 8th Infallible Successor of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) – was finished in 1418. He was succeeded in Transoxiana by his elder son, Ulugh Beg who was an accomplished astronomer and scholar, while almost all other sons had predeceased him including the famous calligrapher Baysonqor Mirza. Shah Rukh maintained diplomatic relations with the Mamluk rulers of Egypt-Syria, the Venetian Empire of the Mediterranean, China and the Muslim and Hindu rulers of the Deccan (South India). In fact, two of his ambassadors have left detailed account of their missions. The first is the detailed diary of Ghiyas od-Din Naqqash who was sent to the court of the Ming Emperor of China, and the second is the book “Matla us-Sa’dain wa Majma’ ul-Bahrain” by Abdur-Razzaq Samarqandi, the Iranian ambassador to the court of the Zamorin of Calicut (Kozikhode in Kerala), who during his 3-year stay (1442-45) in the Deccan also visited the Vijaynagar capital Hampi.

426 solar years ago, on this day in 1591 AD, Moroccan forces of the Sa’di Dynasty led by their general of Spanish origin, Judar Pasha, won Battle of Tondibi in Mali against the numerically superior forces of the Songhai Empire. In the subsequent battles the Moroccans conquered almost all major cities including Timbuktu. Founded in southern Morocco in 1509, the Sa’di Dynasty, which claimed descent from Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) through his elder grandson, Imam Hasan Mujtaba (AS), controlled all of Morocco by 1554 until its collapse in 1659. The most famous sultan was Ahmad al-Mansur (1578–1603), the builder of the famous al-Badi Palace in Marakesh. One of the most important achievements of the Sa’di Dynasty was the decisive defeat it inflicted on the Portuguese at the Battle of Qasr al-Kabir on 4 August 1578.

286 lunar years ago, on this day in 1152 AH, the trilateral Treaty of Belgrade was signed, according to which the Austrians returned Belgrade (in present day Serbia) to the Ottoman Turks after 22 years of occupation. Russia for its part pledged to demolish the Fortress of Azak overlooking the Sea of Azov at the northeastern tip of the Black Sea, and leave the surrounding lands to the Ottomans, with a promise that no Russian ship will sail in the Black Sea.

284 solar years ago, on this day in 1733 AD, the English chemist and physicist, Joseph Priestley, was born in the city of Fieldhead. He is supposed to be the discoverer of oxygen and nitrogen gases, and died in 1804. He is considered the first European to discover sulfur dioxide, ammonia, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and silicon fluoride, which had been determined centuries earlier by Muslim scientists. His political opinions and support of the French Revolution were unpopular. After his home and laboratory were set afire in 1791 in England, he sailed for the US where he spent the rest of his life.

253 lunar years ago, on this day in 1185 AH, the prominent Iranian religious scholar and poet, Allamah Ahmad Naraqi, was born in Naraq to the equally famous religious scholar Mullah Mohammad Mahdi Naraqi. He studied under his father in the city of Kashan, before leaving for Iraq for higher studies at the seminary of holy Najaf where he reached the status of Ijtehad. His teachers included Seyyed Mahdi Bahr al-Uloum and Sheikh Ja’far Kashef al-Gheta. Among his students mention could be made of Ayatollah Sheikh Murtaza Ansari Dezfuli, Aqa Mohammad Baqer Hezar Jaribi, and his own brother, Mahdi, known as Aqa Buzurg Naraqi. On his father’s death in Najaf, he returned to Iran and took over administrative affairs of the Kashan Seminary. He was an authority on jurisprudence, hadith, theology, “Ilm-ar-Rijal” or analytical biography of scholars and narrators, mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, Arabic literature and poetry, as well as Persian literature and poetry. He was fluent in Arabic, Hebrew and Latin and his knowledge about different sciences is evident in his various books. One of his books titled “Sayf al-Ummah wa Burhan al-Millah”, which was written to answer questions raised by British pastor Henry Martin shows his knowledge of Christianity and his mastery in answering deviated thoughts. Among his other works mention could be made of “Me’raj as-Sa’adah”, and “al-Asrar al-Hajj”.  He lived during the weak rule of Fath Ali Shah Qajar, when the Russians occupied large parts of Iran’s Caucasus and treated the local Muslims in the worst possible way. Mullah Ahmad Naraqi, along with other aware and political conscious ulema helped influence the declaration of war by Iran against Russian forces and eventually at the end of Muharram 1242 AH (1826), some of the areas occupied by Russia as per the dubious Gulistan Treaty, were liberated by Iran. He passed away at the age of 60 in Kashan and his body was taken to holy Najaf in Iraq for burial beside his father, Mullah Mahdi Naraqi, in the sacred mausoleum of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS).

175 solar years ago, on this day in 1842 AD, Henry Shrapnel, English soldier and inventor of the Shrapnel shell, a spherical case designed to explode in midair, spreading its content of small lead musket balls to injure and kill people over a wide area, died at the age of 81 in Southampton, Britain. On joining the army, he spent his life in service during which time he devised and refined his shell, invented a percussion lock for small arms (patented 1834) and other improvements in fuses, ammunition and small arms. He also prepared important artillery range tables and originated the brass tangent slide to improve the sighting of guns.

126 lunar years ago, on this day in 1312 AH, Grand Ayatollah Mirza Habibollah Rashti, passed away. He was a product of the famous Islamic seminary of holy Najaf in Iraq and studied under prominent scholars such as Ayatollah Sheikh Morteza Ansari Dezfuli. Among his works, mention could be made of the book: “Badi al-Afkaar”.

69 solar years ago, on this day in 1948 AD, armed Zionists of the terrorist outfit, Haganah, attacked the Palestinian village of “Husseiniyeh”, razing Muslim homes to the ground and massacring sixty Palestinian villagers. In a separate terrorist attack the same day, Zionists also blew up the homes of Palestinians in a district of Bayt al-Moqaddas, martyring and wounding several people. The carnage of Palestinian Muslims was a prelude to the illegitimate birth of Israel, following the withdrawal of British forces from Palestine, which took place two months after the massacre at Husseiniyeh Village.

60 solar years ago, on this day in 1957 AD, with the help of the notorious US spy ring CIA and the illegal Zionist entity, the British-installed and American-backed Pahlavi potentate, Mohammad Reza, set up the dreaded SAVAK, which is abbreviation of the Persian term Sazeman-e Ettela’aat va Amniyat-e Keshvar, meaning Organization of Intelligence and National Security. It was dissolved on the eve of the triumph of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. SAVAK has been described as Iran's “most hated and feared institution”, because of its practice of torturing and executing opponents of the Pahlavi regime. At its peak, SAVAK had as many as 60,000 agents, who tortured and murdered thousands of the Islamic activists, including Ayatollah Mohammad Reza Sa’idi. It had virtually unlimited powers. It operated its own detention centers, like Evin Prison. In addition to domestic security, SAVAK’s surveillance extended to Iranians abroad. Brute force was used on victims, and other methods of torture such as the bastinado; sleep deprivation; extensive solitary confinement; glaring searchlights; standing in one place for hours on end; nail extractions; snakes (favoured for use with women); electrical shocks with cattle prods, often into the rectum; cigarette burns; sitting on hot grills; acid dripped into nostrils; near-drownings; mock executions; and an electric chair with a large metal mask to muffle screams while amplifying them for the victim. Prisoners were also humiliated by being raped, urinated on, and forced to stand naked.

55 solar years ago, on this day in 1962 AD, the courageous religious leader and well-known political figure of Iran’s contemporary history, Ayatollah Seyyed Abu’l-Qasem Kashani, passed away. He attained the status of Ijtehad – independent reasoning based on Holy Qur’an and Hadith – at the Najaf Seminary at a young age, simultaneous with his struggles against British colonial rule over Iraq, in the company of other ulema. He was expelled from Iraq by the British, and on arriving in Iran, he launched his struggle against British colonial infiltration, which led to his imprisonment for several years. Following his release, the people of Tehran elected him to the parliament. With Ayatollah Kashani’s support for Dr. Mohammad Mosaddeq and the continued struggles of the masses, Iran’s oil industry was nationalized and Mosaddeq was chosen as the Prime Minister. But, when the Shah appointed the British stooge, Qawwam os-Saltanah, as the Premier; Ayatollah Kashani issued a statement calling on the people to enter the scene. As a result, the July 21, 1952 uprising took place. The terrified Shah removed Qawwam and Dr. Mosaddeq was reinstated as the Premier. Following the US-staged coup in 1953 and the fugitive Shah’s return to Iran, his agents put Ayatollah Kashani under surveillance until his death on this day, after his lifelong struggles against domestic despotism and foreign hegemony.

42 lunar years ago, on this day in 1395 AH, the scholar, Ayatollah Mirza Ahmad Ashtiyani, passed away at the age of 95. Son of Mirza Hasan Mujtahid Ashtiyani, he received Ijtihad certificate from five leading Marja' of his time at the seminary of holy Najaf in Iraq, that is, Grand Ayatollah Mirza Mohammad Hussain Na’ini, Grand Ayatollah Shaikh Abdul-Karim Ha’iri Yazdi, Grand Ayatollah Aqa Ziya od-Din Iraqi, Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Abu’l-Hassan Isfahani and Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Hussain Boroujerdi. He taught both intellectual and narrative sciences. Some of his works are: “Risala-e Qawl-e Thabit”, “Maqalaat Ahmadiyya” and “Nama-e Rahbaran”. From 1340 till his death fifty-five years later he taught and guided people in Tehran. His eldest son, Mirza Mohammad Baqer Ashtiyani, who passed away at the age of 81, nine years after the death of his father, was aslo great scholar in his own time.

11 solar years ago, on this day in 2006 AD, Iranian lawmakers approved $15 million to investigate and counter US attempts to infiltrate the Islamic Republic of Iran. Ever since, Washington was thrown out following the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, it has tried in vain to re-impose its influence on Iran and has resorted to various plots – all of which have been defeated thanks to the people vigilance.

6 solar years ago, on this day in 2010 AD, Iran busted a US-funded cyber network group linked to MKO hypocrites to collect data on Iranian nuclear scientists. Some 30 culprits with links to the MKO terrorists were arrested and disclosed their treason against the country.

AS/MG