Today is Friday; 4th of the Iranian month of Farvardin 1396 solar hijri; corresponding to 25th of the Islamic month of Jamadi as-Sani 1438 lunar hijri; and March 24, 2017, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1208 solar years ago, on this day in 809 AD, the tyrant Haroun Rashid, the 5^th self-styled caliph of the usurper Abbasid regime, died in the city of Tous in Khorasan, in northeastern Iran, at the age of 45, after a rule of 23 years, during which he killed over 60 descendants of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), especially the 7th Infallible Leader, Imam Musa Kazem (AS), who was the victim of a fatal dose of poison in the prison of Baghdad. Born in Rayy (a suburb of modern Tehran today), to Mahdi al-Abbasi’s Yemeni concubine of dubious character, named Khayzaran, Haroun seized power after the suspicious death of his elder brother Hadi al-Abbasi. He consolidated his rule over the vast realm from North Africa up to the borders of China and India, largely through the administrative abilities of the Iranian Barmakid family, whose head Yahya Barmaki was made prime minister, followed by his sons. The crafty Haroun gradually liquidated the Barmakids and behaved ruthlessly with the followers of the Prophet’s Household and other Muslims who opposed his immoral and illegitimate rule. He died while on his way to suppress a rebellion in Kabul, in what is now Afghanistan. Today there is no sign of his rotten grave, while the sprawling golden-domed mausoleum of Imam Reza (AS), the 8th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), in Mashhad, beckons millions of pilgrims from all over the world, as testimony to the triumph of the Ahl al-Bayt over the usurper caliphs.

729 lunar years ago, on this day in 709 AH, Ahmad ibn Mohammad Ibn Ataollah al-Iskandari, the third sheikh of the Shadhili Sufi Order, passed away in Cairo. He was from Alexandria and systematized the Order's doctrines by recording the biographies of its founder, Sidi Abu’l-Hassan ash-Shadhili, and his successor, Sidi Abu’l-Abbas al-Mursi. Ibn Ataollah authored a treatise on “dhikr”, titled “Miftah al-Falah” (or The Key to Salvation), which is a Sufi manual of invocation. His compilation of aphorisms helped to make the group very popular. The wide circulation of his written works led to spread of the Shadhili order in North Africa.

616 solar years ago, on this day in 1401AD, the Turko-Mongol conqueror, Amir Timur sacked Damascus and massacred many of its inhabitants. Earlier Timur had subdued Iraq, Iran and the northern subcontinent. The next year he decisively defeated and captured the Ottoman Sultan, Bayazid. Timur was noted for his cruelty and his making of minarets with the severed heads of his victims. His empire stretched from Delhi in India in the east to Syria in the west, and to Moscow in the north. His capital was Samarqand, which is in the modern day republic of Uzbekistan.

523 solar years ago, on this day in 1494 AD, Georgius Agricola, German mineralogist and scholar known as “Father of Mineralogy,” was among the first Europeans to found a natural science upon observation and independently from theories of the ancients. Having studied medicine, he became interested in mineralogy through his study of miners' diseases. His contributions to mining geology and metallurgy, mineralogy, structural geology, and paleontology, formed a foundation for further systematic study of the Earth and of its rocks, minerals, and fossils. His most important work “De Re Metallica” (published a year after his death) summarized all the practical knowledge gained by Saxon miners. He may have coined the word petroleum (rock oil). As was the fashion of the day, he Latinized his real name of Georg Bauer (both Bauer in German and Agricola in Latin mean “farmer”). As a matter of fact, during the heyday of the Islamic civilization, Muslim scientists had explored mineralogy and wrote important books and treatises in the field of geology, metallurgy, and mineralogy, which were translated from Arabic into Latin, enabling Europeans to learn new sciences and take credit for themselves in this regard. One of the most famous Islamic scientists in this field was the Iranian polymath, Abu Rayhan Birouni.

414 solar years ago, on this day in 1603 AD, James VI of Scotland became King James I of England upon the death of Queen Elizabeth I, who had imprisoned and executed his mother, Mary Queen of Scots. England and Scotland were thus joined together as United Kingdom.

135 solar years ago, on this day in 1882 AD, the German physician and researcher, Robert Koch, discovered Koch Bacillus of Tuberculosis. He studied for more than ten years to discover the reason behind contraction of tuberculosis, which was later named after him. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine in 1905.

129 lunar years ago, on this day in 1309 AH, the tobacco concession to the British by Nasser od-Din Shah Qajar had to be cancelled, following the Iranian nation’s support for the fatwa issued from the holy city of Samarra in Iraq – after due warnings – by Ayatollah Mirza Hassan Shirazi against tobacco consumption, since it was ruining Iran’s economy. His verdict read: Tobacco consumption is tantamount to war against the Imam of the Age (God hasten his reappearance). Even the wife of the Shah broke the pipes and forbade tobacco in the royal palace.

132 solar years ago, on this day in 1885 AD, the Sino-French War came to its end with a major Chinese victory in the Battle of Bang Bo on the Tonkin–Guangxi border. The battle set the scene for the French retreat from Lang Son on 28 March and the conclusion of the Sino-French War in early April in circumstances of considerable embarrassment for France.

112 solar years ago, on this day in 1905 AD, the French author, Jules Verne, died at the age of 77. He was born in February 1828. He wrote science fictions such as “Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea”, “Around the World in Eighty Days”, “The Mysterious Island”, and “Journey to the Centre of the Earth”. Educational films for the young generation have been made from some of this French author’s books.

30 solar years ago, on this day in 1987 AD, the Iranian literary figure, Amir Hussein Yazdgerdi, passed away at the age of 57. He lectured at the Faculty of Theology of Tehran University. His most important works include editing, researching, and writing precise commentaries on a number of historical books. He has also conducted studies on different literary domains.

28 solar years ago, on this day in 1989 AD, the Jame' Mosque of Baku in the Republic of Azerbaijan was renovated and reopened to worshippers after 70 years. This mosque, which is a historical monument, was shut down in 1920 by the communists.

23 lunar years ago, on this day in 1415 AH, Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Araki passed away in holy Qom at the age of 103. A student of the Reviver of the Qom Seminary, Ayatollah Abdul-Karim Ha’eri, he taught for 35 years, and for 30 years led the daily prayer at the Faiziyeh Theological School. He was among the teachers of the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (God bless him).

18 solar years ago, on this day in 1999 AD, during the Kosovo War, NATO commenced air bombardment on the rump state of Yugoslavia, marking the first time it attacked a sovereign country. The West’s pretext for military attacks were the war crimes committed by Serbia’s dictator, Slobodan Milosevic, who had perpetrated the massacre of tens of thousands of Bosnian Muslims.

9 solar years ago, on this day in 2008 AD, Bhutan officially became a democracy, with its first ever general election that ended the power of the monarchy. Bhutan is situated in the Himalayas and shares borders with India and China.

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