Today is Friday; 22nd of the Iranian month of Ordibehesht 1396 solar hijri; corresponding to 15th of the Islamic month of Sha'ban 1438 lunar hijri; and May 12, 2017, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1200 lunar years ago, on this day in 238 AH, the Hadith scholar, Ishaq ibn Ibrahim ibn Mukhallad al-Ḥanzali, known as Ibn Rahwaiyh and famous as the Imam of Khorasan, died at the age 77 in Naishapur. Born in Marv (presently in Turkmenistan), he was most likely of Iranian stock as his surname suggests, although he claimed descent from the Arab at-Tamimi clan. He is said to have memorized over a hundred thousand Hadith, and as a friend of the jurisprudent, Ahmad ibn Hanbal (son of an Abbasid military officer in Khorasan), accompanied him on his travels to seek knowledge. Ibn Rahwaiyh was the teacher of Mohammad bin Ismail Bukhari, the Iranian Sunni Muslim compiler of Hadith. It was on his advice Bukhari compiled his “Sahih” by selecting as per his personal discretion (without access to the Infallible Imams of the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt and their disciples) 2602 narrations of the 300,000 so-called Hadith he had collected. On an important jurisprudential and social matter, Ibn Rahwaiyh took a stance that is closer to the School of the Ahl al-Bayt and against the opinion of Sunni jurisprudents that once a man marries a slave and has children with her both she and the child are free, and the child cannot be enslaved.

1183 lunar years ago, on this day in 255 AH, the Promised Saviour of mankind, the Namesake of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), and his 12^th and Last Infallible Successor, the Awaited Imam Mahdi (AS), was born in Samara, Iraq. He was only five years when his father, Imam Hassan Askari (AS) was martyred through poisoning by the Abbasid caliph, Mo’tamid-Billah, who fearful of the Prophet’s famous saying that his 12th Successor would rise as Qa’em to end the rule of oppressors, launched a massive manhunt to locate and destroy the orphan. The 12th Imam’s mother was the virtuous Lady Narjis (SA), who was a granddaughter of the Byzantine Emperor and from her mother’s side was a direct descendant of Simeon the disciple of Prophet Jesus (AS). By the will of God, the minor occultation of the 12th Imam started during which he kept touch with people through representatives for 69 years. God then Willed that Imam Mahdi (AS) should go into major occultation before reappearance in the end times to cleanse the world of all vestiges of oppression and corruption by establishing the global government of peace, prosperity, and justice. We pray to God hasten his reappearance and congratulate all the faithful on his birthday which is marked as the International Day of the Deprived.

1110 solar years ago, on this day in 907 AD, General Zhu Wen forced Emperor Ai into abdicating the throne, thus ending the Tang Dynasty of China after nearly three hundred years of rule. He established himself as emperor of the Later Liang Dynasty, and ushered in the era of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, since despite his conquest of much of central China, most of Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Hebei remained outside his reach.

1109 lunar years ago, on this day in 329 AH, Ali Ibn Mohammad Samarri the last of the Four Deputies of the Lord of the Age, Imam Mahdi (May God hasten his reappearance), during the period of “Ghaibat as-Sughra” (Minor Occultation), passed away in his nineties. A disciple of Imam Hasan Askari (AS), the 11^th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad’s (SAWA), he served as Deputy to the 12th Imam for three years after the death of the Third Deputy Hussain Ibn Ruh an-Nawbakhti. He was laid to rest in Baghdad. Six days before his death, the 12th Imam gave him a letter that no other Deputy would replace him and during the period of “Ghaibat al-Kubra” (Major Occultation) the faithful should refer to devout, sincere, pious, far-sighted, and courageous ulema for guidance, until God orders his reappearance. The Imam’s Letter reads:

"In the Name of Allah the All-Compassionate the All-Merciful;  O Ali Ibn Mohammad Samarri, in the grievance of your death shall God grant your brothers a great reward. You will leave this world in 6 days. Settle your affairs and do not assign a successor for yourself. The time of the “Ghaibat al-Kubra” (Major Occultation) has arrived and I will not reappear until Allah grants me the permission to do so, and my reappearance will only be after a long time and the pitilessness of hearts and the overspread of injustice on the Earth. There will be those who will announce themselves as my deputy to my Shias (followers). Beware that if anyone before the emergence of the (bloodthirsty) Sufyani and the Loud Announcement from the sky, makes any such claims (to be my deputy), then they (he/she) is a liar and a deceiver as all movements and influences are from none but Allah."

1095 solar years ago, on this day in 922 AD, Ahmad bin Fadhlan became the first Muslim envoy to arrive in the lands of the Bulgars and the Vikings, north of the River Volga from the Abbasid court in Baghdad. His account of his travels which has been published in several languages including the original Arabic, provides a description of the Volga Vikings, including an eye-witness account of a ship burial. The day of his arrival is an official religious holiday in modern republic of Tatarstan in the Russian Federation. Ibn Fadhlan also gives an excellent description of the Russian tribes, who until then had not become Christianity and were pagans.

1014 solar years ago, on this day in 1003 AD, Gerbert d'Aurillac of France, who later became Pope Sylvester II and inspired by Latin translations of Islamic scientific works, introduced to Europe  the Arabic numerals of the famous Iranian Islamic scientist, Mohammad ibn Musa Khwarezmi, died. He extensively utilized Islamic scientific works to build for the first time in Europe clocks, the hydraulic organ, astronomical instruments, and the abacus for use in mathematical calculations. It is said that he began to lead Christian Europe out of the Dark Ages, thanks to his study of Islamic sciences.

962 lunar years ago, on this day in 476 AH, the Islamic scholar and judge, Abu’l-Fazl Qazi Ayyadh Ibn Amir Ibn Musa al-Yahsubi as-Sabti, was born in a scholarly family in the Moroccan city of Ceuta – presently under Spain’s occupation. Having studied under the best teachers of his time, such as Abu’l-Hassan ibn Siraj, he became the leading scholar of Ceuta, then part of the al-Morawwid Empire of Maghreb and Islamic Spain. He later served as Chief Qadhi (Islamic Judge) in Gharnata (Granada in present day Spain). In his quest for knowledge, he interacted with visiting scholars of the Islamic East, and travelled to the Spanish Muslim cities of Cordoba, Almeria, and Murcia. In Murcia, he received “ijaza” (permission to relate hadith) from the most important Spanish Muslim traditionist of his time, Abu Ali as-Sadafi, and met with some of the most celebrated scholars such as Ibn al-Haaj, and Ibn Hamdin. He was the teacher of such famous scholars as the Spanish Muslim philosopher, scientist and jurist, Ibn Rushd (Averroes), and the polymath and Arabic grammarian, Ibn Madha. Qazi Ayyadh, who is revered as one of the seven saints of Marrakesh, wrote commentaries in far off North Africa and Spain on the hadith compendiums of the Iranian Sunni Muslim compilers, such as Mohammad Ibn Ismael Bukhari and Muslim Ibn Hajjaj Naishapuri. He led an uprising when the al-Muwahidin seized Ceuta, but was defeated and banished to Tadla and later to Marrakesh, where he was executed at the age of 68. His body cut to pieces for refusal to acknowledge Ibn Tumart, the leader of the al-Muwahidin, as the Mahdi – a false claim since the Awaited Mahdi (AS) is none other than Prophet Mohammad’s 12th Infallible Heir who will reappear in end times, along with Prophet Jesus (AS), to establish the global government of peace, prosperity and justice. The Qadi Ayyadh University in Marrakesh is named after him.

757 lunar years ago, on this day in 681 AH, the renowned Islamic scholar, Seyyed Amid od-Din Abdul Muttalib Ibn Mohammad bin Ali al-A'arj, was born in Hillah. He was the nephew (sister’s son) of the celebrated scholar Allamah Hilli, and wrote several books on various Islamic sciences, including "Sharh Tahzib al-Osoul" and “Kanz al-Fawa’ed”.

601 lunar years ago, on this day in 837 AH, the poet and scholar Ibn Hujjah Hamawi passed away. Among his valuable works, mention can be made of his book: “al-Khazanat al-Adab”.

507 solar years ago, on this day in 1510 AD, Zhu Zhifan, the Prince of Anhua of Shanxi, began his rebellion during the reign of his great-grand-nephew, Emperor Zhengde of the Ming Dynasty of China, by inviting to a banquet many senior officials and then killing them with the intent of declaring himself emperor. On 30 May, his rebellion was put down and he was taken to Beijing where he was executed on the orders of Emperor Zhengde, who had invited many Muslims from Iran and Turkestan to serve as advisors and envoys at his court. Works of art such as porcelain from his court contained Islamic inscriptions in Arabic and Persian.

375 solar years ago, on this day in 1642 AD, the 6^th Safavid Emperor of Iran, Shah Safi, died at the young age of 31 after ruling for 13 years, and was succeeded by his son, Shah Abbas II. His real name was Sam Mirza, and he was the son of Mohammed Baqer Mirza, the eldest son of Shah Abbas I, and his Georgian wife, Dilaram Khanum. In 1629 he succeeded his grandfather, Shah Abbas I. An inefficient ruler, Shah Safi ruthlessly eliminated anyone he regarded as a threat to his power, and paid little attention to the affairs of government. He had no cultural or intellectual interests either, preferring to spend his time in addiction to opium. He, however, abhorred tobacco smoke like his grandfather, going as far as to have those caught smoking tobacco in public, severely killed. The dominant political figure of Shah Safi's 13-year reign was Saru Taqi, appointed grand vizier in 1634. Taqi was incorruptible and highly efficient at raising revenues for the state. Iran's foreign enemies took opportunity to exploit Safi's perceived weakness. The Ottomans made incursions in the west in 1630 and 1634 (briefly occupying Revan and Tabriz) and in 1638 they succeeded in seizing Baghdad from Iran. Nevertheless, the Treaty of Zuhab which ensued in 1639 put an end to all further wars between the Safavids and the Ottomans. Apart from the Ottoman attacks, Iran was troubled by the Uzbeks and Turkmens in the northeast, and lost Qandahar in what is now Afghanistan to the Mughal Empire of the Subcontinent in 1638.

205 solar years ago, on this day in 1812 AD, Edward Lear, English artist of nature and landscape works. who is better known as the creator of limericks and nonsense poetry, was born. As a draughtsman he illustrated birds and animals, and during his journeys used to make coloured drawings, which he reworked later, sometimes as plates for his travel books. He was hired as an illustrator by the London Zoological Society, and his precise and vivid drawings of parrots were published in 1832 in the book “The Family of the Psittacidae”. As an author, he is known principally for his popular nonsense collections of poems, songs, short stories, botanical drawings, recipes, and alphabets. In 1846 he composed “A Book of Nonsense” for the grandchildren of his patron, the Earl of Derby.

197 solar years ago, on this day in 1820 AD, British social reformer, Florence Nightingale, who founded the modern nursing practice, was born in Florence, Italy to English parents, and was named after the city of her birth. The family moved back to England the next year. Her contributions to public health included developing methods of applying and displaying statistics to demonstrate the need for improvements. Her mission began from experience during the Crimean War as a nurse at British hospital in Turkey. There she witnessed appalling conditions endured by the sick: overcrowding, poor sanitation, lack of basic supplies, and even malnutrition. By the war's end in July 1856, she improved the comfort of the patients, increased efficiency and reduced the death toll. Inspired by Unitarian religious ideals she devoted her life to serving others, and continued to advocate reform in the military medical system, by providing novel graphical display of statistics and advice on hospital planning and organization.

136 solar years ago, on this day in 1881 AD, France occupied Tunisia and declared its protectorate, thereby ending the sovereign rule of the Hussainid Dynasty as nominal representatives of the Ottoman Sultan. Thereafter the Hussainids, who were descendants of Hussain Ibn Ali, the Muslim general of Greek origin from the island of Crete, continued to merely reign in name until 1957, when Tunisia gained independence from France and the dictatorial regime of Habib Bourqiba ended monarchic rule. Islam had entered Tunisia in the 2^nd half of the 7^th century AD and in 670 the Great Mosque of Qairouan was founded. Two-and-a-half-centuries later Tunisia became the seat of power of the Fatemid Ismaili Shi’a Muslim Empire with the founding of the city of Mahdia in 921. In 1534, it was taken over by the Ottoman Turks to thwart Spain’s bid to occupy it. On 14 January 2011, the Islamic Awakening ended the 54-year rule of the anti-Islamic regime, and in the first-ever popular elections that followed, an Islamic oriented-government was formed.

107 solar years ago, on this day in 1910 AD, British biochemist and discoverer of important molecules, Dorothy Mary Crowfoot Hodgkin, died at the age of 84. Born in Cairo, Egypt, she developed into an X-ray crystallographer, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1964 for her discoveries of the structure of biologically important molecules, including penicillin (in 1946), vitamin B-12 (in 1956), and the protein hormone insulin (in 1969). Her achievements included not only these structure determinations and the scientific insight they provided but also the development of methods that made such structure determinations possible.

14 solar years ago, on this day in 2003 AD, Prince Sadr od-Din Agha Khan, the French-American diplomat and art collector of Iranian origin, died at the age of 70  of cancer in Boston, USA, and his body was conveyed to Switzerland, as per his wish, and buried with full diplomatic honours. Born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France to a French mother, he was the second son of the self-styled Imam of the Ismaili Nizari sect, Sultan Shah Mohammad Agha Khan, whose mother was a granddaughter of Fath Ali Shah the Qajarid king of Iran. Sadr od-Din used to describe Iran as the cradle of his family, though he never lived in Iran. He held French, Iranian, and Swiss citizenship, and was fluent in French, English, German and Italian, while also speaking some Persian and Arabic. He travelled widely with his father, and started a long international diplomatic career by joining the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and retiring as Chief of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). His bid for election to the UN Secretary General’s post was thwarted by the US, because in his trips to Iran and Iraq during the 8-year imposed war, for finding solution to the issue of war refugees, he had become greatly impressed by the dynamic personality of the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA). Sadr od-Din assembled one of the finest private collections of Islamic art in the world, including a priceless collection of paintings, drawings, manuscripts and miniatures. His collection is vast and diverse, and includes Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Indian pieces dating from the 10th century onwards. An example is a Qur’anic page of North African origin written with gold lettering in the Kufic script – it is more than 1,000 years old. His full collection is to be housed at a new museum being built by his nephew, Karim Agha Khan, in Toronto, Canada.

9 solar years ago, on this day in 2008, a 7.9-magnitude earthquake jolted southwestern China, claiming nearly 87,000 lives and injuring 380,000 others. This natural disaster also made millions of Chinese homeless.

4 lunar years ago, on this day in 1434 AH, Egypt’s prominent religious scholar, Sheikh Hassan Shehata, was brutally martyred by a gang of Takfiri terrorists in the village of Abu Mussalam in Giza Province, in the early morning hours after holding night prayers and supplications on the auspicious eve of 15^th Sha’ban, the birth anniversary of the Lord of the Age, Imam Mahdi (PuH), the 12^th and Last Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). The Takfiris, who are the avowed enemies of the Blessed Household of the Prophet of Islam, burst into the house and dragged Shehata and four other Muslims, beating them violently until they died. Unfortunately, Egypt’s first ever democratically elected president, Mohammad Morsi, despite his claims of Islamic unity, turned a blind eye to this horrible act of terrorism, and was overthrown in a US-Saudi backed military coup ten days later.

AS/ME