Today is Tuesday; 26th of the Iranian month of Ordibehesht 1396 solar hijri; corresponding to 19th of the Islamic month of Sha’ban 1438 lunar hijri; and May 16, 2017, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1432 lunar years ago, on this day in 6 AH, the Battle of Bani Musta’liq occurred near a place called Muraysi between Jeddah and Rabigh, when on hearing news of the intention of pagan Arabs led by Hareth ibn Abi Dirar, to attack Muslims, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) led an expedition in order to settle the matter in a peaceful way. The pagan Arabs refused to cease hostilities and heed the call of Islam. On seeing that the Prophet had only 30 riders amongst his modest group, the pagan Arabs attacked the Muslims. The hypocrites among the companions of the Prophet, deserted on hearing that most Arab tribes were allied with the pagan warlord Hareth. The true Muslims had no other option but to defend themselves with arms. Imam Ali (AS) led the charge and soon disposed off some of the leading pagans such as Malik. The Muslims emerged victorious although some descendants of the Prophet’s grandfather, Abdul Muttalib, were martyred. The fruits of this victory were the capture of several hundred pagan Arabs, including the fearsome Bani Musta’liq chief, Hareth, who later, along with many members of his clan became Muslim. It was during this expedition that God revealed “Surah al-Munafiqoun” since some of those who accompanied the Prophet from Medina and claimed to be Muslims, like Abdullah bin Ubbayy, were hypocrites at heart, planning to undermine Islam.

515 solar years ago, on this day in 1502 AD, Honduras in Central America, which was the centre of the Mayan civilization, was occupied by Spain. Spain subsequently decimated the indigenous Mayan people. In early 19^th century, due to the chaotic state of affairs in Spain, Honduras like the majority of the American colonies gained independence from Spanish colonial rule. Honduras covers an area of more than 112,000 sq km. it is a republic and shares borders with Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua.

229 solar years ago, on this day in 1788 AD, the German poet and orientalist, Friedrich Ruckert, was born in the city of Hamburg. He was a researcher on eastern languages and lectured at German universities. He has translated numerous poems from Persian, Arabic, and Chinese to German language. He is one of the German poets who have translated the Diwan of poems of renowned Iranian poet, Hafez, to German language, which has been published on several occasions.

101 solar years ago, on this day in 1916 AD, the scandalous Sykes-Picot Accord was signed by representatives of Britain, France, and Russia in Paris for dividing up the Arab lands of the Ottoman Empire and limiting the Turkish possessions to Anatolia or present day Turkey. Even before the formal defeat of the Ottomans in 1917, lines were drawn on paper to share the spoils by the two principal European colonial powers. The British took control of Iraq and the Hijaz. Shaam or Greater Syria was split up into four parts, with the British taking Jordan and Palestine, and the French taking Syria and Lebanon. The main goal of this plan was to set up in Palestine, an illegal entity called Israel as a homeland for European Jews.

42 solar years ago, on this day in 1975 AD, India annexed Sikkim and abolished the Chogyal monarchy. The Himalayan land of Sikkim was part of the British subcontinent, but in 1947 when India became independent, a popular vote rejected Sikkim's joining the Indian Union and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru agreed to a special protectorate status for Sikkim. The land, however, came under the suzerainty of India, which controlled its external affairs, defense, diplomacy and communications, but otherwise retained administrative autonomy. A state council was established in 1955 to allow for constitutional government under the Chogyal. Meanwhile, the Sikkim National Congress demanded fresh elections and greater representation for the Nepalese majority. In 1973, riots in front of the Chogyal palace led to a supposed request for protection from India. In 1975, the Prime Minister of Sikkim reportedly appealed to the Indian Parliament for Sikkim to become a state of India. In April, the Indian Army took over the city of Gangtok and disarmed the Chogyal's palace guards. A referendum was held in which over 90 percent of the electorate allegedly voted to join the Indian Union. On 16 May 1975, Sikkim was formally declared the 22^nd state of the Indian Union.

20 solar years ago, on this day in 1997 AD, the autocratic president of Congo (formerly Zaire), General Mobutu Sese Seko, fled after the united forces, led by Lauren Kabila, closed in on the city of Kinshasa. He came to power in the wake of a coup in 1965 and ruled Congo with an iron fist for 32 years. Although he was a violent and ruthless dictator, he was always supported by the Western regimes, especially the US and France. Congo has always been on the spotlight of the Western regimes, given its strategic position in Central Africa and existence of ample copper and diamond resources. A day after the escape of Sese Seko, the opposition forces captured Kinshasa; and Lauren Kabila was installed as the president. A while later, the refusal of Kabila to allow his Tutsi allies a share in the government, once again fanned the flames of civil war resulting in the assassination of Kabila on January 16, 2000, by one of his bodyguards.

24 solar years ago, on this day in 1993 AD the researcher, author, and lecturer of Persian language and literature at Tehran University, Dr. Mahdi Derakhshan, passed away at the age of 75. For a while, he also researched and lectured at Turkey's Ankara University. He has left behind a large number of valuable compilations

13 lunar years ago, on this day in 1425 AH, Ayatollah Mirza Hassan Ali Morvarid passed away at the age of 96 in his hometown Mashhad and was laid to rest in the holy mausoleum of Imam Reza (AS), the 8^th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny). Born in a scholarly family tracing descent from the Safavid-era poet laureate and calligrapher Khwajah Shehab od-Din Abdullah Morvarid Kermani (865-955 AH), he was nine years when his father Hojjat al-Islam Mohammad Reza Morvarid passed away and according to the latter’s will his care was assumed by the famous scholar Shaykh Hassan Ali Isfahani Nukhadaki. At the age of 13 he started his formal studies in the Islamic seminary of Mashhad, where his teachers, besides Shaykh Nukhadaki, included Allamah Shaykh Hashem Qazvini, and the famous Allamah Ayatollah Mirza Mahdi Isfahani the leading jurisprudent and scholar of Qur'anic sciences. He soon became a leading professor of Islamic Sciences and taught for more than forty years at the Mashhad seminary, grooming a large number of scholars. "Tanbihat Hawl al-Mabda wal Ma'ad" is the summary of Islamic sciences which he lectured at the Mashhad Seminary. Ayatollah Morvarid founded two Islamic seminaries "Be'sat" and "Sa'adat" in holy Mashhad. He used to lead the congregational prayers in the famous mosques of holy Mashhad like Madrasa-e Mirza Ja’far, Masjid Hajj Mullah Hashem and Masjid Mullah Hyder.

6 solar years ago, on this day in 2011 AD, philologist and Grammarian of the Persian language, Professor Hassan Ahmad Givi, passed away at the age of 84. A prominent student of the famous Professor Badi oz-Zaman Farouzanfar, after obtaining PhD from Tehran University, for over four decades he taught at his alma mater as well as other universities. He actively participated as a contributor to the Dehkhoda Lexicon (Loghatnameh), accounting for over 20 percent of the voluminous project. He compiled over 50 books, including “A Comparative Study of Persian and Turkish Literature.”

4 solar years ago, on this day in 2013 AD, Takfiri terrorists backed by Saudi Arabia and the US detonated car bombs in the Shi’a Muslim neighbourhoods of Baghdad and Mosul, resulting in the martyrdom of dozens of men, women, and children, and injury to scores of others, as part of their failed plot to stir sectarian clashes in Iraq. Seven years earlier on this same day in 2006, Takfiri terrorists had raided a parking lot in a predominantly Shi’a Muslim neighborhood of Baghdad, shooting dead several guards, and leaving behind an explosives-rigged car that led to the martyrdom of over a score of would-be rescuers.

AS/MG