Today is Monday; 8th of the Iranian month of Khordad 1396 solar hijri; corresponding to 3rd of the Islamic month of Ramadhan 1438 lunar hijri; and May 29, 2017, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

Over four thousand lunar years ago, on this day, God Almighty revealed the heavenly scripture to Prophet Abraham (AS) for the guidance of the people of his times. In the Holy Qur’an God Almighty has mentioned Abraham’s name at least 69 times, and specified that he was neither a Jew nor a Christian – as the two creeds claim – but a Hanif or upright monotheist and thus a primordial Muslim. In the various days of the blessed month of Ramadhan, God had revealed several other scriptures to some of His prophets, such as the Torah to Prophet Moses, the Evangel to Prophet Jesus, and the Holy Qur’an, the Final Heavenly Scripture with the universal message of Islam to the Last and Greatest of all Messengers, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).

1644 solar year ago, on this day in 363 AD, the Battle of Ctesiphon occurred between the armies of the Sassanid King Shapur II and the Roman Emperor Julian the Apostate (who renounced Christianity and reverted to paganism). It was fought outside the walls of the Persian capital Ctesiphon (Mada’en, near Baghdad), and was an unsuccessful European attempt to seize Iraq for possible infiltration into the Iranian Plateau and domination of the east – like Alexander of Macedonia. The battle was a Roman tactical victory, although Julian, who failed to take Ctesiphon and fled when the Iranian army regrouped for counterattack (equipped with war elephants from the Indian satrapies), was killed in the subsequent Battle of Samarra on June 26. The treaty that followed, forced his successor Jovian, to cede five provinces to the Iranians and make a pledge against interfering in the affairs of Armenia. The great success for Shapur II – known as Dhu’l-Aktaaf or Broad-Shouldered to the Arabs for his conquest years earlier of Yamama in central Najd in the desert interior of the Arabian Peninsula – is represented in the rock-carving in Bishapur near Kazeroun in Fars Province, where under the hooves of the Persian king's horse lies the body of a Roman enemy (i.e. Emperor Julian), as a supplicant Roman (Emperor Jovian), begs for peace.

1373 lunar years ago, on this day in 65 AH, Marwan ibn al-Hakam, the fourth caliph of the usurper Omayyad regime died in Damascus at the age of 64, after nine months in power, which was limited mostly to Syria. He was killed by his most recent wife, a widow of the tyrant Yazid ibn Mu'awiyyah, who put a pillow on his face and sat over it till his breath was snuffed out. One of the most criminal characters in Islamic history, Marwan was the son of the hypocrite Hakam bin Aas, who was expelled from Medina by Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) for ridiculing Islam. He was the first cousin of Osman bin Affan, who on becoming caliph recalled him to Medina in violation of the Prophet’s Sunnah, gave his daughter in marriage to him, and entrusted him all affairs of the state. The resulting mismanagement and plunder of the public treasury ended some twelve years later in the killing of Osman by Muslim revolutionaries from Egypt. In the "Battle of Jamal" that the pledge-breakers led by Ayesha – a wife of the Prophet – imposed on the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (AS), near Basra in Iraq, Marwan treacherously killed his own leader, Talhah Ibn Obaidollah, with an arrow shot at the unprotected thigh. When the Omayyads seized the caliphate he served as governor of Medina for intermittent periods, and stayed there after retirement until Abdullah ibn Zubayr rebelled against Yazid and made the mistake of allowing him and his son Abdul-Malik to leave for Damascus. In Syria, following Yazid’s death and abdication by his son Muawiya II, in protest to his father’s crimes against Islam and humanity, including the tragic martyrdom of Imam Husain (AS) in Karbala, Marwan found himself propelled to the caliphate. His ascension pointed to a shift in the lineage of the Omayyad dynasty from descendants of Abu Sufyan to those of Hakam, both of whom were grandsons of Omayya. Some 67 years later, the Marwanids were thrown into the dustbin of history with the rise of the new dynasty of usurper caliphs, the Abbasids.

1025 lunar years ago, on this day in 413 AH, the famous theologian, Mohammad Ibn Mohammad ibn N’uman al-Ukbari, known popularly as “Sheikh Mufid”, passed away in Baghdad at the age of 77 and was laid to rest in Kazemain in the shrine of Imam Musa al-Kazem (AS), the 7^th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). Over a hundred thousand people, both Shi'ites and Sunnis attended his funeral, the largest ever in Baghdad. The funeral prayer was led by his worthy student and scholastic successor, Seyyed Murtaza Alam al-Huda. He has left behind numerous works in almost all branches of Islamic sciences, some of which are: “al-Irshaad”, “Ahkaam an-Nisa”, “Aqsaam al-Mowla”, “al-Ifsah fi'l-Imamah Amir al-Mu'minin”, and “Tashih E`teqadaat al-Imamiyah” – the last named is a critical and edited version of his one-time teacher, Ibn Babawaih Shaikh Sadouq's “al-E'teqad”. Here it would not be out of context to relate how he acquired the epithet “Shaikh al-Mufid” or the Most Beneficial Scholar. It happened that his tutor suggested that he attend the lessons in theology of the Mu’tazalite scholar, Ali Ibn Eisa ar-Rummani. To quote his own words: I entered his class, and was impressed by the great number of students. So I sat at the end of the crowd, managing to creep forward as members of the assembly left. Then I saw a person enter, saying there is someone at the door from Basra who insists on being admitted. On ar-Rummani’s permission the man entered, and after a long conversation, asked him: "How do you view the event of “Ghadeer” (the day the Prophet, on God’s commandment, proclaimed Imam Ali [AS] as his vicegerent on 18th Zilhijja, 10 AH while returning from the Farewell Hajj pilgrimage) and the report of the “Ghar” (the incident of the cave in which Abu Bakr accompanied the Prophet on the night of Hijrah)?" Ar-Rummani replied that "the report of “Ghar” was a recognised event, while “Ghadeer” was just a narrative; and a narrative is not as mandatory as a recognised event." The man from Basra then left without making any reply. Then I came forward and said: "I have a question," and being permitted, I asked him: "What do you say about the one who fights a Just Imam?" Ar-Rummani said: "Such a person would be an infidel." Then, after a pause, he rectified himself and said: "He would be a transgressor." I asked: "What do you say about the Commander of the Faithful, Ali Ibn Abi Taleb (AS)?” He said: "I believe he was an Imam." So I asked: "Then what do you say about the Day of Jamal and about Talha and Zubair?" Ar-Rummani retorted that both of them had repented. I said: "The Battle of Jamal is a recognised event, while their repentance is a mere narrative." Upon hearing this, he said: "Were you present when the man from Basra put his question?" I said "yes." Then he asked: "What is your name and who is your tutor?" I said: "I am known as Ibn al-Mu’allem, and my tutor is Abu-Abdullah al-Jual." He said: Stay where you are. “Then he entered his room and came out with a letter, instructing me to hand it over to my tutor. When I gave the letter to my tutor, he read it and laughed, saying: What transpired between you in his class? He has asked me to confer upon you the title of “al-Mufid”

909 solar years ago, on this day in 1108 AD, the Battle of Ucles was fought in Spain resulting in the resounding victory of the al-Moravid troops under the command of Tamim ibn Yusuf over an alliance of Christians of the kingdom of Castile and Leon under the command of Prince Sancho Alfonsez. A great number of Christians were killed including Alfonsez.

871 lunar years ago, on this day in 567 AH, the Hanbali hadith scholar and Arabic grammarian, Abdullah Ibn Ahmad al-Khashshab, passed away in Baghdad at the age of 75. He authored “Tarikh Mawaleed al Ai’mmah wa Wafaatehim”.He should not be confused with the Imami scholar Ibn al-Khashshab of Aleppo, Syria, who wrote a 4-volume annotated commentary on "al-Muqtassid" (a grammar manual by Ibn Hubayrah), and was martyred by Malik as-Saleh (son of Sultan Salah od-Din Ayyoubi) after writing a commentary on the famous sermon of Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS) titled "ash-Sheqsheqiyya" (Roar of a Camel).

564 solar years ago, on this day in 1453 AD Constantinople was taken after a 53-day siege by the Ottoman Sultan, Mohammad II (known as al-Fateh or the Conqueror), thus ending Byzantine or the Eastern Roman Empire. He set out to revitalize the city, renamed it Islambol (today’s Istanbul), and made it the capital of his empire. The first decree issued by him was security and freedom of the residents who were almost all Christians. Hours later, he rode to the Hagia Sofia to proclaim the Islamic creed, converting the grand cathedral into an imperial mosque. When he stepped into the ruins of the Boukoleon, the Palace of the Caesars, built over a thousand years before by Theodosius II, he recited the famous Persian couplet of the Iranian poet, Shaikh Sa’di:

"The spider weaves the curtains in the palace of the Caesars;

 "The owl calls the watches in the towers of Afrasiyab."  

He began to build the Grand Bazaar, and also constructed during this period was Topkapı Palace, which served as the official residence of the Ottoman sultans for the next four hundred years. The city, built by Rome's first Christian Emperor, Constantine I, on the coastlines of Bosporus Strait was thus transformed from a bastion of Christianity to a symbol of Islamic culture.

564 solar years ago, on this day in 1453 AD, the brave young Ottoman commander, Hassan of Ulubatlı, who was instrumental in hoisting the Muslim flag on the ramparts of the Byzantine capital, Constantinople, achieved martyrdom in the process. Born in the small village of Ulubath (near Karacabey) in the province of Bursa, the 25-year old Hassan, after performing the Fajr Prayer on the last day of the 53-day siege, was the first to climb the wall of the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, as the Ottoman military band started to play an Islamic song. Armed with only a scimitar, and carrying a shield and Ottoman flag, Hassan was closely followed by thirty of his friends, scaling the wall under showers of arrows, stones, and spears of the Greek defenders. He reached the top and placed the flag, which he defended until his 12 remaining friends arrived. After that he collapsed with 27 arrows still in his body. On seeing the Ottoman flag on the ramparts, the Muslim troops surged ahead with renewed vigor, while the Christian defenders lost heart, until Sultan Mohammad conquered the city.

188 solar years ago, on this day in 1829 AD, the English chemist and physicist, Humphrey Davy, died at the age of 51. His research led him to separate sodium, potassium, calcium, barium, and magnesium from other elements, and this was considered a major achievement in Europe, although Islamic scientists had already accomplished this a thousand years earlier. He also founded the science of electrochemistry.

110 solar years ago, on this day in 1907 AD, the Persian newsletter “Sour-e Israfeel” started publication in Tehran. The owner was Mirza Jahangir Khan, titled “Sour-e Israfeel”, and its chief-editor Ali Akbar Dehkhoda. It was launched to promote the Constitutional Movement and to highlight the problems of the lower strata of the society. It started as a weekly newsletter and became a daily, but after only 32 editions ceased publication because of government pressures.

83 solar years ago, on this day in 1934 AD, the Majlis or parliament of Iran passed a resolution for establishing Tehran University made up of several colleges.

64 solar years ago, on this day in 1953 AD, Mount Everest, the highest pinnacle of the world, was scaled by Edmund Hillary of Britain and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal. The altitude of Mount Everest is 8848 meters and it is situated in Nepal in the massive Himalayan Mountain Range.

28 solar years ago, on this day in 1989 AD, the Iranian Islamic scholar, Ayatollah Mir Seyyed Ali Fani Isfahani, passed away at the age of 74. He studied in his hometown Isfahan, where after attaining the status of Ijtehad; he left for holy Najaf in Iraq, where he stayed for 30 years lecturing on theology, jurisprudence, exegesis of Holy Qur’an, and ethics. He returned to Iran in 1973 and until his death 16 years later, he used to lecture in the seminary of holy Qom. He has left behind more than 80 books, on various topics, including “Exegesis of Surah Fateha”, and “Arb’ain Hadith”.

11 solar years ago, on this day in 2006 AD, in Indonesia a boiling mud flow began from a volcano in Sidoarjo, east Java. By 2007 it covered 1.6 square miles destroying 4 villages and 25 factories and forced 16,000 people to leave their homes. The mud flow was triggered by the drilling operations for gas of Lapindo Brantas, an energy company whose major shareholder was the family-owned Bakrie Group, which called it a natural disaster and tried to sell Lapindo to obscure offshore buyers. In February 2007 engineers began dropping large cement balls into the crater in an attempt to stem the flow. In 2008 international scientists said they are almost certain that the mud volcano was caused by faulty drilling of a gas exploration well. 

3 solar years ago, on this day in 2014 AD, in Syria Takfiri terrorist outfits which mischievously style themselves as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), kidnapped some 153 schoolchildren. They were on their way back to Ain al-Arab from taking year-end school exams in the northern city of Aleppo.

AS/SS