Today is Wednesday; 17th of the Iranian month of Khordad 1396 solar hijri; corresponding to 12th of the Islamic month of Ramadhan 1438 lunar hijri; and June 7, 2017, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

A Little over Two Millennia ago, on this day (Ramadhan 12), God revealed the Evangel to Prophet Jesus (AS) for the guidance of the Israelites who had long deviated from the path of Prophet Moses (AS). It was a purely monotheistic scripture, whose contents were later distorted by those that emerged as Christians. Currently, there are countless and contradictory versions of the Bible amongst the various Christian sects, whose beliefs are against what Prophet Jesus (AS) preached. For instance, Jesus (AS) has been turned into a godson, while passages pertaining to the advent of Islam and the mission of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), called "Ahmad" (Hmda in the original Evangel), have been removed

1437 lunar years ago, on this day in 1 AH, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), some six months after his migration to Medina from Mecca, established the Accord of Fraternity among Muslims, with each Mohajer or Migrant from Mecca becoming the brother-in-faith of an Ansar or Muslim Helper from Medina. The Accord of Fraternity was a key factor in fostering unity and burying the age-old tribal differences of the Arabs. It was so firm and enduring that if a pair was martyred in battle (the infidels used to impose upon Muslims), the two would be buried in a single grave. By the command of God, the Prophet paired 740 of his companions, every two of them on the basis of their characteristics, sharing of habits – whether good or bad – and above all their natural inclinations and friendship towards each other. Thus Salman Farsi and Abu Zar Gheffari were paired as brothers, while another pair was Meqdad ibn Aswad and Ammar ibn Yasser – these four were noted for their lofty degrees of faith and firm adherence to the path of truth which would become manifest both during the Prophet’s lifetime and after him when they would stand firmly beside his divinely-decreed vicegerent, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS). Of the others paired together were Zubair and Talha; Abu Bakr and Omar Ibn Khattab; Osman Ibn Affan and Abdur-Rahman Ibn Auf, etc. For his own, part, the Prophet, whose merits and superiority were beyond any Mohajer or Ansar, took hold of the hand of his worthy cousin, Imam Ali (AS), to declare him brother in this world and in afterlife.

918 solar years ago, on this day in 1099 AD, the Crusader invaders from Europe laid siege to the Islamic city of Bayt al-Moqaddas, which they called Jerusalem and captured it a month and a week later on July 15. A year earlier these European invaders taking advantage of discord among the Muslims, especially the enmity of the Turkic warlords with the Fatemid Shi’ite Muslims rulers of Egypt who controlled most of Syria including Palestine, had captured Antioch. Then moving along the Mediterranean coast they laid siege to Arqa until May 13 but could not capture it. The Fatemids took up the proposal of peace on condition that the crusaders do not march upon Bayt al-Moqaddas, but this was ignored. Iftekhar od-Dowla, the Fatemid governor of Bayt al-Moqaddas, becoming aware of motives of the Crusaders strengthened the defences of the city. Meanwhile, the Crusaders were given money and horses by the Turkic ruler of Tripoli, who also promised to convert to Christianity if they capture Bayt al-Moqaddas from the Fatemids. The Crusaders thus succeeded in passing unopposed through Beirut on May 19, Tyre on May 23, and turning inland at Jaffa, reached Ramlah on June 3, which had already been abandoned by its inhabitants. On June 6, they seized Bayt-Laham, and on the next day reached the outskirts of Bayt al-Moqaddas. Iftekhar od-Dowla resisted but no reinforcement arrived from Egypt. Many Muslims sought shelter in the al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Dome of the Rock. When the city was starved and forced to surrender, the Crusaders broke all promises and started slaughtering the Muslim men, women, and children. In all over 70,000 people were massacred including Palestinian Christians and the Jewish minority. According to their own accounts, the Crusaders boasted of wading in blood up to their ankles, while killing Muslims. It is stated that when the Jews sought refuge in their synagogue, the Crusaders burned it over their heads, killing everyone inside.

841 lunar years ago, on this day in 597 AH, the famous scholar, Abdur-Rahman Ibn Ali Ibn Mohammad, popular as Abu'l-Faraj Ibn al-Jowzi, passed away in Baghdad at the age of 87. He is known for his works in exegesis of the holy Qur'an as well as his numerous hadith writings and books on history. Although a Sunni, he is also famous for the theological stance that he took against other Hanbalis. Ibn al-Jowzi is perhaps the most prolific author and his writings total over 200 books and treatises, which are over 300 in numbers. Among his famous books, mention can be made of the 10-volume history "al-Montazam fi Tarikh al-Omam" and a book on the unsurpassed merits of Imam Ali (AS), as well as one permitting the cursing of Yazid Ibn Mu'awiyya, the killer of Imam Husain (AS) titled:"ar-Radd ala'l-Muta’seb al-Anid al-Mane' min Dham al-Yazid"

325 solar years ago, on this day in 1692 AD, an earthquake struck the island of Jamaica in the Caribbean Sea. It rearranged the geology, splitting the rocks, turning mountains to lakes, and engulfed two-thirds of Port Royal. On this day and the subsequent days, five thousand of the inhabitants were killed.

169 solar years ago, on this day in 1848 AD, French painter, Paul Gauguin, was born in Paris. He spent his last years on the Island of Tahiti in the Pacific Ocean painting the natives and the local landscape.

138 solar years ago, on this day in 1879 AD, as part of the War of the Pacific, between Chile, Peru and Bolivia, the Battle of Arica, also known as Assault and Capture of Cape Arica, was fought. Finally, Chile emerged victorious and dictated a treaty to the governments of Peru and Bolivia, according to which Bolivian coastlines and parts of Peru were annexed.

112 solar years ago, on this day in 1905 AD, Norway declared independence from Sweden. Their union had been in effect since 1814.

95 lunar years ago, on this day in 1343 AH, the renowned theologian, Ayatollah Shaikh Mahdi Khalesi, passed away at the age of 66. Born in the holy city of Kazemain in Iraq, he built a reputation for promotion of virtue and prevention of vice in society. He opposed the British invasion of Iraq, and along with other scholars, such as Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Shirazi and Shaikh Mohammad Hussain Kashef al-Gheta, joined the revolution against the turning of Iraq into a monarchy led by the imported king, Faisal, a son of the British agent of Hejaz, Sharif Hussain. During his stay in Iran he taught at the howza. Books written by him include “Kifayat al-Osoul”, and “Anaween al-Osoul”.

79 solar years ago, on this day in 1938 AD, during the Second Sino-Japanese War, the pro-West Chinese Nationalist government of Generalissimo Chiang Kai Shek, created the 1938 Yellow River flood to halt Japanese forces, resulting in the  death of almost 900,000 Chinese civilians.

50 solar years ago, on this day in 1967 AD, army units of the illegitimate Zionist entity called Israel, entered and occupied the Islamic city of Bayt al-Moqaddas (Jerusalem), and have refused to withdraw ever since. The Zionists, with the support of the West, especially the US, have continued to oppress and expel the native Palestinians, and in addition to Judaizing this Islamic city, have drilled tunnels underneath the sacred al-Aqsa Mosque as part of their sordid plan to destroy the former qibla of Islam.

47 solar years ago, on this day in 1970 AD, British novelist, Edward Morgan Forster, died at the age of 91. His novels include “A Room with a View” (1908) and “A Passage to India” (1924).

38 solar years ago, on this day in 1979 AD, following establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran, all banks along with a number of other financial and industrial establishments were nationalized. The nationalization and the subsequent consolidation of the banks paved the way for the launching of Islamic banking, which has greatly expanded.

37 solar years ago, on this day in 1980 AD, Zionist warplanes bombarded the Tamouz Atomic Power Station of Iraq in the vicinity of Baghdad. Although this criminal attack led to worldwide condemnation, the UN Security Council did not take any measure against Israel. The illegal Zionist entity which possesses more than 300 nuclear warheads, manufactured with US, British, and French help, refuses supervision of its atomic installations by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

34 lunar years ago, on this day in 1404 AH, the reclusive Gnostic Seyyed Hashem al-Haddad, passed away at the age of 86 in his hometown Karbala, Iraq. He was a student of the famous Gnostic Jurisprudent Seyyed Ali Qazi Tabatabai, with whom he was associated for 28 years in the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala. In turn he was the teacher of such prominent ulema as Ayatollah Abdul-Hussain Dastghayb, Ayatullah Seyyed Abdul-Karim Razawi Kashmiri, Ayatollah Seyyed Mustafa Khomeini, Ayatoallah Morteza Motahhari, Seyyed Ahmad Fihri Zanjani and Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Hussain Hussaini. The last named scholar wrote the excellent book “Rooh-e Mojarrad” (or The Detached Soul) on Gnosis, in which he has mentioned in detail how Seyyed Hashem Haddad’s spiritual guidance totally transformed him, taking him to higher levels of spirituality. Seyyed Hashem loved poems of the Persian masters Shams Maghrebi, Hafiz Shirazi and Mowlana Rumi. He was also a great admirer of the Spanish Muslim Gnostic Mohy od-Din Ibn Arabi, but at times has criticized some of his views. He regarded the martyrdom of Imam Husain (AS) as the supreme example of love for God, the most beautiful manifestation of glory and the beauty of the attributes of Divine Mercy and Wrath. In his opinion, if a spiritual wayfarer becomes cognizant of even a little of the divine manifestations of the epic of Ashura, he will go unconscious forever.

7 solar years ago, on this day in 2010 AD, Iran's first women-only bank branch opened, allowing ladies to manage their finances without dealing with unrelated men, as part of Islam’s dynamic shari’ah to ensure proper progress of all sections of the society, in keeping with their social status and dignity.

7 solar years ago, on this day in 2010 AD, the Iranian Red Crescent Society dispatched three aid ships to Gaza in the latest bid to break the blockade imposed on the Palestinian territory by the illegal Zionist entity.

AS/ME