Today is Monday; 22nd of the Iranian month of Khordad 1396 solar hijri; corresponding to 17th of the Islamic month of Ramadhan 1438 lunar hijri; and June 12, 2017, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1439 lunar years ago, on this day in the year before Hijra, the “Me'raj” or the Ascension to the heavens of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) took place from Mecca, as indicated by the opening ayah of Surah al-Isra'. It is indeed God's greatest favour to His Last and Greatest Messenger to physically lift him in a fraction of a night to the highest echelons of the ethereal heavens where no creature including Archangel Gabriel, can venture, and then return him to Planet Earth. The Unseen but Omnipresent Creator, whom no eye could perceive, showed Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) the mysteries of the heavens and the earth, and the fate of mankind in afterlife. God, Who is far Glorious to have shape, form, place, time or voice, spoke to him in the voice of his dear cousin, Imam Ali (AS), since this was the most soothing voice for the Prophet.

1436 lunar years ago, on this day in 2 AH, the pagan Arabs imposed the first ever armed encounter upon Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), near a well called Badr, some distance from Medina, but thanks to divine support, the poorly armed group of 313 Muslims emerged victorious over the fully equipped, almost 1000-strong armed-to-the teeth Arabs. For the first time, the Prophet's young cousin and defender, Imam Ali (AS), displayed his brilliant swordsmanship by disposing off several Arab champions.

1380 lunar years ago, on this day in 58 AH, Ayesha bint Abu Bakr died in Medina at the age of 65. She was one of the nine wives Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) had married out of social necessity in the last ten years of his life, following the passing away of the First Lady of Islam, Omm al-Momineen (Mother of True Believers), Hazrat Khadija (SA), with whom he spent 25 years of marital bliss and through her became the father of the noblest-ever lady, Hazrat Fatema Zahra (SA). Ayesha was actually killed by the Omayyad ruler Mua’wiyyah ibn Abu Sufyan who had usurped the caliphate and intended to pass it on to his lecherous son, Yazid. Thus, in order to remove a potential opponent to his plan, he devised the death of Ayesha by inviting her to a feast and seating her over a booby-trapped limestone well into which she fell and died. Mua’wiyyah had not forgotten Ayesha's rabble-rousing role decades earlier against his Omayyad kinsman the 3^rd caliph, Othman bin Affan, whom she branded an apostate and was eventually murdered. He was also well aware that she was the cause of the first armed fitna (or sedition) in Islam when she led an army of oath-breakers against the Prophet's rightful successor, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS) at Basra in Iraq, where she was soundly defeated, but magnanimously treated and allowed to go back respectfully to Medina.

1314 lunar years ago, on this day in 124 AH, the scholar Mohammad Ibn Muslim Ibn Obaydullah Ibn Shihab az-Zuhri al-Madani, passed away. He studied for a time under Imam Ja’far as-Sadeq (AS), the 6^th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). He was a central figure among the early collectors of Sirah (biographical accounts) of the Prophet, and played a role in standardizing Islamic jurisprudence in those dark and oppressive days of Omayyad rule, when the laws of the state functioned according to the Byzantine or Sassanid rules.

873 solar years ago, on this day in 1144 AD, the Iranian Sunni Muslim exegete of the holy Qur'an, narrator of hadith, and linguist, Abu'l-Qasim Mohammad Ibn Omar Zamakhshari, died at the age of 72 in the city of Gurganj in the ancient Iranian land of Khwarezm, which today is divided between the Central Asian republics of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. He was born in the village of Zamakhshar and studied in Samarqand and Bukhara. He later lived in Baghdad for some years. He followed the rationalistic Mu'tazali doctrine and was known as “Jarallah” (literally ‘Neighbour of God’), since he stayed for several years in the city of Mecca, spending his time at the holy Ka'ba, the symbolic House of God Almighty. He wrote both in Persian and Arabic, and is best known for “al-Kashshaaf”, a commentary on the holy Qur'an, which is famous for its deep linguistic analysis of the ayahs. Another of his famous books is “Rabi al-Abraar”, a voluminous reference work in which he has exposed the dubious parentage of Mu’awiyah ibn Abu Sufyan. He has recorded many of the God-given merits of the Ahl al-Bayt of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) and their superiority over all Muslims.

777 solar years ago, on this day in 1240 AD, an inter-faith debate, known as the “Disputation of Paris”, started between a Christian monk and four rabbis, on the orders of King Louis IX of France. Nicholas Donin, a member of the Franciscan Order and a convert to Christianity from Judaism, represented the Christian side against the Jewish Rabbis named Yechiel of Paris, Moses of Coucy, Judah of Melun, and Samuel ben Solomon of Chateau-Thierry. Donin had translated the Talmud – a Jewish religious book written around 200 AD, and pressed 35 charges against it, by referring to a series of blasphemous passages about Prophet Jesus (AS) and his virtuous mother, the Virgin Mary (SA), whom the Jews slander. In one of the Talmudic passages, for example, Prophet Jesus (AS) is depicted as being cast into Hell, while another passage permits Jews to kill all non-Jews.  The Talmud, which is a distortion of the monotheistic teachings of Prophet Moses (AS), also contains insulting remarks against Adam the father of mankind, and against Prophet Noah (AS). At the end of the long debate lasting several days, Christian theologians condemned the Talmud to be burned as a blasphemous book. On June 17, 1244 twenty-four carriage loads of Jewish religious manuscripts, collected from various parts of France, were set on fire in the streets of Paris.

636 solar years ago, on this day in 1381 AD, The Peasants' Revolt occurred in England. Also known as Tyler's Rebellion, it was not only the most extreme and widespread insurrection in English history but also the best-documented popular rebellion to have occurred during medieval times. The Tower of London was stormed and those summarily executed included the Lord Chancellor (Simon of Sudbury, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who was particularly associated with the poll tax), and the Lord Treasurer (Robert de Hales, the Grand Prior of the Knights Hospitallers of England). The names of some of the leaders of the revolt, John Ball, Watt Tyler and Jack Straw, are still familiar in popular culture, although little is known of them. The revolt later came to be seen as a mark of the beginning of the end of serfdom in medieval England, although the revolt itself was a failure. It increased awareness in the upper classes of the need for the reform of feudalism in England and the appalling misery felt by the lower classes as a result of their enforced near-slavery. It was brutally suppressed by the king and a large number of peasants were executed.

594 lunar years ago, on this day in 844 AH, Amir Ali Shir Navai, the acclaimed Central Asian politician, mystic, linguist, painter, and poet, was born in the Khorasani capital, Herat, which is currently in western Afghanistan. He is considered the Father of Chaghatai Turkic literature, and was a prolific author. He also wrote and composed poems in Persian under the penname “Fani”, and has excellent compilations in this language as well. He studied in Mashhad, Herat and Samarqand, and when his childhood friend, Sultan Hussain Bayqarah became the principal Timurid ruler of Khorasan, he joined his service and for almost 40 years devoted his efforts to cultural developments, including fine arts and the building of public utility works like schools, mosques, caravanserais and hospitals. In Mashhad, he carried out extensions in the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS), the 8^th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), and on his death in Herat at the age of 63 his body was brought to this holy city and laid to rest in the Aivan (porch) of the grand mausoleum of the 8^th Imam. He is regarded as a national hero in the modern republic of Uzbekistan, and in addition to his popularity in the Persian speaking countries of Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan, he is famous all over the Turkic-speaking world.

481 solar years ago, on this day in 1534 AD, the Turkish navy led by Khair od-Din Barbarossa allowed Giulia Gonzaga to kidnap & plunder Naples in Italy.

477 solar years ago, on this day in 1540 AD, the country known as Chile in South America was occupied by the Spanish invaders, after earlier defeats at the hands of the indigenous Mapuche people. The Spanish brutally suppressed the Amerindians and plundered the rich resources of the land. In 1817, the Argentinean commander, Jose de San Martin, attacked the Spanish and liberated Chile in the following year.

467 solar years ago, on this day in 1550 AD, the city of Helsinki, Finland – belonging to Sweden at the time – was founded by King Gustav I of Sweden.

120 lunar years ago, on this day in 1318 AH, the prominent Islamic scholar and Source of Emulation, Mirza Mohammad Hashem Khwansari, passed away in Isfahan. He was an authority in theology, jurisprudence, hadith, and exegesis of the Holy Qur'an. He groomed many students and compiled several valuable books, including “Jawaher al-Uloum”.

116 lunar years ago, on this day in 1322 AH, the well-known Source of Emulation, especially in Azerbaijan and the Caucasus, Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Fazel Sharbiani, passed away. Born in northwestern Iran, he became a unique lecturer of Islamic sciences, and besides mastery over Hadith and its sources, was a prominent exegete of the Holy Qur'an. He has left behind a nine-volume book on the treatises of the celebrated Iranian head of the Najaf Seminary, Ayatollah Shaikh Morteza Ansari.

103 solar years ago, on this day in 1914 AD, the first experiment for harnessing of solar thermal energy took place on the outskirts of the Egyptian capital, Cairo. It was conducted by American physicist, Frank Schuman, who managed to run a 50 horse-power steam engine by harnessing the sun’s rays. This test shaped the basis of the solar-powered driving engines.

98 solar years ago, on this day in 1819 AD, English novelist, Charles Kingsley was born in Holne, Devon, Britain. He was a prolific writer and his works include, such famous classics as “Westward Ho!”, “The Water-Babies” and “Madam How and Lady Why”.

57 solar years ago, on this day in 1960 AD, the renowned Islamic scholar, Mirza Mohammad Hussein Fazel Touni, passed away in Tehran at the age of 82. Born in the northeastern Iranian town of Ferdows, he was a polymath in theology, principles of theology, philosophy, mysticism, mathematics, astronomy, and Arabic literature. He later served as a professor at Tehran University’s Faculty of Literature, teaching Arabic language and literature as well as philosophy. Among his books are “Hekmat-e Qadim”.

27 solar years ago, on this day in 1990 AD, Ayatollah Shaikh Ali Mushkaf, passed away at the age of 89. After preliminary religious studies in Isfahan, he departed for holy Qom, where he studied under Ayatollah Shaikh Abdul-Karim Ha’eri, Seyyed Mohammad Koh-Kamari, and Seyyed Mohammad Taqi Khwansari. He went to holy Najaf in Iraq where he reached the status of ijtihad. On his return to Iran, he settled in Isfahan. Among the books written by him, mentioned could be made of “Hashiya bar Kifayat al-Usoul.” He also compiled the notes he had taken while studying under such great scholars as Ayatollah Abdul-Karim Ha’eri, Ayatollah Ziya od-Din Iraqi, and Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Abu’l-Hassan Isfahani.

26 solar years ago, on this day in 1991 AD, the first free presidential polls were held in the Russian Federation after the disintegration of the Soviet Union and resulted in the election of Boris Yeltsin as president.

22 solar years ago, on this day in 1995 AD, Ayatollah Mirza Kazem Dinawari, passed away at the age of 93. A product of the Islamic seminary of holy Najaf in Iraq, on return to Iran, he was engaged in teaching and grooming students.

6 solar years ago, on this day in 2011 AD, the repressive Aal-e Khalifa minority regime of the Persian Gulf island of Bahrain, sentenced 20-year old university girl student, peace activist, and budding Arabic poet, Ayat Hassam Mohammad al-Qurmezi, to imprisonment on absurd charges, including inciting hatred, after some two-and-a-half months of torture following her kidnapping from her home at gunpoint, for reciting poems critical of the regime. There were widespread protests in her support in many countries including the Islamic Republic of Iran. Even after release, she has remained under house arrest. On Wednesday, February 23, 2011, during the early days of the uprising of Bahrain’s long-suppressed majority for their denied rights, Ayat al-Qurmezi delivered a poem from the podium to the gathering of pro-democracy demonstrators at the Pearl Roundabout in Manama that was critical of the regime’s policies and specifically those of Khalifa ibn Salman Aal-e Khalifa, the longtime tyrannical prime minister. On March 6, 2011, she read out another poem to a huge gathering at the same venue (since demolished) censuring the self-styled king, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Aal-Khalifa. Her widely applauded poem included the verse: “We are the people who will kill humiliation and assassinate misery. Don't you hear their cries? Don't you hear their screams?" Another verse of her poem has an imaginary dialogue between the Devil and Sheikh Hamad, in which the Satan complains to his pupil: “Hamad, the Bahraini people have shaken me. Don't you hear their cries?”

One solar year ago, on this day in 2016 AD, Hamid Sabzevari, the father of revolutionary poetry in Iran, passed away at the age of 91 at a Tehran hospital and was laid to rest in his hometown, Sabzevar, in Khorasan Province, northeastern Iran. Named Hussain Aqa-Momtaheni at birth, he began composing poetry at the age of 14. He composed poems in different styles including couplets, sonnets and blank verse. In 1979, during the days leading to the victory of grassroots Islamic movement of the Iranian people, he composed the famous poem “Khomeini, O Imam!” in praise of the Father of the Islamic Revolution. The poem was performed and recorded by a group of students, weeks before the victory of the Islamic Revolution. He is the composer of “USA, USA, Shame on Your Deceits”, which was performed by a chorus following the capture of the den of spies that the US embassy in Tehran had turned into. Another of his famous poem is “This Is the Call of Freedom from the Orient”.

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