Today Thursday; 9th of the Iranian month of Shahrivar 1396 solar hijri; corresponding to 9th of the Islamic month of Zil-Hijjah 1438 lunar hijri; and August 31, 2017, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

Today is the Day of Arafa, which means striving to gain proper and profound cognition of God Almighty. It is a day of great blessings for mankind. It is the day on which God the All-Merciful accepted the repentance of the Father of the human race, Adam, after he was cast out of the Garden for eating of the fruit of the tree that was forbidden to him as a divine test. It is the day when Abraham as per God's commandment, revived Adam's tradition to spend the day in supplication and prayer on the plain of Arafaat around the “Jabal ar-Rahma” (Mount Mercy), southeast of Mecca. It is the day whose significance all Prophets of God had emphasized to their nations. It is the day when during his farewell pilgrimage, the Almighty's Last and Greatest Messenger, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), delivered a memorable sermon from atop Mount Mercy, emphasizing on the “Hadith Thaqalayn” that as long as Muslims hold fast to the Holy Qur'an and his progeny, the Ahl al-Bayt, they will never go astray. Special prayers and supplications are recommended for the 9^th of Zil-Hijjah for Hajj pilgrims who gather on the plain of Arafaat, as well as for the faithful all over the world. Most Muslims recite the famous supplication taught on this plain and on this day by the Prophet's grandson, Imam Husain (AS), which is a treasure trove of enlightenment and proper cognizance of the Lord Most High and His Infinite Mercy.

Some 1432 lunar years ago, on this day, by the commandment of God, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) ordered closure of doors of the houses of those companions that opened into the Grand Mosque of Medina (Masjid an-Nabi), except that of his own house and that of Imam Ali (AS), as a measure to protect the mosque's sanctity, from possible pollution by the Sahaba who might enter in the state in which it is forbidden to enter a mosque. When certain companions grumbled at this, he said: Indeed, God had ordered His Prophet Moses to build a holy Mosque, and he allowed Moses, Aaron and the two sons of Aaron, viz. Shabar and Shubair, to live therein. I was likewise ordered to construct a holy mosque wherein myself and my brother Ali and his two sons, Hasan and Husain, are allowed to live. Surely, I do only what I am ordered to do. I never undertake to act on my own wish. Certainly I have not ordered of my own accord to close your doors or to let Ali's door remain open. It is God who granted Ali an abode in the Holy Mosque.

This event has been mentioned in the Sahih books of the Sunni compilers of hadith, such as Bukhari, Tirmizi, etc. The 2^nd caliph, Omar Ibn Khattab, has been quoted as saying: “Indeed, Ali has been endowed with three qualities, of which had I but one, it would be more precious to me than to be given high bred camels.” It was asked of him what they were? He replied “His marriage to Fatema (the Prophet’s daughter); his remaining in the Mosque while that is not lawful for me; and his carrying the Standard on the day of Khaibar.”

1378 lunar years ago, on this day in 60 AH, Muslim Ibn Aqeel, the nephew and son-in-law of Imam Ali (AS), was martyred in the city of Kufa in Iraq. He was sent as emissary by his cousin, Imam Husain (AS), to assess the degree of devotion and loyalty of the people to the cause of the Ahl al-Bayt of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), following receipt of numerous letters from the notables who had claimed that in accordance with Islamic teachings they had refused to acknowledge the illegal rule of the tyrant and debauchee, Yazid Ibn Mu'awiyya, and needed the just and pious leader to guide them. Muslim was warmly welcomed by the people, but when Yazid sent the callous and ruthless Obaidullah Ibn Ziyad as governor of Kufa, almost all people, deserted the cause of Islam, deceived either by hollow promises of reward or threats to their life and property. As a result, Muslim, after a brave fight was betrayed, taken before Ibn Ziyad and brutally beheaded. Among the few martyred with him, was Hani Ibn Orwah, whose shrine lies opposite Muslim's golden-domed shrine, beside the Grand Mosque of Kufa.

900 lunar years ago, on this day in 538 AH, the Iranian Sunni Muslim exegete of the holy Qur'an, narrator of hadith, and linguist, 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 among the Central Asian republics of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Born in Zamakhsar village, he studied in Bukhara and Samarqand and Bukhara, and lived in Baghdad for some years. He followed the rationalistic Mu'tazali doctrine and was known as “Jarallah” (or Neighbour of God), since he stayed for several years in Mecca, spending his time at the holy Ka'ba, the symbolic House of God Almighty. He wrote in both Persian and Arabic, and is best known for “al-Kashshaaf”, an exegesis of the holy Qur'an – famous for its deep linguistic analysis of the ayahs. He also wrote “Rabi al-Abraar”, a voluminous reference work, in which he has exposed the dubious parentage of Mu’awiya 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.

799 solar years ago, on this day in 1218 AD, al-Malik al-Adel I, the Ayyubid ruler of Egypt and Syria, died at the age of 73 after a reign of 18 years during a campaign against the European Crusader invaders, and was succeeded by his son, al-Kamel – who ruled for the next two decades. The younger brother of the famous Kurdish ruler, Salah od-Din Ayyubi, he was an able administrator and a successful general, known as a strategist, to whom the persistence of the Ayyubid state is indebted. He first achieved distinction as an officer in Noor od-Din Zengi's army during his uncle Shirkuh's third and final campaign in Fatemid Egypt in 1168–1169. Following Zengi’s death in 1174, some three years after the overthrow of the Fatemid Ismaili Shi’a Muslim dynasty of Egypt-North Africa-Syria, he governed Egypt on behalf of his brother, mobilizing that country's vast resources in support of Salah od-Din’s campaigns in Syria and wars against the Crusaders. He was governor of Aleppo (1183–1186) but returned to administer Egypt during the Third Crusade (1186–1192). He suppressed the revolt of Izz od-Din of Mosul following Salah od-Din's death in March 1193, and played the role of kingmaker during the succession dispute among his two nephews, al-Aziz and al-Afzal. He became governor of Damascus and used it as a base to expand his power, by championing the faction opposed to al-Afzal's inept rule following al-Aziz's death in 1198. Though closely besieged in Damascus (1199), he defeated al-Afzal at the Battle of Bilbeis in 1200 and was proclaimed Sultan.

790 lunar years ago, on the eve of this day in 548 AH, the prominent Iranian scholar, Amin od-Din Abu Ali Fazl bin Hassan Tabarsi, passed away in the city of Sabzevar, Khorasan, where he had settled in the last years of his life to complete his monumental exegesis of the holy Qur’an, titled "Majma' al-Bayan". His body was taken to the holy city of Mashhad for burial near the shrine of Imam Reza (AS), the 8th Infallible Successor of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). In the preface to this work, he gives the reasons for his writing it and for his choice of title. He also describes the methodology used in his exegesis on every ayah of the holy Qur’an. He divides his exegesis on every passage into five sections: introductory discourse, reading guide, language discourse, revelation and circumstances surrounding it, and meaning. When a passage relates to a theological, jurisprudential or philosophical issue, he gives the views of all sides, whether Sunni or Shi’ite, and then his own judgement. The originality of his exegesis is that he gives the readers an opportunity to see the varying opinions on different issues mentioned in the Qur'an before discussing these views and declaring his own stand. “Majma’ al-Bayan” covers historical facts, as well as the opinions of philologists, traditionists, exegetes, and poets. Tabarsi’s exegesis focuses on many theological issues, including the divinely-decreed Imamate of Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), the infallibility of the Imams, God's Justice, etc. He also discusses the issue of Imam Mahdi (AS), his advent in the end times, the purpose of his coming and his global rule. Tabarsi's son and grandson were also noted scholars and author of books.

784 lunar years ago, on this day in 654 AH, the Muslim scientist Abu'l-Abbas Ahmad Ibn Muhammad al-Banna al-Marrakushi was born in Morocco. He was a mathematician, astronomer, Islamic scholar, Sufi, and astrologer. The crater al-Marrakushi on the Moon is named after him. He wrote some 82 books.

749 lunar years ago, on this day in 689 AH, the Imami scholar, Yahya Ibn Ahmad al-Hilli, passed away in Iraq. He was a cousin of the famous researcher, Muhaqqeq al-Hilli, who in turn was the maternal uncle of the celebrated scholar, Allamah Hilli. Among his works is “Nuzhat an-Nazzer”.

496 solar years ago, on this day in 1521 AD, Spanish marauder, Herman Cortez, having captured the city of Tenochtitlan, Mexico, set it on fire. Nearly 100,000 native Amerindians died in the siege and some 100,000 more died afterwards of smallpox. On return to Spain he was rewarded for his crimes against humanity, and accompanied King Charles V for the attack on Algiers that was routed by the famous Turkish Muslim admiral, Khayr od-Din Pasha (Barbarossa or Red Beard to the Europeans).

222 solar years ago, on this day in 1795 AD, the British navy after landing on Ceylon or what is now Sri Lanka on August 26 captured all of Dutch-controlled Trincomalee by taking control of the last stronghold, Fort Ostenburghrom, in order to keep the island out of French hands. The British would go on to capture Dutch settlements in India as well, and would grant Sri Lanka independence in 1948.

215 solar years ago, on this day in 1802 AD, Bosnian Muslim revolutionary general, Hussain-Kapetan Gradascevic, was born in the town of Gradacac and grew up surrounded by a political climate of turmoil in the western reaches of the Ottoman Empire. He developed a reputation for wise rule and tolerance and soon became one of the most popular figures in Bosnia. When Sultan Mahmoud II attempted to forcefully mass-recruit the Bosnian populace into his new army in the year 1830, the Bosniaks led by Hussain Kapetan launched an uprising that lasted three years. His forces defeated the imperial army during the Third Battle of Kosovo and at Novi Pazar. The uprising was subdued when Ali-Pasha Rizvan-Begovic defected to the Sultan in return for rule over the Vilayet of Herzegovina. Hussain Kapetan was forced to flee to Austria from where he negotiated for his return and was ultimately allowed back but barred from ever entering Bosnia. He moved to Belgrade and then to Istanbul, where he died mysteriously at the age of 32. He was an able military commander and administrator and was well versed in Turkish and Arabic. He was taught by two dervishes of the Bektashi order of Iranian origin attached to the Ahl al-Bayt of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). He built the famous Hussainiyya Mosque in his hometown Gradacac.

196 solar years ago, on this day in 1821 AD, German physician and physicist, Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz, was born. He made significant contributions to several areas of modern science. In physiology and psychology, he is known for his mathematics of the eye, theories of vision, ideas on the visual perception of space, colour vision research, and on the sensation of tone, perception of sound, and empiricism. In physics, he is known for his theories on the conservation of energy, work in electrodynamics, chemical thermodynamics, and on a mechanical foundation of thermodynamics. The largest German association of research institutions, the Helmholtz Association, is named after him.

73 lunar years ago, on this day in 1365 AH, the Source of Emulation, Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Abu’l-Hassan Isfahani, passed away at the age of 81 in holy Najaf, Iraq. Born in the vicinity of the Iranian city of Isfahan, after preliminary studies he traveled to Iraq to attend the famous Seminary in holy Najaf. He studied under prominent scholars such as Akhound Khorasani, and attained the status of “Ijtehad”. A prominent instructor at the Najaf Seminary for over thirty years, he groomed numerous scholars. At the same time, aware of political developments, he strongly opposed the British invasion of Iraq, which led to his expulsion to Iran. But, the public and ulema forced the Iraqi administration to revise its decision and recall him to Najaf. He was very patient and modest. Among his most important works is “Wasilat-an-Najat”. Many leading scholars have written annotations on this book, including the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA).

60 solar years ago, on this day in 1957 AD, Malaysia became independent from British rule. The Malay people in what is now Malaysia and Indonesia had gradually converted to Islam as of the 13th century. With the infiltration of Europeans, the Malay lands were occupied in the 17th century by Holland, which in 1824 was forced to give up to Britain several sultanates that joined together as Malaysia, while it kept Indonesia under its control as the Dutch East Indies. The Federation of Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy. It covers an area of nearly 330,000 sq km, and shares borders with Thailand, Brunei and Indonesia.

55 solar years ago, on this day in 1962 AD, the island state of Trinidad & Tobago in the Caribbean Sea gained independence from Britain, which had seized it from Spain and made it part of the West Indies Federation. The Republic of Trinidad & Tobago covers an area of almost 5128 sq km.

49 solar years ago, on this day in 1968 AD, a devastating 7.3 degree earthquake hit the Dasht-e Bayaz region in northeastern Khorasan, in Iran, killing over 10,000 people, injuring 17,000 others, and destroying 60,000 buildings

39 solar years ago, on this day in 1978 AD, the Iranian religious scholar and leader of Lebanon’s Shi'ite Muslims, Imam Seyyed Musa Sadr, went missing during his visit to Libya. Born in 1928 in the holy city of Qom, where he studied at the Islamic seminary, he later graduated from Tehran University. He was invited to Lebanon following the passing away of the famous scholar Allamah Seyyed Sharaf od-Din Musawi. At the time, the Lebanese Muslims were living under the worst social, political, and economic conditions. Hence, Imam Musa Sadr took a number of important measures to improve their status, and set up the Supreme Shi'ite Council. He backed the Palestinians’ struggles against the illegal Zionist entity, Israel. He fell victim to the sedition of Libyan dictator, Mo'ammar Qadhafi, who after officially inviting him to Tripoli, imprisoned and tortured him.

26 solar years ago, on this day in 1991 AD, the Central Asian country of Uzbekistan gained independence from the Soviet Union. As of 6th century BC, this region was part of successive Iranian empires, and was the seat of power of the Iranian-Muslim Samanid Dynasty in the early centuries of Islamic rule. In the 13th century, the region saw an influx of Turkic peoples, followed by the Mongol onslaught of Genghiz Khan that destroyed the rich civilization of the Persian-speaking cities of Samarqand and Bukhara. Later the stage was set for domination of Uzbek ethnicity in this land, before its occupation by the Russians in the 19th century. Uzbekistan covers an area of more than 447,000 sq km and shares borders with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan.

26 solar years ago, on this day in 1991 AD, the Central Asian Muslim country of Kyrgyzstan became independent from the Soviet Union. The entry of Kyrgyz ethnicity in this land started during the Mongol Empire in the 13th century. As of the year 1876, Kyrgyzstan came under the domination of Russia. The Kyrgyz Muslim people launched several uprisings and continued to resist till 1922, when they were brutally suppressed by the Soviets. Kyrgyzstan covers an area of 198,000 sq km and shares borders with China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.

20 solar years ago, on this day in 1997 AD, Iranian architect and historian, Mohammad Karim Pirnia, passed away at the age of 77. Born in Naeen in central Iran, he studied at what came to be Tehran University School of Fine Arts. His textbook on the history of Iranian architecture is still used in universities in Iran. In addition to his native Persian, he was well versed in Arabic and Hebrew, as well as the extinct Pahlavi, and Cuneiform scripts. Known as Father of Traditional Iranian Architecture, Pirnia taught for several years at Iranian universities, and wrote several books, such as “Introduction to Iran’s Islamic Architecture”, “Geometrical Designs in Architecture”, and “Styles of Iranian Architecture”.  

16 solar years ago, on this day in 2001 AD, Ayatollah Ismail Salehi Mazandarani, passed away at the age of 68. After completing his religious studies in Tehran, Qom, and Mashhad, he taught at the seminaries. He was politically active against the despotic Pahlavi regime, braving imprisonment and banishment to remote areas. After victory of the Islamic Revolution, he was entrusted with important posts and wrote several books, such as “Miftah al-Baseerah fi Fiqh ash-Shari’ah”, and “Wilyat-e Faqih” (Governance of the Supreme Jurisprudent).

12 solar years ago, on this day in 2005 AD, over two thousand pilgrims lost their life during a general stampede on hearing rumours of bomb blasts on the Jasr al-Aimmah Bridge over the River Tigris connecting the Baghdad suburbs of Kazemain and Azamiyya, on 25 Rajab the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Musa al-Kazem (AS), the 7th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).

6 solar years ago, on this day in 2011 AD, 14-year old Ali Jawad ash-Sheikh was brutally martyred on Bahrain’s Sitra Island by forces of the repressive Aal-e Khalifa minority regime of the Persian Gulf Island state, during a peaceful protest rally. The boy who died in the hospital had injuries under his chin and bruises on his face, hand, knees and pelvic area.

AS/MG