Today is Saturday; 18th of the Iranian month of Shahrivar 1396 solar hijri; corresponding to 18th of the Islamic month of Zi’l-Hijjah 1438 lunar hijri; and September 9, 2017, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

The 18th of Zil-Hijjah is a Great Day in the History of Mankind. On this day in antiquity great miracles happened, such as the turning into a garden of the huge fire the tyrant Nimrod had ignited and flung Prophet Abraham into it. On this day, Prophet Moses, on divine commandment, designated Prophet Joshua as his successor, and in the following centuries Prophet Solomon appointed Asef Ibn Barkhiya as his deputy, and Prophet Jesus (AS) named Simeon as his vicegerent.

1445 solar years ago, on this day in 572 AD, the seven-year war broke out between the Persian and Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empires with the invasion of part of the Sassanid Empire by Emperor Justin II, who eventually suffered a shattering defeat at the hands of the Iranian Emperor, Khosrow I Anushiravan. Justin was forced to abdicate and was succeeded by Tiberius as the new emperor. The Romans paid 45,000 gold coins to Iran as war reparations.

1428 lunar years ago, on this day in 10 AH, on divine commandment, on revelation of ayah 67 of Surah al-Ma'edah, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) proclaimed his cousin and son-in-law, Imam Ali (AS) as vicegerent at the pond or Ghadeer of Khom near Juhfa while returning to Medina from his farewell Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. After a memorable sermon to a gathering of 120,000-plus pilgrims, the Prophet raised the Imam’s hand, and expressed the immortal phrase, "Man kunto Mowlahu fa haza Aliyun Mowla" (For whomsoever I am Master, this Ali is his Master). God then revealed ayah 3 of Surah Ma'edah announcing the perfection of faith, completion of divine favours, and decreeing of Islam as the universal religion. For the next three days during the Prophet's stay at Ghadeer-Khom, every single person of this huge gathering personally pledged allegiance to Imam Ali (AS) as Amir al-Mominin (Commander of the Faithful) by clasping the palm of his right hand. For the convenience of the women attendees, the Prophet ordered the placing of water-filled basin in which Imam Ali (AS) dipped his hands and withdrew, while the ladies took turn to dip their own hands as proof of their allegiance to him. Hence, this day is a Grand Eid for Muslims and we congratulate our dear listeners on this auspicious event.

1403 lunar years ago, on this day in 35 AH, the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (AS), reluctantly assumed charge of the political leadership of the Islamic realm upon the insistence and begging of the Muslims to take up the reigns of the caliphate, of which he was deprived 25 years earlier on the passing away of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), despite his proclamation as the righteous caliph at Ghadeer-Khom and the swearing of allegiance to him by 120,000 Muslims. This fresh pledge of allegiance to him happened three days after the killing of Othman ibn Affan, and thus started the only instance of the model administration of social justice in history.

876 solar years ago, on this day in 1141 AD, Yelu Dashi, the Mongol Liao dynasty general who founded the Qara-Khitai dynasty in the northern parts of Central Asia, defeated the combined army of the Iran-based Seljuqid Empire and its Qara-Khanid vassals at the Battle of Qatwan near Samarqand, in what is now the Republic of Uzbekistan. The decisive defeat, with Sultan Ahmad Sanjar barely escaping alive, signalled the beginning of the end of the Great Seljuq Empire. Yelu Dashi had moved west from Northern China when the Jurchens invaded and destroyed the Liao Dynasty in 1125. In 1137 he took the Eastern Qara-Khanid capital of Balasaghun and later the same year he defeated at Khojand the Western Qara-Khanids, who were vassals of the Seljuqs. Qara-Khanid ruler Mahmud II appealed to his Seljuq overlord Sultan Sanjar for protection. After defeating Sultan Sanjar, Yelu Dashi spent ninety days in Samarqand, accepting the loyalty of Muslim nobles and appointing Mahmud's brother Ibrahim as the new ruler. However, he did allow the Muslim Burhan family to continue to rule Bukhara. After this battle, Khwarezm became a vassal state of the Qara-Khitai. In 1142, Yelu sent Erbuz to Khwarezm to pillage the province, which forced Atsiz to agree to pay 30,000 dinars annual tribute.

765 lunar years ago, on this day in 672 AH, the famous Iranian Islamic religious scholar and scientist, Khwaja Mohammad Naseer od-Din Tusi, passed away at the age of 75 in Kazemain, Iraq, and was laid to rest in the mausoleum of Prophet Mohammad’s (SAWA) 7th Infallible Heir Imam Musa al-Kazem (AS). Born in Tus, Khorasan, he was a scientist, philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician, who made valuable contributions to world civilization. Even the Mongol invaders acknowledged his genius and Hulagu Khan, appointed him as his scientific advisor. Naseer od-Din Tusi built the famous observatory at Maragheh. It had various instruments such as a 4-meter wall quadrant made from copper and an azimuth quadrant which was his unique invention. Using accurately plotted planetary movements, he modified Ptolemy's model of the planetary system. The observatory and its library became a centre for a wide range of work in science, mathematics and philosophy. He wrote some 80 books on various subjects including theology, ethics, science, philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, etc., in both Arabic and Persian.

524 solar years ago, on this day in 1493 AD, Ottoman Sultan, Bayezid II defeated a joint army of the kingdoms of Croatia and Hungary at the Battle of Krbava, a part of Lika region in southern Croatia. The Ottoman forces were led by Khadem Yaqub Pasha, the Governor of Bosnia.

498 lunar years ago, on this day in 940 AH, the great scholar, Shaikh Ali Ibn Abdul-Ma’ali al-Karki, passed away in Isfahan, the capital of the Safavid Empire of Iran. Born in Jabal Amel in what is now Lebanon, he was invited to Iran and appointed Shaikh ol-Islam by Shah Tahmasp I. Known as Muhaqqiq Thani (Second Researcher), he wrote several books, the most notable being “Jame’ al-Maqased”. Once, when a scholar, resentful of the formal establishment of the School of Prophet Mohammad’s (SAWA) Ahl al-Bayt as the official creed of Iran in 927 AH, claimed that according to “abjad” or numerical values of letters the year equals “Madhab-e Na-Haq” (or false creed), Muhaqqiq al-Karki immediately responded by saying why was he taking the Persian version of the alphabets, when the language of the Qur’an is Arabic, in which the letters for the year 927 combine to form “Madhabuna Haq” , which means “Ours is the Righteous Creed.

432 solar years ago, on this day in 1585 AD, French clergyman and statesman, Armand Jean du Plessis, Cardinal-Duke of Richelieu, was born. He was consecrated as a bishop in 1607 and was appointed Foreign Secretary in 1616. Richelieu soon rose in both the Catholic Church and the French government to become a cardinal in 1622, and King Louis XIII's chief minister in 1624. He remained in office until his death in 1642. Cardinal Richelieu was often known by his title of the King's "Chief Minister" or "First Minister". He sought to consolidate royal power and crush domestic factions. By restraining the power of the nobility, he transformed France into a strong, centralized state. His chief foreign policy objective was to check the power of the Austro-Spanish Habsburg dynasty, and to ensure French dominance in the Thirty Years' War that engulfed Europe. Although he was a cardinal, he did not hesitate to make alliances with Protestant rulers in attempting to achieve his goals. Richelieu was also famous for his patronage of the arts. He is also a leading character in The “Three Musketeers” by Alexandre Dumas, and portrayed as a main antagonist.

278 solar years ago, on this day in 1739 AD, the Stono Rebellion, the largest uprising of the enslaved black people in Britain's North American colonies, erupted near Charleston, South Carolina.  The uprising was led by Africans who were likely from the Kingdom of Congo. Their leader, Jemmy (referred to in some reports as "Cato") was a literate person who led other enslaved Africans, who may have been former soldiers, in an armed march south from the Stono River. After crushing the rebellion, the British executed most of the captured blacks and sold the few survivors in the West Indies.

226 solar years ago, on this day in 1791 AD, Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, was named after President George Washington.

224 lunar years ago, on this day in 1214 AH, the famous Islamic scholar, Ayatollah Sheikh Morteza Ansari, was born in Dezful, southwestern Iran. Blessed with a sharp mind, he mastered the sciences of the day in holy Najaf in Iraq, and at the age of 35 attained the status of Ijtehad. He presented dynamic ideas in theology and jurisprudence. The main feature of his works is simplicity of language and rational approach to problems on the basis of the holy Qur'an and the Hadith. His books "ar-Rasael" and "al-Makaseb" are taught till this day at seminaries worldwide.

189 solar years ago, on this day in 1828 AD, Russian author and literary figure, Leo Tolstoy, was born. He joined the Caucasian army and wrote his first novel: "Childhood". Later he left the army, and spent all his time studying and writing novels. Among his most important works, mention can be made of “Anna Karenina” and "War and Peace". Tolstoy died in the year 1910.

162 solar years ago, on this day in 1855 AD, during the last phase of the Crimean War, the Siege of Sevastopol ended when Russian forces abandoned the city. Sevastopol is one of the classic sieges of all time. The city of Sevastopol was the home of the Tsar's Black Sea Fleet, which threatened the Mediterranean Sea and the Ottoman Empire. The Russian army withdrew before the allies the British, French and Ottoman allies could encircle it. The siege was the culminating struggle for the strategic Russian port in 1854–1855 and was the final episode in the Crimean War. The Siege of Sevastopol was the subject of Crimean soldier Leo Tolstoy's “Sebastopol Sketches”. The Battle of Balaklava was made famous by Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade" and Robert Gibb's painting “The Thin Red Line”.

95 solar years ago, on this day in 1922 AD, the 3-year long Greek invasion of Turkey ended with Turkish victory over the Greeks in Smyrna near Izmir.

72 solar years ago, on this day in 1945 AD Japanese occupation troops in China laid down their arms and decided to withdraw. The victory was the outcome of the unification of the armed communist forces and the Chinese state army. The Empire of Japan formally surrendered to China.

69 solar years ago, on this day in 1948 AD, following the end of World War II, withdrawal of Japanese occupation forces, and occupation of the southern half of the Korean Peninsula by the US, North Korea declared its independence. Less than a month earlier, American-occupied South Korea had announced its independence. North Korea shares borders with Russia and China to the north, and South Korea to the south. It covers an area of over 120,000 sq km.

48 solar years ago, on this day in 1969 AD, the Iranian author and critic, Jalal Aal-e Ahmad, passed away at the age of 46. Born in Tehran, he graduated in Persian Literature from Tehran University. During the tough years of World War II, he entered the scene of politics and started his career in journalism. As of 1953, he focused on research, compilation of books, and teaching, and published critical articles and short stories. He maintained a particular style in writing stories. He used verbal language precisely and in a delicate manner within the framework of attractive stories, and social and political criticisms. The infiltration of Western culture in Iran's society was the grave concern of Aal-e Ahmad. Hence, he published the book “Gharbzadagi” (Westoxication) in the year 1962, warning against this unwanted phenomenon, and saying the strengthening of belief in sacred religion of Islam is the solution in this regard. Among his other important books, mention could be made of "Modir-e Madraseh", and "Nafrat-e Zamin".

41 solar years ago, on this day in 1976 AD, China’s communist leader, Mao Zedong, died at the age of 83. In 1921 he founded China's Communist Party and won the support of the rural masses. In 1934, he led the 100,000-strong communist forces on a long march from the South to the North on foot to prevent clashes with the governmental forces. During this march which lasted for a year, more than 60,000 people lost their lives. After the termination of World War II the communists, led by Mao, defeated Chiang Kai-Shek, who was supported by the West, and declared the foundation of People's Republic of China in the year 1949. Mao managed to form a powerful central government in China. The ideas of Mao about communism were different to those of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin, and are popularly known as Maoism.

38 solar years ago, on this day in 1979 AD, the renowned Iranian traditional musician and celebrated player of the ‘taar’, Ali Naqi Vaziri, passed away at the age of 92. Son of Musa Khan (a prominent official in the Persian Cossack Brigade) and Bibi Khatoon Astarabadi, a notable Iranian writer and satirist (founder of the first girls schools in Iran), he founded the Academy of Music of Iran as well as Iran's National Orchestra. His younger brother was the celebrated painter Hasan Vaziri. Ali-Naqi was a master of Iran's classical music and always looked for new dimensions and perspectives in musical expression, and by doing so he revolutionized the style of playing the tar. He was the first to transcribe the classical ‘radif’ of the Persian music. He was removed from the Academy of Music by the British-installed Pahlavi dictator, Reza Khan, for refusing to conduct an orchestra at one of the private functions of the court. After the fall of Reza Khan, Tehran University appointed him professor of the Art and Aesthetic Department. After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, he participated in production of the first national anthem of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and produced such masterpieces as “O Motherland”, and “Soil of Iran”.

26 solar years ago, on this day in 1991 AD, the Central Asian country of Tajikistan declared its independence from the Soviet Union. Since the 6^th century BC, Tajikistan was part of the Iranian empires of the Achaemenian, Parthian and Sassanid Dynasties. After the advent of Islam, it became part of the caliphate and subsequently was an integral part of the Bukhara-based Iranian Muslim Samanid Dynasty. It fell to waves of Turkic conquerors and in the 19^th century was occupied by the Russians. The people speak Tajik, a form Persian language. Tajikistan covers an area of more than 143,000 sq km, and shares borders with China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan.

16 solar years ago, on this day in 2001 AD, former Afghan defence minister, Ahmad Shah Massoud, and leader of the Persian speaking ethnic Tajiks, was assassinated at the age of 49 by two al-Qaeda terrorists disguised as Arab journalists wanting an interview. A brilliant military tactician, known as “Shir-e Panjshir” (Lion of Panjshir Valley), he fought the Soviet communist forces for ten years from 1979. He also successfully fought the Taliban terrorist militia, which had seized power in Kabul.

AS/ME