Today is Friday; 24th of the Iranian month of Shahrivar 1396 solar hijri; corresponding to 24th of the Islamic month of Zi’l-Hijjah 1438 lunar hijri; and September 15, 2017, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1429 lunar years ago, on this day in 9 AH, the historic event of Mobahela took place in Medina between a delegation of the Christian Arabs of Najran and Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). Mobahela means a challenge to invoke divine wrath on the liars, as is evident by ayah 61 of Surah Aal-e Imran of the holy Qur'an. It happened that after three days of dialogue when the Christians stuck to their weird belief on the divinity of Prophet Jesus (AS) despite the irrefutable proofs provided by the Prophet that the Almighty Creator is far too glorious to possess such human characteristics as the need to have a son or children, God commanded that the contending parties assemble at a place outside the city, along with their men, women, and children, for invoking malediction. The next day, as the Prophet calmly but confidently came to the appointed place along with his daughter, Fatema Zahra (SA), son-in-law Imam Ali (AS), and grandsons Imam Hasan (AS) and Imam Husain (AS), the Christians were astonished to behold such enlightened visages which they had never seen before. They realized that the truth was with Islam and backed off from the challenge to invoke divine curse on the liars, since in the words of the chief bishop of Najran:

“I see such virtuous faces that if they raise their hands to invoke divine wrath, mountains would move from their places, and the Christians would be wiped out.”

This day is indeed a glorious event in history that saw triumph in a peaceful parley, as a manifestation of the status of the Prophet's Ahl al-Bayt or immediate family, for whom love, affection, respect, and obedience, is obligatory for all Muslims.

1429 lunar years ago, on the eve of this day in 9 AH, on the night preceding the historic Mobahela between the Christians and Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny), “Ayat at-Tat-heer” (Verse of Purity) was revealed vouching the spotlessly pure personalities of the Ahl al-Bayt, when Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) prayed to God Almighty after assembling under his cloak his daughter, Fatema Zahra (SA), her husband Imam Ali (AS) and their two sons Imam Hasan (AS) and Imam Husain (AS). This is ayah 33 of Surah al-Ahzaab which reads:

“Allah desires to keep away uncleanness from you Ahl al-Bayt and preserve you spotlessly pure.”

 In a related development on this day in a different year, God revealed Ayahs 55 and 56 of Surah al-Ma’edah when the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), while in genuflection during the ritual prayer, gave away the ring of his finger by pointing it towards the beggar who was pleading for alms in the mosque:

“Your Guardian is only Allah, His Prophet, and the truly faithful who maintain the prayer and give the zakāt while (bowed) in genuflection. “Whoever takes for his guardians Allah, His Prophet and the truly faithful [should know that] the Hizbullah (Party of Allah) are indeed the victorious.”

This ayah is yet another firm proof of God’s appointment of Imam Ali (AS) as the Prophet’s vicegerent that was formally proclaimed on 18^th Zi’l-Hijjah 10 AH at the historic assembly of Ghadeer-Khom on revelation of ayah 67 of Surah al-Ma’edah.

1206 lunar years ago, on this day in 232 AH, Watheq-Billah the 9^th self-styled caliph of the usurper Abbasid regime died under suspicious conditions at the age of 31 in his capital Samarra after a 5-year reign, and there were no tears shed for him as the whole court leaving his corpse unattended, busied itself in celebrating the crowning of his brother, Mutawakkel. After the festivities when his corpse was taken for the ritual washing before burial, it was found that his eyes were missing from their sockets, having been eaten by mice. Son of Mutasem’s Greek concubine Qaratis, on succeeding his father, Watheq arrested several prominent officials and tortured them to surrender wealth they allegedly misappropriated. Devoid of any piety, he was renowned for his musical talents and is reputed to have composed over one-hundred songs. During his reign, a number of revolts broke out, the largest ones in Syria and Palestine, as a result of an increasingly large gap between Arab populations and the Turkish slave armies (Mamluk) formed by his father Mutasim, the son of Haroun Rasheed’s Turkic concubine. The revolts were put down, but antagonism between the two groups continued to widen, with the Turks gaining more power.

1023 solar years ago, on this day in 994 AD, the Fatemid Ismaili Shi'ite Muslim Dynasty of Egypt, North Africa, Syria and Hejaz won a major victory over the Byzantine Empire at the Battle of the Orontes near the river of the same name in what is now south-central Turkey. The Byzantine army was led by Michael Bourtzes, while the Fatemid forces were under command of the vizier of Damascus, the Turk general Manjutakin. The fighting also involved the Hamdanid Shi'ite Muslim rulers of Aleppo who had become Byzantine vassals. Manjutakin besieged Apamea, and when the two armies met across two fords on the Orontes River, he sent his forces to attack the Hamdanids across one ford while pinning the main Byzantine force down on the other. His men succeeded in breaking through the Hamdanids, turned round and attacked the Byzantine force in the rear. The Byzantine army panicked and fled, losing some 5,000 men.

927 lunar years ago, on this day in 511 AH, Ghiyas od-Din Mohammad, the son of Sultan Malik Shah the last great Seljuq ruler of the Iran-based empire that included Iraq, most of Anatolia, parts of Syria, the Caucasus, Afghanistan and parts of Central Asia, died after a reign of 13 years.

763 solar years ago, on this day in 1254 AD, the Venetian traveler, Marco Polo, was born. His travels are recorded in the book “Il Milione”, which introduced Italians and other Europeans to the rich culture and advanced civilizations of Iran, Central Asia and China. His accounts of use of paper money and coal as fuel were scoffed by Europeans. His father and uncle, Niccolo and Maffeo, had earlier travelled through Asia and met the Mongol Emperor, Kublai Khan, in China. He went with them on an epic journey to Asia, returning after 24 years to find Venice at war with Genoa. Marco was imprisoned and dictated his stories to a cellmate. He was released in 1299 and became a wealthy merchant. He died in 1324 at the age of 70. Marco Polo was entrusted by Kublai Khan to escort to Iran the Mongol princess, Kokechin, who on arrival in Soltaniyeh became the wife of the Ilkhanid ruler, Ghazaan Khan, who converted to Islam and took the name Mahmoud.

228 solar years ago, on this day in 1789 AD, US novelist, James Fenimore Cooper, was born in Burlington, New Jersey. He is best known for "The Pioneers" and "Last of the Mohicans". His famous quote: "The press, like fire, is an excellent servant, but a terrible master." He died in 1851.

196 solar years ago, on this day in 1821 AD, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica jointly declared independence from Spain, following the fall of Spain to French emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte. These five countries formed the Central American Alliance that was dissolved in 1838. In mid-19^th century these countries were occupied by the US, but got together again to defeat the American mercenaries. Nonetheless, the US has always aimed to dominate Central American countries and has dispatched troops to these countries on several occasions. These countries have coastlines of the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean.

187 solar years ago, on this day in 1830 AD, William Huskisson, a British statesman became the first railway fatality while observing the ceremonial procession of locomotives at the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester railway. He was one of the dignitaries riding in a special carriage pulled by the leading locomotive, the Northumbrian. Partway along the line, while the Northumbrian stopped to take on water, the passengers stood by the rails to observe the procession of other locomotives passing on the parallel line. Huskisson stumbled and fell in the path of the Rocket locomotive, and was run-over. With severe injuries to his leg and thigh, he died later that evening. Among other government positions, he had been colonial secretary and leader of the House of Commons.

135 solar years ago, on this day in 1882 AD, British forces led by General Wolseley entered Cairo two days after crushing the nationalist uprising under Ahmad Uraibi, and on the pretext of protecting Khedive Towfiq Pasha (declared traitor to country and religion by al-Azhar), they virtually occupied Egypt, in particular to have complete monopoly over the Suez Canal. The British occupation officially lasted till the 1922 Anglo-Egyptian Treaty, but in fact continued till the next treaty of 1936 that gave gradual control back to the government of Egypt.

101 solar years ago, on this day in 1916 AD during World War I tanks were used for the first time in warfare at the Battle of the Somme in France by both sides – the Germans and the Anglo-French alliance. The battle was one of the largest of World War I, in which more than one million men were wounded or killed, making it one of humanity's bloodiest battles.

101 solar years ago, on this day in 1916 AD, Romanian researcher, Constantin Virgil Gheorghiu, was born. He conducted extensive research in different fields, including Islam. The book: "Mohammad, the Prophet of Islam" is one of his prominent works, which was welcomed in the World of Islam, especially in Iran. Among his other books, is "The 25^th Hour". He died in 1992.

73 lunar years ago, on this day in 1365 AH, Head of the Islamic seminary of holy Mashhad, Ayatollah Shaikh Morteza Ashtiyani, passed away at the age of 84 and was laid to rest in the mausoleum of Imam Reza (AS) – the 8^th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). He completed his higher studies and reached the status of Ijtehad in holy Najaf, Iraq, where his teachers were the famous ulema, Mirza Habibollah Rashti, and Akhound Khorasani. On his return to Iran, he took up residence in Tehran for some years before shifting to holy Mashhad where he spent the last 25 years of his life, teaching and preaching.

59 solar years ago, on this day in 1958 AD, for the first time in the history of Medicine, the virus of Trachoma was identified, setting the stage for its treatment since it was the cause of blindness of thousands of people around the world. The virus was identified by the two English physicians, L H Collier, and J Sowa.

30 solar years ago, on this day in 1987 AD, prominent Iranian astrologer, Habibollah Nojoumi, passed away at the age of 72. Born in Shiraz in a family of astrologers that for the past three generations were publishing the astrological calendar, he started studying astrology from his father since the tender age of 9 years. At the age of 25 years, following the death of his father, he personally calculated, computed and published his first astrological calendar. 

26 solar years ago, on this day in 1991 AD, Macedonia, in southeastern Europe, gained its independence. For five centuries it was part of the Ottoman Empire until its occupation by Bulgaria in late 19^th century. In 1913, Serbia seized control of Macedonia, which then became part of the new state of Yugoslavia. After the end of socialism in Europe in 1989, Macedonia followed the path of Croatia and Slovenia, to secede from Yugoslavia. Of the two-million plus population of the country, around 40 percent Macedonians are Muslims, mostly ethnic Albanians. Macedonia covers an area of almost 26,000 sq km, sharing borders with Greece, Serbia, Albania, and Bulgaria in the Balkan Peninsula.

26 lunar years ago, on this day in 1412 AH, prominent religious leader, Ayatollah Reza Madani Kashani, passed away in his hometown Kashan. The Leader of Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, paid glowing tributes to this scholar for his grooming of students and compilation of valuable books in Persian and Arabic, including the 4-volume "Barahin al-Hajj".

18 solar years ago, on this day in 1999 AD, Iranian historian and researcher, Dr. Abdul-Hussain Zarrinkoub, passed away due to a heart stroke at the age of 77. Born in the western Iranian city of Boroujerd, he obtained his BA in 1948 and later his PhD in history. He was well versed in Persian literature and Islamic mysticism as well. He has left behind several compilations, translations, and articles. Among his books, mention can be made of "Familiarity with Literary Criticism".

8 solar years ago, on this day in 2009 AD, Iraqi journalist, Muntazar az-Zaidi, who won international fame on 14 December 2008, when he threw a pair of shoes at US president, George W. Bush, was released after nine months in prison. On release, he charged Iraqi security forces of torturing him with beatings, whippings and electric shocks. Born in Baghdad’s Sadr City in a family adhering to the school of the Ahl al-Bayt of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), he shouted "This is a farewell kiss from the Iraqi people, you dog", as he threw his first shoe at Bush during a press in Baghdad attended by Iraqi premier, Noori al-Maleki. As a frightened Bush ducked to avoid being hit in the face, az-Zaidi threw his other shoe at the US president, shouting: "This is for the widows and orphans and all those killed in Iraq."Again, a badly shaken Bush barely evaded a direct hit on the face. The heroic Iraqi journalist was immediately pulled to the ground, as security guards kicked, beat and dragged him outside the conference hall, with blood dripping from his body. He was jailed, tortured, interrogated, put on trial, defended his action as the natural response to the killing of over a million Iraqis by the American occupiers, and sentenced to a year in prison. Nine months later, he was released for good conduct, and now works for a Lebanese TV channel. He has been hailed around the world for his heroic action.

AS/MG