Today is Thursday; 4th of the Iranian month of Farvardin 1394 solar hijri; corresponding to 14th of the Islamic month of Jamadi as-Saani 1437 lunar hijri; and March 24, 2016, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1207 solar years ago, on this day in 809 AD, the tyrant Haroun Rashid, the 5th self-styled caliph of the usurper Abbasid regime, died in the city of Tous in Khorasan, in northeastern Iran, at the age of 45, after a rule of 23 years, during which he killed over 60 descendants of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), especially the 7th Infallible Leader, Imam Musa Kazem (AS), who was the victim of a fatal dose of poison in the prison of Baghdad. Born in Rayy (a suburb of modern Tehran today), to Mahdi al-Abbasi’s Yemeni concubine of dubious character, named Khayzaran, Haroun seized power after the suspicious death of his elder brother Hadi al-Abbasi. He consolidated his rule over the vast realm from North Africa up to the borders of China and India, largely through the administrative abilities of the Iranian Barmakid family, whose head Yahya Barmaki was made prime minister, followed by his sons. The crafty Haroun gradually liquidated the Barmakids and behaved ruthlessly with the followers of the Prophet’s Household and other Muslims who opposed his immoral and illegitimate rule. He died while on his way to suppress a rebellion in Kabul, in what is now Afghanistan. Today there is no sign of his rotten grave, while the sprawling golden-domed mausoleum of Imam Reza (AS), the 8th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), in Mashhad, beckons millions of pilgrims from all over the world, as testimony to the triumph of the Ahl al-Bayt over the usurper caliphs. 

932 lunar years ago, on this day in 505 AH, the prominent Iranian Sunni Muslim scholar, Abu Hamed Mohammad Ghazali Tusi, passed away. Born in Tabaran near Tus in Khorasan, he was a prodigy and at the age of 28 became a prominent scholar, whose fame led the vizier, Khwajah Nizam ol-Mulk Tusi, to invite him to lecture at Baghdad’s famous Nizamiyah Academy. After several years he left for Syria, lived in Bayt ol-Moqaddas for some years, and following performance of the Hajj pilgrimage, returned to his native Iran where he spent the rest of the years of his life. He was known as Hojjat ol-Islam (authority in Islam), and was proficient in jurisprudence and Sufism, as well as scholastic theology. He is the author of the famous book “Ihya Oloum ad-Din” (in Arabic), and later wrote its summary in his native Persian titled “Kimiya-e Sa’adat”. He stirred controversy through his work “Tahafut al-Falasifa” (Incoherence of the Philosophers), which is a criticism of the Iranian Islamic genius, Abu Ali Ibn Sina’s rational evaluation of Aristotle’s views and the contribution to Islamic philosophy by Abu Nasr Farabi. In response, the Spanish Muslim philosopher, Ibn Rushd (Averroes) wrote “Tahafut at-Tahafut” (Incoherence of the Incoherence), which is a refutation of Ghazali’s views, while in the subsequent century, the brilliant Iranian polymath, Khwajah Naseer od-Din Tusi wrote a highly acclaimed defence of Ibn Sina and Islamic philosophy.

615 solar years ago, on this day in 1401AD, the Turko-Mongol conqueror, Amir Timur sacked Damascus and massacred many of its inhabitants. Earlier Timur had subdued Iraq, Iran and the northern subcontinent. The next year he decisively defeated and captured the Ottoman Sultan, Bayazid. Timur was noted for his cruelty and his making of minarets with the severed heads of his victims. His empire stretched from Delhi in India in the east to Syria in the west, and to Moscow in the north. His capital was Samarqand, which is in the modern day republic of Uzbekistan.

522 solar years ago, on this day in 1494 AD, Georgius Agricola, German mineralogist and scholar known as “Father of Mineralogy,” was among the first Europeans to found a natural science upon observation and independently from theories of the ancients. Having studied medicine, he became interested in mineralogy through his study of miners' diseases. His contributions to mining geology and metallurgy, mineralogy, structural geology, and paleontology, formed a foundation for further systematic study of the Earth and of its rocks, minerals, and fossils. His most important work “De Re Metallica” (published a year after his death) summarized all the practical knowledge gained by Saxon miners. He may have coined the word petroleum (rock oil). As was the fashion of the day, he Latinized his real name of Georg Bauer (both Bauer in German and Agricola in Latin mean “farmer”). As a matter of fact, during the heyday of the Islamic civilization, Muslim scientists had explored mineralogy and wrote important books and treatises in the field of geology, metallurgy, and mineralogy, which were translated from Arabic into Latin, enabling Europeans to learn new sciences and take credit for themselves in this regard. One of the most famous Islamic scientists in this field was the Iranian polymath, Abu Rayhan Birouni.

413 solar years ago, on this day in 1603 AD, James VI of Scotland became King James I of England upon the death of Queen Elizabeth I, who had imprisoned and executed his mother, Mary Queen of Scots. England and Scotland were thus joined together as United Kingdom.

285 lunar years ago, on this day in 1152 AH, the trilateral Treaty of Belgrade was signed, according to which the Austrians returned Belgrade (in present day Serbia) to the Ottoman Turks after 22 years of occupation. Russia for its part pledged to demolish the Fortress of Azak overlooking the Sea of Azov at the northeastern tip of the Black Sea, and leave the surrounding lands to the Ottomans, with a promise that no Russian ship will sail in the Black Sea.

134 solar years ago, on this day in 1882 AD, the German physician and researcher, Robert Koch, discovered Koch Bacillus of Tuberculosis. He studied for more than ten years to discover the reason behind contraction of tuberculosis, which was later named after him. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine in 1905.

125 lunar years ago, on this day in 1312 AH, Grand Ayatollah Mirza Habibollah Rashti, passed away. He was a product of the famous Islamic seminary of holy Najaf in Iraq and studied under prominent scholars such as Ayatollah Sheikh Morteza Ansari Dezfuli. Among his works, mention could be made of the book: “Badi al-Afkaar”.

111 solar years ago, on this day in 1905 AD, the French author, Jules Verne, died at the age of 77. He was born in February 1828. He wrote science fictions such as “Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea”, “Around the World in Eighty Days”, “The Mysterious Island”, and “Journey to the Centre of the Earth”. Educational films for the young generation have been made from some of this French author’s books.

27 solar years ago, on this day in 1989 AD, the Jame' Mosque of Baku in the Republic of Azerbaijan was renovated and reopened to worshippers after 70 years. This mosque, which is a historical monument, was shut down in 1920 by the communists.

17 solar years ago, on this day in 1999 AD, during the Kosovo War, NATO commenced air bombardment on the rump state of Yugoslavia, marking the first time it attacked a sovereign country. The West’s pretext for military attacks were the war crimes committed by Serbia’s dictator, Slobodan Milosevic, who had perpetrated the massacre of tens of thousands of Bosnian Muslims.

8 solar years ago, on this day in 2008 AD, Bhutan officially became a democracy, with its first ever general election that ended the power of the monarchy. Bhutan is situated in the Himalayas and shares borders with India and China.