Today is Monday; 8th of the Iranian month of Mordad 1397 solar hijri; corresponding to 16th of the Islamic month of Zil-Qa’dah 1439 lunar hijri; and July 30, 2018, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1384 solar years ago, on this day in 634 AD, Battle of Ajnadayn, the first major pitched encounter between the Muslim Arabs and the army of Byzantine or the Eastern Roman Empire occurred near Beit Shemesh in Palestine, 30 km west of Bayt al-Moqaddas, resulting in the victory of Muslims.

1256 solar years ago, on this day in 762 AD, a gigantic urbanization project started at the village of Baghdad, which in Old Persian means “God-given”, following its selection as the capital of the Abbasid caliphate by the tyrant Mansur Dawaniqi, who named it “Madinat as-Salaam” or City of Peace. A bitter enemy of the Household of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), he chose the location, 30 km from Ctesiphon, the capital of the Persian Empire, and commissioned the Barmakid Iranian family of viziers to carry out the project, supervised by the astrologers Naubakht Ahvaz, a Zoroastrian, and Mashallah, a Jew, who believed work should start in July under the sign of Leo, which is associated with fire and symbolizes productivity, pride, and expansion. The city was designed as a circle about 2 km in diameter, and hence was called the "Round City". The circular design of the city was a direct reflection of the traditional Persian urban design, modeled on the Sassanid city of Gur in Fars, built 500 years earlier. Soon Baghdad became a centre of learning, as well as of vice and Arabian Nights debaucheries, until it was sacked in 1258 by the Mongol hordes of Hulagu Khan – a catastrophe from which it never fully recovered. Following the creation of Iraq as a country by the British last century, Baghdad became the capital of a modern state, and has gradually grown into a metropolis. Today, it is the second largest city in the Arab World after Cairo, the capital of Egypt, and the second largest city in Western Asia after Tehran, the capital of Iran.

1113 lunar years ago, on this day in 326 AH, the famous vizier of the Iranian Buwaiyhid Dynasty of Iran-Iraq-Oman, Abu’l-Qasem Ismail Ibn Hassan Taleqani, known as Saheb Ibn Abbad, was born near Isfahan. He was a follower of the Ahl al-Bayt of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), and an outstanding writer, linguist, poet and statesman who held the post of prime minister for eighteen years, and whose wisdom is still proverbial today. He wrote mostly in Arabic on theology, history, grammar, lexicography, and literary criticism in addition to composing poetry. He learnt Hadith from his father and the holy Qur’an from his equally pious mother. In Isfahan, he studied under such great masters as Ahmad Ibn Farres ar-Raazi and Abdullah Ibn Farres. Saheb was a patron of scholars and poets, and respected jurists and theologians. He had a great library in the city of Rayy containing over 100,000 books. He wrote over 30 books including one on Imamate, which proves the superiority of the Prophet’s divinely-designated Heir, Imam Ali (AS), over all others. His other books include a Diwan or collection of poetry, a book on medicine, the 7-volume work on lexicography titled “al-Moheet”, and a biography of Seyyed Abdul Azim al-Hasani, the great-great-grandson of Imam Hasan Mujtaba (AS), whose shrine is the main centre of pilgrimage till this day in Rayy – a southern suburb of modern Tehran today.

985 lunar years ago, on this day in 454 AH, the Shafei jurisprudent, Mohammad Ibn Salamah al-Qazai, died. He compiled the book “ash-Shehab” on the aphorisms arranged in alphabetical order, of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). A commentary titled "Zou ash-Shehab" was written on this valuable work by Imami scholar, Ziya od-Din Fazlollah.

910 lunar years ago, on this day in 529 AH, Mustarshid-Billah, the 29^th self-styled caliph of the usurper Abbasid regime, after a reign of 17 years, was killed by assassins, believed to be hired by the Seljuqid sultan, Mas’oud, who resented the caliph’s bid to assert independence in political affairs. When Mustarshid launched a military campaign against Mas'oud near Hamedan in western Iran, he was deserted by his troops, taken prisoner by the Sultan, but pardoned on promise not to quit the palace. Left in the royal tent, he was found murdered.

555 solar years ago, on this day in 1463 AD, Shams od-Din Mohammad Shah III, son of Humayun Shah, ascended the Turquoise Throne of the Bahmani Kingdom of Iranian origin of the Deccan (southern India) at the age of 10, following the sudden death of his elder brother, Nizam od-Din Ahmad Shah III, after a reign of only two years. He was assisted by a regency council made up of his mother, Makhdouma-e Jahan Nargis Begum and the two venerable descendants of the Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) – probably of the Ne’matollahi Sufi Order of Kerman, Iran, Shah Mohibollah and Seyyed Hanif. Mohammad Shah got married at the young age of 14, and gradually took over state affairs, naming the sagacious Iranian migrant statesman, Malik ut-Tujjar Mahmoud Gawan as Prime Minister. Gawan, who was from Gilan on the Caspian Sea coast, helped the Bahmani State attain prosperity unequalled in the whole of its history during his almost 20-year role in state affairs. During this period Parenda Fort, the Great College, and Madrasah at Bidar were built. Kapileswar of Orissa was defeated in 1470 in the east, while Goa on the west was annexed. The boundaries of the Bahmani Kingdom now touched the Bay of Bengal in the east and the Arabian Sea in the west. Gawan was one of the first ministers in Medieval India to order a systematic measurement of land, fixing the boundaries of villages and towns and making a thorough enquiry into the assessment of revenue. He invited scholars from Iran, Iraq, and Central Asia to launch a cultural renaissance. Some jealous nobles at the court of Bidar, however, conspired against him and prepared a false paper claiming he wanted the Deccan to be partitioned between him and the ruler of Orissa. Mohammad Shah III made the fatal mistake of sentencing the 73-year loyal minister to death, a measure that brought about the decline and fall of the Bahmani Kingdom, although later he discovered the truth and rued his decision. Mohammad Shah, also known as Lashkari for his military exploits that were largely the result of Gawan’s sound strategy, died after a reign of 19 years, following which the kingdom splintered into five independent sultanates during the long but nominal reign of his son and successor, Mahmoud Shah.  

416 solar years ago, on this day in 1602 AD, the Dutch by setting up a trade post in Sumatra started their political influence in Indonesia, under the name of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). In 1800 VOC was formally dissolved because of bankruptcy and the government of the Netherlands established the Dutch East Indies as a nationalized colony. For most of the colonial period, Dutch control over the archipelago was tenuous outside of coastal strongholds. Only in the early 20th century did Dutch dominance extend to what was to become Indonesia's current boundaries. The country, which is made up of over 17,500 islands and a predominantly Muslim population, was occupied by Japan during World War 2. In 1949, Indonesia declared its independence under the leadership of Ahmad Sukarno by thwarting Dutch efforts to re-establish colonial hegemony.

389 solar years ago, on this day in 1629 AD, an earthquake in Naples, Italy, killed about 10,000 people.

130 lunar years ago, on this day in 1309 AH, the prominent Iranian Islamic scholar, Ayatollah Shaikh Zain ol-Abedin Mazandarani, passed away. After preliminary studies in Iran, he left for the famous seminary in holy Najaf, Iraq, for higher studies under prominent ulema such as the celebrated Ayatollah Sheikh Morteza Ansari Dezfuli. He soon attained an elevated spiritual status. He always thought of the poor and the needy and strove to solve their problems. He was very modest in behaviour and was highly respected by the ulema and people. He was instrumental in enlightening a sizeable section of the Nizari Ismaili community of India with the rational beliefs of the Ithna Ashari or Twelver School during discussions in Najaf with a Khoja delegation that had come on pilgrimage. At his behest Mullah Qader Hussain returned to the Subcontinent espousing the Twelver Shi’a Muslim creed. His preaching was instrumental in convincing several more Khoja families to leave Nizari Ismailism and become Twelvers.

120 solar years ago, on this day in 1898 AD, Prussian statesman and 1^st Chancellor of unified Germany, Otto von Bismarck, died at the age of 83. A skillful politician, he dominated German and European affairs from the 1860s until 1890. In 1862, following his appointment by King Wilhelm I as Minister President of Prussia, he engineered a series of wars against Denmark, Austria and archenemy France that unified the German-speaking states (excluding Austria) into a powerful German Empire under Prussian leadership. With that accomplished by 1871 he skillfully used balance of power diplomacy to preserve German hegemony in Europe. He remained undisputed world champion at the game of multilateral diplomatic chess for almost twenty years. His diplomacy of realpolitik and powerful rule at home gained him the nickname of "Iron Chancellor". German unification and its rapid economic growth were indebted to his policies. In 1890, Bismarck was dismissed by the German Emperor, Wilhelm II. After his dismissal he started writing his political testament, in which he highly criticized the emperor.

73 solar years ago, on this day in 1945 AD, Japanese submarine I-58 torpedoed and sank the USS Indianapolis, which had just delivered key components of the atomic bomb to the Pacific island of Tinian, for the dropping of the atom bomb on the unsuspecting city of Hiroshima. Of the 1,196 American soldiers on board 883 died in the shark-infested waters.

38 solar years ago, on this day in 1980 AD, the Pacific archipelago of Vanuata gained independence from joint British-French rule. Known as New Hebrides during European colonial rule, Vanuata Islands are inhabited by Polynesians.

19 solar years ago, on this day in 1999 AD, prominent Iranian researcher of rational sciences, Dr. Seyyed Jalal od-Din Mojtabavi, passed away at the age of 71. Born in Tehran, after obtaining PhD in philosophy, he joined Tehran University as a Lecturer. For 9 years he was chief of the Faculty of Literature and Humanities, in addition to being head of the philosophical group. Besides Islamic philosophy he was an authority on Greek and Roman philosophy, and has several writings and translations in this field to his credit. Dr. Mojtabavi’s translation of the holy Qur’an into Persian along with necessary explanations of the ayahs is considered one of the best works in this field.   

12 solar years ago, on this day in 2006 AD, during the 33-day Israeli War, at least 28 civilians, including 16 children were martyred in Qana, southern Lebanon, in an air raid by Zionist planes, in what is known as the Second Qana massacre. The myth of invincibility of the illegal Zionist entity was shattered by the Islamic Resistance, led by the legendry anti-terrorist movement, the Hezbollah.

11 solar years ago, on this day in 2007 AD, Chairman of the Assembly of Experts, Ayatollah Ali Akbar Faiz Meshkini, passed away at the age of 86. Born in Meshkin Shahr in Ardabil Province, he studied at the Qom Seminary under Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Hussain Borujerdi and the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA). He joined the movement against the despotic rule of the Shah, and as a result suffered imprisonment and banishment to the remote parts of the country. He was Friday Prayer Leader of Qom for several years, and his sermons were eagerly listened for their religious and political analyses.

10 solar years ago, on this day in 2008 AD, Media watchdog “Ofcom” fined the BBC 400,000 pounds, the largest financial penalty it has ever issued against the British Broadcasting Corporation, for misleading the public through fake quizzes and competitions. BBC is also the mouthpiece of western propaganda against countries not following the Anglo-American line, especially Muslim states, such as the Islamic Republic of Iran.

8 solar years ago, on this day in 2010 AD, the government of President Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced Iran’s readiness for immediate talks with the US, Russia and France over an exchange of nuclear fuel. Iran said it was also against stockpiling higher enriched uranium, which it had succeeded in enriching to 20 percent purity to demonstrate the ability of its scientists, following politicization of its peaceful nuclear programme by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the orders of Washington. The Americans, instead of coming to terms with Iran, resorted to military threats, assassination of Iranian scientists, imposing of more illegal sanctions, freezing of Iranian funds abroad, and pressuring other countries to stop trade with Tehran.

8^th Mordad of the Iranian calendar is commemorated in the Islamic Republic of Iran as Day of the philosopher Shahab od-Din Yahya ibn Habash Sohrevardi, who was martyred in Aleppo, Syria, at the age of 37 in 1191 AD by the Kurdish ruler, Malik az-Zaher – son of Salah od-Din Ayyoubi. Born in Sohrevard, near the northwestern Iranian city of Zanjan in 1154, after mastering the sciences of the day in Maragheh and Isfahan, he travelled to Iraq and Syria to develop and spread his knowledge. During his short life he wrote valuable works that established him as founder of a new school of philosophy, called "Hikmat al-Ishraq" (Illuminationist Philosophy). He is thus known as "Shaikh-e Ishraq". His views angered his opponents, who had him arrested or charges of heresy and subsequently martyred. Sohrevardi the philosopher – not to be confused with his contemporary compatriot of the same name, Shahab od-Din Omar Sohrevardi the mystic, who founded the Sohrevardiya Sufi order – has left behind some 50 works in Persian and Arabic.

AS/SS