Today is Sunday; 14th of the Iranian month of Mordad 1397 solar hijri; corresponding to 22nd of the Islamic month of Zil-Qa’dah 1439 lunar hijri; and August 5, 2018, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1883 solar years ago, on this day in 135 AD, during the last of the three major Jewish-Roman wars, pagan Roman armies entered Betar in what was then the Roman province of Judea in Palestine, brutally slaughtering thousands of rebellious Jews to effectively end the revolt of Bar Kokhba. Followers of Prophet Jesus (PuH) did not support Bar Kokhba the Jew, whom the Talmud calls Ben Kusiba or false Messiah. 

1079 solar years ago, on this day in 939 AD, the Battle of Alhandic was fought between Ramiro II of León and Abdur-Rahman III at Zamora in Spain, resulting in a victory for the Muslim Emirate of Cordoba.

1031 lunar years ago, on this day in 408 AH, the renowned vizier of the Seljuqid Dynasty, Abu Ali Hassan Ibn Ali Ibn Ishaq Tusi, known by his title Khwaja Nizam ul-Mulk, was born in the northeastern Iranian city of Tous in Khorasan. He initially served the Ghaznavid sultans as chief administrator of Khorasan. Four years later with the rise of the Seljuqs, he served as vizier during the reigns of Alp Arslan and Malik Shah I. In addition to his administrative duties, he established a number of academies of higher education in several cities, which were named after him as Nizamiyyah and turned out to be models of universities that were later established in Europe. Nizam ul-Mulk is also known for his voluminous treatise on kingship titled "Siyasat-Namah" or "Siyar al-Molouk" (Book of Government). Although it is claimed he was fatally stabbed near Nahavand on his way from Isfahan to Baghdad by an Assassin (corruption of the Arabic-Persian word Hashshashin) sent by his former friend, Hassan-e Sabbah of Alamut, his son-in-law Muqatel bin Atiyyah, who was eyewitness to a polemical debate, says he was assassinated in the same year as Malik Shah I, after a debate between Sunni and Shi'ite scholars, which resulted in converting him and the Seljuq sultan to the school of the Ahl al-Bayt of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).

905 lunar years ago, on this day in 534 AH, prominent Iranian scholar, Amin od-Din Abu Ali Fazl bin Hassan Tabarsi, completed his monumental exegesis of the holy Qur’an, titled "Majma' al-Bayan" at an advanced age in the city of Sabzevar. In the preface, he gives the reasons for writing it and for choice of the title. He describes the methodology used in the commentaries on every ayah of the holy Qur’an. At the time of the work's preparation, there were several exegesis of the Holy Book in circulation, written by both Sunni and Shi'a scholars. He divides his commentary on every passage into five sections: introductory discourse, reading guide, language discourse, meaning, revelation and circumstances surrounding it. He employs ta'wil  to deduce the inner or implied meaning of an ayah. On passages related to theological, jurisprudential or philosophical issues, he cites the views of all sides before giving his judgment. The originality of Tabarsi's exegesis is that he gives his readers an opportunity to see the varying opinions on different issues mentioned in the Holy Qur'an. He then discusses these views and declares his own stand. “Majma’ al-Bayan” is accepted unanimously by both Sunni and Shi'a scholars because of the author’s independent stance that takes into consideration the views of the various schools of thought, and covers historical facts, as well as the opinions of philologists, traditionists, poets and commentators. Tabarsi’s exegesis covers many theological issues, including the divinely-decreed Imamate of Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), the practice of “taqiyyah” (dissimulation of one's faith in times of danger), the infallibility of the Imams, God's Justice, etc. He also discusses the concept of the Saviour of mankind, Imam Mahdi (AS), his advent in the end times, the purpose of his coming and his global government of peace and justice.

740 solar years ago, on this day in 1278 AD, the siege of Algeciras ended in Spain with the victory of the Emirate of Gharnata (Granada) over the Christian kingdom of Castile.

713 solar years ago, on this day in 1305 AD, William Wallace, who led the Scottish resistance against England, was captured by the English near Glasgow and transported to London where he was put on trial and executed.

337 solar years ago, on this day in 1681 AD, Danish-Russian navigator, Vitus Jonassen Bering, was born in the Netherlands. He was commissioned by Czar Peter the Great to travel the coast of Asia to see if it was connected to North America. He sailed through the Bering Strait in 1728. He discovered Alaska on his second voyage in 1741, with several scientists on board, explored its coast, and discovered the Aleutian Islands. He died stranded during the winter following a shipwreck. The Bering Sea and Bering Island (where he died) are named for him.

302 solar years ago, on this day in 1716 AD, the battle of Petrovaradin in Serbia resulted in a decisive victory for Austrian forces in the war against the Ottoman Empire, which had assembled a large army of 150,000 in Belgrade for the Turkish advance into Europe.

255 solar years ago, on this day in 1763 AD, the Battle of Bushy Run took place in western Pennsylvania between the British led by Colonel Henry Bouquet and a combined force of the Amerindian tribes of Delaware, Shawnee, Mingo, and Huron. After a two-day seesaw struggle, the better armed British slaughtered a great many of native Amerindians and went on to relieve the garrison of Fort Pitt that was under siege. The battle was part of the 2-year war known as Pontiac’s Rebellion after the most prominent Amerindian Chief, who campaigned to drive out the Anglo-Saxon invaders from the Great Lake regions of what is now the US and Canada. The British resorted to brutal tactics, deception, massacres, and genocide, including spreading of epidemics, such as the smallpox virus for decimating the natives. The war demonstrated the possibilities of pan-tribal cooperation in resisting European expansion despite the conspiracies of the colonialists to divide Amerindian tribes. It was the first war between Europeans and Native North Americans that did not end in complete defeat of the Amerindians.

133 lunar years ago, on this day in 1316 AH, Mirza Malkom Khan, a Paris educated Iranian Armenian who claimed to have converted to Islam, induced the Qajarid king, Naser od-Din Shah, to initiate lottery in Iran and to allot him exclusive rights for it, but craftily propped up a French citizen as a front man. Since lottery and raffle are a form of gambling and thus prohibited in Islam, widespread protests by the ulema and people forced the Shah to cancel it. Malkom who set up societies similar to the Freemasons in Iran, was a controversial person, who was exiled several times, until he was reinstated as ambassador to Italy by Mozaffar ad-Din Shah in 1898 with the title of Nizam od-Dowlah.

123 solar years ago, on this day in 1895 AD, German philosopher Friedrich Engels died in London at the age of 75. A close friend of his compatriot, Karl Marx, who coined the theory of Marxism, he was persecuted for political views and fled to Britain in 1850. The book “Communist Manifesto”, published in 1848 is the joint work of Engels and Marx.

112 solar years ago, on this day in 1906 AD, the movement of the Iranian people led by the ulema forced the Qajarid king, Mozaffar od-Din Shah to sign the Constitutional Decree that aimed to end injustice, oppression, and the interference of foreign states in Iran’s internal affairs. Prime Minister Ain od-Dowlah’s brutal suppression of public protests had led to the killing and wounding of scores of people. In protest, the ulema led by Ayatollah Seyyed Abdullah Behbahani and Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Tabatabai, staged sit-ins in Rayy and Qom. The Shah, fearful of the events, dismissed the premier and issued the Constitutional Decree. Later, British agents infiltrated the Constitutional Movement and diverted it from its path.

66 solar years ago, on this day in 1952 AD, Egyptian nuclear scientist, Sameera Musa, was killed in a mysterious accident in the US at the age of 35. It is widely believed that this budding Muslim lady scientist was the victim of foul play by the CIA and Mossad. After obtaining a doctorate in atomic radiation – the first woman to do so – she worked to make the medical use of nuclear technology affordable to all. She organized the Atomic Energy for Peace Conference and sponsored a call for setting an international conference under the banner "Atom for Peace". She used to say: "I will make nuclear treatment as cheap as Aspirin". She volunteered to help treat cancer patients at various hospitals. She was offered scholarship by the Fullbright Atomic Program of the US, but on visiting the US, she turned down several offers that required her to live there and be granted American citizenship. On the eve of her return home, she was invited to a trip to California, and on the way the car suddenly went down from a height of 40 feet, which killed her immediately. Later it was proved that the invitation letter was false, and besides the vanishing of the driver who jumped from the car just before it went down, it was revealed that Egypt's Jewish actress Raqya Ibrahim (Rachel Abraham), with connections to Israel, was behind Sameera's mysterious trip to California.

58 solar years ago, on this day in 1960 AD, the West African Muslim majority country of Burkina Faso became independent from French colonial rule. Formerly known as Upper Volta, it covers an area of more than 274,000 sq km. and shares borders with Mali, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Niger. Over 70 percent of the people are Muslims.

30 solar years ago, on this day in 1988 AD, the battered and bruised Saddam of the repressive Ba’th minority regime of Baghdad, officially ended the 8-year war he had imposed on US orders on the Islamic Republic of Iran, 17 days after his formal acceptance of UN Security Council Resolution 598 during which he had made a last attempt to seize more Iranian territory by continuing hostilities and sending thousands of fully armed MKO hypocrites across the border. The valour and alertness of Iran’s Muslim combatants thwarted the plots of Saddam, who two years later was officially declared as aggressor of the 8-year war by the UN.

28 solar years ago, on this day in 1990 AD, during the 19th round of ministerial meetings of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) in Cairo, the Declaration of Islamic Human Rights was approved and this day was designated as the Day of Islamic Human Rights and Mankind’s Dignity. The Declaration consists of a prelude and 25 articles. It was the result of the objection of Islamic states to the flawed UN Declaration of Human Rights. The most important feature, which distinguishes the Declaration of Islamic Human Rights from the UN version, is the focus on spiritual rights and dignity of mankind on the basis of religion. The Declaration of Islamic Human Rights also emphasizes on the right of nations to struggle against colonialism.

11 solar years ago, on this day in 2007 AD, Iran showed off for the first time a new fighter jet, built using domestic technology. The "Azarakhsh" (Lightning), one of the first jet home-produced by Iran, made a successful flight in the central city of Isfahan.

AS/ME