Today is Monday; 28th of the Iranian month of Esfand 1396 solar hijri; corresponding to 1st of the Islamic month of Rajab 1439 lunar hijri; and March 19, 2018, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.
Today starts sacred Rajab, the month that opens the gates of Divine Mercy for the seekers of good and virtue, and the month in which fasting, along with certain other wonderful acts of worship, has been recommended. Rajab, in addition to the next two months of Sha’ban and Ramadhan, is a period of self-reform, self-consciousness, and self-development for progress on the path towards perfection for attaining the proximity of the Almighty Creator. It is the month of special acceptance of repentance in the Divine Court. In Rajab certain very significant events took place in the history of mankind, such as the day of the formal entrustment by God of the universal mission of Islam to Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), and the auspicious birth in the holy Ka’ba of the Prophet's First Infallible Successor, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS).
1783 solar years ago, on this day in 235 AD, Roman Emperor Alexander Severus, who suffered a series of disastrous defeats in the Levant and Armenia at the hands of the rising power of the Sassanid Dynasty of Iran, was assassinated, along with his mother Julia Mamaea, by legionaries near modern Mainz in Europe.  
1382 lunar years ago, on this day in 57 AH, was born in the holy city of Medina, Imam Mohammad Baqer (AS), the 5th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). He is acknowledged as "Baqer al-Uloum” or the "Splitter and Spreader of Sciences”, and during his fruitful life of 57 years, of which 19 years were as the divinely-decreed leader of mankind, he spared no efforts to enlighten minds and souls in those days of Omayyad tyranny, before bequeathing the legacy of his ancestor, the Prophet, to his son and successor, Imam Ja'far Sadeq (AS).
1076 lunar years ago, on this day in 363 AH, Nu’maan ibn Mohammad at-Tamimi, known as Qazi Nu’maan, the Ismaili jurist and official historian of the Fatemid Shi’a Muslim caliphate of Egypt-North Africa-Syria, passed away in Cairo. Born in what is now Tunis, he began his career in Ifriqiya (modern-day Tunisia, western Libya and eastern Algeria) under Mahdi Billah, the Founder of the Fatemid Dynasty, quickly rising to become the most prominent judge. In his fifty years of service, he wrote a vast number of books on history, biography, jurisprudence and exegesis of the holy Qur’an. After the Fatemid conquest of Egypt and Syria, he came to and settled in the newly founded city of Qahera (Cairo), the new capital of the empire. Nu’maan's most prominent work, the "Da’em al-Islam” (????? ???????) or 'The Pillars of Islam', which took nearly thirty years to complete, was the official code of the Fatemid state, and serves to this day as the primary source of shar’ia  law for some Musta’ali Ismaili communities, especially the Tayyibis, in Yemen and India. Another of his famous books is "Sharh al-Akhbar” in which he has reproduced in details the statements and sermons of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) and the Ahl al-Bayt till Imam Reza (AS), the 8th Infallible Leader – although the Fatemids had parted ways with the mainstream Shi’ite Muslims after Imam Ja’far as-Sadeq (AS), the 6th Infallible Leader.
1065 solar years ago, on this day in 953 AD, Ismail al-Mansur Billah, the third Caliph of the Fatemid Ismaili Shi’a Muslim dynasty of Ifriqiya, or what is known today as Tunisia, and parts of Algeria and Morocco, died at the age of 40 after a 7-year reign. Born in Raqqada near Kairouan he had succeeded his father Abu’l-Qasim al-Qa’im at a time when the Fatemid realm found itself deep in crisis due to the revolt of Kharejites or renegades from Islam – the predecessors of modern day Takfiri terrorists. Ismail managed to put down the revolt with the help of the Berber Zirids. Following this victory he took the epithet al-Mansur, and built a new residence at al-Mansuriyyah near Kairouan. He concerned himself with the reorganisation of the Fatemid state until the end of his reign. He resumed the struggle with the Omayyads of Cordoba in Morocco, and reconquered the island of Sicily, from where he made incursions into Italy to spread Islam. Rule in Sicily was reinforced through the installation of the Kalbids as Emirs. Al-Mansur was succeeded by his son al-Mu’izz, who greatly expanded the realm by conquering Egypt and establishing Cairo as the new Fatemid capital.
976 lunar years ago, on this day in 463 AH, the Spanish Muslim poet Abul-Waleed Ahmad bin Abdullah, Ibn Zaidoun, died. Born in Qortoba (present day Cordova) into the Arab tribe of al-Makhzoum, he brought into Spanish Arabic poetry the rhetorical command, the passionate power, and grandeur of style that marked contemporary poetry in the Islamic east. He was also involved in politics and was opposed to the ruling Omayyad regime.
800 lunar years ago, on this day in 639 AH, the Muslim botanist and physician, Rashid od-Din Souri, died. As his surname Souri suggests, he was from the region of Sour or Tyre in what is now Lebanon, and is considered the founder of modern botany. His most important compilation is an illustrated encyclopedic book on herbs and plants.
739 solar years ago, on this day in 1279 AD, a Mongolian victory at the Battle of Yamen ended the Song Dynasty in China, and established the Yuan Dynasty that lasted till 1368. Its greatest ruler was Kublai Khan, a grandson of the fearsome Mongol marauder Chengiz Khan.
612 solar years ago, on this day in 1406 AD, the Muslim historian and historiographer, Abdur-Rahman ibn Mohammad Ibn Khaldun, passed away in Cairo at the age of 74. Born in Tunis into an affluent Spanish Arab family that had settled in North Africa because of Christian onslaughts, he is regarded as one of the forerunners of modern historiography, sociology, and economics. He travelled widely around Egypt, North Africa and Spain, where the Muslim ruler of the emirate of Granada sent him on a mission to the Christian King of Castile, Pedro the Cruel. He returned to Egypt, whose Mamluk sultan sent him to negotiate with the fearsome Turkic conqueror, Amir Timur, during the siege of Damascus. In his autobiography, Ibn Khaldun has mentioned his discussions with Timur, who asked him in detail about North Africa and Spain. Among his many works is a voluminous universal history, but his fame rests on the detailed "Muqaddemah" or Introduction, which is considered a unique work in itself.
590 lunar years ago, on this day in 849 AH, the famous Egyptian hadith scholar, lexicographer, and exegete of the holy Qur'an, Abdur-Rahman Jalal od-Din Suyuti, was born in Asyut in a family of Persian origin that had migrated from Iran during the Mamluk period and settled in Upper Egypt from where it derived the family name as-Suyuti. A follower of the Shafe’i School, he was an expert in hadith, history, jurisprudence, exegesis of the Holy Qur'an, and Arabic grammar and literature. His learning and knowledge earned him the title "Ibn al-Kutub” (Son of Books). His books are still taught today in Islamic seminaries. In his exegesis titled "ad-Dur al-Manthour" (Scattered Pearls), he has pointed to the ayahs revealed by God Almighty on the outstanding merits of the Ahl al-Bayt or Blessed Household of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), i.e. Hazrat Fatema Zahra (SA), Imam Ali (AS), Imam Hasan (AS) and Imam Husain (AS). He also wrote a separate book on the Merits of the Ahl al-Bayt. Suyuti traveled to Syria, Hijaz, Yemen, India and Morocco, and settled down towards the end of his life in his homeland Egypt. Among his works are "al-Itqaan fi Uloum al-Qur’an” which means The Perfect Guide to the Sciences of the Qur’an, the two books on hadith titled "al-Jaame' al-Kabeer” and "al-Jaame' as-Sagheer” and the "Tarikh al-Khulafa” (History of the Caliphs), in which he has exposed the true nature of many of the tyrannical caliphs of the Omayyad and Abbasid regimes.
369 solar years ago, on this day in 1649 AD, the prominent Hanafi jurist of Syria, Abdul-Ghani al-Nabulsi, was born in Damascus. A prolific writer who wrote several books, he was a member of both the Qaderiyya and Naqshbandi Sufi orders. Once, after visiting the shrine of Prophet Mohammad’s (SAWA) granddaughter, Hazrat Zainab (SA) on the outskirts of Damascus, he expressed doubts on whether this was actually the holy site at which the Heroine of Karbala had been laid to rest. No sooner did he leave the place he fell from his mount and broke his leg. He realized his error and in that very condition of pain he dragged himself towards the blessed tomb in a state of repentance with the following rhymed phrases on his lips:
      "Zainab bint Haider, ma’dan al-‘ilm wa’l-huda,
      ‘Indaha Bab Hitta, fa adkhulu al-baab sujjada.
      "(Zainab the daughter of Haider, the Mine of Knowledge and Guidance,
       Her threshold is Door of Repentance, so enter it [head bowed] in prostration.)”
At that very moment Shaikh Abdul-Ghani Nabulsi felt his broken leg miraculously cured and he stood up relieved of pain as if nothing had happened to him. Among his books is "Shifa as-Sadr fî Fadha'il Laylat-an-Nisf min Sha'ban wa Laylat-al-Qadr” (Curing the heart on the Virtues of the Night of 15th Sha'ban and the Night of Qadr). He passed away at the ripe age of 90 and was buried in Damascus.  
341 lunar years ago, on this day in 1098 AH, prominent Iranian Islamic scholar of the Safavid era, Hussain ibn Mohammad, popularly known as "Mohaqqiq Khwansari” passed away. He was an expert in jurisprudence, theology, and other Islamic sciences. He groomed numerous students. Among his valuable works, mention could be made of a translation of the Holy Qur'an into Persian along with annotations. In the field of jurisprudence, he wrote "Mashareq ash-Shomous", which is in fact a splendid elucidation of the book titled "Durou" written by the First Martyr.
279 solar years ago, on this day in 1739 AD, the defeated, captured, and subsequently released Moghal Emperor, Mohammad Shah, entered Delhi, followed the next day by the victor of the Battle of Karnal, Iran’s Nader Shah Afshar. A few days later an insurrection broke out in the city and led to the killing of several Iranian soldiers by miscreants, prompting Nader Shah to order a bloody massacre that was stopped when the sagacious Moghal Vizier, Qamar od-Din Khan Nizam ul-Mulk Asef Jah (founder of the Asef Jahi Dynasty of Haiderabad-Deccan) intervened and urged the Iranian monarch to stop the senseless bloodletting. Nader Shah returned to Iran with considerable booty including the famous Peacock Throne, the Koh-e Noor Diamond and the Tent of Pearls.
141 solar years ago, on this day in 1876 AD, British archaeologist, John Hubert Marshall, who was director general of the Indian Archaeological Survey (1902-31), was born in Chester, England. He began excavations  in British India that revealed Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, the two largest cities of the previously unknown Indus Valley Civilization, which he firmly believed was comparable in every way with the ancient civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia. His aim was to bring to life Indian culture in the past by uncovering all possible details of her cities, tools, ornaments, laws and customs. In the 1920's, Marshall excavated Taxila, Vaisali, Nalanda, Rajagriha and Sarnath; enacted the Ancient Monuments Act (1904), built up a library, re-organised publications and recruited Indians to high positions in the Survey.
135 solar years ago, on this day in 1883 AD, the English chemist, Norman Haworth, was born. He conducted extensive scientific research about hydrocarbons and succeeded in presentation of a new design for the molecular structure of sugar, which was named after him. He conducted major studies on Vitamin C, whose molecular structure is similar to sugar, and prepared its industrial type, naming it Ascorbic Acid. Due to these studies and discoveries, he won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1937. He passed away in the year 1950.
118 solar years ago, on this day in 1900 AD, the French physicist and chemist, Frederic Joliot, was born in Paris. Following the completion of his academic studies, he worked as the assistant of the physicist and discoverer of radium, Marie Curie. He married to Marie Curie’s daughter Irene, and with the assistance of his wife managed to find out the makeup of the new radioactive materials.
74 solar years ago, on this day in 1944 AD, Palestinian Christian activist, Sirhan Bishara Sirhan, who in a revolutionary style execution shot dead US presidential candidate, Robert F. Kennedy, in Los Angeles, was born in Bayt al-Moqaddas. A staunch opponent of the illegal Zionist entity, he had decided to shoot Kennedy for pledging to send 50 advanced bombers to the illegal entity called Israel, in order to further terrorize and kill Palestinians, on becoming president. Sirhan had moved to the US after a life in refugee camps on usurpation of his homeland by illegal Zionist migrants from Europe. He is serving a life sentence in the US, and his supporters defend his killing of Kennedy as a justified act in support of his occupied homeland.
31 solar years ago, on this day in 1987 AD, the last member of the generation of modern physics founders, Louis de Broglie, died at the age of 95. He catapulted to fame with presentation of the theory about the particle-wave nature of light. With the presentation of this theory, major accomplishments were made in the science of physics. He managed to win the Nobel Prize for Physics in the year 1929.
(Courtesy: IRIB English Radio – http://parstoday.com/en)