Aniconic Gold Coins (“Reformed Coinage”), From The ‘Mine Of The Commander Of The Faithful’, 89 AH / 708 CE
Islamic Awareness
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First Composed: 25th January 2015
Last Modified: 28th February 2015
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Assalamu ʿalaykum wa rahamatullahi wa barakatuhu:
An example of the reformed gold coinage, i.e., dīnār, of the Umayyad caliph Al-Walid minted in the year 89 AH.
Date
89 AH / 708 CE.
Contents
Obverse field: lā-ilaha illa-Allāh waḥdahu la sharīkalah ("There is no god but God alone, He has no associate"). maʿdin amīr al-muʾminīn ("Mine of the Commander of the Faithful'). Obverse margin: Muḥammad rasūl Allāh arsalahu bi-l-huda wa dīn al-ḥaqq liyudhhiru ʿala al-dini kullahi ("Muḥammad is the messenger of God whom He sent with guidance and the religion of truth that He might make it prevail over all religions").
Reverse field: Allāhu aḥad Allāhu al-ṣamad lam yalid wa-lam yulad ("God the one, God the eternal, He did not beget and was not begotten"). Reverse margin: bism Allāh ḍuriba hadhā al-dīnār fī sanat tisaʿ wa thamānūn ("In the name of God, this dīnār was struck in the year 89").
Comments
Weight = 4.24 gms. With the introduction of new design came a new weight standard. The previous Byzantine standard was of 4.55 g. The "reformed" Umayyad dīnār was adjusted to 4.25 g, a weight also known as the mithqāl.
This unique historic coin is of the highest rarity and the earliest known dīnār to bear the legend ‘Mine of the Commander of the Faithful’.[1] Two other dīnārs with similar legend were sold at Morton & Eden on 4th April 2011. These coins are dated 92 AH (sold for £768,000) and 105 AH (sold for £3,720,000). The latter has the legend maʿdin amīr al-muʾminīn bi al-ḥijāz ("Mine of the Commander of the Faithful in the Ḥijāz").[2]
Notice the absence of wa-law karih-al-mushrikūn ("even if the associators are averse") in the obverse margin which is present in the reformed gold coinage.
Location
Private collection.
References
[1] "Important Coins Of The Islamic World", Morton & Eden Ltd. (In Association With Sotheby's), 2012, Catalogue No. 54 (23rd April 2012), Lot 34.
[2] "Important Coins Of The Islamic World", Morton & Eden Ltd. (In Association With Sotheby's), 2011, Catalogue No. 48 (4th April 2011), Lot 11 and Lot 12.
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