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TYRANT COLLECTION
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229
Umayyad Caliphate
Gold Dinar, AH 78
temp. ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, Umayyad Caliph, AH 65-86/AD 685-705
Bernardi 41; A 125. Mint State.
No mint name (Damascus). At center, Kalima (“There is no god but Allah, [He is] alone, there are no
others with Him”); in margin, Qur’an 9:33, known as the “Umayyad Second Symbol” (“Muhammad is
the apostle of Allah, whom He sent with guidance and with a religion of truth in order that it might shine
brightly over all religion, though the polytheists dislike it”). Reverse, at center, Qur’an 112, known as
the “Umayyad Symbol” (“Allah is One, Allah is the Eternal, He did not beget and He was not begotten
and there was not to Him equal a single one”) ; in margin, date formula (“in the name of Allah was struck
this dinar in the year eight and seventy”).
‘Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (AH 65-86/ AD 685-705) was the 5th Umayyad caliph. He is remembered
as a well-educated and capable ruler who took important steps toward transforming the tribally-based
Caliphate into an efficient, centralized Arab state. In year 77 ( 696/7) of the Islamic Hijri calendar, ‘Abd
al-Malik introduced the first truly Islamic coin, the reformed gold dinar, followed within a few years
by a similar silver dirham and a copper fals. This dramatic reform of the coinage abandoned existing
Persian, Byzantine and Christian design elements in favor of a simple statement of Islamic faith (Kali-
ma) and passages from the Qur’an emphasizing the oneness of God and the apostleship of the Prophet
Muhammad. This iconoclastic change was in keeping with the Qur’anic prohibition of “graven images”
and served a missionary function for Islam. ‘Abd al-Malik’s reform must have been in part a response to
the Byzantine emperor Justinian II (two reigns, 695-695 and 704-711) who had recently placed a portrait
of Jesus Christ on the Byzantine gold solidus. Prior to ‘Abd al-Malik’s reform, the Byzantine solidus
had been the predominant gold coin of the era, circulating widely within the Caliphate and beyond. The
simple religious design of ‘Abd al-Malik’s coins served as the model for Islamic coinage for centuries to
come. The gold dinars of year 77 are extremely rare today. Though relatively common, dinars dated 78h
are the earliest reasonably available date of the post-reform coinage and are accordingly highly sought
by collectors. The splendid example in the Tyrant Collection is in choice mint state condition, perfectly
centered and sharply struck from early-style dies reminiscent of the year 77 dinars.
230
Umayyad Caliphate
Gold Dinar, AH 97
temp. Sulayman, Umayyad Caliph, AH 96-99/AD 715-717
SICA-2, 97ff; A 130. Mint State.
No mint name (Damascus). Kalima at center, Qur’an 9:33 in margin; Reverse, Qur’an 112; date formula
in margin.