Item number: A1163

Year: AD 921 (AH 309)

Material: Gold

Size: 24.0 x 23.6 x 0.3 mm

Weight: 3.4 g

Manufactured by:

Provenance: Morton & Eden 2024

This is a dinar coin from the Abbasid Empire, minted during the reign of the 18th caliph, Al-Muqtadir. The central inscription on the obverse side features five lines of Kufic script. From top to bottom, the text reads: “اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ” ,”بو العبّاس”, and “يَابْنَ اَمِيْرِالْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ”. These phrases represent the first part of the Shahada: “There is no god but Allah, He is One,” the caliph’s family name “Abbas,” and his title “Son of the Commander of the Faithful.”

The surrounding circular inscription indicates that the coin was minted in the name of Allah in the year AH 309 (AD 921) in Palestine, along with the following Qur’anic verse “فِی بِضۡعِ سِنِینَۗ لِلَّهِ ٱلۡأَمۡرُ مِن قَبۡلُ وَمِنۢ بَعۡدُۚ وَیَوۡمَىِٕذࣲ یَفۡرَحُ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ” (Surah Ar-Rum, 30:4): “Within a few years. To Allah belongs the command before and after. And on that day, the believers will rejoice.”

The reverse of the coin also features five lines of Kufic script. From top to bottom, the inscription includes the second part of the Shahada: “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah” (مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ ٱللَّٰهِ) and the name of the caliph, “Al-Mu’tadid bi-llah” (المعتضد بالله), referring to Al-Muqtadir. Surrounding the central text are two circular inscriptions containing the verse from the Qur’an 9:33: “هُوَ الَّذِىۡۤ اَرۡسَلَ رَسُوۡلَهٗ بِالۡهُدٰى وَدِيۡنِ الۡحَـقِّ لِيُظۡهِرَهٗ عَلَى الدِّيۡنِ كُلِّهٖۙ وَلَوۡ كَرِهَ الۡمُشۡرِكُوۡنَ” (He it is Who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth, to make it prevail over all religion, even though the polytheists may dislike it).

In AD 908, Al-Muqtadir ascended to the position of caliph at the age of 13, becoming the youngest caliph to rule the Abbasid Empire. His young age led to repeated challenges to his authority within the court. In AD 929, Al-Muqtadir was briefly overthrown by the general Munis al-Muzaffar, but he reclaimed his throne within a few days. However, in AD 932, Munis returned and succeeded in killing Al-Muqtadir, installing his brother Al-Qahir as the 19th caliph.

During Al-Muqtadir’s reign, the caliphate gradually fell under the control of powerful court officials, undermining his authority. Despite this political decline, Baghdad, the capital, experienced a cultural golden age, with significant advancements in literature, science, and the arts.

物件編號: A1163

年代: 公元 921 年 (回曆 309 年)

材質: 黃金

尺寸: 24.0 x 23.6 x 0.3 mm

重量: 3.4 g

來源: 莫頓與伊登 2024

這是阿拔斯帝國第十八代哈里發穆克塔迪爾的第納爾金幣。正面中央有五行以阿拉伯庫法體打印的銘文，由上而下依序是「اللهُوَحْدَهُلَاشَرِيكَلَهُ」、「بو العبّاس」和「يَابْنَ اَمِيْرِالْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ」，意思分別是穆斯林熟悉的清真言前半部「萬物非主，唯有真主，真主獨一」、哈里發的姓氏「阿拔斯」和頭銜「信仰守護者之子」。周圍的環形銘文指稱這枚錢幣以真主之名，回曆309年(公元921年) 於巴勒斯坦鑄造和「فِی بِضۡعِ سِنِینَۗ لِلَّهِ ٱلۡأَمۡرُ مِن قَبۡلُ وَمِنۢ بَعۡدُۚ وَیَوۡمَىِٕذࣲ یَفۡرَحُ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ」，出自《古蘭經30:4》：「於數年之間。以前和以後，凡事歸真主主持。在那日，信道的人將要歡喜」。

背面中央同樣有五行庫法體銘文，由上而下，依序為清真言後半部「穆罕默德是真主唯一的使者」和哈里發的名字「المعتضد بالله」 (穆克塔迪爾)。周圍的兩道環形銘文「هُوَ الَّذِىۡۤ اَرۡسَلَ رَسُوۡلَهٗ بِالۡهُدٰى وَدِيۡنِ الۡحَـقِّ لِيُظۡهِرَهٗ عَلَى الدِّيۡنِ كُلِّهٖۙ وَلَوۡ كَرِهَ الۡمُشۡرِكُوۡنَ」，內容出自《古蘭經9:33》：「他曾以正道和真教的使命委託他的使者，以便他使真教勝過一切宗教，即使以物配主者不願意」。

公元908年，穆克塔迪爾以時年13歲繼任哈里發，為阿拔斯帝國最為年幼登基的哈里發，使其在朝中的地位屢屢遭到挑戰。公元929年，穆克塔迪爾短暫遭到將軍穆尼斯·穆贊法爾推翻，但僅僅幾天就又重新奪回王位。然而公元932年，捲土重來的穆尼斯·穆贊法爾成功殺害穆克塔迪爾，扶植穆克塔迪爾的弟弟卡希爾為第十九代哈里發。穆克塔迪爾統治期間，哈里發逐漸遭到權臣架空。但是以首都巴格達為中心的文化發展卻走向巔峰。