26 Centuries of Gold
698 UMAYYAD Dinar abd al Malik

Owner Comments:

Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan ibn al-Hakam (عبد الملك ابن مروان ابن الحكم) was the fifth Umayyad caliph, and the first one to strike these gold dinars bearing only Islamic text and no images. This one is dated within the mid-range of the series. The first year of the series is a very rare and expensive coin. This one is not.

Some say these were struck in response to Justinian II striking gold coins with the first portrait of Christ on them. Or maybe it's the other way around and Justinian II started putting Christ on the coins in response to abd al Malik starting to strike these dinars with explicitly religious pronouncements on them.

In inner field: 'no God but Allah, He is alone, He has no associate' (in Kufic); in inner margin: 'Muhammad is the messenger of Allah who sent him with guidance and the religion of truth that he might make it supreme over all other religions' (in Kufic). Rev. In inner field: 'Allah is One, Allah is eternal, He does not beget nor is He begotten' (in Kufic); in inner margin: 'in the name of Allah this dinar was struck in the year nine and seventy' in Kufic).