Al-Mahdi al-Haqq, amīr al-mu'minīn - article ; n°7 ; vol.6, pg 329-341

Miles (Georgec.)

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Revue numismatique - Année 1965 - Volume 6 - Numéro 7 - Pages 329-341
13 pages
Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.

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• Publié par: REVUE_NUMISMATIQUE
• Publié le: 01 janvier 1965
• Nombre de lectures: 13
• Langue: English

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George C. Miles
Al-Mahdi al-Haqq, amīr al-mu'minīn
In: Revue numismatique, 6e série - Tome 7, année 1965 pp. 329-341.
Citer ce document / Cite this document :
Miles George C. Al-Mahdi al-Haqq, amīr al-mu'minīn. In: Revue numismatique, 6e série - Tome 7, année 1965 pp. 329-341.
doi : 10.3406/numi.1965.939
http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/numi_0484-8942_1965_num_6_7_939George G. MILES
AL-MAHDI AL-HAQQ, AMIR AL-MU'MINÏN
(PL XXXV)
This paper is concerned with three very curious unpublished
revolutionary issues of silver dirhems of the late 2nd or early 3rd
century of the Hijrah (early 9th century A. D.). One of these is
represented by three specimens; the second and third are unique.
All five pieces were presented to the American Numismatic Society
by a private collector who obtained them a year or two ago in
Iran from the same dealer and at the same time. They are very
similar in style and fabric, and in fact the obverse dies of all five
specimens are identical, so that there can be no doubt that they are
closely related to each other. None of the three issues bears a mint
name or date, and in the circumstances it is particularly unfortunate
that there is no record of any other coins associated with the find1 might help in establishing more firmly the date of the coins
to be discussed.
The three issues are to be described as follows:
1. Dirhem. No mint or date.
Obverse:
1. With one possible exception, a crude, possibly contemporary counterfeit dirhem
of al-Muhammadiyah, 180 H., acquired by the collector at the same time.
11—1 330 GEORGE C. MILES
Margin :
ů
JubllJl J^A jj J^JÍ í\Sr JJj [sic] ^[Д-îî ^
Dotted border enclosing area; linear border enclosing marginal legend.
Reverse :
4)1
JLJI
'*A L»
Margin: Qur'an IX, 33.
Double linear border enclosing area; linear border enclosing marginal
legend.
a) /R, ANS 64.117, 25 mm., 1.66 gr. PL XXXV, 1 a.
b) /R, ANS 65.152, 25 1.79 gr. PL 1 b.
c) /R, ANS 23 mm., 1.70 gr. PL XXXV, lc.
The obverses of all three specimens are badly struck, and the obverse
marginal legend of one specimen would certainly not have been decipherable
without the aid of the other two specimens.
2. Dirhem. No mint or date.
Obverse: Identical with no. 1, marginal legend about one-half preserved.
Reverse :
1 u AL-MAHDI AL-HAQQ 331
Margin : Largely effaced, probably Qur'ân IX, 33.
Beaded or dotted border enclosing area; outer border, if any, effaced.
M, ANS 65.152, 23 mm., 1.45 gr. PL XXXV, 2.
The reverse area is very imperfectly struck and obscure, although the
second and third lines can be easily read because of their conventional
formulae. The single word at the top might possibly be <djl. The
single word at the bottom is illegible, but might perhaps be a blurred JLp
as on no. 3. Al-khalïfah is clear enough. The following word appears
to be al-rashld.
3. Dirhem. No mint or date.
Obverse: Identical with no. 1, marginal legend completely preserved;
3 (of 6?) annulets preserved outside legend.
Reverse :
4Í1I
<y.
Margin: Qur'àn IX, 33.
Linear border enclosing area; dotted border enclosing marginal legend;
3 (of 6?) annulets on outer border.
/R, ANS 65.152, 24 mm., 1.78 gr. PI. XXXV, 3.
The reverse is slightly double-struck, and this fact together with the
damage caused by corrosion in the center lower left portion of the area
has resulted in rendering the important third and fourth lines of the
extremely obscure and difficult to read. Cleaning and removal of the
metallic deposit has been of some help, but the damage remains. Al-
khallfat is clear. Al-rashld (?) is uncertain. ' Ali bn is obscure, and there
is damage both above and below the line. The name Zayd at the beginning
of the fourth line and the same name at the end of the line are almost
certain, although the ya in both instances has a slight slant that suggests
a jim, ha or kha. It might be Ahmad. The name read as Ja'far is extremely GEORGE C. MILES 332
obscure; an alternative reading might be Husayn, but one would expect
al-Husayn. In the last line, the word looks like 'abdi, but what appears
to be a retrogressive уп is doubtless the result of the double-striking, and
the word is almost certainly 'abd and is to be read with the top line as
'Abdullah.
The conventional marginal legend of the reverse is almost completely
preserved and raises no problem.
Thus, while these dirhems have quite a conventional appearance
and certain common legends, they present several quite unconvent
ional and remarkable features. With an eye to establishing an
approximate date, let us first comment on the epigraphical style
and examine the conventional phrases that occur on the several
issues. The style of lettering is entirely characteristic of 'Abbâsid
numismatic epigraphy of the late 2nd and early 3rd centuries
of the Hijrah. As for the formulary phrases in the reverse areas,
some suggestive observations may be made.
Although the expression JU>^« Ac- 4JUI Л^> (on no. 1) is very rare
on 'Abbâsid dirhems, it does occur as early as 160 H.1 Much
commoner is the formula JL-j <lJp <\U1 JL^? (no. 2) following
4JI J yMj JU>«^, beginning during the reign of the Caliph al-Mahdi
Muhammad in the year 159 at Madïnat al-Salâm and thereafter
at many other 'Abbâsid mints;2 and the expression is also of
frequent occurrence on the coins of several of the later semi-inde
pendent dynasties within the 'Abbâsid empire. As for the
executive phrase aj j»\ L* (no. 1), «among those things ordered
by, » it is found on copper coins as early as the year 100, 3 and on
dirhems in the eastern provinces beginning in 146, when al-Mahdi
Muhammad was heir apparent.4 As an example of this executive
phrase on the reverse area of a dirhem a specimen of al-Muhamma-
dïyah of the year 184 is illustrated in PI. XXX V, 4, exhibiting both the
formula JL-j aJp <UJI ^JU* and <u y\ L*, followed by the name
of al-Amïn, son of Hârun al-Rashîd, as heir apparent. This
executive phrase continues to appear on 'Abbâsid dirhems down
into the reign of al-Ma'mun but thereafter is discontinued.
1. E.g., Lavoix I, n° 697.
2. Tiesenhausen, no. 881; Lavoix I, no. 723; BM I, p. 58, no. 122; Niitzel I, no. 856.
3.no. 484.
4.no. 755; Lavoix I, no. 632; BM I, p. 43, no. 46 ; Niitzel I, no. 669. AL-MAHDI AL-HAQQ 333
As for the unconventional aspects of the several issues, let us
enumerate them and examine the anomalies of each issue sépara-
tely.
No. 1:
a) Mint name and date, always present in the obverse margin
of 'Abbàsid dirhems, are lacking;
b) The place of the usual mint-date formula is taken by quotat
ions from Qur'ân XLII, 22, and XVII, 83;
c) The name of the 'Abbasid Caliph is lacking;
d) In place of the Caliph's name is the very curious
title al-Mahdi al-Haqq, Amir al-Mu'minïn, « the true Mahdi,
Commander of the Believers; »
e) There are two exhortations (apparently), above and beneath
the reverse area.
Anomaly (a), the lack of the usual mint-date formula, is
remarkable enough in itself. The substitution of the Qur'ânic
passages ( b) permits us to make some relevant and rather signi
ficant analogies. The legend, beginning with 4JJI j^, quotes
Qur'ân XLII, 22 (ed. Flugel) from qui as far as al-qurbâ, « Say, I do
not ask of you any reward for it other than love of (my) relatives. »x
The first numismatic occurrence of this verse is on a copper coin
of the 'Alid rebel and 'Abbâsid partisan 'Abdullah b. Mu'âwiyah,2
struck at Rayy in 127 H. In the ensuing years, from 128 to 131,
a number of mints in the east (Istakhr, Balkh, al-Taymarah, Jayy,
Râm-Hurmuz, Sâbûr, Mâhi, Marw and Hamadhân) issued dirhems
without the name of the issuer but with the same Qur'ânic legend,
and there are several other related copper coins struck at Bukhara,
Tawwaj,3 Rayy and at a mint or mints unnamed.4 Illustrated
1. Usually taken to allude to the ahl al-bayt, that is the Prophet's family. Cf.
s.v. in El2. Maulvi Muhammad AH, The Holy Qur~án (Lahore, 1935), p. 936, would
prefer to translate simply «relatives », i.e., anyone's relatives.
2. See E/2, s.v. 'Abd Allah b. Mu'âwiya.
3. Actually an 'Abbàsid fais issued after the enthronement of al-Saffàh but still
with the partisan slogan (G. G. Miles, Excavation Coins from the Persepolis Area,
NNM 143, New York, 1959, p. 66, no. 504). Still more remarkable are a number
of coppers of Samarqand bearing the same slogan issued by a certain Dâ'Od b. Girâz
in 143 H. (see O. I. Smirnova, Katalog Monet s Gorodishta Pendjikent, Moscow, 1963,
nos. 799-814). Also I have recently come across an unpublished fais with the same
verse, without mint name but dated 133 H . and with the name of an unidentified
amir, perhaps Zuhayr b. al-Tawwaji.