ISLAMIC, 'Abbasid Caliphate. Al-Muntasir, AH 247-248 / AD 861-862. Dirham (Silver, 18 mm, 2.40 g, 11 h), Surra man Raʾa, AH 248 = 862. ‘lā ilāha illā / Allāh waḥdahū / lā sharīka lahū’ (‘There is no deity but Allah, the One, there is no partner to Him’ in Arabic); inner margin, ‘bism Allāh ḍuriba hādhā al-dirham bi Madīnat al-Salām sana thamān wa arbaʿīn wa miʾatayn’ (‘In the name of Allah. This dirham was struck in Madinat al-Salam in the year 248’ in Arabic); outer margin, ‘li-llāh al-amr min qabl wa mi[n baʿd wa yaw]maʾidhin yafraḥu al-muʾminūn bi naṣr Allāh’ (‘To Allah belongs the command before and after, and on that day the believers will rejoice with the help of Allah’ in Arabic; Qurʾān 30: 4-5). Rev. ‘li-llāh / Muḥammad / rasūl / Allāh / al-Muntaṣir billāh’ (‘For Allah. Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. al-Muntasir billah’ in Arabic); in the margin, ‘Muḥammad rasūl Allāh arsalahū bi al-hudā wa dīn al-ḥaqq liyuẓhirahū [ʿalā al-dīn kullih wa law] kariha al-mushrikūn’ (‘Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. He sent him with guidance and the religion of truth, so that He may make it overcome all religions, even though the unbelievers may dislike it’ in Arabic). Album 232. Very rare. Crystallized and with some edge chipping and corrosion, otherwise, very fine.



Al-Muntasir was a son of al-Mutawakkil and a Greek slave concubine named Hubshiyya who organized the assassination of his father by members of the Turkish guard after al-Mutawakkil appointed a younger brother, al-Mu'tazz, as his successor. After the murder of their father, al-Mutawakkil had al-Mu'tazz renounce his rights to the throne. However, his victory proved to be short-lived, as he died under mysterious circumstances shortly thereafter.