ISLAMIC, Persia (Pre-Seljuq). Samanids. Ahmad II ibn Ismail, AH 295-301 / AD 907-914. Dirham (Silver, 27 mm, 3.08 g, 5 h), al-Shash, AH 297 = 909/10. ‘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 al-Shāsh sana sabʿ wa tisʿīn wa miʾatayn’ (‘In the name of Allah. This dirham was struck in al-Shash in the year 297’ in Arabic); outer margin, ‘li-llāh al-amr min qabl wa min baʿd wa yawmaʾidhin 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. Citing the ʿAbbasid caliph al-Muqtadir billah (AH 295-320 / AD 908-932), ‘li-llāh / Muḥammad / rasūl Allāh / al-Muqtadir bi-llāh / Aḥmad ibn Ismāʿīl’ (‘To Allah. Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. al-Muqtadir billah. Ahmad ibn Ismaʿil’ 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 1446. Struck slightly off center and with areas of weakness, otherwise, very fine.