Umayyad Caliphate. temp. Ibrahim ibn al-Walid, AH 126-127 / AD 744. Dinar (Gold, 20 mm, 4.28 g, 6 h), no mint (Damascus?), AH 127 = AD 744/5. Central field, in three lines: lā ilāha illā / Allāh waḥdahu / lā sharīka lahu (‘There is no deity but God alone; He has no associate’ in Arabic). Margin: Muḥammad rasūl Allāh arsalahu bi-l-hudā wa-dīn al-ḥaqq li-yuẓhirahu ʿalā al-dīn kullihi wa-law kariha al-mushrikūn (‘Muḥammad is the Messenger of God, whom He sent with guidance and the religion of truth to make it prevail over all religion, even though the polytheists may dislike it’ in Arabic). Rev. Central field, in three lines: Allāh aḥad Allāh / al-ṣamad lam yalid / wa-lam yūlad (‘God is One; God the Eternal; He neither begets nor is begotten’ in Arabic). Margin: bi-sm Allāh ḍuriba hādhā al-dīnār sanat sabʿ wa-ʿishrīn wa-miʾa (‘In the name of God, this dinar was struck in the year one hundred and twenty-seven’ in Arabic). Album T140. ICV 221. Walker 247. Exceptionally rare and of great historical importance. Minor scratches and with light doubling on the obverse, otherwise, about extremely fine.


Dinars dated AH 127 were struck at one of the most turbulent moments in Umayyad history, following the death of Hishām in AH 125 (743) and the succession crisis that rapidly destabilized the dynasty. The brief reign of Ibrāhīm ibn al-Walīd lasted only a short time before he ceded power to Marwān II, marking the beginning of the final phase of Umayyad rule and the chain of events that culminated in the ʿAbbāsid Revolution.

The rarity of this date is best explained by its very short production window, combined with the political collapse of the period, which likely resulted in a sharply reduced output. As a result, dinars dated AH 127 are among the rarest issues of the Umayyad series.