'Abbasid Caliphate. Al-Muqtadir, second reign, AH 296-317 / AD 908-929. Dinar (Gold, 26 mm, 4.19 g, 7 h), citing the heir Abu’l-ʿAbbas, Filasṭīn (Palestine), AH 305 = AD 917/8. Central field, in five lines: la ilaha illa / Allah wahdahu / la sharika lahu / Abu’l-ʿAbbas ibn / amir al-muʾminin (‘There is no deity but God alone; He has no associate / Abu’l-ʿAbbas, son of the Commander of the Faithful’ in Arabic). Inner margin: bi-sm Allah duriba hadha al-dinar bi-Filastin sanat khams wa-thalath miʾa (‘In the name of God, this dinar was struck at Filastin in the year three hundred and five’ in Arabic). Outer margin (Qurʾan 30:4-5): li-llah al-amr min qabl wa-min baʿd wa-yawmaʾidhin yafrahu al-muʾminun bi-nasr Allah (‘To God belongs the command before and after, and on that day the believers will rejoice in God’s help’ in Arabic). Rev. Central field, in five lines: li-llah / Muhammad / rasul / Allah / al-Muqtadir bi-llah (‘For God / Muhammad / is the Messenger / of God / al-Muqtadir bi-llah’ in Arabic). Margin (Qurʾan 9:33): Muhammad rasul Allah arsalahu bi-l-huda wa-din al-haqq li-yuzhirahu ʿala al-din kullihi wa-law kariha al-mushrikun (‘Muhammad 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). Album 245.2. A rare and well-centered example of this historically interesting Filasṭīn issue. Struck from somewhat corroded dies and with minor die breaks, otherwise, very fine.



This issue is notable for naming Abu’l-ʿAbbas, son and heir of al-Muqtadir, in the obverse field. Abu’l-ʿAbbas later ruled as the Abbasid caliph al-Radi, AH 322-329 / AD 934-940. The explicit naming of the heir gives the coin additional dynastic significance within the gold coinage of al-Muqtadir’s second reign. The Filastin mint is also of particular interest among Abbasid gold issues of this period.