IMAMS AL-MANSUR, AL-MUIZZ AND AL-AZIZ
…During the Fatimid period, there was a unique reformatting of the gold coins used in the Empire. Inscriptions on the coins were horizontal but during the Fatimid rule, there was the addition of text in concentric circles. This was highly representative of Ismaili thought and the philosophy of the Imam-Caliphs as it symbolized the inner, or batini, knowledge, known to only those who followed the Imam-Caliph (Ismailis). This was distinct from the outer, exoteric, or zahiri, knowledge, to which non-Ismailis were restricted to….
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Imam al-Mansur
Ruler and dates: Abu’l-Tahir Isma‘i‘l al-Mansur billah ibn al-Qa’im, (334-341 H/946-953 CE)
Mint name: al-Mahdiyya – A seaport town on the eastern coast of Tunisia
Date: month of Ramadan 337 H. (March 949 CE)
Metal and denomination: Gold dinar
Weight and measurement: 4.19 g / 22.0 mm
Obverse
Field
al-imam / la ilah / illa allah / al-mansur billah
“the Imam no god but God, al-Mansur billah.”
Margin
bism allah duriba hadha’l-dinar bi’l-mahdiyya shahr ramadan fi sana sab‘ wa thalathin wa thalathmi’a
“in the name of God, this dinar was struck in al-Mahdiyya the month of Ramadan in the year seven and thirty and three hundred.”
Reverse
Field
isma‘il / muhammad / rasul allah / amir al-mu’minin
“Isma‘il, Muhammad is the messenger of God, Commander of the Faithful.”
Margin
muhammad rasul allah arsalahu bi’l-huda wa din al-haqq li-yuzhirahu ‘ala al-din kullihi wa law kariha al-mushrikun
“Muhammad is the messenger of God who sent him with guidance and the religion of truth that he might make it supreme over all other religions, even though the polytheists may detest it.”
Holy Qur’an, Sura 9 (al-Tawba), verse 33
Ruler and dates: Abu Tamim Ma‘add al-Mu‘izz li-Din Allah ibn Isma‘il al-Mansur, (341-365 H/953-975 CE)
Date: 358 H (969 CE)
Metal and denomination: Gold dinar
Weight and measurement: 4.16 g / 23.0 mm
Obverse
Inner circle
la ilah illa allah muhammad rasul allah
“no god but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God”
Middle circle
wa ‘ali afdal al-wasiyyin wa wazir khayr al-mursilin
“and ‘Ali is the most excellent of God’s agents and the vizier of the best of the messengers”
Outer circle
In three concentric circles with a plain central circle:
muhammad rasul allah arsalahu bi’l-huda wa din al-haqq li-yuzhirahu ‘ala al-din kullihi wa law kariha al-mushrikun
“Muhammad is the messenger of God who sent him with guidance and the religion of truth that he might make it supreme over all other religions, even though the polytheists may detest it.”
Sura 9 (al-Tawba), verse 33
Reverse
Inner circle
al-mu’izz li-din allah amir al-mu’minin
“the one who exalts the religion of God, Commander of the Faithful”
Middle circle
da’a al-imam ma’add li-tawhid illa lahu al-samad
“the Imam Ma’add summons (everyone) to profess the eternal unity of God”
Outer circle
In three concentric circles with a plain central circle
bism allah duriba hadha’l-dinar bi-misr sana thaman wa khamsin wa thalathmi’a
“In the name of God this dinar was struck in Misr the year eight and fifty and three hundred”
Ruler and dates: Abu Mansur Nizar al-‘Aziz billah ibn al-Mu‘izz, (365-386 H/976-996 CE)
Mint name: Misr – Egypt, with the mint located in the new town of al-Qahira (Cairo)
Date: 368 H (978-979 CE)
Metal and denomination: Gold dinar
Weight and measurement: 4.16 g / 25.0 mm
Obverse
Inner margin
la ilah illa allah muhammad rasul allah ‘ali khayr safwat allah
“no god but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God, ‘Ali is the best of the elect of God”
Outer margin
muhammad rasul allah arsalahu bi’l-huda wa din al-haqq li-yuzhirahu ‘ala al-din kullihi wa law kariha al-mushrikun
“Muhammad is the messenger of God who sent him with guidance and the religion of truth that he might make it supreme over all other religions, even though the polytheists may detest it.”
Sura 9 (al-Tawba), verse 33
Reverse
Inner margin
‘abd allah wa waliyuhu nizar al-‘aziz billah amir al-mu’minin
“the servant of God and his associate Nizar al-‘Aziz billah, Commander of the Faithful”
Outer margin
bism allah duriba hadha’l-dinar bi-misr sana thaman wa sittin wa thalathmi’a
“in the name of God this dinar was struck in Misr the year eight and sixty and three hundred”
Please read other articles in this series at:
Literary Reading: Fatimid Coins at the David Museum in Copenhagen, Part I
Literary Reading: Fatimid Coins at the David Museum in Copenhagen, Part III
Simerg - Insights from Around the World 