Item number: A1324

Year: AD 1025 (AH 416)

Material: Gold

Size: 21.5 x 20.6 x 0.6 mm

Weight: 3.1 g

Manufactured by: Egypt

Provenance: Heritage Auctions 2024

This is a gold Dinar minted in the year AH 416 (AD 1025), during the reign of Al-Zahir, the seventh caliph of the Fatimid Caliphate.

The obverse of this coin features two concentric rings of inscriptions. At the centre is the Shahada, the Islamic declaration of faith, which states: “لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا الله مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ الله” (“There is no deity but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”). The second ring contains the phrase “قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ” (“Say, He is Allah, [Who is] One”), from Surah Al-Ikhlas (Chapter 112, Verse 1) of the Qur’an, affirming the oneness of Allah.

The outermost ring bears the inscription “هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَىٰ وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ” (“It is He who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to manifest it over all religion, although those who associate others with Allah dislike it”), from Surah At-Tawbah (Chapter 9, Verse 33) of the Qur’an.

The reverse of the coin also features three inscriptions in Arabic: one in the central area and two encircling it. The central inscription reads: “The Most Exalted in the Religion of Allah / Commander of the Faithful.” The inner ring along the edge states: “The servant of Allah and His representative, Ali Abu’l-Hasan, the Imam.” The outermost inscription reads: “In the name of Allah, this dinar was struck in the year AH 416 in Misr (Egypt).”

Al-Zahir was the seventh caliph of the Fatimid Caliphate (r. AD 1021–1036), succeeding to the throne after the disappearance of his father, Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, on February 14, AD 1021. During his reign, the Fatimid Caliphate remained a significant political and cultural force in the Islamic world, maintaining control over vast territories in North Africa, the Levant, and the Arabian Peninsula.

Al-Zahir’s reign was characterised by a relatively tolerant approach to religion, a hallmark of the Fatimid Caliphate. In contrast to the more extreme policies of his father, he maintained a more balanced stance in both religious and secular governance. His tenure as Imam lasted fourteen years. After his death from a plague on June 13, AD 1036, his son succeeded him as the eighth Caliph.

物件編號: A1324

年代: 公元 1025 年 (回曆 416 年)

材質: 黃金

尺寸: 21.5 x 20.6 x 0.6 mm

重量: 3.1 g

製造地: 埃及

來源: 海瑞德拍賣行 2024

這是一枚於回曆416年(公元1025年)，法蒂瑪王朝第七任哈里發阿爾·扎希爾任內鑄造的第納爾金幣。

這枚錢幣的正面依序有兩道圓環，中央的部分打印穆斯林最為熟悉的清真言「لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا الله مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ الله」即「萬物非主，唯有真主，穆罕默德是真主的使者」。第二道圓弧內的文字「قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ」出自《古蘭經》第112章 《忠誠》第1節「除真主外，別無真神； 他是獨一無二的； 他是無伙伴的」。最外圈的文字「هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَىٰ وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ」出自第9章《懺悔章》第33節，即「他就是使他的使者帶著正道和真教來的，要使此教勝過一切宗教，雖然以物配主的人不喜歡」。

錢幣背面同樣有三段阿拉伯文：一段在中央區域，兩段環繞其周圍。中央區域的文字寫道「尊崇真主宗教的至高者 / 信徒的統帥」。內圈邊緣的文字寫道「真主的僕人與其代理人阿里·阿布·哈桑·伊瑪目」。最外圈邊緣的文字寫道「奉真主之名，此第納爾錢幣於回曆416年在米斯爾(埃及)鑄造」。

阿爾·扎希爾是法蒂瑪王朝的第七任哈里發（公元1021-1036年），在其父親哈基姆·比·安魯拉於公元1021年2月14日失蹤後繼承了王位。在其統治期間，法蒂瑪王朝繼續是伊斯蘭世界的重要政治和文化力量，控制著北非、黎凡特和阿拉伯半島的大片領土。

阿爾·扎希爾的統治以相對寬容的宗教為特徵，這是法蒂瑪王朝的典型特徵。不同於其父親更為極端的政策，他在宗教和世俗統治方面保持了更加平衡的態度。他的伊瑪目任期持續了十四年。阿里於公元1036年6月13日因瘟疫去世後，他的兒子成為第八任哈里發。