Item number: A3607

Year: AD 1143-1144 (AH 538)

Material: Gold

Size: 15.6 x 12.8 x 0.2 mm

Weight: 0.8 g

Manufactured by: Alamut Mint

Provenance: Stephen Album Rare Coins 2025

This gold quarter-dinar was issued by Muḥammad I, the third deputy Imām of the Nizārī Ismāʿīlī sect, known in Western sources as the Order of the Assassins.

The coin is inscribed in Arabic. The central inscription on the obverse, arranged in four lines from right to left, contains the shahāda (declaration of faith): first line “lā ilāha” (There is no deity), second “illā Allāh” (but God), third “Muḥammad”, and fourth “rasūl Allāh” (the Messenger of God), forming the phrase “There is no deity but God; Muḥammad is the Messenger of God.” On both sides of this declaration are vertical inscriptions: on the right, from top to bottom, “Muḥammad ibn” (Muḥammad, son of); on the left, from bottom to top, “Buzurgumīd,” which together identify the issuer as “Muḥammad, son of Buzurgumīd.” Around the field runs a marginal inscription, separated by a circular border and read rightwards counterclockwise: “bismi llāhi ḍuriba hādhā al-dīnār bi-Kursī al-Daylam sanat thamānin wa-thalāthīn wa-khams miʾa,” meaning “In the name of God, this dinar was struck at Kursī al-Daylam in the year 538.” Daylam refers to the region inhabited by the Daylamites, a Persian highland people living along the Alborz Mountains in northern Iran, south of the Caspian Sea. The term kursī (literally “chair” or “seat”) also connotes authority or capital; thus “the Seat of Daylam” designates the political centre of the region, identified with Alamut Fortress, the Nizārī headquarters (the name Alamut meaning “Eagle’s Nest”).

The central reverse inscription comprises four lines. The first reads “ʿAlī walī Allāh” (“ʿAlī is the friend of God”), the fundamental creed and profession of faith of the Shīʿite Muslims. The second and third lines, “al-Muṣṭafā li-Dīn Allāh” (“the one chosen by God for His religion”), represent an official epithet of the Fāṭimid Imāms. The fourth line reads “Nizār,” referring to Nizār ibn al-Mustanṣir, from whom the Nizārī branch takes its name. The sect regarded him as the rightful ninth caliph and nineteenth Ismāʿīlī Imām, rejecting the rival claim of al-Mustaʿlī, the puppet caliph in Cairo. Around the margin, separated by a circular border, runs a benedictory formula: “ʾAmīr al-Muʾminīn ṣalawātu llāhi ʿalayhi wa-ʿalā ābāʾihi al-ṭāhirīn wa-abnāʾihi al-akramīn,” translated as “May God’s blessings be upon the Commander of the Faithful, and upon his pure forefathers and noble descendants.” The title “Commander of the Faithful,” first adopted by the second Rightly Guided Caliph, ʿUmar, became the traditional Muslim honorific for the caliph. The phrase “pure forefathers and noble descendants” underscores the sanctity and legitimacy of the prophetic lineage descending from Muḥammad through Fāṭima and ʿAlī.

A small metal hook is soldered to the upper edge of the coin, suggesting that it may once have been used as an ornament or pendant.

Shīʿism is one of the two main branches of Islam, maintaining that the Prophet Muḥammad’s rightful successors are his son-in-law ʿAlī and ʿAlī’s descendants. In Shīʿite belief, divine guidance is manifested through the Imām, a term originally denoting the leader of communal prayer, later extended to signify a spiritual and political head endowed with infallible, divinely inspired knowledge. Disputes over succession led to several schisms within Shīʿism. The followers of Ismāʿīl ibn Jaʿfar, son of the seventh Imām, founded the Ismāʿīlī branch, asserting that the line of Imāms continued unbroken and that the Qurʾān possesses both an outer (ẓāhir) and inner (bāṭin) meaning, the latter accessible only to the Imām. Because of this esoteric orientation, Sunnī scholars labelled them Bāṭiniyya (“those of hidden interpretation”).

In AD 909, the Ismāʿīlīs established the Fāṭimid Caliphate in North Africa, first centred at Mahdia in Tunisia, later transferring to Cairo in Egypt. Claiming descent from ʿAlī and Fāṭima, daughter of the Prophet, the Fāṭimids created a Shīʿite caliphate parallel to the ʿAbbāsid dynasty. The name “Fāṭimid” symbolised purity of lineage and religious legitimacy. The dynasty achieved notable progress in politics, scholarship, and architecture, founding al-Azhar University and an organised system of Ismāʿīlī missionary propaganda. Its rule endured for over two centuries and became one of the most influential Shīʿite powers of the medieval Islamic world.

In AD 1094, the death of the eighth Fāṭimid caliph, al-Mustanṣir, provoked a succession dispute. His elder son Nizār was deposed and replaced by the younger al-Mustaʿlī. Nizār fled to Alexandria, proclaiming himself caliph. Ḥasan-i Ṣabbāḥ, an Ismāʿīlī scholar who supported Nizār, rejected al-Mustaʿlī’s authority and established an independent stronghold at Alamut in northern Iran, giving rise to the Nizārī sect. After Nizār’s death, the Nizārīs believed that his Imāmic line continued in concealment. Ḥasan and his successors ruled as ḥujjats (deputy Imāms). The order became renowned for its discipline and secrecy. Their targeted killings of political opponents over two centuries led Crusaders and Muslim chroniclers to call them “Assassins,” allegedly derived from Hashshāshīn (“hashish users”), though modern scholarship suggests it was a derogatory Sunnī epithet meaning “outcasts” or “unbelievers.” The Nizārī state was not a lawless assassin order but a defensive polity with a defined hierarchy, territory, and diplomacy. Its fortresses included Alamut, Lamasar, and Masyaf in Lebanon. The Nizārīs minted coins, maintained administration, and negotiated with Crusader states and the ʿAbbāsid Caliphate.

Buzurgumīd (“Great Hope”) succeeded Ḥasan-i Ṣabbāḥ as the second leader of the Alamut community (AD 1124–1138). He consolidated the sect’s doctrines and fortifications. His son, Muḥammad I (AD 1138–1162), became the third leader and presided over a period of stability. He continued his predecessors’ strict discipline while introducing administrative reforms and flexible diplomacy, maintaining relative peace with the Seljuk Turks. In the mid-13th century, however, the rise of the Mongol Empire exposed Alamut’s vulnerability. In AD 1256, Hülegü Khan invaded Persia and besieged the Nizārī strongholds. After fifteen days, Alamut fell; its famed library and archives were destroyed, and the Imām Rukn al-Dīn Khurshāh was captured and executed. The Nizārī polity was annihilated. Some survivors fled to India and Central Asia, forming the lineage of the present-day Nizārī Imāms, known as the Aga Khan family.

The term dīnār derives from the Roman denarius, transmitted via Greek and Persian into Arabic as “دينار.” Under the Umayyad caliph ʿAbd al-Malik (reigned AD 685–705), the Islamic world standardised the gold dīnār, weighing approximately 4.25 grams, with the shahāda on the obverse and mint and date on the reverse. Together with the silver dirham and copper fals, it formed the tri-metallic currency system of Islam. As the empire expanded, “dīnār” became the generic term for gold coins across many Muslim realms. Although weight and fineness varied regionally, the dīnār remained a symbol of both religious and political legitimacy, serving as the universal gold coin of the Islamic world.

物件編號: A3607

年代: 公元 1143-1144 年 (伊曆 538 年)

材質: 黃金

尺寸: 15.6 x 12.8 x 0.2 mm

重量: 0.8 g

製造地: 阿拉穆特

來源: 史蒂芬稀有錢幣專輯 2025

這是一枚尼札里伊斯瑪儀派的阿薩辛教團，其第三任伊瑪目代理穆罕默德一世，所造的¼第納爾金幣。

錢幣銘文為阿拉伯文。正面中央，由右至左四行為清真言，第一行「لا إله」(lā ilāha)，第二行「إلا الله」(illā Allāh)，第三行「محمد」(Muḥammad)，第四行「رسول الله」(rasūl Allāh)，合為「萬物非主，唯有真主；穆罕默德，是主的使者」。清真言兩側分列直書幣銘，右側由上而下為「محمد بن」(Muḥammad ibn)，左側由下而上為「بوزرگميد」(Buzurgumīd)，合為「布茲爾古米德之子穆罕默德」，即鑄主。以環相隔，外側環列銘文，自上方起，逆時針右讀為「بسم الله ضرب هذا الدینار بکرسی الدیلم سنة ثمان و ثلاثین و خمس مائة 」(bismi llāhi ḍuriba hādhā al-dīnār(u) bi-Kursī al-Daylam(i) sanat(a) thamānin wa-thalāthīn wa-khamsi miʾa(tin))，意為「奉真主之名，此第納爾於伊曆五百三十八年在德耶蘭之座鑄造」。德耶蘭為古代阿爾波茲山脈(Alborz Mountains)一帶生活之波斯高地民族「德耶蘭人」(Daylamites)的居地，因此而成為地區名稱，約位於今伊朗北部里海南岸。而「座」(كرسي ,kursī)既指座椅，也衍義為權位、權力中心或首都之意。德耶蘭之座即意為德耶蘭地區的權力中樞，也是尼札里派的總部——阿剌模忒堡(原意為「鷹巢」，今譯阿拉穆特)。

錢幣上緣焊上一金屬勾，可能展示了該錢幣曾作為飾品而使用。

背面中央第一行為「علي ولي الله」(ʿAlī walī Allāh)，意即「阿里是真主之友」，是什葉派穆斯林的核心教義，也是證信(宣誓)。第二行為「المصطفى」(al-Muṣṭafā)，第三行為「لدين الله」(li-Dīn Allāh)，合為「被真主為其宗教所揀選的」，為法蒂瑪王朝伊瑪目的正式頭銜。第四行為「نزار」(Nizār)，指尼扎爾·伊本·穆斯坦西爾(Nizar ibn al-Mustansir)，尼札里派便因此得名，認為尼扎爾為正統的第九任哈里發與第十九任伊斯瑪儀伊瑪目，拒絕承認開羅的魁儡哈里發穆斯塔利。以環相隔，外側環列銘文，自左下方起，逆時針右讀為「أمير المؤمنين صلوات الله عليه و على آبائه الطاهرين و أبنائه الأكرمين」(ʾAmīr al-Muʾminīn ṣalawātu llāhi ʿalayhi wa-ʿalā ābāʾihi al-ṭāhirīn wa-abnāʾihi al-akramīn)「願真主的祝福臨於信士之君、以及他純潔的祖先與尊貴的後裔」，為祝禱詞。「信士之君」為伊斯蘭教發展初期，第二位正統哈里發歐麥爾首倡，為了避免頭銜冗長而使用該簡短的稱號，此後成為穆斯林傳統對哈里發的尊稱。「純潔的祖先與尊貴的後裔」均強調自穆罕默德、法蒂瑪－阿里以降，聖裔血脈的合法性與正統性。

什葉派(Shīʿa)是伊斯蘭教的主要分支之一，主張穆罕默德先知的合法繼承人應是其女婿阿里及其後裔。什葉派認為真主的意志藉由「伊瑪目」(Imām)體現，「伊瑪目」原為儀式上率眾禮拜的領禱者，後引申為教長或領袖。什葉派則更進一步，認為伊瑪目具有神授的知識與無誤性，能引導信徒通往正道。

在伊瑪目繼承問題上，什葉派內部出現多次分裂。其中，追隨第七任伊瑪目賈法爾之子伊斯瑪儀(Ismāʿīl ibn Jaʿfar)的派別形成伊斯瑪儀派(Ismāʿīliyya)。該派主張伊瑪目的血統未斷，並強調《古蘭經》具有「外顯」(ẓāhir)與「內隱」(bāṭin)兩層意義，後者僅伊瑪目能詮釋。這種重視內在啟示的信仰特質，使伊斯瑪儀派被遜尼派學者稱為「巴提尼派」(Bāṭiniyya)，意指「深奧隱義者」。

公元十世紀，伊斯瑪儀派在北非建立法蒂瑪王朝(Fatimid Caliphate, 909–1171)，以突尼斯馬赫迪耶為都，後遷至埃及開羅。法蒂瑪王朝自稱為阿里與法蒂瑪(先知之女)之後，建立與阿拔斯王朝並立的什葉派哈里發政權。其名「法蒂瑪」象徵血統的純正與宗教合法性。王朝在政治、學術與建築上均有重要成就，如創立艾資哈爾大學，並推廣伊斯瑪儀派宣傳體系。其統治延續逾二世紀，為中世紀伊斯蘭世界中最具影響力的什葉派政權之一。

公元1094年，法蒂瑪王朝第八位哈里發穆斯坦希爾(al-Mustanṣir)去世，引發繼承爭議。長子尼札爾(Nizār)被廢，幼子穆斯塔利(al-Mustaʿlī)繼位。尼札爾後逃亡亞歷山大港自任哈里發。支持尼札爾的伊斯瑪儀派學者哈桑·伊本·薩巴赫(Ḥasan-i Ṣabbāḥ)拒絕承認穆斯塔利，於伊朗北部的阿拉穆特(Alamut)建立根據地，形成尼札里派。在尼札爾身亡後，尼札里派信仰尼札爾的血脈伊瑪目仍在隱匿中，哈桑與其繼承者作為「伊瑪目代理」(ḥujjat)領導教團。教團成員精通潛行與謀略，以信仰嚴密、組織嚴格著稱。由於他們在兩世紀間對敵對政權與學者進行有計劃的暗殺行動，歐洲十字軍與阿拉伯史家稱其為「阿薩辛」(Assassins)，據稱該名源於阿拉伯語「Hashshāshīn」，意指「吸食大麻者」，但實際上有學者認為該詞來自遜尼派對尼札里派的蔑稱，意為「下等人、無信者」。阿薩辛派並非無序刺客組織或傭兵，而是尼札里派政權的防禦手段。其統治區包括阿拉穆特、拉姆塞爾、黎巴嫩的馬西亞夫等堡壘。他們建立獨立行政體系，發行貨幣，甚至與十字軍諸國及阿拔斯哈里發往來外交。

布茲爾古米德(Buzurgumīd)是哈桑·伊本·薩巴赫的繼任者，為教團的第二任領袖。他在位期間(約公元1124至1138年)延續哈桑的制度，強化教義教育與山區防禦。其子穆罕默德一世(Muḥammad ibn Buzurgumīd)繼位後(公元1138至1162年)，成為第三任領袖。穆罕默德一世的統治被視為教團的穩定期。他延續父祖嚴謹的宗教紀律，同時推行行政整頓與外交靈活策略，與周邊塞爾柱土耳其政權保持相對和平。然而，十三世紀中葉蒙古帝國崛起，阿拉穆特的孤立地位成為弱點。公元1256年，旭烈兀(Hülegü)奉命進軍波斯，展開對尼札里派堡壘的徹底征伐。經十五日圍攻後，阿剌模忒堡陷落，藏書館與文獻被焚毀，領袖魯克丁·胡爾沙被俘處死。自此，阿薩辛政權滅亡。其部分後裔逃往印度與中亞，延續為今日伊瑪目社群的阿迦汗一脈(Aga Khan)。

第納爾(Dinar)之詞源可追溯至羅馬銀幣第納里烏斯(denarius)，傳入波斯及阿拉伯語成為「دينار / dīnār」。伊斯蘭世界自伍麥亞王朝哈里發阿卜杜勒·馬立克(ʿAbd al-Malik, 公元685至705年在位)起，正式鑄造標準化的金第納爾，重量約4.25克，正面刻有清真言「萬物非主，唯有真主」，背面則記載鑄幣地與年代。此後，第納爾與銀幣迪拉姆(Dirham)、銅幣法爾斯(Fals)共同構成伊斯蘭貨幣體系的核心。隨著伊斯蘭帝國的擴張，「第納爾」逐漸成為許多穆斯林政權金幣或貨幣單位的通稱。雖然各地重量與純度略有差異，但第納爾始終象徵宗教與政治權威，成為伊斯蘭世界通用的形制。