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Dirham - Anonymous "Rabbi Allah"
| Issuer | Abbasid Caliphate |
|---|---|
| Year | 809-810 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 2.96 g |
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| Obverse description | Central field bears the Shahada in three lines of Kufic Arabic script: 'There is no god but Allah alone, with no partner.' The inner margin contains the mint and date formula reading: 'In the name of God, this dirham was struck in Madinat al-Salam in the year one hundred and ninety-four (AH 194 / AD 810).' The legends are arranged concentrically, with the central declaration occupying the primary field and the marginal inscription encircling it, consistent with classical Abbasid epigraphic dirham style. No figural imagery is present; the design relies entirely on Kufic calligraphy for its visual and religious impact. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له بسم الله ضرب هذا الدرهم بمدينة السلام سنة أربع وتسعين ومئة |
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| Additional information |
The "Rabbi Allah" anonymous dirhams belong to a brief reformist episode within Abbasid fiscal administration, issued without the caliph's name at a moment when the legitimacy of Al-Amin versus Al-Ma'mun was already becoming a dangerous question. Removing the ruler's name from the coinage was not humility — it was deliberate ambiguity, allowing a mint to remain technically compliant regardless of which brother ultimately prevailed in the civil war that would erupt within months of this issue.
Album 221.1 distinguishes this subtype within a closely related cluster of anonymous issues, the die varieties of which continue to generate disagreement among specialists.