Analyzing the correlation between an 8th Century English coin and an Abbasid dinar of the same era, thus indicating the vast influential outreach of the Abbasid Caliphate.
In 1913, a golden coin was discovered that highly resembled an early Abbasid dinar (golden coin).[1] However, this dinar had something unique to it, in that it was minted in England, not Baghdad. While the Abbasids never controlled England, this dinar suggests that the Abbasids may have exerted an influential soft power on the British Isles.
The dinar below (figure 1) was minted in the Kingdom of Mercia (central England), under the reign of King Offa (r. 757-796 CE). On the reverse side (left image), the words “Offa Rex”, which in Latin means “King Offa”, are inscribed. For a non-Arabic reader, everything else may seem like scribbles. However, on the obverse side (right image), we find a vague inscription of the Islamic testimony of faith “La ilah illa / Allah wahdahu / la sharik lahu” (There is no god but Allah, the One, having no partner with Him).[2] Due to the abnormalities of Arabic letters inscribed in the coin, it is believed that Arabic speakers did not mint the dinar. The “la” for example, looks more like an “X” than it would a (لا), and the (w) and (h) in wahdahu are slanted in different directions, with (و) facing upwards, and (ح) slanting downwards.
On its own, the marginal text is challenging to read. However, the dinar closely resembles a dinar minted by the Abbasid caliph al-Mansur (r. 754 – 775 CE) in Baghdad (figure 2). Al-Mansur’s dinar contains the text “Muhammad / Rasul / Allah” (Muhammad is the messenger of Allah) inscribed at the center (left image). The marginal text reads, “In the name of Allah, this dinar was struck the year four and forty and one hundred” (144 AH / 761 CE). The obverse side is relatively similar to Offa’s dinar (figure 1) in that it contains the testimony of faith in the center. The marginal text is a Quranic verse and reads, “Muhammad rasul Allah arsalahu bi’l-huda wa din al-haqq li-yudhirahu ‘ala al-din kullihi” (Muhammad is the messenger of Allah who sent him with guidance and the religion of truth that he might make it supreme over all other religions).[3] It is thus believed that Offa’s dinar was an imitation of al-Mansur’s dinar.
However, why would King Offa in England mint a golden coin that closely resembles a dinar minted by a foreign power halfway across the globe? While we may not know for sure, there are a few things we can rule out. First, we can rule out religion. The fact that Offa’s dinar contained the Islamic testimony of faith does not mean he converted to Islam, as we have no evidence of anything related to Islam from him. Secondly, England did not use the Abbasid currency for its everyday transaction as one would use the USD today. Offa’s dinar is a gold coin, meaning that only the upper class held it, and a majority of the population could only dare dream to see one. Thirdly, the coin was not used for trading with the Abbasids since it would be considered counterfeit. While there are many Abbasid coins found in Scandinavia and around Europe, the Offa’s dinar was minted in England, not brought there through trade. An Abbasid coin minted in England would not be considered a legitimate Abbasid coin by merchants.
Offa’s dinar is evidence of the “soft power” influence the Abbasid caliphate had in England. The imitation of al-Mansur’s dinar is visible. Other than the abnormal Arabic letters and Latin, it is no coincidence that the layout and text are almost identical. The vast Abbasid trade routes may explain the acquisition of al-Mansur’s dinar by the Kingdom of Mercia. However, the Kingdom of Mercia did not just acquire the dinar; they were minting it. To them, they were imitating a coin that represented a cross-continental symbol of grandeur and power. Golden coins were rarely minted in England prior, and it is al-Mansur’s dinar that represented what a global imperial power looks like.
References
[1] A golden coin.
[2] لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له
[3] “هو الذي أرسل رسوله بالهدى ودين الحق ليظهره على الدين كله” سورة التوبة – الآية 33 , Surat al-Tawba, Verse 33.
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