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Dinar - al-Wathiq
| Issuer | Abbasid Caliphate |
|---|---|
| Year | 842-847 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 4.03 g |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse presents a central field with a multi-line Arabic Kufic inscription arranged in horizontal registers, referencing the Prophet Muhammad as the messenger of God and naming the Caliph al-Wathiq. The central text block is enclosed within a single linear circle, with a continuous circular marginal legend running along the outer border. The marginal inscription contains the mint name and regnal year in Hijri dating. The overall design adheres strictly to the aniconic Abbasid monetary tradition, with the field entirely occupied by bold, angular Kufic lettering. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Al-Wathiq's reign coincided with the peak of Mutazilite theological dominance at the Abbasid court, a period when caliphs actively enforced the doctrine of the created Quran through the mihna — an inquisition that imprisoned and flogged scholars who refused to conform. That political-religious climate is inseparable from these coins, struck by a caliph who personally interrogated dissidents. Ahmad ibn Hanbal had already endured flogging under al-Wathiq's predecessor; the repression continued until al-Wathiq's death ended the mihna entirely in 848.