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Dirham - al-Radi Donative type
| Issuer | Abbasid Caliphate |
|---|---|
| Year | 934-940 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central field contains multiple horizontal lines of Kufic Arabic religious legend arranged within a linear inner circle, reading the shahada and Quranic profession of faith. A secondary marginal legend in Kufic script runs within a beaded outer border encircling the central inscription, typical of Abbasid dirham design. The broad, flat flan characteristic of the donative type is evident, with a wide undecorated outer margin beyond the beaded border. The legends are boldly struck though slightly off-center, consistent with hammered coinage of the period. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | محمد رسول الله أرسله بالهدى ودين الحق ليظهره على الدين كله |
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| Additional information |
Al-Radi, who reigned from 934 to 940, was the last Abbasid caliph to compose poetry read aloud at court and the last to deliver Friday sermons in person — a symbolic endpoint to genuine caliphal authority before the Buyid takeover of 945 reduced the office to a purely ceremonial role. Donative dirhams of this type were struck not for commerce but for ceremonial distribution, most likely at court festivals or as royal gifts, which explains the survival of examples in comparatively clean condition.
The reduced weight against the classical Abbasid standard reflects the fiscal strain of a caliphate that had already lost direct control of most provincial mints.