Islamic, Umayyad. Time of Hisham ibn ʿAbd al-Malik. AR Dirham Struck at the Dimashq mint, dated AH 123

Islamic, Umayyad Caliphate — Hisham ibn ʿAbd al-Malik (AH 105–125 / AD 724–743)
Silver Dirham — Struck AH 123 (AD 740/1), Dimashq (Damascus)
Album 137; SICA II, 693 (rare date for Dimashq)
AR Dirham, Diameter: 26 mm, Weight: 2.76 g

A classic and historically significant example of Umayyad epigraphic coinage issued under the reign of Caliph Hisham ibn ʿAbd al-Malik, one of the longest-serving and most competent rulers of the Umayyad dynasty. This silver dirham was minted in Dimashq (modern-day Damascus), which stood as a key administrative and cultural hub of the early Islamic world.
Design Details:

• Obverse: Central three-line inscription of the kalima:
“There is no god but Allah alone, He has no partner.”
With marginal legend noting the mint and date in Arabic script.
• Reverse: Central four-line inscription quoting Surat al-Ikhlāṣ (Qur’an 112):
“Allah is One, Allah the Eternal, He neither begets nor is begotten, and there is none like unto Him.”
Marginal legend quoting Qur’an 9:33:
“Muhammad is the Messenger of God, sent with guidance and the true religion to prevail over all others, even if the polytheists dislike it.”

Condition: Minor edge bend, otherwise well-preserved for type.

The reign of Hisham ibn ʿAbd al-Malik was marked by stability, economic development, and a flourishing of Islamic culture, though also by ongoing military challenges on the Byzantine and Khurasani frontiers. His rule represents the peak of Umayyad administrative sophistication before the internal unrest that would lead to the dynasty's eventual downfall.
This dirham, struck late in his reign, follows the strict epigraphic style introduced during the monetary reform of Caliph ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Marwan in AH 77. It exemplifies the Umayyad emphasis on aniconism and the promotion of Qur’anic ideology through circulating currency.