Abd al-Malik’s introduction of all-epigraphic dinars in 77 and dirhams in 78 represents a major turning point in the history of Islamic numismatics. The use of only inscriptional information is the culmination of a trend that had begun earlier. The mostly remarkable innovation was the use of Qur’anic ayah for the first time on coinage by a Muslim ruler. The specific choices of which verse were chosen reflects Abd al-Malik’s political and military goal of engaging Byzantium and emphasizing the differences between Muslim and Christian beliefs in God. Once included on the coinage, the ayah continued to appear on regular Muslim dinars and dirhams, including one verse that was still found inscribed on gold coins over 800 years later, although the original reasons for the inclusion of these specific verse were long forgotten.
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