Money is one of the most important human inventions that contributed to the development of civilizations and the exchange of benefits between peoples.
The currency or money reflects the most important stages of cultural, civilizational and economic development of the nations, as the presence of a currency in civilization or state is evidence of its strength and cultural and cultural distinction from other nations, and the writings and drawings that appear on these currencies reflect the cultural face of the nation or the state.
The beginning of the era of money in the Arab world
The money has gone through many stages in the Arab region, starting from barter, to metal and paper currencies. With the emergence of Islam, the money witnessed a radical shift in its form and value, as it reflects the Arab -Islamic identity and the economic and civilizational values of the new nation.
The Arabian Peninsula enjoyed a distinguished location between the ancient civilizations of the world, and many global trade routes were going through, and Makkah was an important commercial center, which allowed it to contact many countries and civilizations such as the Byzantine and Persian civilizations.
The result of this communication was the knowledge of the Arabs with the coins and money that these countries quit, and deal with them before the matter evolved because the Arabs issued their initial coins.
History reminds us of a number of early Arab countries that struck the coins such as the kingdoms of Saba, Hadramout in Yemen and the Kingdom of Nabataeans in Jordan, according to the researcher Abdul Haq Al -Aifa in a valuable study of him at the Jordanian Yarmouk University under the title “The Evolution of Money in Islamic History”.
Money in the forefront of Islam
The Byzantine Dinar and the Persian Kero -Dirham were the two currencies used in the Byzantine and Persian empires, respectively. Both currencies were used in the Arabian Peninsula before Islam, and they also continued in the early years of the Islamic state until the Umayyad period, according to a study entitled “A brief summary of money in Islam and the estimation of the value of the dirham and the dinar” by the researcher Mansour Zara Ahmadinejad published on the “Research Gate” platform.
- The Byzantine dinar
The Byzantine Empire released the golden coin of “Solidos”, “Nomasma” or “Byzantine Dinar” as is customary, which was used primarily for large transactions such as paying taxes.
The role of the rail in Antioch and Alexandria was providing southern provinces with most of the traded currencies. The emerging Islamic State inherited this effective monetary system, and has minor changes during its first decades, according to the Metropolitan Museum of Arts.
The basic Byzantine currency was the gold, as the Byzantine dinar carried on its front face 3 emperors -Hqqal in the middle surrounded by its two sons Constantine and Heraklon, wearing crowns crowned with the cross and each carried a small ball with a cross.
These currencies were distinguished by their high quality and engravings in Greek, and their standard weight was 4.33 grams, according to the platform “Islamic Awareness” as well as an in -depth study by Dr. Wijdan Ali with the “Islamic Heritage” platform.
- Persian broken dirhams
As for the second type, it is the Sassanian silver dirham, known as the broken, where it carried the image of a great fracture of the Persians on one of its faces, and the image of the sacred fire at the Persians on the other side.
There were multiple types of dirhams, the most prominent of which is the Tabriya dirham, which reached the weight of 8 dwdaks, and the mule dirhams with a weight of 4 dwdaks, where the dungeon is an Islamic gynecologist that was used in weight and the agent during the Islamic ages, and his weight is equivalent to the sixth of the dirham, according to the researcher Abdul Haq Al -Aifa in his aforementioned study.
The currency in the era of the Holy Prophet and the adult caliphs
Historical research indicates that there is no money during the era of the Messenger (may God bless him and grant him peace) or the first caliph Abu Bakr Al -Siddiq (may God be pleased with him).
The first attempt to instruct Arab Islamic money during the reign of Caliph Omar bin Al -Khattab (may God be pleased with him) was, as Al -Faruq realized early that the currency is not just an economic tool, but rather reflects the identity of the emerging state.
During the reign of Umar ibn al -Khattab, the dirhams were struck in the format of the broken dirhams, with the addition of Arabic phrases such as “Praise be to God” and “Muhammad is the Messenger of God”. This approach continued during the reign of Uthman bin Affan (may God be pleased with him), where the dirhams were struck in Tabaristan and engraved with the Kufic script “in the name of God my Lord.”
As for the reign of the Caliph Ali bin Abi Talib (may God be pleased with him), the railway was struck in Basra without major changes, until the Umayyad era came, to witness a fundamental shift in the Islamic monetary system, according to the researcher Muhammad Al -Anaswa in his studies, “Al -Masoukat documentaries of information in Islamic history.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dclijmv5maw
The birth of the Islamic dinar
The birth of the Islamic dinar was not just an economic step, but rather a declaration of the political and cultural independence of the Islamic state, which sparked a clash with the Byzantine Empire.
During the wars of Abd al -Malik bin Marwan to pass his rule, he had to hold a truce with the Byzantine Emperor Justinian, the second, which included paying a thousand dinars per week to prevent attacks on the Levantine gaps, according to a previous report by Al -Jazeera Net.
When Abd al -Malik decided to Arabize the currency, this angered Justinian, who threatened to issue dinars carrying abusive phrases to the Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace). In response, Abd al -Malik Basil, the Golden Islamic Dinar, ordered the reason to circulate the Byzantine dinars, which led to the end of the armistice and the declaration of war.
The confrontation ended with the victory of the Islamic State, which was not satisfied with repelling the attack, but rather launched incursion campaigns in Byzantine lands led by Muhammad bin Marwan, then Abdullah bin Abdul Malik, until it reached its climax by trying to siege of Constantinople in 99 AH.
The Islamic dinar has become the official currency in the Islamic State, used in internal and external trade, and its economic impact reached its climax, until it became known as Latin as “Mankos”.
The effect of the Islamic dinar on the local and global economy
The impact of the Islamic dinar on the local and global economy can be summarized at that time with the following points according to the previous sources, as well as an article by Dr. Adel Zaitoun in Al -Arabi Magazine (No. 508):
- Economic independence from the Byzantine Empire
Before the Islamic dinar, the Islamic State relied on Byzantine currencies (golden dinars) and the Persian (silver dirham) in its trade. An independent Islamic currency was sold in 77 AH, and this helped end the economic dependency of the Byzantines and enhance the economic sovereignty of the Islamic state.
- Unification of the monetary system in the Islamic world
The Islamic dinar sliced the establishment of a unified monetary system in the Islamic world that depends on dinars and Islamic dirhams, which contributed to facilitating internal and external trade between different parts of the Islamic world.
- Impact on global trade
Islamic currencies have become known for their precise quality and weight, especially the Islamic dinar, which was characterized by the stability of its weight, caliber and purity over several centuries, and created a global position and an international reputation, which increased confidence in it in the global markets.
These Arab -Islamic currencies were used in trade with Europe, India, and China.
The Islamic dinar gradually replaced Byzantine currencies in various regions of the Middle East and North Africa.
- Promote the economic power of the Islamic state
The Islamic dinar has increased the strength of the economy, as taxes and tribute are pushed in Islamic currency and helped in developing trade and markets, and attracting more foreign traders.
- Spreading Islamic culture in the financial system
The Islamic dinar contained only Arabic inscriptions, which strengthened the spread of the Arabic language and showed cultural independence. The currencies included religious phrases such as “There is no god but God, Muhammad is the Messenger of God,” which strengthened the Islamic identity in the economy.
Today, the Islamic dinar remains a symbol of the Islamic cultural heritage and a evidence of the economic innovations presented by the Islamic civilization to the world.
