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The Papyrus Affair and the Striking of the Dinars

أمر القراطيس وضرب الدنانير

c. 692 CE · c. 73 AH† †

† Hijri date derived by computation from the Gregorian/Julian date; it may differ from the transmitted date by a day or two.

In al-Baladhuri: papyrus rolls entered Roman lands from Egypt and dinars came to the Arabs from the Romans; Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan was among the first to inscribe what was written at scroll-heads — 'Say He is God, One' and other mentions of God — so Rome's king wrote him: 'you have introduced an inscription on your papyri that we hate; if you leave it, we will put on the dinars of mention of you what you hate.' That weighed on Abd al-Malik — loath to abandon a good practice he had established — so he sent to Khalid ibn Yazid ibn Mu'awiya, who said: 'set your heart at ease, Commander of the Faithful: forbid their dinars that they not be traded, strike coinage for the people, and do not relieve these unbelievers of what they hated in the scrolls.' Abd al-Malik said 'you have relieved me, may God relieve you' and struck the dinars. Awana ibn al-Hakam said: the Copts used to mention Christ at scroll-heads attributing divinity to him, placing the cross where the basmala was — hence Rome's king was galled and Abd al-Malik's change weighed on him. Al-Mada'ini via Maslama ibn Muharib: Khalid ibn Yazid counselled Abd al-Malik to forbid their dinars, prevent trading in them, and stop papyrus entering Roman lands — so for a time none was carried to them.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Umayyad Period
Region
Egypt & Nile · Levant & Iraq · Anatolia
Review
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In time

680690700710 c.
The Umayyad Period

Summary

al-Baladhuri, in Futuh al-Buldan, reports that papyrus (qarattis) used to enter the lands of the Romans from Egypt, and that the Arabs used to receive dinars from the Romans. Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan was among the first to introduce writing on the tops of the papyrus sheets that mentioned God. 1

The letter of the king of the Romans

The king of the Romans wrote to him: "You have introduced into your papyrus a writing that we dislike. Either you leave it, or we will put on the dinars what you dislike." This weighed on Abd al-Malik, who disliked giving up a good custom that he himself had established. 1

The advice

He sent for Khalid ibn Yazid ibn Muawiya, who advised him to forbid the dinars of the Romans and to prohibit dealing in them, and to strike coins for the people. Abd al-Malik said that this had relieved him, and he struck the dinars. 1

Awana's account

Awana ibn al-Hakam said that the Copts used to write the name of Christ at the tops of the papyrus and ascribed divinity to him, and placed the cross in place of the basmala. This is why the king of the Romans was so harsh about Abd al-Malik's change. 1

al-Mada'ini's account

al-Mada'ini said, from Maslama ibn Muharib, that Khalid advised forbidding their dinars and dealing in them, and that no papyrus should enter the lands of the Romans. So for a while nothing was carried to them. 1

The three accounts differ in their cause and detail, and the date is approximate within the caliphate of Abd al-Malik.

Connections

Explore the connections

Had participant
al-Mada'ini· عوانة بن الحكم· Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan· Khalid Ibn Yazid Ibn Muawiya

People and things also explored

Abd al-Malik's Coinage Reform· The Transfer of Syria's Diwan from Greek· Battle of Dayr al-Jathaliq· The Building of the Fortress of Masisa· Killing of Abdallah ibn al-Zubayr· Construction of the Dome of the Rock under Abd al-Malik· The Founding of Wasit· al-Hajjaj's Mint and Coinage

Sources

  1. Futuh al-Buldan — al-Baladhuri (Mu'assasat al-Ma'arif edition)
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “The Papyrus Affair and the Striking of the Dinars”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/qaratis-dinar-crisis/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-16.

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Abd al-Malik's Coinage Reform

Heraclius's dinars and the Persian Baghliyya dirhams reached Jahiliya Mecca and traded only as bullion: their mithqal twenty-two qirats less a fraction, ten dirhams seven mithqals, the ratl twelve uqiyyas of forty dirhams — weights the Prophet confirmed, and Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali, and Mu'awiya after him. Mus'ab ibn al-Zubayr struck a few dirhams under Ibn al-Zubayr, later broken; then Abd al-Malik asked and tested, wrote al-Hajjaj to strike dirhams at fifteen qirats of the dinar-qirats, and struck the Damascene dinars — which came to Medina with Companions and Followers there and none objected. Al-Hasan ibn Salih: the Ajam dirhams ran great and small — twenty, twelve, ten qirats — and when Islam needed the mean for zakah they summed forty-two and struck the third, fourteen qirats, so ten Arab dirhams weigh seven mithqals. Quraysh's weights: the dirham for silver, the dinar for gold, ten dirham-weights to seven dinar-weights, the sha'ira a sixtieth of a dirham, the uqiyya forty dirhams, the nashsh twenty, the nawa five — all confirmed when the Prophet entered Mecca. And Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab, asked who first struck engraved dinars, said 'Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan — dinars came Byzantine, dirhams Kisrawi and few Himyari'.