25/05/2026
ईसाई बादशाह OFFA REX ने अपने सिक्के पर कलमा लिखवाया था। HISTORY OF KING OFFA REX
The Christian King Who Minted the Kalima: The Mystery of Offa Rex
History is full of mind-bending secrets, but few are as fascinating as the gold coin of King Offa of Mercia (an Anglo-Saxon kingdom in Anglo-Saxon England). In the late 8th century, this powerful Christian king minted a gold coin that stunned modern historians: it bore the sacred Islamic Shahada (Kalima) in Arabic script.
The Grand Illusion: A Copy of the Abbasid Dinar
King Offa (reigned 757–796 AD) wanted a gold currency that would be universally respected. At the time, the gold dinar of the Abbasid Caliphate under Caliph Al-Mansur was the "global reserve currency" of trade, accepted everywhere from Baghdad to the Mediterranean.
To tap into this booming trade network, Offa’s royal mint meticulously copied an Islamic gold dinar from the year 773-774 AD (AH 157).
The Upside-Down Mistake
The Anglo-Saxon die-maker who carved the coin was excellent at metalwork but had absolutely no understanding of Arabic script.
The coin beautifully carries the Kufic Arabic text: "La ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharika lah" (There is no god but Allah alone, He has no partner).
However, the king's Latin title—OFFA REX (King Offa)—was stamped right into the middle of the Arabic text... completely upside down!
This hilarious yet historic error proves that the coin wasn't an act of religious conversion, but a masterpiece of economic strategy.
Why Did a Christian King Mint an Islamic Coin?
Historians generally agree on two brilliant theories:
Global Trade: Merchants in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean trusted the look and weight of Islamic dinars. Stamping "Offa Rex" onto a familiar design meant English traders could buy luxury goods easily abroad.
A Royal Gift to the Pope: King Offa had promised an annual tribute of 365 gold coins (one for each day of the year) to the Pope in Rome for the poor. Because gold coins were rare in England, he minted these imitation dinars to fulfill his grand diplomatic payment.
Today, the only surviving specimen of this incredible cross-cultural artifact rests safely in the British Museum in London—a golden reminder of a time when the worlds of Anglo-Saxon England and early Islam collided through trade.
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