THE CREDIBILITY OF RELIGIOUS QUOTES ON ISLAMIC NUMISMATICS CONSIDERING ITS ACTUAL HISTORICAL CONTEXT: THE CASE OF TARMASHĪRĪN KHAN

Abstract

Islamic Numismatics provides many mottoes, nishāns, tamghas and figures that largely reflect the various contexts of its production. An understanding of these contexts, specifically the religious, political, and economic ones, with the help of related historical sources, is required to properly analyse these quotes and figures. These mottoes generally mirror the Sultan’s, or whom these coins have been struck, policy and the different concurrent circumstances and changes. Tarmashīrīn coins are an excellent paradigm to show to what extent these mottoes were agreed with the real contexts of their production. Tarmashīrīn was the first certain to convert to Islam from the Chagatay Mongols and took the name ͑Alā͗ al-Dīn. After embracing Islam, he abolished all the Mongol traditions inherited from the time of Genghis Khan. Tarmashīrīn began embracing the principles of Islam and made them the official traditions of the Mongol state. The present study investigates one of the most important Islamic traditions embraced by Tarmashīrīn as he tried to take it as his state regime. He tried to root the concept that the civilization and urbanism flourished and grew only with Justice; as quoted on his silver coins minted in Samarqand dated 726–727 AH “There is no Civilization except with Justice.” This paper focus is discussing this motto on Tarmashīrīn coins considering his rule’s period, contexts and his actual behaviour and performance along with his effect on Islamic teachings. In this regard, the paper corrects the misreading of related published coins and publishes new ones for the first time preserved in FINT Tübingen minted in Samarqand 726–727 AH. The paper concludes that the motto “There is no Civilization except with Justice,” which was inscribed on Tarmashīrīn’s coins agrees with Islamic culture and represented his vision throughout his rule. Moreover, Tarmashīrīn’s behavior mirrored his sincere belief in the meaning of this motto.