File:Dirhem of al-Muntasir, AH 247-248.jpg

English: ISLAMIC, 'Abbasid Caliphate. al-Muntasir. AH 247-248 / AD 861-862. AR Dirhem (19mm, 2.88 g, 7h). Surra man ra’a (Samarra) mint. Dated AH 248 (AD 862). Album 232. Good VF, deeply toned. Rare.

The inscriptions on the dirham, following the standard Abbasid format, are:

Obverse center: لا إله إلا \ الله وحده \ لا شريك له "There is no god but God alone; He has no partner."
Obverse inner margin: بسم الله ضرب هذا الدرهم بسر من رأى سنة ثمان وأربعين ومائتين "In the name of God, this dirham was struck in Surra Man Ra'a the year two hundred and forty-eight (861-862 AD)."
Obverse outer margin: لله الأمر من قبل ومن بعد ويومئذ يفرح المؤمنون بنصر الله "To God belongs the command [of all things] before and after. And that day the believers will rejoice in the help of God (Qur'an 30:4-5)."
Reverse center: لله \ محمد \ رسول \ الله \ المنتصر بالله "To God. Muhammad is the Messenger of God. [The caliph] al-Muntasir bi-llah."
Reverse margin: محمد رسول الله أرسله بالهدى ودين الحق ليظهره على الدين كله ولو كره المشركون "Muhammad is the Messenger of God. He sent him with guidance and the true religion to proclaim it over all other religions, even if the polytheists dislike it (Qur'an 9:33)."

For more details on the layout of Abbasid coinage see:

• Bacharach, Jere L. Islamic History through Coins: An Analysis and Catalogue of Tenth-Century Ikhshidid Coinage. Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press, 2006. ISBN 977-424-930-5. pp 15-19