Transcript Open Mithqal Dirham/Dinar System presented by Prof. Tariq Kahn Man and metals  Process Metallurgy is one of the oldest applied sciences.

Open Mithqal
Dirham/Dinar System
presented by Prof. Tariq Kahn
Man and metals

Process Metallurgy is one of the oldest
applied sciences. Its history can be
traced back to 6000 BC. Admittedly, its
form at that time was rudimentary, but,
to gain a perspective in Process
Metallurgy, it is worthwhile to spend a
little time studying the initiation of
mankind's association with metals.

Currently there are 86 known metals.
Before the 19th century only 24 of these
metals had been discovered and, of
these 24 metals, 12 were discovered in
the 18th century. Therefore, from the
discovery of the first metals - gold and
copper until the end of the 17th
century, some 7700 years, only 12
metals were known.

Four of these metals, arsenic,
antimony , zinc and bismuth , were
discovered in the thirteenth and
fourteenth centuries, while platinum
was discovered in the 16th century. The
other seven metals, known as the
Metals of Antiquity, were the metals
upon which ancient civilisation was
based.
These seven metals were:
 (1) Gold (ca) 6000BC
 (2) Copper,(ca) 4200BC
 (3) Silver,(ca) 4000BC
 (4) Lead, (ca) 3500BC
 (5) Tin, (ca) 1750BC
 (6) Iron,smelted, (ca) 1500BC
 (7) Mercury, (ca) 750BC
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These metals were known to the
Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Greeks and
the Romans. Of the seven metals, five
can be found in their native states, e.g.,
gold, silver, copper, iron (from meteors)
and mercury. However, the occurrence
of these metals was not abundant and
the first two metals to be used widely
were gold and copper. And, of course,
the history of metals is closely linked to
that of coins and gemstones

Thus we find the first problem in
process metallurgy : The metal deposit
must be identified. In the case of the
first metals color was the most
important factor as it allowed the metal
to be recognized in surrounding rock,
stones, gravel and dirt (gangue) and
separated. Clearly, after recognition,
separation is next problem followed by
concentration.
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These three steps are very important and the
economics of these steps usually define
whether it is viable to produce the metal from
a set deposit. In the early days all three steps
were carried out simultaneously. Gold is
widely dispersed throughout the earths crust
(0.005 ppm) at a very small level, therefore, it
is very important to find naturally occurring
concentrations. The scarcity of gold and its
value, due to mankinds fascination with its
color, have lead to gold being the one of the
more important metals in daily life alongside
silver, which was often associated with it.
The karat scale
Gold Quality:

Gold's purity is measured in karats. The
term "karat" harks back to the ancient
bazaars where "carob" beans were
used to weigh precious metals. 24 karat
is pure gold, but its purity means it is
more expensive and less durable than
gold that is alloyed with other metals.
Different alloys are used in jewelry for
greater strength, durability and color
range.
The karatage of the jewelry will tell you
what percentage of gold it contains: 24
karat is 100 percent, 18 karat is 75
percent, and 14 karat is 58 percent
gold. When comparing gold jewelry, the
higher the number of karats, the greater
the value.
 Thus 1 karat = 4.16% of Gold
 Karat is therefore a measure of purity,
not weight, although there is a obvious
relation.

Silver

Although silver was found freely in nature, its
occurrence was rare. Silver is the most
chemically active of the noble metals, is
harder than gold but softer than copper. It
ranks second in ductility and malleability to
gold. It is normally stable in pure air and
water but tarnishes when exposed to ozone,
hydrogen sulfide or sulfur. Due to its softness,
pure silver was used for ornaments, jewelry
and as a measure of wealth. In a manner
similar to gold, native silver can easily be
formed. Silver's symbol is Ag from the latin
argentum.

Another development in metal
processing was the discovery that if
bone ash was added to lead oxide, the
lead oxide would be adsorbed and a
large amount of material containing
silver could be processed. By 2500 BC
the cupellation process was the normal
mode of silver manufacture.
Ancient African Kindoms and
Gold and Silver trade
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Ibn al-Faquh, an Iranian scholar compiling material for an encyclopedia
of the Muslim world, wrote the following CE. 900:
“It is said that beyond the source of the Nile is darkness and beyond
the darkness are waters, which make the gold grow…to the town of
Ghana is a three months’ journey through deserts”.
Al-Bakri, a historian in Cardob3, later used travelers’ and traders’
reports to describe the Kingdom of Ghana in his Book of Roads and
Kingdoms, CE 1068. He wrote:
 “Ghana…is a title given to their kings; the name of the region in Awkar,
and their present king, who came to the throne in 1063, is Tunka
Manin. He rules an enormous kingdom, and has great power…When
he calls up his army he can put 200,000 men in the field, more than
40,000 of them archers” (Davidson, 1984,p. 90).
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MITKAL

Also romanized as mitgal and mithkal.
From pre-Islamic times to the present,
an Arabic unit of mass for gold and
precious stones.

In Africa, 13th – 20th centuries, the
principal unit of mass in the trade in
gold dust between West and North
Africa, = 1/6th of the North African trade
ounce, about 4.5 grams. The trade
ounce was descended from the Roman
ounce, which had been similarly divided
into 6 sextarii.
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According to Garrard (1980), the
eastern part of the Akan area, in what is
now Ghana, tended to use a weight
series based on this mitkal, while to the
west, in present-day Ivory Coast, a
series based on the trade ounce was
more common. He explains the
difference by the difference in
predominant trade items: Ghana
produced more gold dust, while the
future Ivoriens traded ivory and other
more massive items.
In North Africa and the Sahel, for coined
gold the mitkal (or dinar) was reckoned
at 6 2/3 mitkals to the ounce, so the
mitkal was about 4.5 grams.
 In Mande, a language often used in
trade in West Africa, the word was
metikale.
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In the Sudan, a unit of mass = 40
habba. The mitgal equals 40 habba of
gold, and the kirat 10 habba (i.e., 1
mitgal = 4 kirats), One mitqal is thus
about= 1½ dirhem, about 4.4 to 4.68
grams (72.22 grains –of barley cut to
uncut)
In the Umdatus Salik ala Madhab Imam
Shafi’I, Imam Nawawi is related on
Zakaat.
 Imam Nawawi states the amount for
Zakaat Nisab, interestingly, related to
the Mithqal and not the dinar, and
relates the dirham to the mithqal.

He says:
 Wa nisabu al-dhahabi ashroona
mithqallan wa zakaatu nasf mithqallin.
 “the nisaab for zakaat on Gold is 20
mithqals and the zakaat payable is ½ a
mithqal”

Again when it comes to silver, he says:
 Wa zakaatu hamsatu dirhama
 “the zakaat on nisab of silver is 5
dirhams.”

In the Umdatus Salik ala Madhab Imam
Malik, Imam AbulHasan Shadhili says:
 “ fa nisaabi adh-dhahabi ashroona
dinaran”
 Here clearly, even in the textual usage
the dinar is estblished as ONE mithqal
between the comparison of the texts of
the Maliki’s and the Shafi’is

Thus historically the two terms have
been used interchangebly, the dinar
refering to currency, and the mithqal to
the weight factor.
 The weight and the measure is crucial
to the establishment of the currency of
the Muslims as this affects the honesty
of trade and exchange, as well as the
matter of nisaab in Zakaat.

Now we know the traditional rate of
equivalence according to the Sharia
rulings in all the classical deductions, is
 10 dirhams = 1 dinar
 Thus according to the nisaab ruling of
0.5 mithqal = 5 dirhams verifies the 10 x
ruling in terms of nisaab equivalence.

NOTE the difference.
 The weight ratio is 1 ½ dirham by
weight = 1 mithqal (dinar) by weight.
 This is weight NOT value!
 The exchange rate is determined by
the nisaab ruling during the classical
period of 0.5 mithqal = 5 dirhams in
VALUE. The metals have different
value.
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It leads us however to a tricky problem.
We the Muslims are NO LONGER IN
CHARGE OF THE CURRENCY
EXCHANGE RATE FOR GOLD AND
SILVER! Thus we have to start
somewhere in the process where we
can cost effectively return to the sunnah
currency, as silver is undervalued at
times by 72 times below gold.
This setting of the GOLD price, in
London, known as the London FIXING,
traditionally by a Rothchild, shows
clearly how the Judification of value and
the transvaluation of values have
occurred on a global scale.
 The London fixing, or any gold valuation
based in London and attached to this
terror mechanism SHOULD BE
REJECTED by Muslims working
towards the estblishment of bi-metal
currencies.

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The best option to start the minting of
OPEN SOURCE currency, would then
be to make use of the low value of
SILVER, and to start minting our REAL
SHARIA COMPLIANT CURRENCY, in
Dirhams, based of the weight factors
described above.
72 grains of barley, have been found to
accord, statistically, to about 4.4 -4.5
grams,
 Making the minimum nisab at around 88
to 90grams of gold.
 The general ruling in Sharia is to be
precautious, not stingy.

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On the mithqal equivalency by
WEIGHT, the nisaab for SILVER
DIRHAM or otherwise, is then
determined as 587 to 600 grams of
silver. This allows a weight factor
variation of 2.93 to 3.01grams to the
coin. Again the higher the better in
terms of being open handed rather than
closed fisted.
Coin Forgeries
Very difficult traditionally unless pure
gold is not the object under discussion,
and very expensive even today, when
rare metals, such as tantallum in alloys
prove unstable.
 If electrum and white gold is in use, then
of course the nature of the forgery is
enhanced. Similarly with silver, unless
pure silver is used.

Typical forged coin vs real (left)
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a fake "Gold coin" dating from 1775,
made of a ternary alloy Au (30%), Ag
(21%), Cu (49%) and gilded by mercury
process. The selection of such a costly
alloy was observed and it is shown that
this derives neither from technical
imperatives, nor from cost
considerations. The cost of these
forgeries was in that time a useless
financial exercise and was quickly
halted.
Development of an locally reproducible
industrial process for minting an Open
Mithqal standard type intrinsic value coin

This part of the presentation
introduces a technology for localized
minting of intrinsic value bimetallic
coins. The main objective of this
work is to present the theoretical and
experimental results obtained during
the development of the process,
which are essential for producing
this type of coin.

The theoretical analysis was based
on the utilization of the finite-element
method to characterize metal
movement, to establish the process
sequence and related disk
geometries, and to design an
appropriate geometry for the
mechanical parts. The practical
implementation was based on a low
cost mechanical press and the
blanking modules, press and dies
were re-engineered to achieve the
overall objective.
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Experiments consisted on the
coinage of several prototypes in
copper in order to confirm the
theoretical predictions and to
validate the proposed technology,
which latter can be seen as an
alternative to the existing coin
technology based on centralized
mints and mass production in large
centers away from the users of the
prospective coins.
Suggestions by Ahmad Adjie
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The Open Mithqal Standard will have a guidance for physical
looks of the coins. Currently what we have as an advisory is:
Coins must show: mint name, year struck, weight in ty oz pure
gold/silver - - - in the commonly used calendar, language and
script of the community which the mint/guarantor/authority is
situated and where the coins will be used - - - e.g. in English
saying INM Cape Town, 2011, 1/10 oz or 3 gram fine silver.
Coins may additionally show: weight in mithqal/dirham,
guarantor/authority, date struck - - - in any calendar, language
and script of choice - - - e.g. in Japanese saying the japanese
date, 3.5 mithqal, Abdullah Ibrahim Yamasaki
Coins may additionally show: Month and/or Date struck - - - in
the common language and calendar.
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It is highly recommended for prudent quality control for the coins
to show a batch number/code and/or design that can be traced
back to the original dates of production and logged
manufacturing notes that is safely kept within each mint under
the full access and knowledge of the authority/guarantor and
shall be open to the public.
Any bas-relief or design of the obverse and reverse of the coins
can be used by each mint, following any principle the mint uses.
The art of the Muslims of the world depicting inanimatelyreferring forms is highly recommended. However, the first batch
of each independent mint/authority must be as economically
feasible and efficient for the first strikings so much so that the
designs can be made simpler e.g. for the first 1,000 coins.
Any edge serrations may be used as well as edge reliefs added
for thicker coins, blank is also acceptable, however, a raised
ring edge is highly recommended (though not a must) protecting
the center's obverse and reverse reliefs.
WIM (Wakala or World Islamic
Mint)
WIM was instituted by Umar Vadilo and
currently produce coins in the UAE for
world distribution. The costs of the coins
are however heavily influence by
handling and surcharges altering the
price by 25% in cases.
 In my opinion this is untennable, and
makes the coin a commemorative
medallion.

Open Source and Free MINTS
Islamic Mint Nusantra, founded by
Ahmad Adjie and Abbas Firman have
been producing good quality coins and
consistent low manufacturing costs.
 The free Mint of Amir Abullah in the
United States was another early mint
that operated on a silver dirham
standard, albeit a 10 dirham version.

We have successfully completed the
Cape Town Mint, with the hard work
and incredible perseverance of Amir
Muhamad Abrahams, and with the input
of Sidi Abdurahman Phillips, a jeweler
of renown in the Cape.
 All the details will be made availble as
open source for any Amirate that may
want to copy this design and mint
dirhams and dinars, following the
guidelines that we will provide.

Thank you
 Any questions?
