Bronze coin from the Abbasid Revolution

Abbasid Revolution. AE fals (1.92 g, 21 mm). Mint not clear, dated 131 AH (749 CE), in name of Abu Muslim. Obverse: First half of Kalima in center, further inscription along edge. Reverse: Second half of Kalima in center, Bismillah along edge including the name of Abu Muslim about 9 o-clock, date of 131. Album 208. This coin: Pars Coins Bargain eSale 34, lot 187 (May 8, 2025).

The Abbasid Revolution, which overthrew the Umayyad Caliphate and established the Abbasid Caliphate in its place, was a complex affair, with multiple factions united by their hatred of the Umayyads but often for different underlying reasons. Probably the most important factor, however, was the fact that the Umayyads concentrated political power almost exclusively in Arab hands, even though the majority of both Muslims and non-Muslim populations ruled by the Caliphate by this point were not ethnically Arabs. Non-Arab Muslims were not brought into the bureaucracy or the military leadership, and in non-Arab areas (such as Persia) the Arab military and political leaders were often kept apart from the people they ruled, sequestered in garrison cities. This continued despite the theoretical universality of Islam making all believers equal, regardless of racial or ethnic origin. Additional support for the Abbasids (who claimed descent from Al-Abbas, an uncle of the Prophet Muhammad) came from Shia Muslims and non-Muslim populations. All of these groups would unite under the black banner of the Abbasids. The main part of the revolt, after a long build-up, started in 129 AH/747 CE, when Abu Muslim led a revolt in Khorasan, a large province consisting of northeastern Iran and adjoining areas of Afghanistan and Central Asia. Abbasid forces then took over Persia in a series of battles, and in early 750 CE the decisive Battle of the Zab (a tributary of the Tigris) saw Umayyad forces crushed, with the Umayyad caliph Marwan II fleeing to Egypt, where he was tracked down and killed that summer. Al-Saffah became the first Abbasid caliph, succeeded in 754 by his brother al-Mansur. Al-Mansur, fearing the continued popularity of Abu Muslim, had him killed in 755. The early part of the Abbasid Caliphate would go on to be considered the Islamic Golden Age. This coin is a relic of a tumultuous period in Islamic history, and was a bargain at just $31 final bid for a well-preserved scarce issue. Please post whatever relevant coins you have.