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THE ORIGINS OF THE ISLAMIC STATE
inscribe the word "Christ" at the top part of the ḳarâṭîs, and to ascribe divinity to him (may Allah be highly exalted above that!); and they used to put the sign of the cross in place of "In the name of Allah, the compassionate, the merciful". That is why the Byzantine king was disgusted and his anger was aroused with the change that ʿAbd-al-Malik introduced.
According to al-Madâʾini, it was stated by Maslamah ibn-Muḥârib that Khâlid ibn-Yazîd advised ʿAbd-al-Malik to declare the use of the Greek dînârs illegal, to prohibit their circulation and to stop the sending of the ḳarâṭîs to the Byzantine empire. Accordingly, no ḳarâṭîs were carried there for some time.
