Mithqāl ( ar, ) is a unit of mass equal to which is mostly used for measuring precious metals, such as
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
, and other commodities, like
saffron
Saffron () is a spice derived from the flower of ''Crocus sativus'', commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and colouring agent i ...
.
The name was also applied as an alternative term for the
gold dinar
The gold dinar ( ar, ﺩﻳﻨﺎﺭ ذهبي) is an Islamic medieval gold coin first issued in AH 77 (696–697 CE) by Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan. The weight of the dinar is 1 mithqal ().
The word ''dinar'' comes from the La ...
, a coin that was used throughout much of the
Islamic world
The terms Muslim world and Islamic world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is practiced. In ...
from the 8th century onward and survived in parts of Africa until the 19th century. The name of
Mozambique
Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...
's currency since 1980, the ''
metical
The metical (; plural: ) is the currency of Mozambique, abbreviated with the symbol ''MZN'' or ''MT''. It is nominally divided into 100 centavos. The name ''metical'' comes from Arabic ('' mithqāl''), a unit of weight and an alternative name fo ...
'', is derived from ''mithqāl''.
Etymology
The word ''mithqāl'' ( ar, ; “weight, unit of weight”) comes from the Arabic ''thaqala'' (), meaning “to weigh”. Other variants of the unit in English include ''miskal'' (from
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, the measurement is known as ''mithqaal''. It contains 4 and 3½ (rata'ii; مثقال).
It is equivalent to 4.25 grams when measuring
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
, or 4.5 grams when measuring commodities. It may be more or less than this.
Conversion factors
The mithqāl in another more modern calculation is as follows:
Nakhud is a Baháʼí unit of mass used by Bahá'u'lláh. The mithqāl had originally consisted of 24 nakhuds, but in the
Bayán
In Bábism, Bayán ( ar, بیان), or exposition, denotes the whole body of the works of the Báb
The Báb (b. ʿAlí Muḥammad; 20 October 1819 – 9 July 1850), was the messianic founder of Bábism, and one of the central figures of the ...
, the collective works of the
Báb
The Báb (b. ʿAlí Muḥammad; 20 October 1819 – 9 July 1850), was the messianic founder of Bábism, and one of the central figures of the Baháʼí Faith. He was a merchant from Shiraz in Qajar Iran who, in 1844 at the age of 25, claimed ...
, this was reduced to 19.
See also
*
Troy ounce
Troy weight is a system of units of mass that originated in 15th-century England, and is primarily used in the precious metals industry. The troy weight units are the grain, the pennyweight (24 grains), the troy ounce (20 pennyweights), and the ...
*
Gram
The gram (originally gramme; SI unit symbol g) is a Physical unit, unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI) equal to one one thousandth of a kilogram.
Originally defined as of 1795 as "the absolute weight of a volume of pure wate ...
*
Gold gram
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
*
Nisab
In Sharia (Islamic Law) niṣāb (نِصاب) is the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to give zakat. Zakat is determined based on the amount of wealth acquired; the greater one's assets, the greater the zakat value. U ...
*
Mithqal Al Fayez
Mithqal Sattam Fendi Al Fayez (Arabic: مثقال الفايز , ( – 1967) was a historical Jordanian political and tribal figure whose work helped the establishment of The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Mithqal was one of the two leading sheikhs ...