ديوان الخاتم
ديوان الخاتم
The seal registry: Mu'awiya was the first to institute it, appointing Ubayd Allah ibn Aws al-Ghassani and handing him the seal, whose bezel read 'for every deed a recompense'. Its occasion was a warrant for one hundred thousand which a man unsealed and raised to two hundred thousand; when the account came up and Mu'awiya disavowed it he established the diwan al-khatim thenceforth, sealing letters so they could neither be opened nor padded — a practice that lasted among the Abbasid caliphs to their last days 1.
At a glance
- Era
- The Umayyad Period
- Review
- Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it
Overview
Al-Suyuti notes that Mu'awiya was the first to establish the diwan al-khatim (the office of the seal), and that this office continued under the Abbasid caliphs until the end of their days. 2
The account
Mu'awiya appointed 'Ubayd Allah ibn Aws al-Ghassani over the office and handed him the seal, on whose bezel was inscribed: "For every deed there is a reward." 2
According to the report, the reason for its establishment was that Mu'awiya ordered a man to be given a hundred thousand, and the man altered the document to make it two hundred thousand. When the account was raised, Mu'awiya denied it, and so he established the office so that letters would be sealed with it, and could not be opened or added to. 2
Sources
- Tarikh al-Khulafa — al-Suyuti (Dar al-Minhaj edition), p. 332
- Tarikh al-Khulafa — al-Suyuti (Dar al-Minhaj edition), p.332
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “ديوان الخاتم”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/diwan-al-khatim/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.