What is "mithqal"

n. 1 A unit of weight in the Islamic world, usually taken as equivalent to 4.25 grams, used especially to weigh precious metals. 2 A coin originally having such a weight.

Mithqāl is a unit of mass equal to 4.25 grams and mostly used for precious metals (mostly for weighing gold and Saffron).

The name was also applied as an alternative term for the gold dinar, a coin that was used throughout much of the Islamic world from the 8th century onward and survived in parts of Africa until the 19th century. The name of Mozambique's currency since 1980, the metical, is derived from mithqāl.