Chain Mail

 

Chain Mail

Sura 34 of the Quran describes that David had the iron softened for him, which he used to make armor.

[34:10] We endowed David with blessings from us: “O mountains, submit with him, and you too, O birds.” We softened the iron for him.

وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا دَاوُۥدَ مِنَّا فَضْلًا يَـٰجِبَالُ أَوِّبِى مَعَهُۥ وَٱلطَّيْرَ وَأَلَنَّا لَهُ ٱلْحَدِيدَ

[34:11] “You may make shields that fit perfectly, and work righteousness. Whatever you do, I am Seer thereof.”

أَنِ ٱعْمَلْ سَـٰبِغَـٰتٍ وَقَدِّرْ فِى ٱلسَّرْدِ وَٱعْمَلُوا۟ صَـٰلِحًا إِنِّى بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ

1	ani	أَنِ	“That
2	iʿ’mal	ٱعْمَلْ	make
3	sābighātin	سَـٰبِغَـٰتٍ	full coats (of armor)
4	waqaddir	وَقَدِّرْ	and it balanced / measured precisely
5	fī	فِى	[of]
6	l-sardi	ٱلسَّرْدِ	the links (of armor),
7	wa-iʿ’malū	وَٱعْمَلُوا۟	and work [you all]
8	ṣāliḥan	صَـٰلِحًا	righteous (deeds),
9	innī	إِنِّى	Indeed, I am
10	bimā	بِمَا	of what
11	taʿmalūna	تَعْمَلُونَ	you [all] do
12	baṣīrun	بَصِيرٌ	Seer.”

Opponents argue that chain mail did not exist during David’s time and that the first people to invent chain mail were the Celts. Except this is not correct. To date, historians do not know the exact origins of chain mail. For example, according to Wikipedia:

The earliest examples of surviving mail were found in the Carpathian Basin at a burial in Horný Jatov, Slovakia dated in the 3rd century BC, and in a chieftain’s burial located in Ciumești, Romania. Its invention is commonly credited to the Celts, but there are examples of Etruscan pattern mail dating from at least the 4th century BC. Mail may have been inspired by the much earlier scale armour. Mail spread to North Africa, West Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, India, Tibet, South East Asia, and Japan.

Herodotus wrote that the ancient Persians wore scale armour, but mail is also distinctly mentioned in the Avesta, the ancient holy scripture of the Persian religion of Zoroastrianism that was founded by the prophet Zoroaster in the 5th century BC.

Additionally, we see that scale armour began in the Middle East, and the earliest representation is found in the tomb of Kenamon, who lived in Egypt during the reign of Amenhotep II (1436–1411 BCE). Since David lived in c. 1000 BCE, it would not be an anachronism to state that he made such armor according to the Quran.

The word “sābighātin” ( سَـٰبِغَـٰتٍ ) means a full coat of mail, which can be either rings or plates that are joined together. And the word “l-sardi” ( ٱلسَّرْدِ ) just means that they are linked together. So, the text does not indicate that the armor was chains or scales, but only that it was perfectly balanced.

Interestingly, between chain mail and scale armor, scale armor typically requires more precision in balance. Here’s a comparison of the two to illustrate why:

• Chain Mail:
  • Chain mail consists of interlinked metal rings forming a flexible mesh.
  • Its flexibility allows it to drape over the body much like fabric, conforming to the wearer’s movements. This property reduces the need for precise balance or fitting as the mail can easily adjust to different body shapes and sizes.
  • While the weight distribution in chain mail is a consideration (especially in heavier variants), its inherent flexibility generally ensures a relatively even distribution of weight across the covered areas.
• Scale Armor:
  • Scale armor is made of small, overlapping plates (scales) attached to a backing material like cloth or leather.
  • Each scale must be correctly positioned and aligned to ensure effective coverage and flexibility. The arrangement of scales is crucial to maintain the armor’s effectiveness without impeding the wearer’s mobility.
  • The precision in the placement and attachment of the scales is vital for both protection and balance. Incorrectly aligned or imbalanced scales can create vulnerabilities and hinder movement.
  • Additionally, scale armor can be more rigid compared to chain mail, requiring more careful fitting to the wearer’s body to ensure proper balance and weight distribution.

In summary, while both chain mail and scale armor have their own complexities in terms of construction and fitting, scale armor generally demands greater precision in balance due to its structure and the need for exact placement and alignment of the scales. Chain mail’s more flexible and forgiving nature makes it less demanding in terms of balance and precision in fitting.

Archeology and Its Reliability

Archeology as a science depends heavily on the lack of evidence to make conclusions. The notion that chain mail was invented by the Celts is based on chain mail not being found in archaeological research (at least according to the supporters of this claim) before 3 BC and the oldest chain mail found being from the Celts.

This is not the strongest basis for conclusion and should not be taken very definitively in the first place.

Tafsir of Verses

There are two passages relevant to this discussion.

The first passage is what Allah says in Surah Anbiya:

And We taught him the fashioning of لَبُوسٌ (coats of armor, weapons, etc.) to protect you from your [enemy in] battle. So will you then be grateful?

Quran 21:80

We can derive two things from the first verse:

• Allah taught Dawood (AS) how to make لَبُوسٌ. This includes armor, weapons, and other tools of protection and war.
• A weaker derivation is that this knowledge given to him comes to us through him. That is because Allah says Dawood (AS) was taught to make those things “to protect you from your battle”. Allah turns the perspective around and talks to the readers, implying that whatever was taught to Dawood (AS) passed down to the readers so that they were able to use it to protect themselves. It also implies no one before Dawood (AS) knew these things.

The second passage is what Allah says in Surah Saba:

And We certainly gave David from Us bounty. [We said], “O mountains, repeat [Our] praises with him, and the birds [as well].” And We made pliable for him iron,

[Commanding him], “Make full coats of mail and calculate [precisely] the links, and work [all of you] righteousness. Indeed I, of what you do, am Seeing.”

Quran 34:11

We can derive two things from these verses:

• Allah made iron easy to mold for Dawood (AS).
• Allah taught Dawood (AS) how to make chain mail, and he used to make chain mail.

The first verse implies that Dawood (AS) made some things that were used by humans as a whole because of him. The second verse mentions that Dawood (AS) made chain mail.

It is possible for someone to connect the two verses and say the لَبُوسٌ mentioned in Surah Anbiya probably refers to the chain mail Allah mentions in Surah Saba. That would mean: Dawood (AS) made chain mail and chain mail started being used by humans due to him. Let us call this interpretation 1. It is based on connecting the two verses to say لَبُوسٌ in the first verse is not general but specifically refers to the chain mail mentioned in Surah Saba. However, this connection between the verses is definitely not necessary.

It is perfectly possible to say the first verse is speaking about other weapons and armor, and the second verse says nothing about chain mail being taught to others. It is also perfectly possible for someone to say the first verse does not necessitate Dawood’s knowledge of armor came to us. Rather, Allah simply takes the opportunity to remind us about how we were blessed with armor as well.

So, chain mail was taught by God to Dawood (AS) as in the second verse. But, there is no necessary indication that this knowledge was given to others by Dawood (AS) or that it was anything but simply miraculous knowledge from Allah. It was knowledge given to him miraculously which no one learned from him, but there were other things he made which were also used by humans after him to protect themselves in battle. Let us call this interpretation 2.

There is nothing in this second interpretation that would contradict archeological records that claim chain mail came to widespread use after the invention of the Celts.