Monday, January 9, 2017

Was the coat of mail invented during the reign of David?

Was the coat of mail invented during the reign of David?

34:10 And We certainly gave David Bounty from Us. "O mountains, repeat praises with him, and the birds." And We made the iron pliable for him, 34:11 That (you) make full coats of mail (sabighatin) and measure precisely the links (l-sardi) (of armor), and work righteousness. Indeed, I Am All-Seer of what you do.

(Some people wrongly say that the type of mail armor the Qur’an describes was not invented until between the 3rd and 4th century BC, and that the inventors were not Israelites, but Celts, and that it was not invented in the middle east, but in Europe; and that the Romans spread it to the Middle East around the first century AD)(An answer to this is that according to the Bible, in 1 Samuel 17:5, it says “He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels”; according to “biblehub” this armor has been sometimes understood and translated as “chain armour”; and 1 Samuel 17:38 says, “Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail”; so, “coat of mail” is mentioned in the Bible, and confirms that the coat of mail was invented at the time of David. According to the article “Book of Samuel” in wikipedia, the Book of Samuel was composed in 8th century BC; so, the coat of mail is mentioned earlier than the time of invention suggested by non-Muslims: “3rd and 4th century BC”; so its mention in the Bible is a proof that the Qur’an is correct, while non-Muslims are wrong)(Another point is that just because there is no surviving “evidence” of that iron mail from the time of David does not mean it was not in use; quoting the article “Chain mail” in wikipedia, “the earliest example of surviving mail was found in chieftain’s burial located in Ciumesti, Romania. Its invention is commonly credited to Celts”. So, non-Muslims do not believe in what the Qur’an and Bible say, while there is a written evidence, but they believe that it was invented by Celts, while there is no any surviving mail made by the Celts either. Notice that the Celts’ time is much more recent than David’s time, even so, there is no any surviving mail made by the Celts either)(Another point is that the iron age began around 1300 BC, almost 300 years before David (1000 BC). So, as a matter of probability, such invention could happen)(Another point is that God taught David the making of coats of armor (21:80), so, even if that was not the technology of the time, God knows how to make it, and taught it. David is a Prophet, so he was favored over some other people)(Another point is that according to the book “ancient armies of the Middle East”, it was not uncommon to keep in secret the inventions, to gain advantage over the enemies. So, its use could have not been widespread)(Non-Muslims ignore earlier written evidences, and non-Muslims are only based on whether the coats of mail survived or not, trying to prove Islam wrong. God is Witness over all things (5:117), so “Coats of armor” is mentioned in the Bible and the Qur’an, while those who disbelieve in it, they were not witness of the events. It is less likely and does not make sense if the Bible had mentioned the use of a non-invented invention)(Another point is that the invention could have only been addressed to David and his people, at that time. Verse 34:10 says, “We made the iron pliable for him”, so it was not made for someone else, at that time, so that he could gain advantage over the enemy in battle)(Allah knows best)

21:79 And We gave understanding of it to Solomon, and to each We gave judgment and knowledge. And We subjected the mountains and the birds to glorify Our praises with David. And We were the Doers. 21:80 And We taught him the making of coats of armor (labusin) to protect you in your battle. Then will you be grateful?

(An alternative answer is that the Qur’an might refer to Lamellar armour, instead of mail armour or chain mail. According to the article “Lamellar armour” in wikipedia, “Lamellar armour has been found in Egypt in a 17th-century BCE context. Sumerian and Ancient Egyptian bas-reliefs depicting soldiers have been argued as portraying the earliest examples of lamellar armour, particularly on chariot drivers, but it is not until the time of the Assyrians (circa 900-600 BCE) that possible examples of lamellar appear in the archaeological record”)(Chain mail is defined as “a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh”. The words used in the Qur’an can refer to lamellar amour, because the word “links / sardi”, used in Verse 34:11, means “to link”, “perforate”, “pierce, “coordinate the thread”, “continue”, “follow uninterruptedly” and “stitch”. So, it suggests and confirms that the pieces are linked by a “movement of a threaded needle through cloth or other material”. That’s exactly how lamellar armour is laced together (See the link below))(On the other hand, the word “sabighatin” (full coats of mail) is in the sense of being ample, full, wide, long, complete, etc. That’s confirmed by Verse 31:20, which uses the word “asbagha”, and has the same root than the word “sabighatin”, and it is about “amply bestowed (asbagha) upon you His favors”, rather than suggesting or implying a certain time/place’s coat of mail)(Verse 21:80 also uses a word translated/interpreted as “coats of armor” (labusin), from the time of David. But, “labusin” means “to wear / cover, put on a garment, be clothed in, envelop, conceal, etc.”. So, the word does not mean “coats of armor”, but, according to the context of the Verse, is about a garment that protects you in battle)(In conclusion, the word “coat of mail” mentioned in the dictionary (in the sense of ample/full), and interpreted by some people as “coat of mail” in the Qur’an, refers to the protective outer garment/flexible armor, constructed in the way described in the Verse Itself (e.g. piercing / using thread and needle), rather than being constructed in the way that chain mails were constructed)(The root of “sabighatin” (full coats of mail) is “Siin-Ba-Gh”, and it means “to be full / abundant, extend / enlarge / copious / ample / long / wide, [coat of mail] that is wide / ample / long, from above to below, without deficiency, complete, etc.”)(The root of “sardi” (links (of armor)) is “Siin-Ra-Dal”, and it means “to link / stitch / perforate / pierce, coordinate the thread, continue, follow uninterruptedly, etc.”)(Allah knows best)

See Lamellar lacing:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/13JEbKCTn6tBdel5KqHQlI5ELFp7ze6Ue/view?usp=sharing

4:166 But Allah bears witness to that which He has revealed to you. He has sent it down with His Knowledge and the Angels bear witness. And Allah is sufficient as a Witness.

49:18 Indeed, Allah knows the unseen of the heavens and the earth. And Allah is All-Seer of what you do."

68:47 Or is with them the unseen, so they write it?

See also: Is the Qur'an scientifically correct? (5) (History)

http://aqtthq.blogspot.com.es/2016/09/response-to-jay-smith-can-god-have-son.html

See also: Is the Qur'an scientifically correct? (0) (Index)

https://aqtthq.blogspot.com.es/2017/04/is-quran-scientifically-correct-2.html

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