Saba (Sheba)

11. “(Saying unto David): ‘Make wide coat of mail, and measure well the links, and do righteousness, verily I see what you do’.”

Martial technology must be at the service of righteous deed (not for oppression, cruelty and occupying others’ lands).

In this holy verse, there is an explanation for David about making armour, and also there is a very expressive command from Allah in this regard.

It announces:

“(Saying unto David): ‘Make wide coat of mail, and measure well the links…”

The Arabic term /sabiqat/ is the plural form of /sabiq/ in the sense of ‘a complete wide coat of mail’, and in Arabic the phrase /’isbaq-i-ni‘mat/ also means ‘affluence of bounty’.

The Arabic word /sard/ originally means: ‘weaving some rough things such as armour’. The Qur’anic sentence: /wa qaddir fis-sard/ means: to observe a suitable measure in making the rings of the armour and that how it may be weaved.

In fact, Allah orders David that he must be a lesson for all of the people of art and believing workers in the world. This is an order for firmness, stability and observing exactness in quality and quality of manufactures in a manner that the users of them can apply them easily and comfortably.

It implicitly orders David that he should make the armour wide and comfortable in a state that when the strivers put it on they do not feel that they are in prison.

The links should be neither so small and narrow that they lose their flexibility, nor should they be so big and abnormal that sometimes the sword-point, a dagger, a javelin, and an arrow can pass it through. The whole affairs of it must be measured and proportionate.

Shortly speaking, Allah not only gave David the main substance regarding to the sentence:

“…We softened the iron for him”,

but also taught him how to form and weave the coat of mail in order that he could provide a complete production from this ‘substance’ and ‘form’.

At the end of the verse, Allah addresses David and his family and says:

“…and do righteousness, verily I see what you do’.”

At the beginning of the verse the addressee was only David, but at the end of the verse he and his family, or he and his people, are addressed, because all of these things are as a preparation for righteous deed, and these are a means alongside that path that both David and his family could enjoy them.

One of the dimensions of the righteous deed is that carefulness must be observed in manufactures from every point of view, and a complete and useful product must be delivered so that any defective state and imperfection on it might be avoided.

This probability also exists that the addressee in this statement had been David and all those who utilized his hand woven armour, indicating that they should use this defensive means in the path of righteous deed, not in the way of oppression, cruelty, and sin.