Dhu'l-Qarnayn

Dhul-Qarnayn (also Zulqarnain ) is a pre-Islamic king mentioned in the Qur'an The name means 'one possessing two horns', as he was a ruler who controlled "the East and West". His identity is controversial; many medieval Arabs and modern historians identified him with Alexander the Great , who is depicted as having horns on ancient coins. However, there are many differences between the figure described in the Qur'an and the history of Alexander the Great. The fact that the latter was described as a homosexual also leads many to believe that he is not the individual spoken of in the Qur'an. Some modern scholars have speculated that Dhul-Qarnayn is actually Cyrus the Great . According to sura 18:94-100 Dhul-Qarnayn built a wall of iron blocks and poured molten copper over it in order to keep out Gog and Magog . Near Derbent in Dagestan you can see the remains of a wall called Alexander's Wall , but almost all modern historians believe that Alexander never campaigned near that area.

Dhul-Qarnayn ( Arabic ذو القرنين ḏū al-qarnayn , ), literally "He of the Two Horns", is a figure mentioned in the Qur'an , the sacred scripture of Islam , where he is described as a great and righteous ruler who built a long wall that keeps Gog and Magog from attacking the people of the West. Most secular scholars studying Islam have been in concord in their view that there is strong evidence supporting the conclusion that Dhul-Qarnayn is a reference to Alexander the Great , who is ascribed similar adventures in the Alexander romance . The same opinion is held in traditional Islamic scholaship. According to a classical interpretation, the name is due to his having reached the two 'Horns' of the Sun, east and west, where it rises and where it sets" during his campaign. Some contemporary Islamic scholars have argued for an identification with other figures such as Cyrus the Great instead.

Shia Ibadi Jami Sahih Tartib al-Musnad - Books also revered by Ahmadiyya Related topics Ahl al-Hadith Criticism Sheikh al-Hadith Islam portal • Category v t e Dhul-Qarnayn or Zulqarnayn , ( ḏū al-qarnayn , ), "he of the two horns", appears in Surah 18 verses 83-98 of the Qur'an as a figure empowered by Allah to erect a wall between mankind and Gog and Magog , the representation of chaos . In the Islamic apocalyptic tradition the end of the world would be preceded by the release of Gog and Magog from behind the wall, and their destruction by God in a single night would usher in the Day of Resurrection.

Dhu al-Qarnayn , ( Ḏū al-Qarnayn , ), Lit.: "He of the Two Horns"), also spelled Zu al-Qarnayn , appears in the Quran , Surah Al-Kahf (18) , Ayahs 83-101 as one who travels to east and west and erects a wall between mankind and Gog and Magog (called Ya'juj and Ma'juj). Elsewhere the Quran tells how the end of the world would be signaled by the release of Gog and Magog from behind the wall, and other apocalyptic writings report their destruction by God in a single night would usher in the Day of Resurrection ( Yawm al-Qiyāmah) . Early Muslim commentators and historians assimilated Dhu al-Qarnayn to several figures, among them Alexander the Macedonian , the Parthian king Kisrounis, the South-Arabian Himyarite king Sa'b Dhu Marathid, and the North-Arabian Lakhmid king al-Mundhir ibn Imru al-Qays . Some have argued that the origins of the Quranic story lies in the Syriac Alexander Legend , but others disagree citing dating inconsistencies and missing key elements. Some modern Muslim scholars are in favor of identifying him with Cyrus the Great . In Krzysztof Nawotka (ed.). The essence of his theory is that parallels can be found in the Quranic verses on Dhu'l-qarnayn (18:82-9) and the Christian Syriac Alexander Legend. The hypothesis requires a revision, because Noldeke's dating of Jacob of Sarug's Homily and the Christian Syriac Alexander Legend is no longer valid; therefore, it does not need to be rejected, but it has to be viewed from another perspective. See my exposé in Alexander Magnus Arabicus (see note 7), chapter 3.3 and note 57. Moses in the Quran and Islamic Exegesis . The identification ... has been a controversial matter from the earliest times. In general the commentators have been of the opinion that he was Alexander the Great but the characteristics of Zul-Qarnain described in the Qur'an are not applicable to him. However, now the commentators are inclined to believe that Zul-Qarnain was Cyrus ... We are also of the opinion that probably Zul-Qarnain was Cyrus...

Figure in the Quran "Zulkarnain" redirects here. Dhu al-Qarnayn building a wall with the help of the jinns to keep away Gog and Magog . Persian miniature from a book of Falnama copied for the Safavid emperor Tahmasp I ( r. 1524–1576 ), currently preserved in the Chester Beatty Library , Dublin. Dhu al-Qarnayn , ( Arabic : ذُو ٱلْقَرْنَيْن , romanized : Dhū l-Qarnayn , IPA: [ðu‿l.qarˈnajn] ; lit. "The Owner of Two-Horns" ) is a leader who appears in the Qur'an , Surah al-Kahf (18) , Ayahs 83–101, as one who travels to the east and west and sets up a barrier between a certain people and Gog and Magog ( يَأْجُوجُ وَمَأْجُوجُ , Yaʾjūj wa-Maʾjūj ). Elsewhere, the Qur'an tells how the end of the world will be signaled by the release of Gog and Magog from behind the barrier. Other apocalyptic writings predict that their destruction by God in a single night will usher in the Day of Resurrection ( یوم القيامة , Yawm al-Qiyāmah ). Dhu al-Qarnayn has most popularly been identified by Western and traditional Muslim scholars as Alexander the Great . Historically, some tradition has parted from this identification in favor of others, like pre-Islamic Arabian kings such as the (mythical) Sa'b Dhu Marathid of Himyar or the historical figure al-Mundhir III ibn al-Nu'man of the Lakhmid kingdom (d. 554). Cyrus the Great has also gained popularity among modern Muslim commentators. Watt 1960–2007 : "It is generally agreed both by Muslim commentators and modéra [sic] occidental scholars that Dhu ’l-Ḳarnayn [...] is to be identified with Alexander the Great." Cook 2013 : "[...] Dhū al-Qarnayn (usually identified with Alexander the Great) [...]". The identification ... has been a controversial matter from the earliest times. In general the commentators have been of the opinion that he was Alexander the Great but the characteristics of Zul-Qarnain described in the Qur'an are not applicable to him. However, now the commentators are inclined to believe that Zul-Qarnain was Cyrus ... We are also of the opinion that probably Zul-Qarnain was Cyrus... Khwadāynāmag The Middle Persian Book of Kings . Many Mediaeval scholars argued against the identification, though. Cf., e.g., the discussion in al-Maqrizi, Khabar §§212-232. V, section 4: Persia and its kings, part I . Moses in the Quran and Islamic Exegesis . Of particular relevance to the origins of the later Alexander stories is the possible identification of Dhu al-Qarnayn with a South Arabian, Himyarī king, variously named Şa'b Dhu Marāthid, ... In al-Tabarī, for example, the king, ...conquers the Turks in Azerbaijan, ... There are a number of elements in Ibn Hisham's account that parallel elements not found in the early Greek and Syriac recensions ... This suggests that Ibn Hisham's account, coupled with Q 18:83-101, upon which he comments, could represent the immediate source for the stories which attribute these elements to the Alexander stories. These elements originally associated with Sa'b as Dhu al-Qarnayn were incorporated, along with the elements attributed to Dhu al-Qarnayn in Q 18:83-101, into the stories which identified Dhu al-Qarnayn with Alexander. ... It is not possible to show that the Ethiopic and Persian versions of the Alexander stories are derived directly from the Syriac versions. There are a number of problems with the dating of the Syriac versions and their supposed influence on the Quran and later Alexander stories, not the least of which is the confusion of what has been called the Syriac Pseudo-Callisthenes, the sermon of Jacob of Serugh, and the so-called Syriac "Legend of Alexander." Second, the key elements of Q 18:60-65, 18:83-101, and the story of Ibn Hisham's Șa'b Dhu al-Qarnayn do not occur in the Syriac Pseudo-Callisthenes. In the early history of Islam there was a lively debate over the true identity of Dhū 'l-Qarnayn. One prominent identification was with an ancient South Arabian Ḥimyarī king, generally referred to in the sources as al-Ṣaʿb b. [...] Indeed the association of Dhū 'l-Qarnayn with the South Arabian ruler can be traced in many early Arabic sources.