Conqueror of the World: The Story of Dhul-Qarnayn
Conqueror of the World: The Story of Dhul-Qarnayn
The millennia-long history of the human race holds many enigmas shrouded in mystery. They are also called the mysteries of history, which remain to be solved or are already impossible to solve.
Could humans hypothetically accomplish this or is their cognitive arsenal incapable? For example, can the mysterious Tunguska meteorite or the disappearance of the Maya ever be explained? Did Atlantis ever exist on the map of the Earth and what swallowed it up? Among these mysteries is the Quranic Dhul-Qarnayn, mentioned in the Holy Scriptures. Much remains unsaid about him, as if the book of his life has not yet been read. Was he a prophet or simply a righteous man of God? Why was he called the one with two horns, and in what historical period did he live?
First of all, it is necessary to clear up the confusion surrounding Alexander the Great, with whom some historians, including Muslim ones, equate Dhul-Qarnayn. These are fundamentally different historical figures, separated by hundreds of years. The renowned scholar and historian Ibn Kathir pointed out this historical oversight: “Most people are convinced that they are the same person. They believe that Dhul-Qarnayn mentioned in the Quran is the same Alexander the Great whose mentor was the renowned ancient philosopher Aristotle. This confusion leads to great error and demoralisation. The first of them (Dhul-Qarnayn) was a faithful servant of the Almighty and a just ruler. His assistant was Khidri and he was a prophet. As for the second, he was a pagan and his assistant was a philosopher. They are separated by more than two thousand years. How can they be identical? It is difficult to confuse them.”
Ibn Kathir’s emotional reaction to this comparison is understandable. As a profound historian, he certainly knew that Alexander the Great was an immoral man. Unjustifiable cruelty, boundless drinking, same-sex attraction and even proclaiming himself the son of the mythological sun god, Amun-Ra. This is what Ibn Kathir meant when he spoke of demoralisation. He understood that this identification could cast a shadow on the most beloved of the Most High Lord, Dhul-Qarnayn.
The eminent scholar Ibn al-Hajar al-Asqalani, continuing the thought of his illustrious predecessor, wrote: “The Greek Alexander (the Great) lived in an era close to that of the Prophet Isa (Jesus). Between the Prophets Ibrahim (Abraham) and Isa there were more than two thousand years. Most likely, the second Iskandar (Alexander) was named after the first (Dhul-Qarnayn) due to the vastness of his dominion and the conquest of many countries. Perhaps this is also connected to the fact that when he conquered the Persians and killed their king, he became the ruler of two powerful empires – Persia and Byzantium. That is why he was also nicknamed Dhul-Qarnayn.”
From Ibn Hajar’s words, we can conclude that Dhul-Qarnayn mentioned in the Quran was a contemporary of the Prophet Ibrahim. Ibn Kathir confirms this and provides some details of their interaction: “Dhul-Qarnayn believed in the One Lord thanks to the Prophet Ibrahim. He, along with Ibrahim and Ismail, performed the tawaf around the Kaaba.”
Furthermore, Dhul-Qarnayn completed his pilgrimage on foot and categorically refused the mount offered to him. He explained this by saying that he did not wish to trample the ground on which the Prophet Ibrahim walked. This indicates that Dhul-Qarnayn received a good upbringing and acquired commendable qualities. He demonstrated this etiquette even as a powerful ruler, meaning that neither worldly wealth nor power disfigured him as a person. Ibn Kathir also adds that the Prophet Ibrahim warmly welcomed Dhul-Qarnayn in Mecca and prayed for him.
Dhul-Qarnayn’s proper name and the reason for his unusual nickname, which is literally translated as Possessor of Two Horns, are still controversial and debatable. In historical literature, one can find versions of his name such as Abdullah ibn Zahak, Mus’ab ibn Abdullah, and as-Sa’b.
The renowned Quran commentator Fakhruddin al-Razi claimed that his name was Shams ibn Umair and that he belonged to the Yemeni tribe of Himyar. Most likely, Dhul-Qarnayn was a pure-blooded Arab, at least a Semite, a descendant of one of the sons of the Prophet Nuh (Noah) – Sam.
As for the two horns, this could have been significant because his helmet had two horns. However, most historians tend to believe that the two horns represent nothing less than global dominance (over the East and West).
Continuing on this topic, Sufyan al-Thawri narrates: “Information has reached me that the entire world was ruled by four rulers. Two of them were believers, and the other two were infidels. The believers were the Prophet Sulayman (Solomon) and Dhul-Qarnayn, and the infidels were Namrud and Nebuchadnezzar (Buhtanasar).”
The greatness and power of Dhul-Qarnayn is confirmed by the Almighty in the Quran. Allah ﷻ tells us about him in Sura Al-Kahf (the meaning of the commentary to the 84th ayah): “Indeed, We gave him great resources on earth and provided him with means (of success) in everything.”
One of Dhul-Qarnayn’s greatest successes was his fight against the tribes of Ya’juj and Ma’juj (the biblical Gog and Magog). At the request of the local inhabitants, exhausted by the evil of these creatures, which only vaguely resembled humans, Dhul-Qarnayn erected a huge wall to block their path.
In the book “Stories of the Prophets” by sheikh Said Afandi al-Chirkawi, the dimensions of this gigantic wall are given: height - 300 metres, width - 150 metres, length - five farsakhs (one farsakh is three land miles,and one mile is just over 1600 metres). Such a structure would be called the construction of a millennium today, but even it will collapse near the end of the world, and the merciless Ya’juj and Ma’juj will be released. This is also mentioned in the Holy Quran (the meaning of the commentary), “[Dhul-Qarnayn] said, ‘This (the barrier) is a mercy from my Lord! But when the promise of my Lord (about their exit before the end of the world) is fulfilled, He (Allah ﷻ) will level it (the wall) to the ground. The promise of my Lord is true.’” (Sura Al-Kahf, ayah 98).
Everything in this life comes to an end, even the seemingly impenetrable and monolithic wall of Dhul-Qarnayn. We must ask the Almighty for protection from Ya’juj and Ma’juj and other horrors of the End of Days. Only strong and sincere faith can contribute to this.
