Dhul-Qarnayn
Encyclopedia
Dhul-Qarnayn literally "He of the Two Horns" or "He of the two centuries" 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 who he met on his journey to the east (i.e., the rising of the sun). 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 journey.
The identification of Dhul-Qarnayn in historical context is not clear, and therefore this subject has generated various theories. In modern scholarship
the character is usually identified as Alexander the Great, who is ascribed similar adventures in the Alexander romance
. The same opinion is held in traditional Islamic scholarship. In other modern scholarship
the character is usually identified as Cyrus the Great
Some modern scholars also identify the character as Byzantine
emperor Heraclius
, who was celebrated by his contemporaries as a "second Alexander" and whose Persian campaign had inspired the Alexander romance.
by Ibn Kathir
, a widely used 14th-century commentary on the Qur'an:
According to Maududi's conservative 20th century commentary:
is supported by some of the Quranic commentaries (Tafsir) and Islamic scholars such as Allameh Tabatabaei
(in his Tafsir al-Mizan
), Allameh Tehrani , Syed Ahmed Khan
(known interpreter of the Quran), Abul Kalam Azad (Minister of Culture, India, in Majma' al-Bayan
), and Dr. Baha-ed-Din Khorramshahi. Mohammad Ebrahim Bastani Parizi the historian, also deny that Dhul-Qarnayn was Alexander the Great. They tend to suspect that Dhul-Qarnayn was Cyrus the Great
, the King and founder of Achaemenid empire. They provide strong evidence, including artifacts, stone carving palaces and graves. Some of their reasons are:
Azad also rejected what it already belongs to Qahtaan Arabic Yemen
, on the basis that the question of the Jews by the Prophet was with a view to embarrass him, even if the Arabs of Quraish were aware of it and asked what was miraculous.
Azad builds his theory on the basis that the origin of the name "Dhul-Qarnayn" comes from the name stated in the Torah is "Haqqərānayim" which is launched by the name of the Jews to Cyrus, to show tolerance to them when his predecessors had been unjust to them.
, the word "Dhul Qarnayn" (Hebrew: Ba'al Haqqərānayim בעל הקרנים) appears once in the Old Testament, in the Book of Daniel 8:20:
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
, the sacred scripture of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, where he is described as a great and righteous ruler who built a long wall that keeps Gog and Magog
Gog and Magog
Gog and Magog are names that appear primarily in various Jewish, Christian and Muslim scriptures, as well as numerous subsequent references in other works. Their context can be either genealogical or eschatological and apocalyptic, as in Ezekiel and Revelation...
from attacking the people who he met on his journey to the east (i.e., the rising of the sun). 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 journey.
The identification of Dhul-Qarnayn in historical context is not clear, and therefore this subject has generated various theories. In modern scholarship
Oriental studies
Oriental studies is the academic field of study that embraces Near Eastern and Far Eastern societies and cultures, languages, peoples, history and archaeology; in recent years the subject has often been turned into the newer terms of Asian studies and Middle Eastern studies...
the character is usually identified as Alexander the Great, who is ascribed similar adventures in the Alexander romance
Alexander Romance
Alexander romance is any of several collections of legends concerning the mythical exploits of Alexander the Great. The earliest version is in Greek, dating to the 3rd century. Several late manuscripts attribute the work to Alexander's court historian Callisthenes, but the historical figure died...
. The same opinion is held in traditional Islamic scholarship. In other modern scholarship
Oriental studies
Oriental studies is the academic field of study that embraces Near Eastern and Far Eastern societies and cultures, languages, peoples, history and archaeology; in recent years the subject has often been turned into the newer terms of Asian studies and Middle Eastern studies...
the character is usually identified as Cyrus the Great
Cyrus the Great
Cyrus II of Persia , commonly known as Cyrus the Great, also known as Cyrus the Elder, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire. Under his rule, the empire embraced all the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East, expanded vastly and eventually conquered most of Southwest Asia and much...
Some modern scholars also identify the character as Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
emperor Heraclius
Heraclius
Heraclius was Byzantine Emperor from 610 to 641.He was responsible for introducing Greek as the empire's official language. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the exarch of Africa, successfully led a revolt against the unpopular usurper Phocas.Heraclius'...
, who was celebrated by his contemporaries as a "second Alexander" and whose Persian campaign had inspired the Alexander romance.
Name
Arabic "Dhul-Qarnayn" literally translates to "possessor of the two horns". "Dhu" means "owner".Qur'anic narrative
The story of Dhul-Qarnayn appears in sixteen verses of the Qur'an, specifically verses 18:83-98:| Verse | Abdullah Yusuf Ali Abdullah Yusuf Ali Hafiz Abdullah Yusuf Ali, CBE, FRSL was an Indian Islamic scholar who translated the Qur'an into English. His translation of the Qur'an is one of the most widely-known and used in the English-speaking world.... |
Pickthall Marmaduke Pickthall Marmaduke Pickthall was a Western Islamic scholar, noted as an English translator of the Qur'an into English. A convert from Christianity, Pickthall was a novelist, esteemed by D. H. Lawrence, H. G. Wells, and E. M. Forster, as well as a journalist, headmaster, and political and religious leader... |
|---|---|---|
| 18:83 | They ask thee concerning Zul-qarnain Say, "I will rehearse to you something of his story." | They will ask thee of Dhu'l-Qarneyn. Say: "I shall recite unto you a remembrance of him." |
| 18:84 | Verily We established his power on earth, and We gave him the ways and the means to all ends. | Lo! We made him strong in the land and gave him unto every thing a road. |
| 18:85 | One (such) way he followed, | And he followed a road |
| 18:86 | Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it set in a spring of murky water: near it he found a people: We said: "O Zul-qarnain! (thou hast authority), either to punish them, or to treat them with kindness." | Till, when he reached the setting-place of the sun, he found it setting in a muddy spring, and found a people thereabout. We said: "O Dhu'l-Qarneyn! Either punish or show them kindness." |
| 18:87 | He said: "Whoever doth wrong, him shall we punish; then shall he be sent back to his Lord; and He will punish him with a punishment unheard-of (before). | He said: "As for him who doeth wrong, we shall punish him, and then he will be brought back unto his Lord, Who will punish him with awful punishment!" |
| 18:88 | "But whoever believes, and works righteousness, he shall have a goodly reward, and easy will be his task as we order it by our command." | "But as for him who believeth and doeth right, good will be his reward, and We shall speak unto him a mild command." |
| 18:89 | Then followed he (another) way. | Then he followed a road |
| 18:90 | Until, when he came to the rising of the sun, he found it rising on a people for whom We had provided no covering protection against the sun. | Till, when he reached the rising-place of the sun, he found it rising on a people for whom We had appointed no shelter therefrom. |
| 18:91 | (He left them) as they were: We completely understood what was before him. | So (it was). And We knew all concerning him. |
| 18:92 | Then followed he (another) way. | Then he followed a road |
| 18:93 | Until, when he reached (a tract) between two mountains, he found, beneath them, a people who scarcely understood a word. | Till, when he came between the two mountains, he found upon their hither side a folk that scarce could understand a saying. |
| 18:94 | They said: "O Zul-qarnain! the Gog and Magog Gog and Magog Gog and Magog are names that appear primarily in various Jewish, Christian and Muslim scriptures, as well as numerous subsequent references in other works. Their context can be either genealogical or eschatological and apocalyptic, as in Ezekiel and Revelation... (people) do great mischief on earth: shall we then render thee tribute in order that thou mightest erect a barrier between us and them?" |
They said: "O Dhu'l-Qarneyn! Lo! Gog and Magog Gog and Magog Gog and Magog are names that appear primarily in various Jewish, Christian and Muslim scriptures, as well as numerous subsequent references in other works. Their context can be either genealogical or eschatological and apocalyptic, as in Ezekiel and Revelation... are spoiling the land. So may we pay thee tribute on condition that thou set a barrier between us and them?" |
| 18:95 | He said: "(The power) in which my Lord God God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism.... has established me is better (than tribute): help me therefore with strength (and labour): I will erect a strong barrier between you and them: |
He said: "That wherein my Lord hath established me is better (than your tribute). Do but help me with strength (of men), I will set between you and them a bank." |
| 18:96 | "Bring me blocks of iron." At length, when he had filled up the space between the two steep mountain sides, he said, "Blow (with your bellows)" then, when he had made it (red) as fire, he said: "Bring me, that I may pour over it, molten lead." | "Give me pieces of iron" - till, when he had leveled up (the gap) between the cliffs, he said: "Blow!" - till, when he had made it a fire, he said: "Bring me molten copper to pour thereon." |
| 18:97 | Thus were they made powerless to scale it or to dig through it. | And (Gog and Magog) were not able to surmount, nor could they pierce (it). |
| 18:98 | He said: "This is a mercy from my Lord: but when the promise of my Lord comes to pass, He will make it into dust; and the promise of my Lord is true." | He said: "This is a mercy from my Lord; but when the promise of my Lord cometh to pass, He will lay it low, for the promise of my Lord is true." |
Traditional exegesis (tafsir)
According to Tafsir ibn KathirTafsir ibn Kathir
Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim, popularly Tafsir ibn Kathir , is a classic Sunni Islam tafsir by Ibn Kathir....
by Ibn Kathir
Ibn Kathir
Ismail ibn Kathir was a Muslim muhaddith, Faqih, historian, and commentator.-Biography:His full name was Abu Al-Fida, 'Imad Ad-Din, Isma'il bin 'Umar bin Kathir, Al-Qurashi, Al-Busrawi...
, a widely used 14th-century commentary on the Qur'an:
- The Quraysh sent An-Nadr bin Al-Harith and `Uqbah bin Abi Mu`it to the rabbiRabbiIn Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
s in Al-Madinah, and told them: `Ask them (the rabbis) about Muhammad, and describe him to them, and tell them what he is saying. They are the people of the first Book, and they have more knowledge of the Prophets than we do.' So they set out and when they reached Al-Madinah, they asked the rabbis about the Messenger of Allah. They described him to them and told them some of what he had said. They said, `You are the people of the Tawrah and we have come to you so that you can tell us about this companion of ours.' They (the rabbis) said, `Ask him about three things which we will tell you to ask, and if he answers them then he is a Prophet who has been sent (by Allah); if he does not, then he is saying things that are not true, in which case how you will deal with him will be up to you. Ask him about some young men in ancient times, what was their story for theirs is a strange and wondrous tale. Ask him about a man who travelled a great deal and reached the east and the west of the earth. What was his story And ask him about the Ruh (soul or spirit) – what is it If he tells you about these things, then he is a Prophet, so follow him, but if he does not tell you, then he is a man who is making things up, so deal with him as you see fit.http://www.tafsir.com/default.asp?sid=18&tid=29908
According to Maududi's conservative 20th century commentary:
- This Surah was sent down in answer to the three questions which the mushriks of Makkah, in consultation with the people of the Book, had put to the Holy Prophet in order to test him. These were: (1) Who were "the Sleepers of the Cave"? (2) What is the real story of Khidr? and (3) What do you know about Dhul-Qarnain? As these three questions and the stories involved concerned the history of the Christians and the Jews, and were unknown in Hijaz, a choice of these was made to test whether the Holy Prophet possessed any source of the knowledge of the hidden and unseen things. Allah, however, not only gave a complete answer to their questions but also employed the three stories to the disadvantage of the opponents of Islam in the conflict that was going on at that time at Makkah between Islam and un-belief.http://www.translatedquran.com/SurahIntro.asp?sno=18
Differences Between Alexander the Great and Dhul-Qarnayn
The suggestion that Dhul-Qarnayn is Cyrus the GreatCyrus the Great
Cyrus II of Persia , commonly known as Cyrus the Great, also known as Cyrus the Elder, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire. Under his rule, the empire embraced all the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East, expanded vastly and eventually conquered most of Southwest Asia and much...
is supported by some of the Quranic commentaries (Tafsir) and Islamic scholars such as Allameh Tabatabaei
Allameh Tabatabaei
Allameh Seyyed Muhammad Husayn Tabatabaei was one of the most prominent thinkers of philosophy and contemporary Shia Islam...
(in his Tafsir al-Mizan
Tafsir al-Mizan
Al-Mizan fi tafsiri'l-Qur'an, popularly known as Tafsir al-Mizan ,is a Shi'a Muslim tafsir written by Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Hussein Tabataba'i....
), Allameh Tehrani , Syed Ahmed Khan
Syed Ahmed Khan
Javad-ud Daula, Arif Jang, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, KCSI , commonly known as Sir Syed, was an Indian educator and politician, and an Islamic reformer and modernist...
(known interpreter of the Quran), Abul Kalam Azad (Minister of Culture, India, in Majma' al-Bayan
Majma' al-Bayan
Majma‘ al-bayan li-‘ulum al-Qur’an is a tafsir by the 12th century Imami scholar and author al-Fadl ibn al-Hasan al-Tabrisi.The work is considered one of the most authoritative Imami Qur’an commentaries...
), and Dr. Baha-ed-Din Khorramshahi. Mohammad Ebrahim Bastani Parizi the historian, also deny that Dhul-Qarnayn was Alexander the Great. They tend to suspect that Dhul-Qarnayn was Cyrus the Great
Cyrus the Great
Cyrus II of Persia , commonly known as Cyrus the Great, also known as Cyrus the Elder, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire. Under his rule, the empire embraced all the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East, expanded vastly and eventually conquered most of Southwest Asia and much...
, the King and founder of Achaemenid empire. They provide strong evidence, including artifacts, stone carving palaces and graves. Some of their reasons are:
- In the carved stone that can still be seen up to now show Cyrus with his crown with two horns.
- According to the Quran, God's grace be with him and with it, Cyrus was the first king (several hundred years before Alexander the Great) who conquered most of Europe and Asia.
- Cyrus (as Dhul-Qarnayn) was a monotheist and worshipped the God, but Alexander the Great had many gods.
- In the Quran, Dhul-Qarnayn noted that the journey begins to the west and then to the east before the road to the other (the North), which coincided with the start the expedition of Cyrus the Persian conquest in the West to LydiaLydiaLydia was an Iron Age kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the modern Turkish provinces of Manisa and inland İzmir. Its population spoke an Anatolian language known as Lydian....
in Asia MinorAsia MinorAsia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
and then turned to the east until the MakranMakranThe present day Makran is a semi-desert coastal strip in the south of Sindh, Balochistan, in Iran and Pakistan, along the coast of the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman. The present day Makran derived its name from Maka, a satrap of Achaemenid Empire....
and SistanSistanSīstān is a border region in eastern Iran , southwestern Afghanistan and northern tip of Southwestern Pakistan .-Etymology:...
(Scythian) prior to capturing the Northeast EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
near the Balkan. - Expedition of Cyrus proceeded with the conquest of LyciaLyciaLycia Lycian: Trm̃mis; ) was a region in Anatolia in what are now the provinces of Antalya and Muğla on the southern coast of Turkey. It was a federation of ancient cities in the region and later a province of the Roman Empire...
, CiliciaCiliciaIn antiquity, Cilicia was the south coastal region of Asia Minor, south of the central Anatolian plateau. It existed as a political entity from Hittite times into the Byzantine empire...
and PhoeniciaPhoeniciaPhoenicia , was an ancient civilization in Canaan which covered most of the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent. Several major Phoenician cities were built on the coastline of the Mediterranean. It was an enterprising maritime trading culture that spread across the Mediterranean from 1550...
, and they use the techniques of wall construction is not used anymore by the Greeks at that time. - According to the Quran, Alexander travel easier and more chance for Cyrus, he could end the expedition was that in 542 BC, before returning to Persia, while Alexander was still in war mission when he died.
- Alexander didn't built dams, there are just some fictional stories about this but there's not any historical document about it. (Look at StraboStraboStrabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...
's Geography for more information) - Besides, Alexander also said to be as generous as it is said Alexander drinking alcohol and partying often, and also have a man, HephaestionHephaestionHephaestion , son of Amyntor, was a Macedonian nobleman and a general in the army of Alexander the Great...
, as a lover.
Azad also rejected what it already belongs to Qahtaan Arabic Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
, on the basis that the question of the Jews by the Prophet was with a view to embarrass him, even if the Arabs of Quraish were aware of it and asked what was miraculous.
Azad builds his theory on the basis that the origin of the name "Dhul-Qarnayn" comes from the name stated in the Torah is "Haqqərānayim" which is launched by the name of the Jews to Cyrus, to show tolerance to them when his predecessors had been unjust to them.
In Old Testament
In Arabic translations of the Old TestamentOld Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
, the word "Dhul Qarnayn" (Hebrew: Ba'al Haqqərānayim בעל הקרנים) appears once in the Old Testament, in the Book of Daniel 8:20:
- أَمَّا الْكَبْشُ الَّذِي رَأَيْتَهُ ذَا الْقَرْنَيْنِ فَهُوَ مُلُوكُ مَادِي وَفَارِسَ
- Translation (New International Version): The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia.
Publication
- Alexander the Great, p. 37, Richard Stoneman, Routledge, 1997.
- A. Shapur Shahbazi, 'Iranians and Alexander', American Journal of Ancient History n.s. 2 (2003), 5-38
- The Wars of the JewsThe Wars of the JewsThe Jewish War , in full Flavius Josephus's Books of the History of the Jewish War against the Romans , also referred to in English as The Wars of the Jews and The History of the Destruction of Jerusalem, is a book written by the 1st century Jewish historian Josephus.It is a description of Jewish...
, VII, vii, Flavius Josephus. - The Antiquities of the Jews, I, vi, Flavius Josephus.
- Sahih Bukhari, English Translation, HadithHadithThe term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
number 6326 - Kathir, 2002. Tafsir Ibn Kathir. Surah Al-Kahf. Electronic web-only document last updated October 26, 2002. Tafsir.com. Extracted on September 22, 2010 from http://www.tafsir.com/default.asp?sid=18&tid=29908