Who is Zulqarnain in the Quran? The Qur’an does not describe Zulqarnain in detail. There is no description of his identity or reign in any pure laughter.
In answer to the question of the disbelievers, some of his deeds have been briefly mentioned in the Holy Qur’an.
In addition, in Mufassirin, Keram introduces an introduction to Zulqarnain by quoting verses from the Qur’an and various historical narrations.
I will discuss it briefly below. However, one thing to remember is that the identity of Zulqarnain is not mentioned in the Quranic hadith.
So, whatever you say about him will be based on conjecture. And conjecture never gives the benefit of the doubt.
Is Zulkarnain a prophet?
Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him), after quoting the verses related to Zulqarnain, said:
‘Allah Ta’ala mentions Zulqarnain here. And praised his righteousness.
He reached the eastern and western horizons and conquered different countries and continents. And He wandered among them with perfect justice.
He was a powerful just helper sultan. Some say he was a prophet. And some say he was a messenger.
And the most surprising thing is that some say he was an angel. But the truth is that he was a just ruler. ‘(Al Bidaya wan Nihaya – 2/122)
What does Zulqarnain meaning?
There is also disagreement over the reason for adding the title Zulqarnation or the two-horned one to his name.
Ibn Kathir – may Allah have mercy on him – said –
‘Zulqarnim (Ahl al-Ilim) disagreed on the reason for the name. Some say he had something like a horn on his head.
And Wahab ibn Munabbih says that he had two horns on his head made of copper. But this is weak.
Some People of the Book say he received this title because of his conquests of Rome and Persia.
Some say that he got this title because he reached the two horns of the sun, the east and the west. ‘
Thus, there is disagreement about his original name. Someone said his name was Alexander. Again, according to some Khuras or Khasru or Cyrus.
Mufassirin and Islamic historians usually refer to Alexander by Zulqarnain.
The reign of Zul Qarnain
There are two Alexanders in history. One was Isa – three hundred years before his arrival.
Whose teacher was the philosopher Aristotle? Another was Alexander during the time of Ibrahim (peace be upon him).
There is a historical account that he believed in the hand of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and circumambulated the House.
Some historians believe that Alexander, a student of Aristotle, was Zulqarnain in the Qur’an.
Because it is found in history that Alexander conquered by conquering the eastern and western ends of the earth and ruled the world with great glory.
But in the Muhaqqiq ulama ‘, Keram has informed them of such an idea as an absurd and grossly erroneous opinion.
Zulqarnayn is described in the Holy Qur’an as a Muslim servant who fears Allah, but Alexander, a student of Aristotle, was a polytheist.
Moreover, since the subject of Zulqarnain was mentioned in the Torah, it is clear that it was a precedent of Musa (peace be upon him).
And the interval between the arrival of Moses and Isa (peace be upon him) on earth must be at least fifteen hundred years.
But the period of this Alexander was only three hundred years before the arrival of Jesus – peace be upon him. So, he cannot be Zulqarnain as described in the Qur’an.
Zulqarnain in Bible
Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said after introducing these two –
‘We warned about this because many people think they’re the same person.
And in the Qur’an (Zulqarnain) is the man whose minister was Aristotle. This has led to many big mistakes and confusion.
Because the first was a believer, a good servant, and a just ruler. His minister was Khiyar. The second was a polytheist.
His minister was a philosopher. And there was a gap of more than two thousand years between them.
Where is the position of one of them and the other? They are neither equal nor similar to anyone except the ignorant and ignorant of reality. (Al Bidaya wan Nihaya – 2/125)
Hafiz Ibn Hajar said:
‘Alexander was around the birth time of Isa (peace be upon him). And the interval between Isa and Abraham (peace be upon him) is over two thousand years.
It seems, therefore, that later, Alexander was given the title of Zulqarnain because he resembled the former in terms of conquering vast kingdoms and emigrations.
Or perhaps the conquest of Persia by assassinating kings and bringing two vast kingdoms – Rome and Persia – under his rule gave him the title of Zulqarnain.
And the truth is that Allah is the first to speak in the Holy Qur’an. There are differences between the two of them in many ways. ‘(Fathul Bari – 3/372)
Although Muhaqqiq Mutayakhkhirin Ulamaye Keram has been giving the opinion that the previous Iskander was Zulqarnain.
But history does not mention that he ruled the world and campaigned from west to east.
Moreover, Nimrod was a powerful ruler in the time of Ibrahim (peace be upon him).
If Alexander were the world’s ruler at that time, the question would be, where was the kingdom of Nimrod? Whose description is in the Qur’an?
If it is said that Alexander became ruler after the death of Nimrod, then historical evidence is needed to support this claim.
But there is no evidence for him other than conjecture. Therefore, the idea that the previous Iskander was also Zul Qarnain became questionable.
Is zulqarnain Alexander?
Maulana Maududi – may Allah have mercy on him – said – ‘The commentators of the ancient times usually referred to Alexander as Zulqarnain.
But his qualities and attributes described in the Qur’an are very similar to those of Alexander.
Based on historical information, most commentators believe he was the ruler of Iran, Khurasan, or Cyrus in the modern era.
This is comparatively more reasonable. Yet, so far, no one has been able to identify him as Zulqarnain. ‘(Tafheemul Quran (Bengali)
Then Maulana Maududi – Rahimahullah – had a long discussion with Khurs, showing the similarity of the qualities and characteristics described in the Holy Qur’an.
Regarding the period of Khurs, he said, “Its rise began around 549 BC.
Within a few years, he conquered the kingdoms of Media (Al Jibal) and Lydia (Asia Minor) and conquered Babylon in 539 BC. (Tafheemul Quran (Bangla) / Surah Al-Kahf, Ayat 63, Thika 72)
Is Zulqarnain Cyrus?
The analysis narrated by Maulana Maududi – Rahimahullah – was more appropriate to be theoretical and acceptable.
But there is still time to question the reign of Khurshid.
Because the Jews of Arabia knew about Zulqarnain even before the revelation of the Qur’an.
They taught the polytheists of Makkah to ask the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) about Zulqarnayn, as can be understood from the pronunciation of the verse.
Alusi said – ‘The ones famous for the questioners are the Kafir group of Makkah.
They questioned the direction of the Jews. ‘(Tafsirul Alusi, Surah Al-Kahf, verse 63)
From this, it is understood that the matter of Zulqarnain was narrated in the Torah. And since the Torah was revealed to Moses (peace be upon him).
Therefore, it must be noted that the reign of Zulqarnain, described in the Holy Qur’an, was before Musa (as) arrived on earth.
Is Alexander the Great in the Bible?
On the other hand, there was a gap of fifteen hundred to two thousand years or more between Moses and Isa (peace be upon him).
As narrated by Abu Jafar Tabari – may Allah have mercy on him – Ibn Abbas – may Allah be pleased with him –
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: There was a one thousand seven hundred years gap between Musa ibn Imran and Isa ibn Maryam.
And there was no break between them (the arrival of the Prophet). Between the two, a thousand prophets were sent from the Children of Israel alone, except for other nations. ‘(Tarikhut Tabari, 1/495)
Other descriptions have a little less. But the minimum interval cannot be less than fifteen hundred years.
Because after the departure of Moses (peace be upon him) from the earth, before the advent of Jesus (peace be upon him), many more prophets came to earth from the Children of Israel. As is evident from the narration of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him).
Zulqarnain history
Of which Ezekiel, Al-Yasa, Samuel, David, Solomon, Daniel, Ezra, Zakariya, and Yahya – Alaihimus Salam – are particularly notable.
If the call duration is from fifty to one hundred years, it must be said that the interval between Moses and Isa (peace be upon him) was much more than 1,500 years.
Again, it cannot be said that Zulqarnain was in the time of Musa (peace be upon him). Because when Moses (peace be upon him) preached on earth, it was the reign of Pharaoh.
The Pharaohs ruled Egypt for centuries until the last Pharaoh was destroyed by Moses (peace be upon him). So, it is impossible to have Zulqarnain even during Pharaoh’s time.
So the question naturally arises – how is it possible that the period of Zulqarnain in the Holy Qur’an took place in 539 BC?
He wants to be someone below 1500 BC or much earlier. The question raised on the tafsir presented by Maulana Maududi – may Allah have mercy on him – will not weaken the strength of his tafsir.
Because the Jews do not have to be aware of Zulqarnain from the Torah revealed to Moses (peace be upon him) after Musa (peace be upon him) through his Shari’ah was left.
But heavenly news came to the other prophets of Israel. Some of them were given the book, and some were given shifts.
As Allah Ta’ala says about Dawood (peace be upon him) – ‘And I gave David the Psalms.’ (Surat an-Nisa ‘, verse 183)
Dhul Qarnayn story
It is possible that the Jews came to know about Zulqarnain from another prophet after Moses (peace be upon him).
So Khurshid is a little more likely to be Zulqarnain than others. Since the qualities and characteristics described in the Qur’an are more similar to him
And the Bible supports him. But it cannot be said with absolute certainty that he is Zulqarnain.
Thus, the first Iskander, who gave the opinion of Mutayakhkhirin about being Zulqarnain, cannot be rejected naturally.
Maybe the history of his rule and victory is not preserved, just as the Qur’an speaks of the great kingdom of Solomon (peace be upon him).
But his name is not found in the history of the world. Even the fact that Zulqarnain was a prophet cannot be denied.
Since the Qur’an does not deny being his Prophet, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not deny it.
As narrated from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said:
‘I don’t know if the Tuba community is cursed. Thus, I do not know whether Zulqarnain is a prophet or an expiation for those convicted. ‘(Mustadrak Alas Sahihain – 382 Sahih)
So the last thing is, who was Zulqarnain? We do not have the documents to say for sure at what time he ruled. Only in the case of Khursa the possibility is a little higher.
Where is the wall of Zulqarnain?
The position of the wall of Zulqarnain is not explicitly mentioned in the Qur’an and Hadith.
So, the matter has to be understood based on conjecture by a bit of thought research. The Qur’an says about Zulqarnain –
‘When he reached the setting of the sun. There, he saw the sun setting in the river Krishna (according to another interpretation of the heated water). (Surah Al-Kahf – 93)
Note: In the verse, the setting of the sun means the place from where the location of the sun can be observed.
Because the reality is that the sun never sets. Instead, the earth always revolves around the sun.
But because our location is so far from the sun, when we go to a beach and stand there, it seems the sun is setting on the other side of the Sea.
Therefore, the Qur’an has also described the matter by choosing words suitable for our understanding.
But where is that place? The commentators have given different views on this. Many have mentioned that it is behind China.
Others claim that it is located in Georgia, at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains near Azar Baijan and Armenia.
This is proved by narration from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him).
Alusi – may Allah have mercy on him – said – perhaps the great waters have hidden the location of that place from us.
Many have claimed in the light of logic and ancient history – the region between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea –
Zulqarnain wall location
Which is now known as South Ossetia (includes Georgia) and North Ossetia (as Russia).
That place separates the borders of Yajuj Majuj. Because there is a mountain straight in the middle of these two Sea – now known as “Darial Ghat”.
It is believed that Yajuz Majuj was to the south of this mountain peak, and Persians were to the north.
And the Persians could not understand the message very quickly. They were subjected to constant Yajuz Majuz violence and bloody attacks from the south.
It was there that Jul Carnain built the wall. Click on this link to learn about Yajuz Majuz.