The Sixteenth Flash

Then city walls were built around cities, castles at their centres, and finally heavy cannons and even mobile fortresses. Even the most famous barrier on earth—the Great Wall of China, which extends over a distance of many days—was built to halt the attacks of the wild and plundering peoples who are called Yajūj and MajūjGog and Magog; two groups mentioned in the Qur’an, known for spreading corruption and disorder on earth. Dhul-Qarnayn built a barrier to restrain them. in the language of the Qur’an, and Manchus and Mongols in the language of history; peoples who repeatedly turned humanity upside down, emerged from behind the Himalayas, and spread devastation from east to west. Dhul-QarnaynA righteous and powerful ruler mentioned in the Qur’an (18:83–98), to whom Allah granted authority and the means to undertake great journeys. He is known for his justice and for building a barrier to protect a people from Yājūj and Mājūj (Gog and Magog). had this barrier built between two mountains near the Himalayan ranges in order to prevent their attacks upon the oppressed peoples of India and China. In the same way, in the Caucasus, toward Derbent, barriers were built through the efforts of ancient Persian kings who acted like Dhul-QarnaynA righteous and powerful ruler mentioned in the Qur’an (18:83–98), to whom Allah granted authority and the means to undertake great journeys. He is known for his justice and for building a barrier to protect a people from Yājūj and Mājūj (Gog and Magog)., in order to repel the attacks of plundering Tatar peoples.

Since the Wise Qur’an addresses the whole of humanity, it outwardly mentions a particular event in order thereby to point to all similar events. From this point of view, the narrations and the explanations of the mufassirīnScholars who interpret and explain the Qur’an; experts in Qur’anic exegesis (tafsīr). concerning the Barrier and Yajūj and MajūjGog and Magog; two groups mentioned in the Qur’an, known for spreading corruption and disorder on earth. Dhul-Qarnayn built a barrier to restrain them. differ.

Moreover, the Wise Qur’an, according to the flow of its discourse, sometimes passes from one event to another that is far removed from it in time. Whoever does not understand this connection imagines that the two events are close to one another in time.

Thus, when the Qur’an mentions the destruction of the Barrier and then announces the end of the world, this is not because of temporal proximity, but because of a rhetorical connection between the two, within which two subtle meanings are contained:

Just as this barrier will be destroyed, so too will the world perish. And just as the Divine barriers—the mountains—are firm and will be destroyed only at the coming of the Last Hour, so too this barrier is firm as a mountain; it will be completely levelled with the earth only when the world itself comes to an end. Even though the revolutions of time bring about partial destruction, it remains largely intact.

Indeed, one part of the all-embracing meaning of the Barrier of Dhul-QarnaynA righteous and powerful ruler mentioned in the Qur’an (18:83–98), to whom Allah granted authority and the means to undertake great journeys. He is known for his justice and for building a barrier to protect a people from Yājūj and Mājūj (Gog and Magog). —namely the Great Wall of China— still stands, though thousands of years old. It is read as a long, petrified, and meaningful line from ancient history, written by the hand of man upon the page of the earth.

Your Third Question

Concerning the killing of the DajjālAn end-times figure associated with deception, tyranny, and opposition to Islam and its values by Īsā (as)One of the great prophets and messengers of Allah, born miraculously to Maryam (Mary) without a father and sent to the Children of Israel., a very concise but sufficient answer has been given in both the First and Fifteenth Letters.