Your Second Question

Where is 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). located? And who are 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.?

The Answer: I had previously written a treatise on this matter, by which the deniers of that time were silenced. At present, however, I do not have that treatise with me; moreover, my faculty of memory has, as it were, suspended its work and gives me no assistance. Also, in the Third Branch of the Twenty-Fourth Word, this matter has been touched upon to some extent. We shall therefore point here only very briefly to two or three subtle points.

According to the explanations of the scholars of verification, the ahl-i tahqīqScholars who verify Islamic truths through evidence and research. — and also on the basis of the indication contained in the title “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).,” and in view of the use of the word Dhu in the names of Yemeni kings, such as Dhul-YazanSayf ibn Dhi Yazan was a Himyarite ruler of Yemen. With Persian support, he expelled the Abyssinian rulers from Yemen. — this 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). is not Iskandar-i RūmīAlexander the Great, the ancient Macedonian king (356–323 BCE), known in Islamic and Ottoman literature as Alexander of Rūm., Alexander the GreatThe king of ancient Macedonia (356–323 BCE), who conquered the Persian Empire and established one of the largest empires of the ancient world, extending from Greece to parts of India..

Rather, he was one of the kings of Yemen, who lived in the time of the Prophet Ibrāhīm (as)One of the greatest prophets and an ancestor of many prophets, including Ismail, Ishaq, Musa, Isa (as), and Muhammad (saw). and received instruction from KhidrA righteous servant of Allah who lived during the time of Mūsā (as) and was taught special knowledge and wisdom by Allah..

As for Iskandar-i RūmīAlexander the Great, the ancient Macedonian king (356–323 BCE), known in Islamic and Ottoman literature as Alexander of Rūm., Alexander the GreatThe king of ancient Macedonia (356–323 BCE), who conquered the Persian Empire and established one of the largest empires of the ancient world, extending from Greece to parts of India., he lived approximately three hundred years before 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. and was instructed by AristotleAn ancient Greek philosopher (384–322 BCE) and student of Plato, renowned for his contributions to logic, metaphysics, ethics, and natural philosophy. He was also the tutor of Alexander the Great..

Human history, in its orderly written form, reaches back only some three thousand years. With its limited and incomplete gaze, it cannot pass a reliable judgment on the period before the time of Ibrāhīm (as)One of the greatest prophets and an ancestor of many prophets, including Ismail, Ishaq, Musa, Isa (as), and Muhammad (saw).. It therefore either falls into legend, denies certain historical events, or treats the matter in an extremely brief manner.

That this Yemenī 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). has long been known in the tafsīrsCommentaries and interpretations of the Qur’an that explain its verses, meanings, and teachings. by the name “Iskandar” may have two reasons: either one of his names was Iskandar—that is, Iskandar-i Kabīr, the ancient Alexander—or the reason is as follows:

The particular events mentioned in the Qur’an are, in reality, specific instances of general and all-embracing realities. Just as 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). — that is, Iskandar-i Kabīr — under prophetic guidance built a barrier between oppressive peoples and oppressed nations in order to prevent the raids of tyrants, and thus brought into being the famous Great Wall of China, so after him several powerful rulers followed his example in material respects.

Likewise, in the spiritual domain of humanity, certain prophets and some aqtābThe plural of quṭb; a Sufi term for saints regarded as having attained the highest levels of spiritual rank. followed him in spiritual and moral respects. In order to protect the oppressed against the oppressors, they established important means—such as erecting barriers between mountains and, later, building fortresses on mountain peaks—whether by their own material power or through guidance and wise governance.