 | Dhul-Qarnayn: Encyclopedia - Dhul-Qarnayn
Dhul-Qarnayn
Dhul-Qarnayn (Arabic ذو القرنين, also transcribed Dhu'l-Qarnein, Zul-Qurnayn, Zul-Qarnain, Zul-Qarneyn, Zul-Qarnayn, etc.), literally "He of the Two Horns", 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 peoples of the West. He is regarded by some Muslims as a prophet. Historically Dhul-Qarnayn has been identified with Alexander the Great, and this remains the opinion of most secular historians, while contemporary Islamic scholars are divided on the issue. The epithet was also familiar among the pre-Islamic Arabs, who applied it to at least three different kings.
Dhul-Qarnayn - Reference to context on Dhul-Qarnayn
According to Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 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 Jewish rabbis 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 Jewish 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.[1]
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 Zul-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."[2]
Prophets of Islam, Alexander the Great
Dhul-Qarnayn - Dhul-Qarnayn in the Qur'an
The story of Dhul-Qarnayn appears in sixteen verses of the Qur'an, specifically verses 18:83-98:
Dhul-Qarnayn - Theories on the identity of Dhul-Qarnayn
Dhul-Qarnayn - Alexander the Great as Dhul-Qarnayn
The story of Dhul-Qarnayn as described in the Quran follows very closely some passages of the Alexander Romance, a thoroughly embellished compilation of Alexander the Great's exploits from Hellenistic and early Christian sources which underwent numerous expansions and revisions throughout Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The Alexander Romance was enormously extremely popular in the Hellenistic world, including Jewish communities, among which Alexander had practically gained the status of a folk hero[3]. Some adaptations containing all the elements of the Quranic account can be found in early Hellenistic documents, such as the Armenian recension of the Alexander Romance. Actually the main elements of the story (an iron gate constructed by Alexander blocking the passage of Scythian tribes; identification of said Scythians with Gog and Magog) can already be found in Josephus[4][5] and in Saint Jerome, although in fragmented occurences (see Alexander in the Qur'an for details).
For these reason the widely accepted view is that the (indirect) model for Dhul Qarnayn is Alexander the Great. The majority of medieval Muslim scholars were happy to identify Dhul-Qarnayn as Alexander. However, some Muslim scholars have asserted that the medieval scholars were mistaken and that Dhul-Qarnayn cannot be Alexander.
Dhul-Qarnayn - Cyrus the Great as Dhul Qarnain
Some contemporary Muslim scholars, such as Maududi and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, have suggested that Dhul-Qarnayn is Cyrus the Great. This theory has been endorsed by Iranian scholars Allameh Tabatabaei (in his Tafsir al-Mizan) and Grand Ayatollah Makarim al-Shirazi (Bargozideh Tafseer-i Nemuneh, Vol 3, p69).
Dhul-Qarnayn - The archaic Dhul-Qarnayn
Some early Islamic commentators stipulated that Dhul-Qarnayn must have been a contemporary of Abraham. Others postulated an Alexander who lived 2000 years before Alexander the Great [6].
Dhul-Qarnayn - The Arab Dhul-Qarnayn
Two early Arabian kings were known as Dhul-Qarnayn: the northern Arabian king Al-Mundhir al-Akbar ibn Ma' as-Sama' (so called for his two curled locks), and the early South Arabian king Tubba' al-Aqran. South Arabian interpreters of the Qur'an argue that the Quranic Dhul-Qarnayn was their king Tubba' [4]. Other supporters of the Yemeni Dhul-Qarnayn theory included (the Persian) Biruni in his Āthār al-bāqiyah (آثار الباقیه), Asma'i (اصمعی) in his Tarikh al-Arab ("History of Arab" تاریخ العرب), and Sirah of Ibn Hisham, among others.
Others have suggested that Dhul-Qarnayn could be the Egyptian pharoah Narmer , who unified northern and southern Egypt. Among supporters of the Arab Dhul-Qarnayn theory were Mughrizi (المقریزی) in his book al-Khutat (الخطط), and Allama Sayyed Habeddin al-Shahrestani (علامه سید هبه الدین الشهرستانی).
Dhul-Qarnayn - The angelic Dhul-Qarnayn
There are scattered references in which Ali ibn Abi Talib gives the epithet Dhul-Qarnayn [5]. Since Dhul-Qarnayn was a righteous ruler, this may simply be a way of praising by Ali. Mughrizi also quotes Mukhtar ibn Abi Ubayd (مختار ابن ابی عبید) as saying that Ali always referred to Dhul-Qarnayn as "an angel without wings". The 8th century scholar Al-Jahiz, in his (الحیوان), also writes of Dhul-Qarnayn being born to a human mother and angelic father.
See also
- Prophets of Islam
- Alexander the Great
Other related archivesAbraham, Al-Jahiz, Alexander, Alexander Romance, Alexander in the Qur'an, Alexander the Great, Ali ibn Abi Talib, Allameh Tabatabaei, Antiquity, Arabic, Biruni, Cyrus the Great, Gog and Magog, Ibn Hisham, Ibn Kathir, Islam, Josephus, Maududi, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Middle Ages, Narmer, Prophets of Islam, Qur'an, Saint Jerome, Scythian, Tafsir al-Mizan, pharoah
 Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Dhul-Qarnayn", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki |
