THE SURAT AL-KAHF GIVES
VITAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPHET DHU’I-QARNAYN
And they ask you (Prophet
Mohammed) about Dhu’I-Qarnayn. Say: I will recite to
you an account of him as “a reminder and advice.”
(Surat al-Kahf, 83)
The words “a reminder and advice”
were extremely important in this verse because, throughout
history, many people interpreted Dhu’I-Qarnayn’s
stories in many different ways. However, God states that telling
Dhu’I-Qarnayn’s stories was a reminder and constituted
advice to believers.
THE PROPHET DHU’I-QARNAYN HAD POWER
AND WAS ENLIGHTENED
“Surely We gave
him power and granted him a course (a reason) as access to
every thing. So he followed a course.” (Surat al-Kahf,
84-85)
From these verses, we understand that in the
country of Dhu’I-Qarnayn, there were no problems. He
had a very strong, rational and powerful rule. By saying,
“We granted him a course,”
God implies that Dhu’I-Qarnayn had been given
the wisdom to find a remedy, a solution to everything. With
this God-given talent, he was finding solutions to all vexing
problems and overcoming difficulties.
DHU’I-QARNAYN’S JOURNEY TO THE
WEST
“Until
when he reached the place where the sun set, he found it going
down into a spring of black mud, and next to it he saw a tribe.
We said: O Dhu’I-Qarnayn! either give them a chastisement
or do them a benefit.” (Surat al-Kahf, 86)
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...until he reached the setting
of the sun and found it setting in a muddy spring...
(Surat al-Kahf, 86) |
Dhu’I-Qarnayn first went to the West.
This area, which was defined as the place where sun goes down,
could be the far western end of the world. In terms of Europe,
this point could be Spain and Gibraltar. If we’re thinking
of Africa, the far western end of this continent would be Mauritania
and Senegal. It is possible that the verse could be pointing
to Africa. (God knows what is best).
This region was defined as a
“spring of black mud.” In Arabic, this
is “aynin hami’e”. The word “ayn”
means spring or fountain. “Hami’e” means
sticky black mud. A person who watches the sun set on the
beach sees this as the sun going under the sea. Or, if you
look at a hill, it looks as if the sun is sinking into the
summit of the hill. It all depends on your vantage point for
watching the sunset.
When Dhu’I-Qarnayn reaches the area described
in this verse, he meets a group of people. God tells him how
he should behave towards them. Dhu’I-Qarnayn is asked
to act lawfully. God tells him to be good towards members
of this group who are good and to also act accordingly towards
others who are evil, cruel or rebellious. He himself is to
decide on the judgment. This tells us that Dhu’I-Qarnayn,
besides being a president, also had the authority of a judge.
He practiced imprisonment, detention or other kinds of punishment
depending on that era’s penal code.
DHU’I-QARNAYN WAS NOT ONLY A STATESMAN,
BUT ALSO A SPIRITUAL GUIDE
“He said: As to him who
is injust, we will chastise him, then shall he be returned
to his Lord, and He will chastise him with an exemplary chastisement:
And as for him who believes and does good, he shall have goodly
reward, and We will speak to him an easy word of Our command.”
(Surat al-Kahf, 87-88)
Dhu’I-Qarnayn spoke to Muslims of the afterlife.
From these verses, we understand that Dhu’I-Qarnayn
was a Muslim ruler, his state was a Muslim government, he
was educating its people and he was ruling them in a manner
approved by God.
Dhu’I-Qarnayn always called on any new person
he met to believe in God and to practice the worship laid
out by the Qur’an. He talked to people about the balance
between this world and the afterlife and he encouraged them
choose the right way.
DHU’I-QARNAYN’S JOURNEY TO THE
EAST
“Then he followed (another)
course. Until when he reached the land of the rising of the
sun, he found it rising on a people to whom We had given no
shelter from It;
Even so! and We had a full knowledge of what he had.”
(Surat al-Kahf, 89-91)
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..until he reached the rising
of the sun... (Surat al-Kahf, 90) |
This time Dhu’I-Qarnayn went to the
East. The verse could be pointing to Korea, China, or northern
China (Manchuria).
Dhu’I-Qarnayn meets “a
tribe God gave no shelter from.” The word “shelter”
is “sitren” in Arabic, which comes from the Arabic
verb “setere,” meaning “to cover, to hide.”
This shows us that the word “shelter” here was
used as “dress or covering.” Therefore this group
of people could be nomads who had no homes and were living
in a flat valley. They had no shelters, umbrellas or anything
to protect from the sun. They were probably working at night
and living in an underground shelter during the day. They
had no clothing and they were living under very primitive
conditions.
Verse 91 says that Dhu’I-Qarnayn had “all
the pure knowledge,” which is the equivalent
of the Arabic word of “hubr.” This means that
he knew all the nuances and had a grasp of reality.
DHU’I-QARNAYN’S THIRD JOURNEY
“Until when he reached
(a place) between the two mountains, he found on that side
of them a people who could hardly understand a word.”
(Surat al-Kahf, 92-93)
During his third journey, Dhu’I-Qarnayn
makes a u-turn and reaches an area between the East and the
West. This could be an area in the Himalayas. Bediuzzaman
Said Nursi also pointed to the same region, writing, “Dhu’I-Qarnayn
built a long wall between two mountains near the Himalayas
in order to stop attacks against an oppressed people, and
this wall was largely successful in holding back the attacks.”(Bediüzzaman
Said Nursi, 16. Lema, s. 101)
This verse tells us that the people of this tribe
didn’t understand a single word. This shows us that
this tribe was using an unusual language for communication.
However, Dhu’I-Qarnayn did succeed in communicating
with this tribe. Either he used his wisdom in order to understand
and speak this language, or he had people with him who understood
this language. This verse might indicate that Dhu’I-Qarnayn
was accompanied by a team of people specializing in languages.
Everywhere that Dhu’I-Qarnayn went, there
was poverty and misery. Both societies, those in the East
and the West, were in need. The people living in the East
had no shelter to protect themselves from the sun. The people
living between the two mountains were extremely ignorant as
well as culturally and technologically backward. They were
helpless to protect themselves against outside threats. Therefore
the country faced a great danger of slipping into anarchy.
They asked for Dhu’I-Qarnayn’s help because of
their poverty, ignorance and chaos.
PEOPLE ASKED FOR HELP FROM A LEADER LIKE
DHU’I-QARNAYN
“They said: O Dhu’I-Qarnayn!
surely Gog and Magog make mischief in the land. Shall we then
pay you a tribute on condition that you should raise a barrier
between us and them.” (Surat al-Kahf, 94)
This tribe facing hardship due to the acts of
Gog and Magog asked Dhu’I-Qarnayn for help, and they
proposed paying him taxes in return for his help. This tells
us that Dhu’I-Qarnayn was governing a nation. Just like
the Prophet Sulayman, he had military power.
Just like the linguists who accompanied Dhu’I-Qarnayn,
he also had another team of aides who were experts in housing
and construction matters. From the people’s request
for help, we can also tell that Dhu’I-Qarnayn was interested
in architecture and construction technology. Some verses state
that he was famous for his knowledge in these areas. Because
of his fame, some other statesmen asked for his help in this
area. All these characteristics of Dhu’I-Qarnayn help
us to understand the power of his state.
The respect he received from both the East and
the West tells us that he was ruling a state that dominated
the world. We also can tell by reading these verses that he
was in charge of bringing peace, justice and security to the
earth. He felt responsible for the entire world, not just
his own country.
Dhu’I-Qarnayn’s story tells us that
Islamic morality will dominate the entire world in the endtimes.
DHU’I-QARNAYN REFUSED TO ACCEPT ANY
GIFTS FOR HIS SERVICES
“He said: That in which
my Lord has established me is better, therefore you only help
me with workers, I will make a fortified barrier between you
and them.” (Surat al-Kahf, 95)
The Qur’an gives other examples of this
virtue of the prophets. Dhu’I-Qarnayn didn’t accept
the material gifts he was offered for his services, and he
probably had a very good point in doing so. First of all,
by refusing any material recompense for his contributions,
he prevented any negative influence this might have had on
the people, since people’s respect and submission decreases
when they make a financial contribution to someone. This is
human psychology. The verse stresses that he offered his help
as a gift in order to prevent such an untoward situation.
Secondly, such aid would increase the love and loyalty of
the people for him. Lastly, like the Prophet Sulayman, Dhu’I-Qarnayn
was the head of a very wealthy state and so didn’t need
anything in return for his services.
However, Dhu’I-Qarnayn asked these people
to show their human support. This way he was giving a number
of responsibilities to his people. He was teaching them art
and science. He was helping them develop culturally and technologically.
He was also putting to use a human force which had hitherto
remained idle. This way he was avoiding unnecessary expenditures
from the state’s treasury and moreover helping these
people themselves grow capable in the defense of their own
country. Such a relationship based on respect and fairness
would easily win the people’s support and trust.
DHU’I-QARNAYN USED ADVANCED CONSTRUCTION
TECHNOLOGY
“Bring me blocks of iron;
until when he had filled up the space between the two mountain
sides, he said: Blow, until when he had made it (as) fire,
he said: Bring me molten brass which I may pour over it.”
(Surat al-Kahf, 96)
The verse tells us that Dhu’I-Qarnayn,
during the construction of the barrier between the two mountains,
used iron and melted copper (some interpreters call it tar).
Dhu’I-Qarnayn might have used today’s bridge construction
technology when he used the iron blocks to erect the barrier.
The iron pieces were put edge-to-edge and then welded to each
other. This way he formed a large barrier. He might have also
built a reinforced concrete bridge between the two mountains.
He put additions between the iron pieces that formed this
bridge and then welded them together. First the iron pieces
were placed and then the melted copper (or tar) was used like
a glue to hold the iron pieces together. He also formed a
groove for this pasting process and the melted copper was
poured from this groove. (God knows what is best)
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Tar |
The verse talks about the“melted copper,”
one meaning of which is “tar.” Tar was a coating
material that was used to protect the iron against humidity
and sea water, and it was obtained from pine trees and coal.
Dhu’I-Qarnayn poured this tar onto the iron and in this
way prevented the iron becoming oxidized and growing rusty.
The same system is being used today in modern reinforced concrete
structures.
Dhu’I-Qarnayn may have combined the iron
with tar poured on it with a plaster formed by sand, lime,
pebbles and water. This way he formed a very strong barrier
which would be difficult to break through. Under normal conditions,
a plaster made with sand and lime could easily be broken,
not when this plaster is fortified with iron. This was a powerful
deterrent to people who wanted to attack the wall. It was
extremely difficult for this structure to collapse or be destroyed
or for a hole to be forced through it. Unless God wished it,
it was impossible for this barrier to collapse, since it was
fortified with straight and diagonal iron bars. Dhu’I-Qarnayn
might have also used technology which is today commonly used
in the construction of dams. This is a different method. A
dam was needed between the two mountains and if this dam was
built with an opposite slant, it was impossible to pass through
this barrier.
DHU’I-QARNAYN’S BARRIER WAS
NOT OVERCOME
“So they were not able
to scale it nor could they make a hole in it.
He said: This is a mercy from my Lord, but when the promise
of my Lord comes to pass He will make it level with the ground,
and the promise of my Lord is ever true.” (Surat al-Kahf,
97-98)
Verse 97 shows that this was a high barrier.
It was also very strong, and people were unable to make a
hole in it. This could be evidence that this barrier was built
using a technology similar to the one used in today’s
modern buildings.
Verse 98 tells us that immediately after the barrier
was constructed, Dhu’I-Qarnayn told his people that
God was all compassionate and all merciful. He said that this
barrier was a sign of God’s mercy, and he knew that
nobody could have built a structure like this if God hadn’t
willed it. He wanted to prevent people from making the mistake
of thinking that this success belonged to them.
Verse 98 tells us that this barrier will endure
until Doomsday. The word “promise” in verse 98
refers to Doomsday, as the next verse makes clear. This means
that the barrier would last until Doomsday.
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