Who is zul-qarnin ?

Question

we read in qu'ran:

18.86 Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it set in a spring of murky water: Near it he found a People: We said: "O Zul-qarnain! (thou hast authority,) either to punish them, or to treat them with kindness."

Al-Qur'an, 18.86 (Al-Kahf [The Cave])

so who is he ?

I'll be happy to know his story.

Answer 1

he was Alexanderia the Great.

     Dhul-Qarnayn literally meaning  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 people of the West. Some of them said he was called Dhul-Qarnayn (the one with two horns) because he reached the two "Horns" of the sun, east and west, where it rises and where it sets.Historically, Dhul-Qarnayn has been identified as Alexander the Great, and this remains the opinion of most secular historians, while contemporary Islamic scholars are divided on the issue, some identifying him with Cyrus the Great. The epithet was also familiar among the pre-Islamic Arabs, who applied it to at least three different kings.

[edit] Dhul-Qarnayn in the Qur'an

The story of Dhul-Qarnayn appears in sixteen verses of the Qur'an, specifically verses 18:83-98:

Verse Yusuf Ali Pickthall

18:83 They ask thee concerning Zul-qarnain Say, "I will rehearse to you something of his story." They will ask thee of Dhu'l-Qarneyn. Say: I shall recite unto you a remembrance of him.

18:84 Verily We established his power on earth, and We gave him the ways and the means to all ends. Lo! We made him strong in the land and gave him unto every thing a road.

18:85 One (such) way he followed, And he followed a road

18:86 Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it set in a spring of murky water: near it he found a people: We said: "O Zul-qarnain! (thou hast authority), either to punish them, or to treat them with kindness."" Till, when he reached the setting-place of the sun, he found it setting in a muddy spring, and found a people thereabout. We said: O Dhu'l-Qarneyn! Either punish or show them kindness.

18:87 He said: "Whoever doth wrong, him shall we punish; then shall he be sent back to his Lord; and He will punish him with a punishment unheard-of (before). He said: As for him who doeth wrong, we shall punish him, and then he will be brought back unto his Lord, Who will punish him with awful punishment!

18:88 ""But whoever believes, and works righteousness, he shall have a goodly reward, and easy will be his task as we order it by our command."" But as for him who believeth and doeth right, good will be his reward, and We shall speak unto him a mild command.

18:89 Then followed he (another) way. Then he followed a road

18:90 Until, when he came to the rising of the sun, he found it rising on a people for whom We had provided no covering protection against the sun. Till, when he reached the rising-place of the sun, he found it rising on a people for whom We had appointed no shelter therefrom.



18:91 (He left them) as they were: We completely understood what

was before him. So (it was). And We knew all concerning him.

18:92 Then followed he (another) way. Then he followed a road

18:93 Until, when he reached (a tract) between two mountains, he found, beneath them, a people who scarcely understood a word. Till, when he came between the two mountains, he found upon their hither side a folk that scarce could understand a saying.

18:94 They said: "O Zul-qarnain! the Gog and Magog (people) do great mischief on earth: shall we then render thee tribute in order that thou mightest erect a barrier between us and them? They said: O Dhu'l-Qarneyn! Lo! Gog and Magog are spoiling the land. So may we pay thee tribute on condition that thou set a barrier between us and them ?



18:95 He said: "(The power) in which my Lord has established me is better (than tribute): help me therefore with strength (and labour): I will erect a strong barrier between you and them: He said: That wherein my Lord hath established me is better (than your tribute). Do but help me with strength (of men), I will set between you and them a bank.

18:96 "Bring me blocks of iron." At length, when he had filled up the space between the two steep mountain sides, he said, "Blow (with your bellows)" then, when he had made it (red) as fire, he said: "Bring me, that I may pour over it, molten lead." Give me pieces of iron - till, when he had levelled up (the gap) between the cliffs, he said: Blow! - till, when he had made it a fire, he said: Bring me molten copper to pour thereon.

18:97 Thus were they made powerless to scale it or to dig through it. And (Gog and Magog) were not able to surmount, nor could they pierce (it).

18:98 He said: "This is a mercy from my Lord: but when the promise of my Lord comes to pass, He will make it into dust; and the promise of my Lord is true." He said: This is a mercy from my Lord; but when the promise of my Lord cometh to pass, He will lay it low, for the promise of my Lord is true.

Answer 2

[18:83] And they ask thee concerning Dhu'l Qarnain. Say, 'I will recite to you something of his account.'  

[18:84] We established him in the earth and gave him the means to achieve everything.  

[18:85] The he followed a certain way.  

[18:86] Until when he reached the setting-place of the sun, he found it setting as if in a pool of murky water, and near it he found a people. We said, 'O Dhu'l Qarnain, you may punish them, or treat them with kindness.'  

[18:87] He said, 'As for him who does wrong, we shall certainly punish him; then shall he be brought back to his Lord, who will punish him with a dreadful punishment;  

[18:88] 'But as for him who believes and act righteously, he will have a good reward with his Lord, and We too shall speak to him easy words of Our command.'  

[18:89] Then indeed he followed another way.  

[18:90] Until he reached the rising-place of the sun, he found it rising on a people for whom We had made no shelter against it.  

[18:91] Thus indeed it was. Verily, We had full knowledge of all that he had with him.  

[18:92] Then he followed another way.  

[18:93] Until when he reached the open place between the two mountain mountains, he found, beneath them a people who could scarcely understand a word of what he said.  

[18:94] They said, 'O Dhu'l Qarnain, verily, Gog and Magog are creating disorder in the earth; shall we then pay tribute on condition that thou set up a barrier between us and them?'  

[18:95] He replied, 'The power with which my Lord has endowed me about this is better than the resources of my enemies but you may help me with strength of labourers, I will set up a rampart between you and them;  

[18:96] 'Bring me blocks of iron.' They did so till, when he had filled up the space between the two mountains sides, he said, 'Now blow with your bellows.' They blew till, when he had made it red as fire, he said, 'Bring me molten copper that I may pour it thereon.'  

[18:97] So they (Gog and Magog) were not able to scale it, nor were they able to dig through it.  

[18:98] Thereupon he said, 'This is a mercy from my Lord. But when the promise of my Lord shall come to pass, He will break it into pieces. And the promise of my Lord is certainly true.'  

Holy Quran

''Qarn'' literally means a distinctive mark in a man, animal or thing which is distinguished and known by it. Therefore any person who possesses two such distinctive qualifications is described as dhul qarnayn. Whether Dhul Qarnayn was Alexander or Darius or some one else is not the issue in these verses but the Quran aims to provide guidance to man through the narrative of a man who possessed two qualities, knowledge and strength, like Talut. Dhul Qarnayn was an upright and righteous king, a true servant of Allah, whose sway extended over east and west, and over people of diverse civilisations. His first expedition was to the west. A spring of murky water refers to Lychintis (now Ochrida). There he protected the weak and punished the unlawful and the turbulent.

He possessed the qualities, a god-fearing man must own, to administer the affairs of men. Great was his power and great were his ways and means which he used for justice and righteousness, but he always remembered that his power and capabilities were given to him by Allah. He never said like Firawn: "I am your Lord, most high." He declared that his punishment to the wicked was tentative to preserve the balance of this life as he could appraise it but the real consequences of the evil-doing will be encountered by the evildoers on the day of judgement.

Then he went to the east. Those who lived there were a primitive but simple people. The climate was hot, and they required neither roofs over their heads, nor much clothing. He did not disturb their simple mode of living. He left them as they were. Dhul Qarnayn was a man of God. He was not a despot who would forcibly change that which he did not find agreeable to him. He knew his limitations in the sight of his Lord.

Then he reached a tract between two mountains (most probably Armenia and Azerbaijan). The people of this land did not understand the speech of the conqueror. Dhul Qarnayn was now among a people who were different in speech and race from him. They were a peaceable and industrious race, much subject to incursions from wild tribes who were called Yajuj and Majuj (Gog and Magog). Against these tribes they were willing to pay him tribute in return for protection. The permanent protection they wanted was the closing of a mountain gap through which the incursions were made. Dhul Qarnayn was not greedy. He did not impose any tribute, nor was he in need of monetary help or subsidy from them. He had the organising skill. He only asked for material and labour. A barrier was constructed with blocks or bricks of iron, and the cracks were filled up with molten lead, so as to form an impregnable mass of metal. After all the effort which he made for their protection, he claimed no credit for himself beyond that of discharging his duties as a ruler. He turned their attention to Allah who provided the ways and means by which they could be helped and protected, but a time would come when all their precautions would crumble into dust, because it was a promise of Allah.

Answer 3

Here is an excellent tafseer on these verses.  Zul Qarnan is Cyrus.

http://www.alislam.org/quran/tafseer/?pa...

love for all, hatred for none