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Some Muslims believe that Dhul-qarnain or Zul-qarnain is the

Persian King Cyrus:
Please be advised that I disagree with the author for claiming that Alexander was a Pagan.
According to the historical references in the Gog and Magog and the Iron Gates article,
Alexander was considered a great person to the Jews and is considered like a Saint for the
Christians, even though he existed before Jesus peace be upon him. His importance to both Jews
and Christians eliminates the (perhaps false) fact that he was an idol worshiper.
Let us continue with the article:
The following article was sent to me by brother Mark; may Allah Almighty always be pleased
with him.

Gog and Magog:

Hello, and God's blessings upon you. With all due respect to your beliefs, you are mistaken
'Zhulkarnein' of the holy Koran is NOT Alexander the Great. It is Cyrus the Great, the famous
Persian king of the Achamenid Dynasty (600?-541 B.C). Consider the following:
1- Alexander was not a monotheistic man. He was a blasphemer who worshipped the many gods
of Ancient Greece. The Biography of Alexander, written by a famous Greek historian
(Herodotus?) states that Alexander believed that he was the son of Zeus! This contradicts the
Koran, which states that Zhulkarnein was a man of Godly faith. Also, Alexander was a
lecherous womanizer of the worst kind, and was far from what you would call a gentleman
(inspite of his military genius). He killed one of his generals in a drunken frenzy.
My personal objection to this point: As I mentioned above, Alexander is considered as a great
person to the Jews and is like a Saint to the Christians. There is no proof that he was a Pagan.
Also, regarding the "Womanizer" point, well, according to Islam, we believe in the Prophets of
the Bible peace be upon all of them. They too were "Womanizers" if you wish to use this term,
for many of them had literally hundreds of wives from all ages.
2- The Koranic verses in the 'AL KAHF' sura, which talk about Zhulkarnein, begin with the
words: "And they ask you about Zhulkarnein..". Meaning that the Jews are asking the Prophet
Muhammad about him. This means that this king was KNOWN TO THE JEWS, AND IS
MENTIONED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. Alexander the Great is not mentioned in the Old
Testament, nor did he have any close relation with the Jews.
3-The word "qarn" in the Koran has one meaning and one meaning only: It means: People or
Nation. Thus, he was called Zhulkarnein because he was a king of two peoples or two nations.
Historically, Cyrus was of the Achamenid Dynasty, a dynasty of double throne. He was King of
both the Medians and the Persians! He was the one who overthrew the Babylonian empire and
permitted the captive Jews to return to their homeland and to rebuild their Temple. Thus, the
Jews greatly revere and respect him.
My personal objection to this point: With all due respect dear brother Mark, but "qarn" in
Arabic doesn't mean people or nation, and "Zhulkarnein" or "Dhul-qarnain" or "Zul-qarnain"
doesn't mean the king of two peoples or two nations either. "qarn" in Arabic has two meanings:
"horn" and "century". "Dhul-qarnain" could literally mean in Arabic: "The man of two horns" or
"The man of two centuries". This "one word having multiple meanings" problem if you will,
exists in English as well. Take for instance the word "trunk": It could mean the back of your car,
and it could also mean the trunk of the Elephant.
4- It is Known that Cyrus' empire stretched for the western shores of Turkey in the west, to the
flat and barren deserts near Northern India in the east (you may check any Encyclopedia to verify
this). Also, the Northernmost boundaries of his empire are the Caucasus mountains, in present
day Georgia. The region is full of Ancient Persian ruins of military fortifications and
strongholds.

5- Geographically, the Caucasus mountains form a natural and almost impassable barrier that
stood between the civilized kingdoms of central Asia, and the northern plain lands were the
savage barbarian and nomadic tribes once roamed. Among the only natural passes through these
formidable mountains is a stretch of open ground known today as "Daryal Pass". It is located
north of Tiblisi, the capital of Georgia. The area is called: "doorway of Ghurash" (Ghurash is
Armenian for Cyrus). The remains of a metallic rampart STILL STAND TODAY, as part of
ancient Persian fortifications.
6- The technique used by Cyrus in building this 'wall' was not known to the people of the region
way back then. (He received this technique from God himself!). Also, the great Greek historian
Herodotus states, in his chronicles, that the Georgians were the first people in the world to have
learned how to 'smelt iron'.....(strange coincidence, eh?).
All this evidence is overwhelming, and cannot be ignored.

http://www.answering-christianity.com/king_cyrus.htm

Back to Gog and Magog and the Iron Gates.

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Zulqarnain as Cyrus the Great within the Noble Quran

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1. 03-12-04, 11:55 AM #1
Abdullah al-Muhajir

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Zulqarnain as Cyrus the Great within the Noble

Quran
ZOLQARNAIN;
CYRUS THE GREAT IN QUR'AN
By: Baha'eddin Khoramshahi

"I am Cyrus, who founded the empire of the Iranians.

Grudge me not therefore, this little earth that covers my body."
In the Qur'an, there are 16 verses in the Kahf Sureh (verses 83-98) that talk about
Zolqarnain and some aspects of his personality. Recently, Molana Abolkalam Azad,
India's Minister of Culture, in his Urdu-language exegesis titled "Tarjoman alQur'an", claimed that Zolqarnain referred to Cyrus the Great, the Achaemenian
king (taking this stand apparently on the authority of Seyyed Ahmad Khan, the
famous exegete of the Qur'an). He mentioned many reasons for his assertion,
including the following:
1)Cyrus is mentioned in the Old Testament and the Book of Ezra as a God-revering
person, a description that matched the qualities of Zolqarnain in the Qur'an.
2)The deeds of the Achaemenian king were in accordance to the deeds described
in the Qur'an, as he fought with the Lydians in Asia Minor and then with the Sakas
in the east (unlike Alexander the Great).

3)Zolqarnain in the Qur'an is said to have built a barrier of copper and iron after
fighting the Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj people. Cyrus built a similar barrier in the Daryal
Pass, the remains of which are still existing.
In the Qur'an, the name of Zolqarnain, together with descriptions of some aspects
of his personality and an accounting of a number of his deeds, are mentioned
three times in 15 verses of the Kahf Sureh. A translation of these verses is as
follows:
"And they will ask you about Zolqarnain. Tell them, 'I will tell you now one of his
tales.' We gave him power upon earth and gave him authority over everything. And
he followed upon his authority, until he reached the lands west of the sun and
found out the sun set there in a muddy spring. Nearby, he found a tribe. We told
him: Zolqarnain, you have the authority. Either you will punish them or you will be
generous to them. He said: Whoever ascribes company to God will be punished
soon and I will return him to his God and punish him severely. But whoever
accepts the faith and does good things, I will reward well and make things easy for
him. He followed up on his words, and he reached the lands on the east of the sun
and saw people who were not shielded before it. Thus, we know from his affairs.
He followed on his work and he reached between two huge wall-like mountains
and found people who understood no language. [Through a translator] they told
Zolqarnain, 'The Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj people bring great devastation to this land. If
you want us to pay you tribute, build a wall between them and us.' He said: The
power that God has blessed me with is better than your tributes, but help me [with
manpower] to build a wall between you and them.' When they laid the foundation,
he said: Bring me pieces of iron [and put them in a heap], until he filled the gap
between the two mountains, making them level. He said: Blow [in furnaces of
fire],'[and they did] until [iron] became [hot] like fire. Then he told them: Bring me
melt zinc, until [a wall was built and the Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj] could not penetrate it.
He said: This is a blessing from my God and when His promised day arrives, He
will scatter it and right is my God's promise." [Kahf Sureh/18/verses 83-98].
According to most exegetes of the Qur'an, a cause of revelation exists for these 16
verses of the Kahf Sureh. From the Qur'an itself, it seems that these verses were
revealed because of a question asked from the Prophet by his contemporaries. The
Qur'an says: "They will ask you about Zolqarnain. Tell them, 'I will tell you now a
tale about him.'"
In the translation of Tabari's History, Bal'ami said that Ibn-e-Abbas had said that
when the infidels of Mecca could not contradict the Prophet, they asked for help
from the Jews of Khaybar and sent Abu-Djahl to them: "All the Jews came together
and brought with them the Torah and extracted three problems from therein." The
first question was about the spirit (of course, not the human spirit, but the Holy
Ghost, Gabriel). The next question was about the Seven Sleepers, and the third
about Zolqarnain: "They told his story, they told how he went from the west to the
east and the story of the Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj. And they said that this was what was
told in the Torah, and if Muhammad could answer about what was in the Torah,
then we know that he is a prophet."
Considering the cause of revelation of these verses, it could be seen that whoever
the story was about, should have been mentioned in the Torah. We shall return to
this point. The exegetes of the Qur'an, as well as historians had made many

assertions about the identity of Zolqarnain, including the following:

1.Zolqarnain was Alexander (Tabari's Exegesis, a remark attributed to Abu-Rayhan,
Madjmal-al-Tawarikh va-al-Qessas, Sur-Abadi's Exegesis, and others).
2.Abu-Rayhan mentioned other personalities that could be Zolqarnain, such as: (a)
Athux, who triumphed over Hamiress, a Babylonian king, (b) Monzar-ibn-Ma' alSama', Abu-Karb Shamrir ibn-Afriqess Homeyri.
3.Sa'b ibn-Djabal (Ghazzali in Serr-al-Alamain [The Secret of the Two Worlds]).
4.Zolqarnain was Cyrus the Great, the Achaemenian king. This view was recently
expounded by Molana Abolkalam Azad, the Indian minister of culture, (apparently
following Sir Seyyed Ahmad Khan, the famous exegete of the Qur'an) in his
exegesis of the Qur'an titled "Tarjoman al-Qur'an". In this work, the Indian official
put forward many arguments in support of his claim.
In between the ancient and the contemporary scholars, Meqrizi (c. 1380-1460 A.D.)
suggested in his book "Al-Khotatt" that Zolqarnain was Sa'b, the king of Yemen.
This suggestion was so important, but he made another remark, which was
significant. He wrote: "Those who believe he was Iranian, Roman, or that he was
Alexander of Macedon, are wrong" (quoted from "Cyrus the Great in the Qur'an
and in the Old Testament", written by Fereydoun Badre'i, p. 110).
This signified two points:
1.During his time, there were people who believed that Zolqarnain was an Iranian.
2.Though there were many who believed Zolqarnain was Alexander, this opinion
was considered wrong.
Anyway, the contention of Molana Abolkalam Azad has received widespread
attention in the Islamic world and in Iran. One of the contemporary historians, Dr.
Muhammad Ebrahim Bastani Parizi, translated this treatise into Persian, with
necessary annotations. Some great exegetes, such as Allameh Tabatabaie, the
author of "Al-Mizan", and Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi, the author of the exegesis
"Nemooneh" and translator of the Qur'an, have accepted the plausibility of this
assertion. Some experts on the Qur'an, such as the late Khaza'eli, who wrote the
"Qur'an's Index", considered this as reasonable and defended their stand. Also,
one of the great contemporary researchers and linguists, Dr. Fereydoun Badre'i,
wrote a book titled "Cyrus the Great in the Qur'an and the Old Testament" to prove
this hypothesis.
But there are yet many other scholars in the Islamic World who consider
Zolqarnain to be Alexander of Macedon, among them Montgomery Watt (in the
Encyclopedia of Islam, Leiden), and Dr. Hossein Safavi, the contemporary Iranian
scholar who wrote the book "Who is Zolqarnain?" (the latest research on
Zolqarnain and the Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj, Tehran, Muhammadi Publications - Bita). He
refuted Molana Abolkalam Azad's suggestion (and naturally that of Dr. Fereydoun
Badre'i without mentioning his book, and all others who believed that the
Achaemenian Cyrus was the Qur'anic Zolqarnain). Hence, the main competition is
between two hypotheses: one that identified Zolqarnain with Alexander of

Macedon, and the other that contends he was the Achaemenian Cyrus.
There are some arguments against the first idea, the most important of which are
the following:
1)There is no mention of Alexander in the Old Testament, while Cyrus is
mentioned.
2)Alexander was not a monotheist, while Zolqarnain was explicitly mentioned in
the Qur'an to be a believer in one Supreme Being.
3)There is no copper and zinc barrier, as mentioned in the Qur'an, that is
associated with Alexander.
But the arguments in favor of Molana Abolkalam's claim are as follows:
1)Cyrus is a personality mentioned in the Bible, i.e the Old Testament (the Book of
Daniel, the Book of Ezra and some other books where Cyrus is referred to in very
explicit terms: Daniel dreamt that in the palace of Susa in Elam, a two-horned ram
triumphed over all animals, with the exception of a one-horned goat that finally
defeated the ram. Daniel lost consciousness after this dream and an angel
appeared to him, saying that the ram he had seen was the king of the Medes and
the Persians, while the one-horned goat was the king of the Greeks) (Book of
Daniel, chapter 8, verses 20-21).
2)In the Qur'an, Zolqarnain is described as someone to whom God granted power
and authority on earth. This corresponds well with the personality of Cyrus, who
conquered a large part of Europe and Asia, establishing the first empire in the
world.
3)The Qur'an's Zolqarnain was God-revering and a monotheist, and so was Cyrus.
As the most probable date for the appearance of Zoroaster is in the mid-sixth
century B.C., this date is close to the time Cyrus lived.
4)Zolqarnain led a military expedition to the land west of the sun. This is consistent
with the Achaemenian king's military thrusts in Lydia in Asia Minor and his
conquest of that country.
5)Zolqarnain led a military expedition to the land east of the sun, corresponding to
Cyrus's expedition to the southeast (Makran and Sistani) and northeast (near
Balkh).
6)The Qur'an's Zolqarnain encountered a barbarian tribe and this is consistent with
Cyrus's expedition to the north and his battles with the Sakas, who may be
interpreted as the barbarian tribes of the Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj. Here, Cyrus defeated
the barbarians and in the Daryal Pass, which was the only passage from which
they could be attacked by their neighbors, he built a barrier made of copper and
iron. The people under siege might have asked Cyrus for help and provided him
with manpower.
The ruins of this barrier still exist. Molana Abolkalam Azad noted that these
barbarians were called different names in different areas. The Greeks referred to

them as the "Lytes". In more recent times in Europe, they had been called the
"Magyars" and in Asia the "Tatars". They could be identified with the Mongols (for
more details, see Cyrus the Great (Zolqarnain), by Molana Abolkalam Azad,
translated by Bastani Parizi, in particular Chapter 6).
In summary, one cannot decree with certainty when it comes to historical
identifications, especially when dealing with stories from the Qur'an. But as can
presented above, the hypothesis that the Qur'an's Zolqarnain is Cyrus the Great,
appears reasonable and is highly probable.
[http://www.cais-soas.com/CAIS/Cyrus-...-the-great.htm]

Last edited by Abdullah al-Muhajir; 03-12-04 at 12:05 PM.

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2. 03-12-04, 12:00 PM #2
Abdullah al-Muhajir

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Indeed, Cyrus the Great as Zulqarnain or Dhul-Qarnain in the Noble Quran
may be an extremely correct analogy, as Cyrus is mentioned in JudeoChristian scripture:
Cyrus in the Judeo-Christian tradition

Cyrus the Great figures in the Old Testament as the patron and deliverer of
the Jews. He is mentioned twenty-three times by name and alluded to several
times more, viz.: II Chron. xxxvi. 22 (twice)[1] , 3; Ezra i. 1 (twice)[2], 2, 7, 8,
iii. 7, iv. 3, 13, 14, 17, vi. 3; Isa. xliv. 28[3] , xlv. 1; Dan. i. 21[4] , vi. 28, x. 1,
and 1 Esdras 2 [5] . From these statements it appears that Cyrus, king of
Persia, was the monarch under whom the captivity of the Jews ended, for in
the first year of his reign he was prompted of Yahweh to make a decree that
the temple in Jerusalem should be rebuilt and that such Jews as cared to
might return to their land for this purpose. Moreover, he showed his interest
in the project by sending back with them the sacred vessels which had been
taken from the temple and a considerable sum of money to buy building
materials with.
After the work had been stopped by enemies of the Jews it was recommended
under the exhortations of the prophets, and when the authorities asked the
Jews what right they had to build a temple they referred to the decree of
Cyrus. Darius, who was then reigning, caused a search for this alleged decree
to be made, and it was found in the archives at Ecbatana ('Achmetha.' Ezra
6:2), whereupon Darius reaffirmed the decree and the work proceeded to its
triumphant close. Daniel was in the favor of Cyrus, and it was in that year of
Cyrus that he had the vision recorded in his tenth chapter.
Cyrus issued the decree of liberation to the Jews (Ezra 1:1, 2[6] , concerning
which Daniel had prayed (Daniel 9:3[7] and prophesied (v. 25). The edict of
Cyrus for the rebuilding of the Second Temple at Jerusalem marked a great
epoch in the history of the Jewish people. However, some of the non-jewish
peoples of Palestine hired counselors to frustrate the Jews from completing
the rebuilding throughout the reign of Cyrus, Xerxes ('Ahasuerus'), and
Artaxerxes, until the reign of Darius. Darius discovered Cyrus' original
decree "at Achmetha [R.V. marg., "Ecbatana"], in the palace that is in the
province of the Medes" (Ezra 6:2[8], and recommissioned the building of the
Jewish temple in Jerusalem.
A chronicle drawn up just after the conquest of Babylonia by Cyrus, gives
the history of the reign of Nabonidus ('Nabunahid'), the last king of Babylon,
and of the fall of the Babylonian empire. In 538 BC there was a revolt in
Southern Babylonia, while the army of Cyrus entered the country from the
north. In June the Babylonian army was completely defeated at Opis, and
immediately afterwards Sippara opened its gates to the conqueror. Gobryas
(Ugbaru), the governor of Kurdistan, was then sent to Babylon, which
surrendered "without fighting," and the daily services in the temples
continued without a break. In October, Cyrus himself arrived, and
proclaimed a general amnesty, which was communicated by Gobryas to "all
the province of Babylon," of which he had been made governor. Meanwhile,

Nabonidus, who had concealed himself, was captured, but treated

honourably; and when his wife died, Cambyses II, the son of Cyrus,
conducted the funeral. Cyrus now assumed the title of "king of Babylon,"
claimed to be the descendant of the ancient kings, and made rich offerings to
the temples. At the same time he allowed the foreign populations who had
been deported to Babylonia to return to their old homes, carrying with them
the images of their gods. Among these populations were the Jews, who, as
they had no images, took with them the sacred vessels of the temple.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_i...tian_tradition
And if you add this up with the points raised in the first article, one can come
to a very interesting conclusion indeed.
Last edited by Abdullah al-Muhajir; 03-12-04 at 12:07 PM.
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3. 03-12-04, 04:49 PM #3
Details

Odan

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a few problems with the relatively new theory that it's cyrus:
in his own hand he wrote praises to marduk..... a babylonian god

also, do you really think if cyrus travelled to khorasan, he would have

'"found" a ppl that barely new a word to speak with? and then of course
there is the fact that alexander the great is revered today in afghanistan. but i
think the most telling evidence is the amazing similarity of al-khaf to early
syriac-christian documents. If it wasnt for this alone, the cyrus hypothesis
would have more credibility.
also important to note is cyrus is spoken of fondly by the ancient hebrews
because he liberated them. cyrus was a disciple of zarasthustra (who i believe
was from herat,) but as shown in his "Universal Declaration of the Rights of
Nations" he was tolerent of all religions and cultures.
but really, whether the truth lies in alexander, or cyrus, or darius, or even
Sa'b .... none of these men really fit the description given to them. if cyrus is
dhul qarairn, then his most important messages seems to have been religious
tolerance and respect... (that included polytheistic religions as well)
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4. 03-12-04, 10:03 PM #4
abdulhakeem

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90
Who is Zulqarnain?
Ruling on reading the books of Ahl al-Kitaab and debating with them on the
internet
URGENT!!! your help is badly needed - fundraising for marriage
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5. 04-12-04, 12:22 AM #5
Abdullah al-Muhajir

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Originally Posted by Details
a few problems with the relatively new theory that it's cyrus:
in his own hand he wrote praises to marduk..... a babylonian god
also, do you really think if cyrus travelled to khorasan, he would have
'"found" a ppl that barely new a word to speak with? and then of course
there is the fact that alexander the great is revered today in afghanistan. but i
think the most telling evidence is the amazing similarity of al-khaf to early
syriac-christian documents. If it wasnt for this alone, the cyrus hypothesis
would have more credibility.

also important to note is cyrus is spoken of fondly by the ancient hebrews

because he liberated them. cyrus was a disciple of zarasthustra (who i believe
was from herat,) but as shown in his "Universal Declaration of the Rights of
Nations" he was tolerent of all religions and cultures.
but really, whether the truth lies in alexander, or cyrus, or darius, or even
Sa'b .... none of these men really fit the description given to them. if cyrus is
dhul qarairn, then his most important messages seems to have been religious
tolerance and respect... (that included polytheistic religions as well)
You raise some valid points. Anyhow, I really don't think it matters who was
actually Dhul-qarnain, since this is in the past, and we certainly have much
more important things at hand to achieve in the present currently. We have
already recieved the Universal Faith, Islam, and the Universal Messenger,
Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon his noble soul. al-Hamdulillah.
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6. 04-12-04, 04:15 AM #6
Moayidd

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Originally Posted by Abu Sabr

ZOLQARNAIN;
CYRUS THE GREAT IN QUR'AN
By: Baha'eddin Khoramshahi

"I am Cyrus, who founded the empire of the Iranians.

Grudge me not therefore, this little earth that covers my body."
In the Qur'an, there are 16 verses in the Kahf Sureh (verses 83-98) that talk about
Zolqarnain and some aspects of his personality. Recently, Molana Abolkalam Azad,
India's Minister of Culture, in his Urdu-language exegesis titled "Tarjoman alQur'an", claimed that Zolqarnain referred to Cyrus the Great, the Achaemenian
king (taking this stand apparently on the authority of Seyyed Ahmad Khan, the
famous exegete of the Qur'an). He mentioned many reasons for his assertion,
including the following:
1)Cyrus is mentioned in the Old Testament and the Book of Ezra as a God-revering
person, a description that matched the qualities of Zolqarnain in the Qur'an.
2)The deeds of the Achaemenian king were in accordance to the deeds described
in the Qur'an, as he fought with the Lydians in Asia Minor and then with the Sakas
in the east (unlike Alexander the Great).
3)Zolqarnain in the Qur'an is said to have built a barrier of copper and iron after
fighting the Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj people. Cyrus built a similar barrier in the Daryal
Pass, the remains of which are still existing.
In the Qur'an, the name of Zolqarnain, together with descriptions of some aspects
of his personality and an accounting of a number of his deeds, are mentioned
three times in 15 verses of the Kahf Sureh. A translation of these verses is as
follows:
"And they will ask you about Zolqarnain. Tell them, 'I will tell you now one of his
tales.' We gave him power upon earth and gave him authority over everything. And
he followed upon his authority, until he reached the lands west of the sun and
found out the sun set there in a muddy spring. Nearby, he found a tribe. We told
him: Zolqarnain, you have the authority. Either you will punish them or you will be
generous to them. He said: Whoever ascribes company to God will be punished
soon and I will return him to his God and punish him severely. But whoever
accepts the faith and does good things, I will reward well and make things easy for

him. He followed up on his words, and he reached the lands on the east of the sun
and saw people who were not shielded before it. Thus, we know from his affairs.
He followed on his work and he reached between two huge wall-like mountains
and found people who understood no language. [Through a translator] they told
Zolqarnain, 'The Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj people bring great devastation to this land. If
you want us to pay you tribute, build a wall between them and us.' He said: The
power that God has blessed me with is better than your tributes, but help me [with
manpower] to build a wall between you and them.' When they laid the foundation,
he said: Bring me pieces of iron [and put them in a heap], until he filled the gap
between the two mountains, making them level. He said: Blow [in furnaces of
fire],'[and they did] until [iron] became [hot] like fire. Then he told them: Bring me
melt zinc, until [a wall was built and the Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj] could not penetrate it.
He said: This is a blessing from my God and when His promised day arrives, He
will scatter it and right is my God's promise." [Kahf Sureh/18/verses 83-98].
According to most exegetes of the Qur'an, a cause of revelation exists for these 16
verses of the Kahf Sureh. From the Qur'an itself, it seems that these verses were
revealed because of a question asked from the Prophet by his contemporaries. The
Qur'an says: "They will ask you about Zolqarnain. Tell them, 'I will tell you now a
tale about him.'"
In the translation of Tabari's History, Bal'ami said that Ibn-e-Abbas had said that
when the infidels of Mecca could not contradict the Prophet, they asked for help
from the Jews of Khaybar and sent Abu-Djahl to them: "All the Jews came together
and brought with them the Torah and extracted three problems from therein." The
first question was about the spirit (of course, not the human spirit, but the Holy
Ghost, Gabriel). The next question was about the Seven Sleepers, and the third
about Zolqarnain: "They told his story, they told how he went from the west to the
east and the story of the Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj. And they said that this was what was
told in the Torah, and if Muhammad could answer about what was in the Torah,
then we know that he is a prophet."
Considering the cause of revelation of these verses, it could be seen that whoever
the story was about, should have been mentioned in the Torah. We shall return to
this point. The exegetes of the Qur'an, as well as historians had made many
assertions about the identity of Zolqarnain, including the following:
1.Zolqarnain was Alexander (Tabari's Exegesis, a remark attributed to Abu-Rayhan,
Madjmal-al-Tawarikh va-al-Qessas, Sur-Abadi's Exegesis, and others).
2.Abu-Rayhan mentioned other personalities that could be Zolqarnain, such as: (a)
Athux, who triumphed over Hamiress, a Babylonian king, (b) Monzar-ibn-Ma' alSama', Abu-Karb Shamrir ibn-Afriqess Homeyri.
3.Sa'b ibn-Djabal (Ghazzali in Serr-al-Alamain [The Secret of the Two Worlds]).
4.Zolqarnain was Cyrus the Great, the Achaemenian king. This view was recently
expounded by Molana Abolkalam Azad, the Indian minister of culture, (apparently
following Sir Seyyed Ahmad Khan, the famous exegete of the Qur'an) in his
exegesis of the Qur'an titled "Tarjoman al-Qur'an". In this work, the Indian official
put forward many arguments in support of his claim.
In between the ancient and the contemporary scholars, Meqrizi (c. 1380-1460 A.D.)

suggested in his book "Al-Khotatt" that Zolqarnain was Sa'b, the king of Yemen.
This suggestion was so important, but he made another remark, which was
significant. He wrote: "Those who believe he was Iranian, Roman, or that he was
Alexander of Macedon, are wrong" (quoted from "Cyrus the Great in the Qur'an
and in the Old Testament", written by Fereydoun Badre'i, p. 110).
This signified two points:
1.During his time, there were people who believed that Zolqarnain was an Iranian.
2.Though there were many who believed Zolqarnain was Alexander, this opinion
was considered wrong.
Anyway, the contention of Molana Abolkalam Azad has received widespread
attention in the Islamic world and in Iran. One of the contemporary historians, Dr.
Muhammad Ebrahim Bastani Parizi, translated this treatise into Persian, with
necessary annotations. Some great exegetes, such as Allameh Tabatabaie, the
author of "Al-Mizan", and Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi, the author of the exegesis
"Nemooneh" and translator of the Qur'an, have accepted the plausibility of this
assertion. Some experts on the Qur'an, such as the late Khaza'eli, who wrote the
"Qur'an's Index", considered this as reasonable and defended their stand. Also,
one of the great contemporary researchers and linguists, Dr. Fereydoun Badre'i,
wrote a book titled "Cyrus the Great in the Qur'an and the Old Testament" to prove
this hypothesis.
But there are yet many other scholars in the Islamic World who consider
Zolqarnain to be Alexander of Macedon, among them Montgomery Watt (in the
Encyclopedia of Islam, Leiden), and Dr. Hossein Safavi, the contemporary Iranian
scholar who wrote the book "Who is Zolqarnain?" (the latest research on
Zolqarnain and the Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj, Tehran, Muhammadi Publications - Bita). He
refuted Molana Abolkalam Azad's suggestion (and naturally that of Dr. Fereydoun
Badre'i without mentioning his book, and all others who believed that the
Achaemenian Cyrus was the Qur'anic Zolqarnain). Hence, the main competition is
between two hypotheses: one that identified Zolqarnain with Alexander of
Macedon, and the other that contends he was the Achaemenian Cyrus.
There are some arguments against the first idea, the most important of which are
the following:
1)There is no mention of Alexander in the Old Testament, while Cyrus is
mentioned.
2)Alexander was not a monotheist, while Zolqarnain was explicitly mentioned in
the Qur'an to be a believer in one Supreme Being.
3)There is no copper and zinc barrier, as mentioned in the Qur'an, that is
associated with Alexander.
But the arguments in favor of Molana Abolkalam's claim are as follows:
1)Cyrus is a personality mentioned in the Bible, i.e the Old Testament (the Book of
Daniel, the Book of Ezra and some other books where Cyrus is referred to in very

explicit terms: Daniel dreamt that in the palace of Susa in Elam, a two-horned ram
triumphed over all animals, with the exception of a one-horned goat that finally
defeated the ram. Daniel lost consciousness after this dream and an angel
appeared to him, saying that the ram he had seen was the king of the Medes and
the Persians, while the one-horned goat was the king of the Greeks) (Book of
Daniel, chapter 8, verses 20-21).
2)In the Qur'an, Zolqarnain is described as someone to whom God granted power
and authority on earth. This corresponds well with the personality of Cyrus, who
conquered a large part of Europe and Asia, establishing the first empire in the
world.
3)The Qur'an's Zolqarnain was God-revering and a monotheist, and so was Cyrus.
As the most probable date for the appearance of Zoroaster is in the mid-sixth
century B.C., this date is close to the time Cyrus lived.
4)Zolqarnain led a military expedition to the land west of the sun. This is consistent
with the Achaemenian king's military thrusts in Lydia in Asia Minor and his
conquest of that country.
5)Zolqarnain led a military expedition to the land east of the sun, corresponding to
Cyrus's expedition to the southeast (Makran and Sistani) and northeast (near
Balkh).
6)The Qur'an's Zolqarnain encountered a barbarian tribe and this is consistent with
Cyrus's expedition to the north and his battles with the Sakas, who may be
interpreted as the barbarian tribes of the Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj. Here, Cyrus defeated
the barbarians and in the Daryal Pass, which was the only passage from which
they could be attacked by their neighbors, he built a barrier made of copper and
iron. The people under siege might have asked Cyrus for help and provided him
with manpower.
The ruins of this barrier still exist. Molana Abolkalam Azad noted that these
barbarians were called different names in different areas. The Greeks referred to
them as the "Lytes". In more recent times in Europe, they had been called the
"Magyars" and in Asia the "Tatars". They could be identified with the Mongols (for
more details, see Cyrus the Great (Zolqarnain), by Molana Abolkalam Azad,
translated by Bastani Parizi, in particular Chapter 6).
In summary, one cannot decree with certainty when it comes to historical
identifications, especially when dealing with stories from the Qur'an. But as can
presented above, the hypothesis that the Qur'an's Zolqarnain is Cyrus the Great,
appears reasonable and is highly probable.
[http://www.cais-soas.com/CAIS/Cyrus-...-the-great.htm]

Hello,
May I just add my own opinion, though I didn't really study that matter at
all in any depth.
Cyrus was as pious as Alexander the Great really, or, we don't really know

the faith of either to any level of detail so whats good for Alexander is good
for Cyrus.
Not knowing to speak
In my opinion, the verse really means a people that didn't understand what
was said to them. The term used is "Qawlan" this might point to the fact that
they didn't understand what was said to them, not that they didnt speak
themselves.In otherwords a primitive possibly barbaric people.
I think the real clue should really be the term the Qur'an used to describe
him - Dhu-Alqarnain - 'He of two horns' or 'He of two centuries'.
Qarn can mean horn or can mean century.
There is another problem, but that maybe because I never studied the issue.
If either Alexander or Cyrus existed after moses, then it disqualifies them
both simply because they would have had to have been Jewish to be regarded
as 'good' men by God as is apparent from the verses on Dhul-Qarnian.
Alexander was after moses, was Cyrus ?
Finally, why is this so important anyway ? It appears to be an issue lately.
Peace,
Moayidd
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7. 28-12-04, 07:44 AM #7
Abdul-Curim

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cyrus , may be dhul-qarnain , allahualam .
zoroaster , could be a prophet of allah , since in the zoroastrian scriptures
there are clear hints or even mention about the the coming of prophet
muhammad (pbuh) , probably his name is mentioned too and that too some
1000 years prior to his birth .
we dont have to go deep into it , as we have the allah's book the quran ,
alhamdulillah and the sunnah of the rasulallah (saws) .
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8. 28-12-04, 07:53 AM #8
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You know, I wonder what the point is in trying to identify well known
historical charactors with dhul-qarnain.
How long has man existed on Earth?
And yet, recorded history is a lot shorter than man's actual history.
For all I know, dhul-qarnain may be a character who lived 10,000 years ago!
Who knows?

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9. 28-12-04, 08:03 AM #9
Abdul-Curim

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sometimes researching history gets people into the deen of allah
i've heard of some hindus and buddhists come into islam after finding out
that muhammad (saws) was prophesised in the hindu and buddhist
scriptures much earlier before his arrival on earth and the books urging

them to follow him when they come accross him ( accept the quran which
was revealed by allah to his messenger (pbuh) ) .
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10. 29-12-04, 05:37 AM #10
Moayidd

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Originally Posted by currim
sometimes researching history gets people into the deen of allah
i've heard of some hindus and buddhists come into islam after finding out
that muhammad (saws) was prophesised in the hindu and buddhist
scriptures much earlier before his arrival on earth and the books urging
them to follow him when they come accross him ( accept the quran which
was revealed by allah to his messenger (pbuh) ) .
Now that is VERY interesting. Could you point me to where hinduism and
spceailly buddhism point to Moahemds (saaws) comming ?

I Would be very grateful

Peace,
Moayidd
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11. 12-08-05, 02:29 PM #11
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Well in my opinion, this is the problem you always get when a religion is
based on fables and stories of others.
The fact that the author(s) of the Quran did not know his history. The
Dhulqurnain of the Quran is none other then Alexander the great, but now
Muslims are desperate for a different explanation, re-interpretation and
different character because the Quran has been exposed as inaccurate when
compared to History.
Muslims realised nobody would believe Alexander the Great was a
Monotheist who fought "Gog and Magog", so they now desperately look for
a different character.
Anyway, i have a few questions of my own;

1. Where is this Dalyar Pass?

2. Which is the wall of Dhulqurnain?
3. This is the easiest way to expose the superstitions of Islam, take a team of
archaeologists and find this metalic wall, and find "Gog and Magog".
If Gog and Magog exist, with ears so big they can sleep in them! then I will
be the first to say "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammed is his
messenger", but if no Gog and Magog are found anywhere on earth, then you
must accept the hard fact that Muhammed must have lied to you.
Nor am i suprised the ayatollahs of Islam dont want people reading the
Books of the Jews and the Christians, they realise it will expose Islam.
Finally consider this hadith, from your own post;
"All the Jews came together and brought with them the Torah and
extracted three problems from therein." The first question was about
the spirit (of course, not the human spirit, but the Holy Ghost,
Gabriel). The next question was about the Seven Sleepers, and the
third about Zolqarnain: "They told his story, they told how he

went from the west to the east and the story of the Ya'jooj
and Ma'jooj. And they said that this was what was told in the
Torah, and if Muhammad could answer about what was in the Torah,
then we know that he is a prophet."
They told his story... in other words the Jews told the story of
Dhulqurnain. Read the above again. The source of this fiction is none
other then the Jews!
Why would Jews make up such a story about Dhulqurnain? and
claim it was in Torah? Answer; TO EXPOSE MUHAMMED!
How does it expose Muhammed? Because when the Jews claimed it
was in the Torah, Muhammed put it in the Quran - hoping to convince
them that he was a Prophet with the same revelations. The result?
Jews know Muhammed is not a true Prophet.
It was a bait, and the Muslims fell for it.
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12. 26-03-13, 04:06 PM #12

cyrusthegreat

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Re: Zulqarnain as Cyrus the Great within the Noble

Quran
you are wrong
the prophet had to wait to reply because it really was from Allah
if he just wanted to convince the jews it wouldnt have taken so long to give
the reply
it is you who is trying to prove something that you cant prove
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Is Cyrus the Great Dhul Qarnayn?

September 25, 2011 by Admin
Question
in this article you imply Who is the Prophet Zulqarnain?
cyrus the great is Zulqarnain but cant have been him since he tolerated religion in his policy
which is not allowed in islam and he respected polythiests which muhammed (pbuh) never did
and even built temples and statues of the gods of the babylonians, He brought peace to the
Babylonians and is said to have kept his army away from the temples and restored the statues of
the Babylonian gods to their sanctuaries this is by far shirk even though hes some sort of
prophet of god and if thats not shirk then this definetly is.
in the cyrus cylinder which he wrote , cyrus is portrait as the anciet babylonian polythiest god
marduke in roman hes jupiter king of the gods and not only that cyrus although a monothiest
beiliever asked with respect to the babylonian a pray for him to the polythiest gods now that
definetly is shirk pray daily before Bl and Nab for long life for me, and may they speak a
gracious word for me and say to Marduk, my lord, May Cyrus, the king who worships you, and
Cambyses, his son and also no one trully knows what cyrus really praticed Although there is
no doubt about the influence of Zarathushtras teachings on Cyruss acts and policies, so far there
has not been a clear evidence indicating that Cyrus practiced a specific religion
so the quran is false please read these sites before answering me back i may be wrong but
nevertheless most of what i siad is true espeacilly shirk now how can he be a prophet if he
commited shirk calling upon someone else other that the monothiest god, he built temples for the
polythiest something which the prophet would never do .
please read these sites before answering me theres alot of confusion as to who zul qarnain is
becuase it cant be alexander cause hes bisexual (has relations with a man even after marrying a
woman) and becuase hes a well known polythiest, niether can it be cyrus because he never bult
those gates near gog and magog those gates that you refer to in the article you wrote were created
by the sasanids 1000 years too late only alexander created some other gates but as i said it cant
be him whos zul qarnain cause it cant be cyrus cause he commited shirk even though a
monothiest bieliever thats like me a muslim asking a hindu to pray the wellbeing of me and my
son to there gods now thats shirk or is that respect, nah it cant be its shirk god wouldnt want
that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_the_Great#Religion_and_Philosophy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_cylinder#The_text
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_the_Great_in_the_Qur%27an
Answer
There are a few assumptions made by you that are fundamentally incorrect as it pertains to Islam.
You write:
cyrus the great is Zulqarnain but cant have been him since he tolerated religion in his policy
which is not allowed in islam
The article you cited clearly states that the Quran does not specifically mention any name or
personality in history It continues to say that the conclusion as to the identity of Dhul
Qarnayn is deduced from the evidence provided. More importantly, however, is the assumption
that there is no religious tolerance in Islam. The fact is and it is overlooked by both Muslims
and non-Muslims that Islam as a religion has indeed been tolerant as evinced in the Quran.
What people have been confused over is the role of certain Prophets of God who are given the
responsibility to bring about divine punishment after many attempts to appeal to them in several
ways and eventually an ultimatum. Such an assignment is a divine order that cannot be
implemented by ordinary humans. There is a purpose in the grand scheme of things for such a
mission but it is not intended to continue on for human existence. Once it is appreciated that
there is a difference between divine orders concerning certain peoples and how we are to treat
others in our everyday lives, we can then understand better the matter of tolerance.
Indeed those, who have believed [now] and those, who became Jews and the Nazarenes and the
Sabaeans, whoever truly believes in God and the Day of Judgment and does good deeds [in
keeping with his belief], they shall have their reward with their Lord. There they shall neither
fear [the future] nor regret [the past]. -Al Baqarah 2:62
The verse cited above is the essence of tolerance. It lists the relevant faiths without prejudice and
their affinity in Gods grace.
You write:
this is by far shirk even though hes some sort of prophet of god
Respecting other religions and allowing them the freedom to practice their faith is not shirk. The
term shirk is tossed around a lot without proper understanding of its meanings or implications.
Shirk is a conscious deification of anything to the level of the Almighty.
Your write:

in the cyrus cylinder which he wrote , cyrus is portrait as the anciet babylonian polythiest god
marduke in roman hes jupiter king of the gods and not only that cyrus although a monothiest
beiliever asked with respect to the babylonian a pray for him to the polythiest gods now that
definetly is shirk pray daily before Bl and Nab for long life for me, and may they speak a
gracious word for me and say to Marduk, my lord, May Cyrus, the king who worships you, and
Cambyses, his son and also no one trully knows what cyrus really praticed
As the source you quoted, no one knows for sure the religion of Cyrus. Typically, he is identified
as Zoroastrian. However, we can only deduce from the sources that Marduk may have been a
name used for the supreme God. Different people of different times and cultures called their gods
or God by different names. Whether this is the case with Cyrus or not is not the issue; rather, it is
clear he believed in a supreme being and that he was commissioned by said supreme being (i.e.
Marduk).
You write:
so the quran is false
I am not sure how you arrived at this conclusion. The Quran does not say that Cyrus was Dhul
Qarnayn. It is an opinion of a scholar. If the scholar is wrong then how does that make the
Quran incorrect? You should not attribute an educated observation and conclusion to the
Quran.
You write:
please read these sites before answering me back i may be wrong but nevertheless most of what i
siad is true espeacilly shirk now how can he be a prophet if he commited shirk calling upon
someone else other that the monothiest god, he built temples for the polythiest something which
the prophet would never do .
It has been clearly shown that there were some errors in your assumptions. Nothing in what you
have cited would preclude Cyrus from being a prophet but that does not mean he in fact was a
prophet; in addition, it does not mean that he was Dhul Qarnayn.
You write:
please read these sites before answering me theres alot of confusion as to who zul qarnain is
becuase it cant be alexander cause hes bisexual (has relations with a man even after marrying a
woman) and becuase hes a well known polythiest, niether can it be cyrus because he never bult
those gates near gog and magog those gates that you refer to in the article you wrote were created
by the sasanids 1000 years too late only alexander created some other gates but as i said it cant
be him whos zul qarnain cause it cant be cyrus cause he commited shirk even though a
monothiest bieliever thats like me a muslim asking a hindu to pray the wellbeing of me and my
son to there gods now thats shirk or is that respect, nah it cant be its shirk god wouldnt want
that.

The article points out that the author believes Cyrus to be Dhul Qarnayn based on the available
evidence. It is not an absolute statement in any way.
If the historical facts are presented properly and a clearer understanding of shirk is established it
should be appreciated that the conclusion the author arrived at is not inconceivable.
Nevertheless, the Quran has not mentioned a name or particular figure for anyone to say with
any certainty the identity of Dhul Qarnayn.
I hope this helps.
God knows best.
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