The Story of Dhul Qarnain – Truth for the Youth
Truth for The Youth (three) – The Story of Dhul Qarnain
By Imam Yama Niazi
The final story in the series on The Chapter of the Cave is a story about Dhul Qarnain or “The One With Two Horns.”
There is a difference of opinion among the scholars of tafsir as to what exactly does this title of “The One With Two Horns” mean? Some scholars say it means the “horns” of the east and the west—due to his rule spanning the two ends of the Earth. Others say that perhaps it is due to locks or braids in his hair. Yet even other opinions exist, so Allah knows its exact meaning best. The majority of scholars are of the opinion that he was not a prophet, but rather a righteous ruler or king. The exact identity of this great king is not mentioned in the Qur’an and Hadith and therefore we can’t pinpoint exactly who he could have been. The important thing is the lessons derived from his story.
Dhul Qarnain traveled far and wide throughout his life, ruling with justice and guidance. There was not any king or ruler except that they submitted to him, allowing him to rule over them. This was a dominance Allah granted him in order to benefit creation and not cause corruption. He was granted great resources of everything he needed to rule: a vast army, wisdom and knowledge, as well as technology.
He plays a very important role in benefiting humanity in a way many people don’t realize, for helping and bringing benefit to others is from the greatest of good deeds. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “All the creation are dependents of Allah, and the most beloved of them to Allah are the ones who are most beneficial unto others.”
Dhul Qarnain benefited humanity by protecting an oppressed people from the corruption of Ya’juj and Ma’juj. According to the scholars, Ya’juj and Ma’juj are human beings from the children of Adam, however they are a very corrupt and evil group of people. Due to their tyranny and evil, Dhul Qarnain was asked to put a barrier between the oppressed and the oppressors. He was even offered for this service, but recognizing the mercy and blessings of Allah upon him, he refused their reward money and helped them with no pay.
Unlike many rulers in history who conquered for personal gain and hunger for power, Dhul Qarnain was on a quest to please his Creator. He knew the true meaning of gratitude. Which scholars mention is using the gifts and blessings granted to you by Allah to please Him.
He gathered pieces of iron and copper, built a fire, melted all these metals together, then created a massive wall or barrier that trapped Ya’juj and Ma’juj. It was so fortified and powerful that Ya’juj and Ma’juj had no way to dig under or climb over it. Thus Dhul Qarnain ended their corruption upon these helpless people.
However, we are informed by the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) that they will continue trying to break out of this barrier by digging at it every day until they almost penetrate the wall. Then their leader will order them to cease digging for the night and resume the next day. At night Allah reinforces the wall, making it stronger than it was the previous day. This will go on until the day it is decreed for them to come out on the Earth. That night, Allah will not reinforce the wall and they will be able to break through and exit. Interestingly, the day they are allowed to come out will be the day when they say “insha Allah or God-willing.”
In the Qur’an, Allah describes when Ya’juj and Ma’juj finally emerge by saying, “On that Day, We will leave them surging upon one another. And the Trumpet will be blown, and We will gather them together.” (Qur’an 18:99. Ya’juj and Ma’juj will descend causing corruption and killing in the lands as they had done so before. Only this time, it will be their true end.
The details of this event are fascinating—as is the subject matter of the signs of the end of time. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “The Hour will not come until there are ten signs: the rising of the sun from the west, the False Messiah, the Beast, Gog and Magog…” (Ibn Majah)
The sheer numbers by which they will emerge is beyond our comprehension. In one hadith we’re given an idea of their incredible numbers by comparing how many they will be, in ratio to the rest of the believers. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Allah, Most High, says on the Day of Resurrection, ‘Adam!’ So he replies, ‘My Lord, here I am at your service and all good lies before You.’ So He says, ‘Bring forth the party of the Hellfire’ and he will ask, ‘Who are they?’ He says, ‘From every one thousand, they are nine hundred and ninety-nine.’ Upon hearing this, the youths will turn grey and every pregnant woman shall miscarry and you will see the people as if they are intoxicated, but they are not so. Yet the chastisement of Allah is most severe.’ Upon hearing this, they (the companions) asked, ‘Who of us will be that one if from every thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine shall be taken?’ He replied, ‘Bear glad tidings for every one of you Gog and Magog are a thousand.’” (Bukhari) We are informed that they will eventually all be killed and destroyed when the Prophet ‘Isa (peace be upon him) will be on Earth with the believers of that time.
The story of Dhul Qarnain is important and has many lessons for us, among them are the following;
Lessons to take from the story:
- Power comes from Allah and He grants it to whom He wills. The purpose of that power should be to benefit others and not for corruption or selfish motives.
- Our gifts and talents granted to us by Allah should be used for good and beneficial reasons. It should be a means of gaining nearness to Allah and His great rewards for our hereafter. Dhul Qarnain helped the weak and oppressed by protecting them, but he also helped others build shelter and gain skills for carpentry and agriculture. There are many skills and crafts we may know that can help and improve the lives of others. By doing it with sincerity and for the sake of Allah, one has an opportunity to gain great good from Allah.
- While power often corrupts, it is also a means of rectifying the Earth. If you are given any position of power, remember it is only granted to you by Allah to test you. You may either prove yourself to be amongst the likes of Dhul Qarnain or amongst the likes of the corrupt.
May Allah grant us success in every position we may hold in our life to be upright and just and seek the pleasure of Allah by it and through it.
Believing in the Unseen
Finally, the importance of believing in the unseen! The first quality of a person of taqwa (a pious and reverent Muslim) as described at the beginning of the Quran are, “those who believe in the unseen.” (Quran 2:3) When the Muslims were in Mecca, during the early days of Islam, they spent 13 years fortifying this very foundation of faith. They did not a speck of doubt about the trustworthiness of the noblest of Quraish—the beloved of Allah—the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace). It is imperative that we, like the early Muslims, attain true faith that is embellished with absolute certainty.
Although there are elements which may seem puzzling about Ya’juj and Ma’juj, there is no doubt that they exist, and these events will take place precisely as the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) has told us. How many unseen matters has he prophesied without a single error. Therefore, let there never be doubt about the promise of Allah.
Important Reminder
We must learn the major signs of the end of time so that we can be alert, for a Muslim is commanded to always live each day as if it may be their last.
By being alert and aware of the signs of the end of time, one of the greatest benefits that we receive is it will make us be grounded in our faith. We will not be shocked or confused if one of the signs occurs by the end of our lives.
The companions were very concerned with the coming of the antichrist, and in each of our five daily prayers, we are encouraged to pray that God protects us from the trials of the imposter Christ. We are encouraged to supplicate at the end of each of our five daily prayers with the following prayer;
اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عَذَابِ جَهَنَّمَ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ فِتْنَةِ الْمَسِيحِ الدَّجَّالِ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ فِتْنَةِ الْمَحْيَا وَالْمَمَاتِ
O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the punishment of the grave, and I seek refuge in You from the trial of the False Messiah, and I seek refuge in You from the trials of life and death. (Bukhari)
