Alexander the Great

From WikiIslam

Though there are also voices that Dhul-Qarnayn mentioned in Quran 18:86 is one of the Persian kings Darius the Great or Kyros, most scholars refer to Quran 18:86 as Alexander the Great.

Since "Dhul-Qarnayn" means the "horned one", it is indeed widely accepted that the Quran refers to Alexander the Great, who was depicted on widely circulating coins with horns on his headgear. There is also evidence that Alexander the Great was called Tre-Qarnayia in Aramaic, which means "the twohorns-one".

Thus, it is very likely that the quran was influenced by the so-called Alexander Romance since the legend of Gog and Magog in the quran matches the records of the same episode in the Romance.

1 Gog and Magog in the Bible
2 Gog and Magog according to the Alexander Romance
3 Gog and Magog according to the Quran
4 Contradictions in the Quran
5 Conclusions
6 References

[edit] Gog and Magog in the Bible

The first account of the legend of Gog and Magog can be found in the Book of Ezekiel in the Old Testament of the Bible. According to this prophetical account, Gog and Magog will arrive at a later time in an apokalyptical scenario.

1. The word of The Lord came to me, saying, 2. Son of man, set your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him,3. and say, Thus says the Lord The Lord: Behold, I am against you, Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal: 4. and I will turn you about, and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you forth, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great company with buckler and shield, all of them handling swords; 5. Persia, Cush, and Put with them, all of them with shield and helmet;6. Gomer, and all his hordes; the house of Togarmah in the uttermost parts of the north, and all his hordes; even many peoples with you.

Ezekiel 38:1-6

Gog and Magog are also mentioned in the Revelation of John but the background is totally different and there seems to be no relationship between the two records.

6. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over these, the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with him one thousand years. 7. And after the thousand years, Satan will be released from his prison, 8. and he will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the war; the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9. They went up over the breadth of the earth, and surrounded the camp of the saints, and the beloved city. Fire came down out of heaven from God, and devoured them.

Revelation of John 20:6-9

[edit] Gog and Magog according to the Alexander Romance

When Alexander the Great died on June 10, 323 BC legends about his life arised soon. The first collections of the so-called Alexander Romance were written in Greek can be dated to the 3rd century. Later versions were written in many languages including Armenian, Georgian, Persian, Arabic, Turkish, Hebrew, Serbian, Slavonic, Romanian, Hungarian, German, English, Italian, and French. Farther east, a late Mongol version is also extant.

According to the Alexander Romance, he build the Gates of Alexander to protect the civilized world from barbarians associated with Gog and Magog. Today, these Gates are most commonly identified with the Caspian Gates of Derbent between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains (today: Russia).

[edit] Gog and Magog according to the Quran

The account about Alexander the Great in the Quran can be found in the Surah of the Cave and starts at verse 18:86:

YUSUF ALI: 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."

Quran 18:86

Surprisingly, Alexander the Great is regarded as righteous follower of god who punishes disbelievers and promises reward for the believers:

018.087-88 YUSUF ALI: 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). 018.088: "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."

Quran 18:86

Then, he reaches the place where the sun rises (!):

018.090 YUSU FALI: 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.

Quran 18:90

He meets people who let him build a barrier made of iron to protect themselves from the barbarians of Gog and Magog:

018.093 YUSUF ALI: Until, when he reached (a tract) between two mountains, he found, beneath them, a people who scarcely understood a word. 018.094: 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? 018.095: 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: 018.096: "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." 018.097 : Thus were they made powerless to scale it or to dig through it.

Quran 18:93-97

After the completion Alexander predicts that God will destroy the barrier at a certain time for an apocalyptic scenario.

018.098: 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." 018.099: On that day We shall leave them to surge like waves on one another: the trumpet will be blown, and We shall collect them all together. 018.100: And We shall present Hell that day for Unbelievers to see, all spread out,-

Quran 18:98-100

Therefore, we have many confirmations that the story of Gog and Magog in the quran derives from the Alexander Romance. This fact alone raises doubts and questions concerning the record in the quran. However, even if this were not the case, the interpretation of the quran contains many contradictions.

[edit] Contradictions in the Quran

The quran refers to Alexander the Great as a holy man in Islamic sense. However, according to many sources he not only believed in polytheism, but was also addicted to alcohol and never committed to Islam. This can in general also be said about the kings Kyros and Dareios.

But there are also contradictions against science. Did Alexander (or Kyros or Dareios) really find the places where the sun arises and disappears? This is impossible.

But this quote also clearly reveals that the knowledge of the author of the quran about the sun and space was influenced by contemporary literature and does not agree with modern science.

Moreover, the account does not agree with history. There is no place on earth where the iron walls build by Alexander (or Kyros or Dareios) can be found and there is also no evidence that Gog and Magog ever existed.

[edit] Conclusions

The story about Alexander the Great, Gog and Magog in the quran obviously derived from one of the many versions of the Alexander Romance. Being rather a legend than a historical account, the story in the quran contains many contradictions against history and science.