Alexander the Great
From WikiIslam
Contents |
[edit] Introduction
Although there are some who consider Dhul-Qarnayn mentioned in Qur'an 18:86 to be one of the Persian kings, Darius the Great or Kyros, most scholars believe it to be referring to Alexander the Great, since Dhul-Qarnayn means the "horned one", and Alexander the Great 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 two horned-one".
Thus, it is very likely that the Qur'an was influenced by the so-called Alexander Romance since the legend of Gog and Magog in the Qur'an matches the records of the same episode in the Romance.
[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.
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.
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.
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.
[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 after. 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 built 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 Qur'an
The account of Alexander the Great in the Qur'an can be found in the Surah of the Cave and starts at verse 18:86:
Surprisingly, Alexander the Great is regarded as a righteous follower of God who punishes disbelievers and promises reward for the believers:
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."
Then, he reaches the place where the sun rises (!):
He meets people who let him build a barrier made of iron to protect themselves from the barbarians of Gog and Magog:
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?
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:
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."
97. Thus were they made powerless to scale it or to dig through it.
After its completion, Alexander predicts that God will destroy the barrier at a certain time for an apocalyptic scenario:
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.
100. And We shall present Hell that day for Unbelievers to see, all spread out,-
Therefore, we have many confirmations that the story of Gog and Magog in the Qur'an derives from the Alexander Romance. This fact alone raises doubts and questions concerning the record in the Qur'an. However, even if this were not the case, the interpretation of the Qur'an contains many contradictions.
[edit] Contradictions in the Qur'an
The Qur'an refers to Alexander the Great as a holy man in an 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 Qur'an in regards to 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 Qur'an obviously derived from one of the many versions of the Alexander Romance. Being rather a legend than a historical account, the story in the Qur'an contains many contradictions against history and science.
