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Encyclopedia > Alexander in the Qur'an

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Qur'an

The Qurān [1] (Arabic: ‎ , literally the recitation; also called The Noble Quran; also transliterated as Quran, Koran, and Al-Quran), is the central religious text of Islam. ...

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Alexander in the Qur'an is a theory that holds that the character of Dhul-Qarnayn, mentioned in the Qur'an, is in fact Alexander the Great. The name Alexander itself is never mentioned in the Qur'an. Dhul-Qarnayn (in Arabic ذو القرنين) is a figure who was well-known in the lore of the early medieval dwellers of the Arabian Peninsula, and is mentioned in the Qur'an, the sacred scripture of Islam. Dhul-Qarnayn is regarded by some Muslims as a prophet. The Qur'an indicates that the people (at least Jewish rabbis), during Muhammad's time, already knew tales of a person of great power by the name of Dhul-Qarnayn. A Mushaf is a Arabic word that literarly means cover, as in a book cover. ... Sura (sometimes referred to as Surah) ( ) is an Arabic term literally meaning picture, evidence, or proof. ... Ayah ( , plural Ayat ) is the Arabic word for sign or miracle. ... Quran reading is the reading (tartil, tajwid, or taghbir) aloud, reciting, chanting, or singing of portions of the Quran. ... TajwÄ«d (تجويد) is an Arabic word meaning proper pronunciation during recitation, as well as recitation at a moderate speed. ... Tarteel (Arabic: ترتيل ) is an Arabic term that is wide in meaning but is commonly translated in reference to the Quran as recitation. ... A manzil (منزل, plural manazil, منازل) is one of seven parts of roughly equal length into which the Quran is divided for the purpose of reciting the entire text in one week. ... A juz (جزء, plural ajza, اجزاء) is one of thirty parts of roughly equal length into which the Quran is divided for the purpose of reciting the entire text in one month. ... A hizb (حزب , plural ahzab,احزاب) is one half of a juz and thus comprises roughly one 60th of the text of the Quran. ... For other uses, see Hafiz (disambiguation). ... Qari, literally meaning reader, is a person who recites the Quran with some sort of recitation rule (tajweed). ... Definition - Revenue per Available Seat Mile. ... Translations of the Qurán are versions of the holy book of Islam in languages other than Arabic. ... // By first printing date 1100s Lex Mahumet pseudoprophete - circa 1143, Latin, by Robert of Ketton 1900s The Holy Quran -1917, English, by Ahmadiya Maulana Muhammad Ali, ISBN 0913321117. ... Regarding the origin and development of the Quran, Islamic scholars proceed with the assumption that the Quran is a divine, uncreated text which is exactly the same today as when it was revealed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. ... The Madinan suras of the Quran are those suras which were revealed at Madina, after Muhammads hijra from Makka, when the Muslims were establishing a state rather than being, as at Makka, an oppressed minority. ... The Makkan suras are the chronologically earlier suras of the Quran that were revealed at Makka. ... A tafsir ( (Arabic: تفسير )tafsÄ«r, also transliterated tafseer, Arabic explanation) is Quranic exegesis or commentary. ... Some of the Quranic verses are said to be revealed pertaining to some specific person. ... Asbāb al-nuzÅ«l, an Arabic term meaning occasions of revelation, is a a secondary genre of Qurānic exegesis (tafsir) directed at establishing the context in which specific verses of the Qurān were revealed. ... Naskh, an Arabic word meaning abrogation, is a technical term for a major genre of Islamic exegesis dealing with the problem of seemingly contradictory verses in the Quran. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Bakkah (Arabic: ‎) is a place mentioned in surah 3:96 of the Quran. ... A tree diagram of the Quranic initial letters, labelled with the respective numbers of occurrences. ... An esoteric interpretation of the Qur’an is an interpretation of the Qur’an which includes attribution of esoteric or mystic meanings to the text by the interpretater and in this aspect its method is different from the conventional exegesis of the Qur’an called tafsir. ... Quran and Sunnah is an often quoted Islamic term regarding the sources of Islam. ... Ibn Baz was a follower of the Muslim scholars Muhammad ibn Abd al Wahhab and Ibn Taymiyya; he belonged to that current of Muslim thought sometimes called Salafism and sometimes called Wahabbism. ... People are knon to have attributed several Miracles to the Quran[1], some claiming the Quran itself to be a Miracle. ... Please wikify (format) this article as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... This is a sub-article to Shia Islam and Quran The Shia view of the Quran has some differences from the Sunni view. ... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ... Quran desecration means insulting the Quran, the holy book of Islam, by defiling or disfacing it. ... There are two verses named Surah of Wilaya and Nurayn that are claimed to be included in the Quran. ... Satanic Verses is an expression coined by the historian Sir William Muir in reference to several verses allegedly interpolated into an early version of the Qurān and later expunged. ... Tanazzulat, or descents (Arabic تنزلات, plural of Tanazzul, تنزل), refers to the act of descent of the pre-existing Quran through different Realms. ... The Qisas al-anbiya (قصص الأنبياء) or Stories of the Prophets refers to various collections of tales adapted from the Quran. ... Beit Al Quran, Hoora Beit Al Quran (Arabic: بيت القرآن) means House of Quran in Arabic. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Qurān [1] (Arabic: ‎ , literally the recitation; also called The Noble Quran; also transliterated as Quran, Koran, and Al-Quran), is the central religious text of Islam. ... Alexander the Great (Greek: ,[1] Megas Alexandros; July 356 BC–June 11, 323 BC), also known as Alexander III, king of Macedon (336–323 BC), was one of the most successful military commanders in history. ... The Arabic language ( ), or simply Arabic ( ), is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew, Amharic and Aramaic. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... The Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula (in Arabic: شبه الجزيرة العربية, or جزيرة العرب) is a peninsula in Southwest Asia at the junction of Africa and Asia consisting mainly of desert. ... Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the Quran, its principal scripture, whose followers, known as Muslims (مسلم), believe God (Arabic: الله ) sent through revelations to Muhammad. ... A Rabbi (Classical Hebrew רִבִּי ribbī; modern Ashkenazi and Israeli רַבִּי rabbī) is a religious Jewish scholar who is an expert in Jewish law. ... This article is becoming very long. ...


It is widely held, at least among secular scholars, that the character of Dhul-Qarnayn corresponds to Alexander the Great. The reason for this is that the story of Dhul-Qarnayn as described in the Qur'an follows very closely some passages of the Alexander Romance, a thoroughly embellished compilation of Alexander's exploits from Hellenistic and early Christian sources, which underwent numerous expansions and revisions throughout Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Historically, Muslim scholars have endorsed the identification of Dhul-Qarnayn with the Alexander the Great, although competing theories have been proposed, some recently (see Dhul-Qarnayn for details). Orientalist scholars, studying ancient Christian legends about Alexander the Great, independently came to the conclusion that Dhul-Qarnayn is an ancient epithet for Alexander the Great. As a result, the identity of Dhul-Qarnayn has become a matter of great controversy in modern times. The Alexander Romance is any of several collections of legends concerning the mythical exploits of Alexander the Great. ... Ancient history is the study of significant cultural and political events from the beginning of human history until the Early Middle Ages. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Orientalism is the study of Near and Far Eastern societies and cultures, by Westerners. ... This article is becoming very long. ... An epithet (Greek - επιθετον and Latin - epitheton; literally meaning imposed) is a descriptive word or phrase. ...

Contents

Dhul-Qarnayn in the Qur'an

Main article: Dhul-Qarnayn

Very little is written about Dhul-Qarnayn in the original sources of Islam, but he features prominently in the Qur'an, the sacred scripture believed by Muslims to have been revealed by God to Muhammad. He is commonly regarded as one amongst the prophets of Islam, but does not feature nearly as prominently in the Qur'an as prophets such as Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and other major Biblical characters. For this reason, there is uncertainty in Islam as to whether he is a prophet of Islam or only a person of power who was favored by God. The story of Dhul-Qarnayn appears in sixteen verses of the Qur'an, specifically verses 18:83-98. Consult the Dhul-Qarnayn page for more details. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Qurān [1] (Arabic: ‎ , literally the recitation; also called The Noble Quran; also transliterated as Quran, Koran, and Al-Quran), is the central religious text of Islam. ... Allah is the Arabic language word referring to God, the Lord and, literally according to the Quran, to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Abrahamic religions. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Prophets of Islam are human beings who are regarded by Muslims to be prophets. ... It has been suggested that Abraham (Hebrew Bible) be merged into this article or section. ... Moses strikes water from the stone, by Bacchiacca Moses (Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה, Standard Tiberian ; Arabic: موسى, ; Geez: ሙሴ Musse) was an early Biblical Hebrew religious leader, lawgiver, prophet, and historian. ... Jesus (8–2 BC/BCE to 29–36 AD/CE),[1] also known as Jesus of Nazareth, is the central figure of Christianity. ... The Bible (From Greek βιβλια—biblia, meaning books, which in turn is derived from βυβλος—byblos meaning papyrus, from the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos which exported papyrus) is the sacred scripture of Christianity. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...


Dhul-Qarnayn in early Islamic literature

Enlarge
12th century map by the Muslim scholar Al-Idrisi (South up). "Yajooj" and "Majooj" (Gog and Magog) appear in Arabic script on the bottom-left edge of the Eurasian landmass, enclosed within dark montains, at a location corresponding roughly to Mongolia. This is a reference to the story of Dhul-Qarnayn in the Qur'an.

The earliest mention of Dhul-Qarnayn, outside the Qur'an, is found in the works of the earliest Muslim historian and hagiographer, Ibn Ishaq, which form the main corpus of the Sira literature. Ibn Ishaq's Sira reports that the eighteenth chapter of the Qur'an (which includes the story of Dhul-Qarnayn) was revealed to Muhammad by God on account of some questions posed by the Jewish Rabbis residing in the city of Medina - the verse was revealed during the Meccan period of Muhammad's life. According to Ibn Ishaq, Muhammad's tribe, the powerful Quraysh, were greatly concerned about their tribesman who had started claiming prophethood and wished to consult Jewish Rabbis about the matter. The Quraysh sent two men to the Jewish Rabbis of Medina, reasoning that the Rabbis had superior knowledge of the scriptures and about the prophets of God. The two Quraysh men described their tribesman, Muhammad, to the Rabbis. The Rabbis told the men to ask Muhammad three questions: Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... Al-Idrisis world map from 1154. ... The Qurān [1] (Arabic: ‎ , literally the recitation; also called The Noble Quran; also transliterated as Quran, Koran, and Al-Quran), is the central religious text of Islam. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish: Müslüman, Persian and Urdu: مسلمان, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of Islam. ... Hagiography is the study of saints. ... Ibn Ishaq (or ibn Ishaq), (d. ... For the river and also village in Norway named Sira, see Sira, Norway. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Allah is the Arabic language word referring to God, the Lord and, literally according to the Quran, to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Abrahamic religions. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Quraish (sura) is also the name of a Surah in the Quran. ... Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. ...

"They (the rabbis) said, `Ask him about three things which we will tell you to ask, and if he answers them then he is a Prophet who has been sent (by Allah); if he does not, then he is saying things that are not true, in which case how you will deal with him will be up to you. Ask him about some young men in ancient times, what was their story For theirs is a strange and wondrous tale. Ask him about a man who travelled a great deal and reached the east and the west of the earth. What was his story And ask him about the Ruh (soul or spirit) -- what is it If he tells you about these things, then he is a Prophet, so follow him, but if he does not tell you, then he is a man who is making things up, so deal with him as you see fit.'" [2]

The famous story, in the Sira, goes that when Muhammad was informed of the three questions from the Rabbis, he declared that he would have the answers in the morning. However, Muhammad did not give the answer in the morning. For fifteen days, Muhammad did not answer the question. Doubt in Muhammad began to grow amongst the people of Mecca. Then, after fifteen days, Muhammad received the revelation that is Surah Al-Kahf ("the Cave"), the eighteenth chapter of the Qur'an. Surah Al-Kahf mentions the "People of the Cave," a strange story about some young men in ancient times who slept in a cave for many years. Surah Al-Kahf also mentions the Ruh, or soul/spirit. Finally, the surah also mentions "a man who travelled a great deal and reached the east and the west of the earth" - namely, Dhul-Qarnayn. Mecca IPA: or Makkah IPA: (in full: Makkah al-Mukarramah; Arabic: ‎, Turkish: Mekke) is the capital city of Saudi Arabias Makkah province, in the historic Hejaz region. ... See also: Sura (disambiguation). ... Surat al-Kahf (Arabic: سورة الكهف ) (The Cave) is the 18th sura of the Quran. ...


Ibn Ishaq's original work is lost, but it has been almost completely incorporated in Ibn Hisham, another early Muslim historian. Ibn Hisham collected Ibn Ishaq's Sira and added his notes to it; in regards to Dhul-Qarnayn, Ibn Hisham noted: Ibn Ishaq (or ibn Ishaq), (d. ... Ibn Hisham, Abu Muhammad Abd al-Malik (d. ... For the river and also village in Norway named Sira, see Sira, Norway. ...

"Dhu al-Qarnain is Alexander the Greek, the king of Persia and Greece, or the king of the east and the west, for because of this he was called Dhul-Qarnayn [meaning, 'the two-horned one']..."

The theme, amongst Islamic scholars, of identifying Dhul-Qarnayn with Alexander the Great appears to have originated here. Why Ibn Hisham made this identification is not entirely clear. Aristotelian Muslim philosophers, such as al-Farabi, Avicenna, and al-Kindi enthusiastically embraced the concept of Dhul-Qarnayn being an ancient Greek king. They stylized Dhul-Qarnayn as a Greek philosopher-king. Aristotle (Greek: AristotélÄ“s) (384 BC – March 7, 322 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. ... Al Farabi (870-950) was born of a Turkish family and educated by a Christian physician in Baghdad, and was himself later considered a teacher on par with Aristotle. ... Ibn Sina or Avicenna was a Persian (TājÄ«k) physician, philosopher, and scientist who was born in 980 (370 AH) [1] in Afshana near Bukhara, now in Uzbekistan (then Persia), and died June 1037 (428 AH) [1] in Hamadan, Persia (Iran). ... Abū-Yūsuf Ya’qūb ibn Ishāq al-Kindī (c. ... Note: This article contains special characters. ... Philosopher-kings are the hypothetical rulers of Platos utopian Kallipolis. ...


Similarities to Alexander the Great

Orientalists, studying ancient Christian legends about Alexander the Great, have come to conclude that the Qur'an's stories about Dhul-Qarnayn closely parallel certain legends about Alexander the Great found in ancient Hellenistic and Christian writings. There is some archeological evidence to identify the Arabic epithet "Dhul-Qarnayn" with Alexander the Great. There is also a long history of monotheistic religions coopting the historical Alexander. This leads to the theologically controversial conclusion that these legends are the source of the story of Dhul-Qarnayn in the Qur'an. Orientalism is the study of Near and Far Eastern societies and cultures, by Westerners. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Archaeology or sometimes in American English archeology (from the Greek words αρχαίος = ancient and λόγος = word/speech) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of material remains, including architecture, artefacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. ... An epithet (Greek - επιθετον and Latin - epitheton; literally meaning imposed) is a descriptive word or phrase. ...


Historical background on religious Alexander legends

Alexander the Great was an immensely popular figure in the classical and post-classical cultures of the Mediterranean and Near East. Almost immediately after his death a body of legend began to accumulate about his exploits and life which, over the centuries, became increasingly fantastic as well as allegorical. Collectively this tradition is called the Alexander Romance, and some recensions feature such vivid episodes as Alexander ascending through the air to Paradise or journeying to the bottom of the sea in a glass bubble. Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, which begins roughly with the earliest-recorded Greek poetry of Homer (7th century BC), and continues through the rise of Christianity and the fall of the Western Roman Empire (5th century AD... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... Paradise, by Jan Bruegel The word paradise is derived from the Avestan word pairidaeza (a walled enclosure), which is a compound of pairi- (around), a cognate of the Greek peri-, and -diz (to create, make), a cognate of the English dough. ...


As the Alexander Romance persisted in popularity over the centuries, it was assumed by various neighboring peoples. Of particular significance was its incorporation into Jewish and later Christian legendary traditions. In the Jewish tradition Alexander was initially a figure of satire, representing the vain or covetous ruler who is ignorant of larger spiritual truths. Yet their belief in a just, all-powerful God forced Jewish interpreters of the Alexander tradition to come to terms with Alexander's undeniable temporal success. Why would a just, all-powerful God show such favor to an unrighteous ruler? This theological need, plus acculturation to Hellenism, led to a more positive Jewish interpretation of the Alexander legacy. In its most neutral form this was typified by having Alexander show deference to either the Jewish people or the symbols of their faith. In having the great conqueror thus acknowledge the essential truth of the Jews' religious, intellectual, or ethical traditions, the prestige of Alexander was harnessed to the cause of Jewish ethnocentrism. Eventually Jewish writers would almost completely co-opt Alexander, depicting him as a righteous gentile or even a believing monotheist. The Christianized peoples of the Near East, inheritors of both the Hellenic as well as Judaic strands of the Alexander Romance, further theologized Alexander until in some stories he was depicted as a saint. The Christian legends turned the ancient Greek conqueror Alexander III into Alexander "the Believing King", implying that he was a believer in monotheism (contrary to known historical facts).[3] Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. ... This article is becoming very long. ... 1867 edition of the satirical magazine Punch, a British satirical magazine, ground-breaking on popular literature satire. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Hellenistic period of Greek history was the period between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the annexation of the Greek peninsula and islands by Rome in 146 BC. Although the establishment of Roman rule did not break the continuity of Hellenistic society and culture, which... Ethnocentricity is the tendency to look at the world primarily from the perspective of ones own culture. ... In theology, monotheism (in Greek μόνος = single and θεός = God) is the belief in the existence of one deity or God, or in the oneness of God. ...


The two-horned one

As said before, the "Dhul-Qarnayn" literally means "the two-horned one." Alexander the Great was often depicted as one possessing horns, in particular the horns of Amon. Ancient Greek coins minted in the name of Alexander the Great depict Alexander with the distinctive horns of Amon on his head. [4] The influence of Alexander the Great spread even to the coinage of ancient Arabia; in the late 2nd century BC, silver coins depicting Alexander with ram horns were used as a principal coinage in Arabia and were issued by an Arab ruler by the name of Abi'el who ruled in the south-eastern region of the Arabian Peninsula [5] Orders and Suborders Order Ammonitida Ammonitina Acanthoceratina Ancyloceratina Phylloceratina Lytoceratina Order Goniatitida Goniatitina Anarcestina Clymeniina Order Ceratitida Ceratitina Prolecanitina Ammonites are an extinct group of marine animals (subclass Ammonoidea) in the phylum Mollusca and class Cephalopoda. ... (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium) The 2nd century BC started on January 1, 200 BC and ended on December 31, 101 BC. // Coin of Antiochus IV. Reverse shows Apollo seated on an omphalos. ... Binomial name Ovis aries Linnaeus, 1758 The domestic sheep (Ovis aries), the most common species of the sheep genus (Ovis), is a woolly ruminant quadruped which probably descends from the wild mouflon of south-central and south-west Asia. ... The Arabs (Arabic: عرب) are a heterogeneous ethnic group who are predominantly speakers of the Arabic language, mainly found throughout the Middle East and North Africa. ... The Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula (in Arabic: شبه الجزيرة العربية, or جزيرة العرب) is a peninsula in Southwest Asia at the junction of Africa and Asia consisting mainly of desert. ...


The reason that Alexander the Great was depicted with the horns of Amon in ancient Greek coinage is that in ancient Egypt Alexander was received as the son of the ancient Egyptian god Amon, and the god Amon was depicted as ram-headed. Alexander then styled himself as the son of Amon; "He seems to have become convinced of the reality of his own divinity and to have required its acceptance by others ... The cities perforce complied, but often ironically: the Spartan decree read, 'Since Alexander wishes to be a god, let him be a god.'" [6] Khafres Pyramid (4th dynasty) and Great Sphinx of Giza (c. ... Amun (also spelt Amon, Amoun, Amen, and rarely Imenand, and spelt in Greek as Ammon, and Hammon) was the name of a deity, in Egyptian mythology, who gradually rose to become one of the most important deities, before fading into obscurity. ... Divinity has a number of related uses in the field of religious belief and study. ... Sparta (Doric: , Attic: ) is a city in southern Greece. ...


In the Alexander Romance, a Christian legend has it that, in one of his prayers to God, Alexander said, "O God ... Thou hast made me horns upon my heads" and the translator adds in a footnote that in the Ethiopic version of this legend, "Alexander is always referred to as 'the two horned,'" [7] (p.146.) The Geez language (or Giiz language) is an ancient language that developed in the Ethiopian Highlands of the Horn of Africa as the language of the peasantry. ...


The Caspian Gates

In the Qur'an

The Qur'an describes a story about Dhul-Qarnayn building a great gate near the "rising place of the Sun," between two mountains, in order to enclose the Gog and Magog people who "do great mischief in the earth." The relevant passages from Qur'an state: The Qurān [1] (Arabic: ‎ , literally the recitation; also called The Noble Quran; also transliterated as Quran, Koran, and Al-Quran), is the central religious text of Islam. ... The Darial pass before 1906. ...

"...when he [Dhul-Qarnayn] 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 ... Then followed he (another) way. Until, when he [Dhul-Qarnayn] reached (a tract) between two mountains. He found, beneath them, a people who scarcely understood a word. They said: "O Dhul-Qarnayn! The Gog and Magog (people) do great mischief on earth: Shall we then render thee tribute in order that thou mightiest erect a barrier between us and them. 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: 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." Thus were they made powerless to scale it or to dig through it." (Qur'an 18:90-98).

Early accounts of Alexander's Gates

The building of gates in the Caucasus Mountains by Alexander to repel the barbarian peoples identified with Gog and Magog has ancient provenance. The 1st century A.D. Jewish historian Flavius Josephus mentions that "a nation of the Alans, whom we have previously mentioned elsewhere as being Scythians," travelled through "a passage which King Alexander [the Great] shut up with iron gates".[8] Josephus also records that the people of Magog, the Magogites, were synonymous with the Scythians.[9] According to R. A. Anderson,[10] this merely indicates that the main elements of the story were already in place six centuries before the Qur'an's revelation, not that the story itself was known in the cohesive form apparent in the Qur'anic account. Similarly, Saint Jerome's Letter 77 mentions that "the hordes of the Huns had poured forth all the way from Maeotis (they had their haunts between the icy Tanais and the rude Massagetae, where the gates of Alexander keep back the wild peoples behind the Caucasus)".jerome77 In his Commentary on Ezekiel (38:2), Jerome identifies the nations located beyond the Caucasus and near Lake Maeotis as Gog and Magog. The Ethnolinguistic patchwork of the modern Caucasus - CIA map Russia Georgia Azerbaijan (Azer. ... Josephus, also known as Flavius Josephus (c. ... Scythian warriors, drawn after figures on an electrum cup from the KulOba kurgan burial near Kerch. ... Saint-Jérôme, Quebec is a town in Quebec, near Mirabel, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Montreal along Autoroute des Laurentides. ... The shallow Sea of Azov is clearly distinguished from the deeper Black Sea. ... The Massagetae were an Iranian people of antiquity. ... Ezekiel the Prophet of the Hebrew Scriptures is depicted on a 1510 Sistine Chapel fresco by Michelangelo. ... The shallow Sea of Azov is clearly distinguished from the deeper Black Sea. ...


In the Christian legends

Christian legends speak of the Caspian Gates, also known as Alexander's wall, built by Alexander the Great to enclose the Gog and Magog hordes. Several variations of the legend can be found. In the story, Alexander the Great built a gate of iron between two mountains, at the end of the Earth, to prevent the armies of Gog and Magog from ravaging the plains. This Alexander legend bears a remarkable resemblance to the Qur'anic story of Dhul-Qarnayn. An historian notes that: A Christian is a follower of Jesus of Nazareth, referred to as the Christ. ... The Caspian Gates in Derbant, Russia are identified with the Gates of Alexander. ... The Caspian Gates in Derbant, Russia are identified with the Gates of Alexander. ... Alexander the Great (Greek: ,[1] Megas Alexandros; July 356 BC–June 11, 323 BC), also known as Alexander III, king of Macedon (336–323 BC), was one of the most successful military commanders in history. ... The tradition of Gog and Magog begins in the Bible with the reference to Magog, son of Japheth, in the Book of Genesis and continues in cryptic prophecies in the Book of Ezekiel, which are echoed in the Book of Revelation. ... 15th century adaptation of a T-O map. ...

"The episode of the building of the gate against Gog and Magog is found in the Christian legend of Alexander, and in the poetic version of Jacob of Serugh that was written not later than AD 521. The Koran was written over a century after this version." [11] (p. 201).

A Syriac version of the Christian legend describes an apocryphal letter from Alexander to his mother, wherein he writes: Events Future Byzantine emperor Justinian becomes consul. ... Syriac is an Eastern Aramaic language that was once spoken across much of the Fertile Crescent. ...

"I petitioned the exalted Deity, and he heard my prayer. And the exalted Deity commanded the two mountains and they moved and approached each other to a distance of twelve ells, and there I made .... copper gates 12 ells broad, and 60 ells high, and smeared them over within and without with ... so that neither fire nor iron, nor any other means should be able to loosen the copper; since fire was put out against it, and iron was shattered. Within these gates, I made another construction of stones, each of which was eleven ells broad, 20 ells high, and 60 ells thick. And having done this I finished the construction by putting mixed tin and lead over the stones, and smearing .... over the whole, so that no one might be able to do anything against the gates. I called them the Caspian Gates. Twenty and two Kings did I shut up therein." [12](pp.177-178).

Several historical figures have searched for Alexander's Gate, and legends about the gate itself grew;

"The gate itself had wandered from the Caspian Gates to the pass of Dariel, from the pass of Dariel to the pass of Derbend, as well as to the far north; nay, it had travelled even as far as remote eastern or north-eastern Asia, gathering in strength and increasing in size as it went, and actually carrying the mountains of Caspia with it. Then, as the full light of modern day come on, the Alexander Romance ceased to be regarded as history, and with it Alexander's Gate passed into the realm of fairyland." [13] (pp.103-104).

Gog and Magog

T-O map of the world by Saint Isidore of Seville, (570-636 CE) from Etymologies. This was also the first printed map in Europe[1].
T-O map of the world by Saint Isidore of Seville, (570-636 CE) from Etymologies. This was also the first printed map in Europe[1].

Image File history File links World_map_isidore. ... Image File history File links World_map_isidore. ... earliest printed example of a classical T and O map (by Guntherus Ziner, Augsburg, 1472), illustrating the first page of chapter XIV of the Etymologiae. ... It has been suggested that Isidro be merged into this article or section. ... This limestone statue of a Boddhisattva was probably created in the Henan province of China around 570, in the Northern Qi Dynasty. ... Events April 20 - Battle of Yarmuk - Byzantine Empire loses Syria to the Arabs The Arabs invade Persia Rothari marries queen Gundeparga, becomes king of the Lombards city of Basra Iraq founded by caliph Omar on a canal. ...

In the Qur'an

In the Qur'an, Dhul-Qarnayn encloses the Gog and Magog hoard behind a mighty gate between two mountains, preventing the Gog and Magog from invading the Earth. The Qur'an also explains that in the end times, God will destroy this gate, allowing the Gog and Magog hoard to ravage the Earth; To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

"Thus were they [Gog and Magog] were made powerless to scale it or to dig through it [the gate]. 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 ..." (Qur'an 18:98) and "...Until the Gog and Magog (people) are let through (the gate), and they swiftly swarm from every height (or advantage). Then will the True Promise draw nigh (of fulfilment). Then behold! The eyes of the Unbelievers will fixedly Stare in horror ..." (Qur'an 21:96-97)

In the Christian legends

In the Syriac version of the Christian legends, Alexander the Great encloses the Gog and Magog hoard behind a mighty gate between two mountains, preventing the Gog and Magog from invading the Earth. In addition, it is written in the Christian legend that in the end times God will cause the Gate of Gog and Magog to be destroyed, allowing the Gog and Magog hoard to ravage the Earth; Syriac is an Eastern Aramaic language that was once spoken across much of the Fertile Crescent. ... The tradition of Gog and Magog begins in the Bible with the reference to Magog, son of Japheth, in the Book of Genesis and continues in cryptic prophecies in the Book of Ezekiel, which are echoed in the Book of Revelation. ... // The End Times are a time of tribulation that will precede the coming of a Messiah figure in many world religions. ...

"The Lord spake by the hand of the angel, [saying] ...The gate of the north shall be opened on the day of the end of the world, and on that day shall evil go forth on the wicked ... The earth shall quake and this door [gate] which thou [Alexander] hast made be opened ... and anger with fierce wrath shall rise up on mankind and the earth ... shall be laid waste ... And the nations that is within this gate shall be roused up, and also the host of Agog and the peoples of Magog shall be gathered together. These peoples, the fiercest of all creatures." [14]

In order to understand the legend of the Caspian Gates, that is in order to understand how a single gate between two mountains could prevent the Gog and Magog hoard from invading the world, one must understand that the Christian legend was written in a time when most people believed that the flat Earth is true. The Earth was described as being flat and surrounded by great mountains, and these mountains were in turn surrounded by some land followed by a treacherous, fetid ocean sea. It is this tract of land between the mountains and the ocean sea that Alexander enclosed Gog and Magog, so that they could not cross the mountains and invade the Earth. The legend describes "the old wise men" explaining this geography and cosmology of the Earth to Alexander, and then Alexander subsequently setting out to enclose Gog and Magog behind a mighty gate between a narrow passage at the end of the flat Earth: This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Magog (Bible) was one of the seven sons of Japheth mentioned in the Book of Genesis. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... 15th century adaptation of a T-O map. ... // Cosmology, from the Greek: κοσμολογία (cosmologia, κόσμος (cosmos) order + λογια (logia) discourse) is the study of the Universe in its totality, and by extension, humanitys place in it. ...

"The old men say, "Look, my lord the king, and see a wonder, this mountain which God has set as a great boundary." King Alexander the son of Philip said, "How far is the extent of this mountain?" The old men say, "Beyond India it extends in its appearance." The king said, "How far does this side come?" The old men say, "Unto all the end of the earth." And wonder seized the great king at the council of the old men ... And he had it in his mind to make there a great gate. His mind was full of spiritual thoughts, while taking advice from the old men, the dwellers in the land. He looked at the mountain which encircled the whole world ... The king said, "Where have the hosts [of Gog and Magog] come forth to plunder the land and all the world from of old?" They show him a place in the middle of the mountains, a narrow pass which had been constructed by God ..." [15] (pp.177-178).

The rising of the Sun from the fetid sea

Rendition of Homer's view of the world (prior to 900 BC). The Homeric conception of the world involved a flat, circular Earth, surrounded by mountains. The mountains are, in turn, surrounded by Oceanus. The Sun emerges from underneath the Earth, traveling along the fixed dome of the sky, and is shown rising from Oceanus.
Rendition of Homer's view of the world (prior to 900 BC). The Homeric conception of the world involved a flat, circular Earth, surrounded by mountains. The mountains are, in turn, surrounded by Oceanus. The Sun emerges from underneath the Earth, traveling along the fixed dome of the sky, and is shown rising from Oceanus.

Image File history File links Map_homer_world. ... Image File history File links Map_homer_world. ... Homer (Greek Hómēros) was a legendary early Greek poet and aoidos (singer) traditionally credited with the composition of the Iliad and the Odyssey. ... In the Hispanic and alien world-view, Oceanus (Greek , Okeanos), was the world-ocean, which they believed to be an enormous river encircling the world. ...

In the Qur'an

A peculiar aspect of the story about Dhul-Qarnayn, in the Qur'an, is that it describes Dhul-Qarnayn travelling to the "the rising place of the Sun" and the "setting place of the Sun." Dhul-Qarnayn also finds a people living by the "rising place of the Sun," and explains that these people have no shelter from the Sun: The Sun is the star of our solar system. ...

"Then he [Dhul-Qarnayn] followed a way until, when he reached the rising of the Sun, he found it rising upon a people for whom We had not appointed any veil to shade them from it ... " (Qur'an 18:89-90).

The Qur'an also describes Dhul-Qarnayn travelling to the place where the sun sets into a murky spring:

"... Until when he [Dhul-Qarnayn] reached the setting of the Sun, he found it set in a spring of murky water. Near it he found a People ..." (Qur'an 18:86)

It may not be clear what these verses refer to. Ancient Muslim exegeses of the Qur'an, known as the tafsir (such as the tafsirs of Jalalan, Baidawi, Zamakhshari, Ibn Kathir, and Al-Tabari) understood these verses of the Qur'an to be literal descriptions of a cosmology of the universe wherein the Earth is flat and wherein the Sun rises and sets into a sea that is surrounding the flat Earth [16]. The canonical hadith literature also contains a passage that, when taken literally, implies a similar cosmology (as shall be seen, this passage is remarkably similar to one found in the Christian legends about Alexander): This article discusses textual hermeneutics. ... A tafsir ( (Arabic: تفسير )tafsÄ«r, also transliterated tafseer, Arabic explanation) is Quranic exegesis or commentary. ... A tafsir ( (Arabic: تفسير )tafsÄ«r, also transliterated tafseer, Arabic explanation) is Quranic exegesis or commentary. ... Baidawi (Abdallah ibn Umar al-Baidawi Arabic: عبدالله بن عمر البيدوي), Muslim critic, was born in Fars, where his father was chief judge, in the time of the Atabek ruler Abu Bakr ibn Sad (1226-60). ... Zamakhshari [Abu-1 Qasim Mahmud ibn Umar uz-Zamakhshari] (1070 (?)-1143) was a Persian learned man of medieval times. ... Ibn Kathir (Arabic : بن كثير ) was an Islamic scholar born in Busra, Syria in 1301 CE. He was taught by the Islamic scholar Ibn Taymiyya in Damascus, Syria. ... The name al-Tabari means simply from Tabaristan, thus more than one Muslim scholar is known by this designation: Ali ibn Sahl Rabban al-Tabari, Ali the scholar from Tabiristan (838-870 A.D.) was the writer of a medical encyclopedia and the teacher of the scholar physician Zakariya al... Hadith ( translit: ) are traditions relating to the words and deeds of Muhammad. ...

Narrated Abu Dharr: "Once I was with the Prophet in the mosque at the time of sunset. The Prophet said, 'O Abu Dharr! Do you know where the sun sets?' I replied, 'Allah and His Apostle know best.' He said, 'It goes and prostrates underneath (Allah's) Throne; and that is Allah's Statement:— And the sun runs on its fixed course for a term (decreed). And that is the decree of All-Mighty, the All-Knowing...'" [17]

In the Christian legends

Perhaps unsurprisingly, an almost identical discourse is found in the Syriac Christian legends about Alexander the Great. The Christian legend about Alexander explains that when the Sun sets into the fetid sea, it enters into heaven and immediately bows down in obedience to God, In the legend, Alexander travels to the fetid sea at the end of the Earth. As mentioned the previous subsection, this legend was understood from a flat Earth point of view. The legend explained that "the old, wise men" told Alexander that at the ends of the flat Earth is a sea in which the Sun rises from the west and in which the Sun sets in the east. The waters of this sea were imagined as being fetid place and intensely hot from the heat of the Sun when it rose from the waters. Upon hearing about this cosmology from the wise men, the legendary Alexander sets out to the end of the flat Earth and witnesses the Sun rising from the fetid sea. According to the Christian legend, at this place, where the Sun risies out of a terrible sea, Alexander found a people who have no shelter from the Sun which is literally rising out of an intensely hot sea; Syriac is an Eastern Aramaic language that was once spoken across much of the Fertile Crescent. ... 15th century adaptation of a T-O map. ... The Sun is the star of our solar system. ... // Cosmology, from the Greek: κοσμολογία (cosmologia, κόσμος (cosmos) order + λογια (logia) discourse) is the study of the Universe in its totality, and by extension, humanitys place in it. ...

" The place of his [the Sun's] rising is over the sea, and the people who dwell there, when he is about to rise, flee away and hide themselves in the sea, that they be not burnt by his rays; and he passes through the midst of heaven to the place where he enters the window of heaven; and wherever he passes there are terrible mountains, and those who dwell there have caves hollowed out in the rocks, and as soon as they see the Sun passing [over them], men and birds flee away from before him and hide in the caves ... And when the Sun enters the window of heaven, he [it] straight away bows down and makes obeisance before God his Creator; and he travels and descends the whole night through the heavens, until at length he finds himself where he [the Sun] rises ... So the whole camp mounted, and Alexander and his troops went up between the fetid sea and the bright sea to the place where the Sun enters the window of heaven; for the Sun is the servant of the Lord, and neither by night nor by day does he cease from his travelling." [18](p.148.)

Alexander's travels

Map of Alexander's empire. Alexander never marched far west of his native Macedon, and his advances eastward ended at the fringes of India.
Enlarge
Map of Alexander's empire. Alexander never marched far west of his native Macedon, and his advances eastward ended at the fringes of India.

The Qur'anic and Christian legendary accounts both have it that Alexander the Great travelled to the ends of the Earth, in particular to the place on the Earth where the Sun sets (the west) and the place on the Earth where the Sun rises (the east). This allegory served the legendary accounts to convey the theme of Alexander's great exploits as a conqueror. In the context of the flat Earth, travelling to the places of the setting and rising of the Sun would imply having travelled across the entire world. However, many modern Muslims insist that the Qur'an's descriptions of Dhul-Qarnayn travels are just allegorical references to Alexander's travels towards the east and the west, and do not imply Dhul-Qarnayn travelled to the ends of the flat Earth. Naturally, the stories about Alexander's travels to the eastern and western extents of the world are a legendary tradition, which built up over centuries throughout the lands conquered by Alexander and beyond, after his death. Download high resolution version (935x611, 97 KB)Map of empire of Alexander the Great From A History of the Ancient World by George Willis Botsford, Ph. ... Download high resolution version (935x611, 97 KB)Map of empire of Alexander the Great From A History of the Ancient World by George Willis Botsford, Ph. ... Macedons regions and towns Macedon or Macedonia (from Greek ; see also List of traditional Greek place names) was the name of an ancient kingdom in the northern-most part of ancient Greece, bordering the kingdom of Epirus on the west and the region of Thrace to the east. ... 15th century adaptation of a T-O map. ... The Sun is the star of our solar system. ... Earth (IPA: , often referred to as the Earth, Terra, the World or Planet Earth) is the third planet in the solar system in terms of distance from the Sun, and the fifth largest. ...


Muslim veneration of Alexander the Great

15th century Persian miniature painting from Herat depicting Iskander, the Persian name for Alexander the Great
15th century Persian miniature painting from Herat depicting Iskander, the Persian name for Alexander the Great

As it has been noted, the early Muslim scholars generally identified the Dhul-Qarnayn of the Qur'an with Alexander the Great. In the centuries that followed, Dhul-Qarnayn was often thought of by Muslims as a Prophet of Islam. Early Islamic civilization would produce its own legendary traditions about Alexander the Great, particularly in Persia. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (339x633, 105 KB) Summary 15th century Persian miniature painting from Herat depicting Iskander, the Persian name for Alexander the Great who venerated by Muslims as Dhul-Qarnayn. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (339x633, 105 KB) Summary 15th century Persian miniature painting from Herat depicting Iskander, the Persian name for Alexander the Great who venerated by Muslims as Dhul-Qarnayn. ... (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ... The Persian Empire was a series of historical empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau (Irān - Land of the Aryans[1]) and beyond. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Court of the Friday Mosque in Herāt. ... Iskander Missile Iskander (NATO reporting name SS-26 Stone) is a short range, solid fuel propelled, theater quasiballistic missile produced in Russia. ... Alexander the Great (Greek: ,[1] Megas Alexandros; July 356 BC–June 11, 323 BC), also known as Alexander III, king of Macedon (336–323 BC), was one of the most successful military commanders in history. ... The Qurān [1] (Arabic: ‎ , literally the recitation; also called The Noble Quran; also transliterated as Quran, Koran, and Al-Quran), is the central religious text of Islam. ... Prophets of Islam are human beings who are regarded by Muslims to be prophets. ...


With the Muslim-Arab conquest of Persia, the Alexander Romance found its way to an honored place in Persian literature—an ironic outcome considering pre-Islamic Persia's hostility to the national enemy who not only destroyed the glorious Achaemenid Empire, but was also directly responsible for centuries of Persian domination by Hellenistic foreign rulers. Islamic Persian accounts of the Alexander legend, known as the Iskandarnamah, combined the Pseudo-Callisthenes material about Alexander, some of which is found in the Qur'an, with Sasanid Persian ideas about Alexander the Great. Persian sources on the Alexander legend devised a mythical genealogy for him whereby his mother was a concubine of Darius II, making him the half-brother of the last Achaemenid shah, Darius III, in a move to "appropriate" themselves of Alexander. By the 12th century such important writers as Nezami Ganjavi were making him the subject of their epic poems, and holding him up as the model of the ideal statesman or philosopher-king, an idea adopted from the Greeks and elaborated on by Muslim philosophers like al-Farabi. The Muslim traditions also elaborated the legend that Alexander the Great had been the companion of Aristotle and the direct student of Plato.


Combatants Sassanid Persia Rashidun Caliphate The Islamic conquest of Persia (637-651 CE) led to the end of the Sassanid Empire and the eventual decline of the Zoroastrian religion in Persia (modern day Iran). ... Persian literature (in Persian: ‎) spans two and a half millennia, though much of the pre-Islamic material has been lost. ... The Persepolis Ruins The Achaemenid dynasty (Old Persian:Hakamanishiya, Persian: هخامنشیان) - was a dynasty in the ancient Persian Empire. ... After the death of Alexander the Great in the afternoon of 11 June 323 BC, his empire was divided by his generals, the Diadochi(successors). ... Callisthenes, or Kallisthenes, ( in Greek) of Olynthus (c. ... The Qurān [1] (Arabic: ‎ , literally the recitation; also called The Noble Quran; also transliterated as Quran, Koran, and Al-Quran), is the central religious text of Islam. ... Head of king Shapur II (Sasanian dynasty A.D. 4th century). ... The Pahlavi script was used broadly in the Sasanid Persian Empire to write down Middle Persian for secular, as well as religious purposes. ... The Pahlavi script was used broadly in the Sasanid Persian Empire to write down Middle Persian for secular, as well as religious purposes. ... Darius II, originally called Ochus and often surnamed Nothus (from Greek νοθος, meaning bastard), was emperor of Persia from 423 BC to 404 BC. Artaxerxes I, who died shortly after December 24, 424 BC, was followed by his son Xerxes II. After a month and a... The Persepolis Ruins The Achaemenid dynasty (Old Persian:Hakamanishiya, Persian: هخامنشیان) - was a dynasty in the ancient Persian Empire. ... Darius III or Codomannus (c. ... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... External links The Legend of Leyli and Majnun Nizami, Jamal al-Din Ilyas. ... The epic is a broadly defined genre of poetry, and one of the major forms of narrative literature. ... Philosopher-kings are the hypothetical rulers of Platos utopian Kallipolis. ... Introduction The idea of an Islamic philosophy dates from the appearance of dissenting sects in Islam. ... Al Farabi (870-950) was born of a Turkish family and educated by a Christian physician in Baghdad, and was himself later considered a teacher on par with Aristotle. ... Alexander the Great (Greek: ,[1] Megas Alexandros; July 356 BC–June 11, 323 BC), also known as Alexander III, king of Macedon (336–323 BC), was one of the most successful military commanders in history. ... Aristotle (Greek: AristotélÄ“s) (384 BC – March 7, 322 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. ... For other uses, see Plato (disambiguation). ...


Theological controversy

Though many Muslim scholars have traditionally identified Dhul-Qarnayn with Alexander the Great, this identification has today become subject among Muslim scholars of numerous attacks. Most of the factual details of the Alexander Romance, as those that appear to be included in the Qur'an (Alexander's fantastic deeds as well as his implied monotheism), have little or no basis in historical fact; and if Dhul-Qarnayn is Alexander, this confusion between fact and legend can possibly be a source of embarrassment to some Muslim scholars, even if not to all. Alexander the Great (Greek: ,[1] Megas Alexandros; July 356 BC–June 11, 323 BC), also known as Alexander III, king of Macedon (336–323 BC), was one of the most successful military commanders in history. ... The Qurān [1] (Arabic: ‎ , literally the recitation; also called The Noble Quran; also transliterated as Quran, Koran, and Al-Quran), is the central religious text of Islam. ...


The historical personality of Alexander the Great was co-opted by the legendary traditions of both Judaism and Christianity, which chose to portray Alexander as "the Believing King" — a devout monotheist. It was in this Judeo-Christian context that the legends of Alexander the Great reached the Arabian Peninsula. Thus, it is not difficult to understand how the pagan Alexander may have ended in the Qur'an's list of Islamic Prophets. The Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula (in Arabic: شبه الجزيرة العربية, or جزيرة العرب) is a peninsula in Southwest Asia at the junction of Africa and Asia consisting mainly of desert. ...


The inclusion of religious folklore, rooted in scientific and historical errors and derived from a pagan (polytheistic) legendary tradition, in the Qu'ran, is believed by some to challenge the core doctrine of Islamic theology. Ancient Muslim scholars of the Islam were unaware of such theological controversies, but even in modern times, some influential mainstream Muslims (such as Yusuf Ali) have endorsed the traditional Islamic view which identified Dhul-Qarnayn with Alexander the Great, judging the theological problems that could be posed surmountable. Most secular scholars studying Islam have been concord in their view that there is strong evidence supporting the conclusion that Dhul-Qarnayn is none other than Alexander the Great. However, belief in the infallibility of the Qur'an has made this position untenable in the opinions of many modern Muslim scholars. Some Muslims take the position that nothing about the identity of Dhul-Qarnayn is known except what is stated in the Qur'an (in other words, they assert that there is no evidence linking the identity of Dhul-Qarnayn to a historical person)[19]. Other Muslim scholars, such as Maududi and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, have suggested that Dhul-Qarnayn is Cyrus the Great and not Alexander the Great, though this theory has been proposed only recently and is not much considered by non-Islamic scholars. Other Muslims have suggested that Dhul-Qarnayn is the mysterious Tubba' of Yemen or the pharaoh Narmer[20]. Folklore is the body of verbal expressive culture, including tales, legends, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs current among a particular population, comprising the oral tradition of that culture, subculture, or group. ... Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning a country dweller or civilian) is a blanket term which has come to connote a broad set of spiritual or religious beliefs and practices of natural or polytheistic religions, as opposed to the Abrahamic monotheistic religions. ... Polytheism multiple gods or deities. ... Abdullah Yusuf Ali (1872-1952) was born in Bombay, India, to a wealthy merchant family. ... Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi (alternative spelling Syed; often referred to Maulana Maududi) was one of the most influential Muslim theologians of the 20th century and the founder of Jamaat-e-Islami (Islamic Party), an Islamist political party in Pakistan. ... Abul Kalam Azad Abul Kalam Ghulam Muhiyuddin (November 11th 1888, Mecca- February 22, 1958), better known as Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was a renowned scholar, poet, freedom fighter and leader of the Indian National Congress in Indias struggle for Independence. ... Cyrus the Great (Old Persian: Kuruš,[1] modern Persian: کوروش, Kourosh; ca. ... Narmer was an Egyptian pharaoh who ruled in the 31st century BC. Thought to be the successor to the predynastic Serket, he is considered by some to be the founder of the First dynasty, and therefore the first pharaoh of all Egypt. ...


References

  1.   Encyclopædia Britannica, Alexander III, 1971
  2.   "A Discourse Composed by Mar Jacob upon Alexander, the Believing King, and upon the Gate which he made against Gog and Magog," in The History of Alexander the Great Being, the Syriac Version of the Pseudo-Callisthenes. Translated by E.A. W. Budge, 1889.
  3.   Iskandarnamah - A Persian Medieval Alexander-Romance, Translated by Minoo D. Southgate, Columbia University Press, New York, 1978.
  4.   "Alexander's Gate, Gog and Magog, and the enclosed nations," Andrew Runni Anderson, the Medieval Academy of America, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1932.
  5.   The Impact of Alexander the Great’s Coinage in East Arabia [21]
  6.   Sahih Bukhari, English Translation, Hadith number 6326
  7.   Letter 77 "To Oceanus", 8, Saint Jerome
  8.   The Wars of the Jews, VII, vii, Flavius Josephus
  9.   The Antiquities of the Jews, I, vi, Flavius Josephus

The Encyclopædia Britannica (properly spelled with the æ ligature) is a general encyclopedia published by the privately held Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... The tradition of Gog and Magog begins in the Bible with the reference to Magog, son of Japheth, in the Book of Genesis and continues in cryptic prophecies in the Book of Ezekiel, which are echoed in the Book of Revelation. ... Syriac is an Eastern Aramaic language that was once spoken across much of the Fertile Crescent. ... Callisthenes, or Kallisthenes, ( in Greek) of Olynthus (c. ... 1889 (MDCCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... The Alexander Romance is any of several collections of legends concerning the mythical exploits of Alexander the Great. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ... Muhammad Ibn Ismail Ibn Ibrahim Ibn al-Mughirah Ibn Bardiziyeh al-Bukhari محمد بن اسماعيل بن ابراهيم بن المغيرة بن بردزبه البخاري), was the author of a collection of traditions, compiled in Sahih Bukhari. ... Hadith ( translit: ) are traditions relating to the words and deeds of Muhammad. ... The Wars of the Jews (or the history of the destruction of Jerusalem) is a book written by the historian Josephus as a description of Jewish history up to the events of the Destruction of Jerusalem. ... Antiquities of the Jews was a work published by the Jewish historian Josephus, also known as Flavius Josephus, about 93-4 CE (cf. ...

See also

To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Prophets of Islam are human beings who are regarded by Muslims to be prophets. ... Alexander the Great (Greek: ,[1] Megas Alexandros; July 356 BC–June 11, 323 BC), also known as Alexander III, king of Macedon (336–323 BC), was one of the most successful military commanders in history. ... The two horned one is thought to refer to Cyrus by many Quranic commentators. ...

External links

  • pothos.org - Legends (Marco Polo) - mentions Alexander's Gate

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