Who is Zul-Qarnain? (Sura 18:83 -99)

[KDC501]

From Sura 18:83 ? 99 is a short story of Zul-Quranain and Gog and Magog. Does anyone have any theories or ideas about who is Zul-Qarnain and who or what are Gog and Magog?

Peace,

Kevin D.Cooper

[Jafar]

Salam Kevin..

This has been discussed in the forum on other thread.. i'm too lazy to search for it now..

However my opinion still stand:
1. Dzul-Qarnayn = The One With Two Horns = Cyrus The Great of Ancient Persian Kingdom
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_the_Great
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhul-Qarnayn
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_the_Great_in_the_Quran

2. Gog and Magog
People originated from central asia steppes..
As of now... a 'wall' or even mountain will not be any hindrance for people to do 'invasion'..
Now people fought war with cruise missiles, jet airplane and other modern weaponry.. wall or mountain are rendered useless to hold an invasion from another nation / people / country.

As thus, the prophecy has came true few centuries ago.. especially if you watch history closely..
We have witnessed the waves of 'invasion and mass migration' of people coming from high steppes of central asia which happened and spanned over multiple centuries.. The Huns, The Turks, The Mongols are some of them who are quite famous.. they all originated from the steppes of central asia..

The most 'successful' are of course the mongols which manage to set the world record as the biggest empire ever known to man, spanning from Austria up to Beijing. The Turks.. well they managed to find a home now in a country called "Turkey" and they were once conquered a vast area over Mediterranean region during the "Ottoman" era, The Huns gene has mingled with most european, although people of modern Bulgaria claim that they're the most 'purest descendant' of the Huns...

Salam / Peace

[KDC501]

Salam Kevin..

This has been discussed in the forum on other thread.. i'm too lazy to search for it now..

However my opinion still stand:
1. Dzul-Qarnayn = The One With Two Horns = Cyrus The Great of Ancient Persian Kingdom
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_the_Great
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhul-Qarnayn
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_the_Great_in_the_Quran

2. Gog and Magog
People originated from central asia steppes..
As of now... a 'wall' or even mountain will not be any hindrance for people to do 'invasion'..
Now people fought war with cruise missiles, jet airplane and other modern weaponry.. wall or mountain are rendered useless to hold an invasion from another nation / people / country.

As thus, the prophecy has came true few centuries ago.. especially if you watch history closely..
We have witnessed the waves of 'invasion and mass migration' of people coming from high steppes of central asia which happened and spanned over multiple centuries.. The Huns, The Turks, The Mongols are some of them who are quite famous.. they all originated from the steppes of central asia..

The most 'successful' are of course the mongols which manage to set the world record as the biggest empire ever known to man, spanning from Austria up to Beijing. The Turks.. well they managed to find a home now in a country called "Turkey" and they were once conquered a vast area over Mediterranean region during the "Ottoman" era, The Huns gene has mingled with most european, although people of modern Bulgaria claim that they're the most 'purest descendant' of the Huns...

Salam / Peace

I have been thinking it over for a very long time and I don?t believe that Gog and Magog have already appeared

I believe they will appear prior to the end of the world

21:95 It is forbidden for a town that We destroy that they would return;
21:96 Until Gog and Magog is opened, and from every elevated place they will race forth.
21:97 The promise of truth draws near. Then, when it is seen by the eyes of those who rejected: "Woe to us, we have been oblivious to this. Indeed, we were wicked!" 

The Facts:

It is quite clear from the above verses that Gog and Magog have not yet appeared during the time of Muhammad. But were meant to appear after the Quran was revealed.

 21:96 Until Gog and Magog is opened, and from every elevated place they will race forth. ( The barrier wasn?t open during the period when the Quran was revealed.)


Recap : The barrier (made of iron) was built for the specific purpose of blocking Gog and Magog

18:94 They said, "O Zulqurnain, Gog and Magog are destroyers of the land, and so shall we make a tribute for you that you will make between us and them a barrier?"

18:95 He said, "What my Lord has given me is far better. So help me with strength and I will make between you and them a barrier."

18:96 "Bring me iron ore." Until he leveled between the two walls, he said, "Blow," until he made it a furnace, he said, "Bring me tar so I can pour it over."

18:97 So they could not come over it, and they could not make a hole

18:98 He said, "This is a mercy from my Lord. But when the promise of my Lord comes, He will make it rubble. The promise of my Lord is truth."

18:99 We left them till that day to surge like waves on one another. The horn was blown so We gathered them together. (prior to the end of the world)

Where is this iron barrier? And if it existed during the period of Cyrus (which was hundreds of years before the Quran was revealed ) wouldn?t it be reasonable to say that the gate would be open during Muhammad's time after all those years  The answers to these questions have led me to believe that Cyrus the Great may not be  Zulqurnain , also that the barrier most likely did not exist (as yet)

18:98  He said, "This is a mercy from my Lord. But when the promise of my Lord comes, He will make it rubble. The promise of my Lord is truth."
18:99 We left them till that day to surge like waves on one another. The horn was blown so We gathered them together. (prior to the end of the world)


Things to note : The prophecies dealing with the splitting of the moon (which occurred in 1969 Sura 54:1 ) the Romans (sura 30:1-4), and the creature made of earthly materials ( Sura 27:82  which I believe to be the computer) are in the past tense just like the Gog and Magog prophecy and Zulqurnain. 
Where are Gods signs presently to show us who or what are Gog and Magog?

[Pazuzu]

The prophecies dealing with the splitting of the moon (which occurred in 1969 Sura 54:1 )

Man never set foot on the moon. It was all a staged event, shot in a studio, and directed by NASA. There is a magnetic field which surrounds the Earth called the Van Allen Belt. The human body cannot withstand 5 minutes beyond this belt. They would get fried. Until now, technology does not exist to build spaceships that can protect from the deadly radiation. The Apollo "moonlanding" was one of the  greatest hoaxes that the "sheeple" of the world have been led to believe. Many astronauts knew this truth and were silenced by being conveniently "killed" in rocket launch disasters.

Wake up, please.

[Student of Allah]

Man never set foot on the moon. It was all a staged event, shot in a studio, and directed by NASA. There is a magnetic field which surrounds the Earth called the Van Allen Belt. The human body cannot withstand 5 minutes beyond this belt. They would get fried. Until now, technology does not exist to build spaceships that can protect from the deadly radiation. The Apollo "moonlanding" was one of the  greatest hoaxes that the "sheeple" of the world have been led to believe. Many astronauts knew this truth and were silenced by being conveniently "killed" in rocket launch disasters.

Wake up, please.

Salam,

Its not entirely true from what I can see. The only thing that baffles me is the development in US space technology all of a sudden just prior to the Apollo mission. It was a very very very very very huge development over russian Space systems. That is what confuses me, Russia is the one who was well ahead, how did the Americans perfect everything all of a sudden? Yet, I have reasons to "believe" it was not fake. It was not fake, and it was not fake.


Now, on the topic:
My friends always try to discuss who this dude Zul-Qarnain and another wise guy found in the story of Musa is.... I hope you guys discuss and find the answer for me. Because I have very less interest in finding out things that dont benefit me the slightest bit from a religious text.

PEACE

------------ Student of Allah

[KDC501]

Man never set foot on the moon. It was all a staged event, shot in a studio, and directed by NASA. There is a magnetic field which surrounds the Earth called the Van Allen Belt. The human body cannot withstand 5 minutes beyond this belt. They would get fried. Until now, technology does not exist to build spaceships that can protect from the deadly radiation. The Apollo "moonlanding" was one of the  greatest hoaxes that the "sheeple" of the world have been led to believe. Many astronauts knew this truth and were silenced by being conveniently "killed" in rocket launch disasters.

Wake up, please.

I don?t believe in conspiracy theories unless there are facts to back it up. So far the experts (who are educated people) have proven that man did go on the moon in 1967.

http://www.braeunig.us/space/hoax.htm
http://www.clavius.org/envrocks.html

Peace,

Kevin

[KDC501]

I have been doing a lot of studying into the Gog and Magog prophecy. What I have found out is that this prophecy is prominent not only among the Christians but the Jews as well. However I will focus on the Jewish interpretation of Gog and Magog and not the Christian view (which is found in the Book of Revelations).


Here's an idea of what some of the Jews believe ....

http://www.myjewishlearning.com/beliefs/Theology/Afterlife_and_Messiah/Messianism/The_Messianic_Age/Gog_and_Magog.shtml

"Gog and Magog are the peoples who will wage war against the Jews before the advent of the Messiah. These two names appear in the vision of the prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 38, 39) where Gog is the ruler of the country of Magog. Gog will lead his people in war against the land of Israel but will be defeated and God alone will reign supreme."


It is a common belief among the Jews that a Messiah (the anointed one) would arise during the end of times  "to reconquer the land of Israel, rebuild the Temple, and establish God's reign on earth."

The Messianic Idea in Judaism - http://www.jewfaq.org/mashiach.htm

"The mashiach will bring about the political and spiritual redemption of the Jewish people by bringing us back to Israel and restoring Jerusalem (Isaiah 11:11-12; Jeremiah 23:8; 30:3; Hosea 3:4-5). He will establish a government in Israel that will be the center of all world government, both for Jews and gentiles (Isaiah 2:2-4; 11:10; 42:1). He will rebuild the Temple and re-establish its worship (Jeremiah 33:18). He will restore the religious court system of Israel and establish Jewish law as the law of the land (Jeremiah 33:15)"


It has been my view for a very long time that Zul-qurnain is a person who will exist in the future. So far , I have not found any person(in history) who I believe can perfectly  fit the description of Zul-qurnain.  This among other things in the Quran makes me believe that Zul-qurnain is a figure of the future and not the past.


Could Zul-qurnain ( the man of two eras, epochs, centuries ; or the Two horned one) be this Messianic figure in the future???

The Jewish  idea of a Future Messiah fits neatly into the type of person that Zul-qurnain is.

In the Quran (Sura 18: 83-99 ) Zul-qurnain is described as having "the means to everything". He has political influence in the far west and and the far east (His authority covers the Globe ) . Who among the people in history has power the likes of this that spans the entire Globe???

Also if this person was a figure of the past (as some believe) then where is this iron barrier???


Questions such as the above makes me believe more and more that Zul-qurnain is futuristic figure and not a persona of the past.



Peace,

Kevin

[GODsubmitter]

Thank you Kevin KDC501 for the post and the links.

I agree totally with you.

[Sweetflower87]

Peace be upon you KDC501,

I find your topic very interesting, even if it's a pretty old thread.

Nonetheless your given information and thoughts about the prophecy of Zulqarnain together with Gog and Magog are very strong and I agree with you on this matter. Praise be to God alone.
I am curious if you have been continuing in studying this matter, and if so what your recent update is.

I am hoping we will be able to talk, study and meditate together on this, God willing.

Furthermore I would like to invite you to read and reflect on a recent thread I have been written about ia. the subjects of the prophecies that are about to come in our (near)future. In sha Allah you will take your time and you will recognize the Truth in it.

The thread can be found on http://free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=9606040.msg342947;topicseen#msg342947

My salams and talk to you soon God willing.
God bless.

[Israfeel]

The word Qarn means horn as well as generation. If we take the latter meaning, Zul Qarnain (peace be upon him) means the one who possesses two horns. To comprehend the identity of the Prophet Zul Qarnain (peace be upon him) we must understand the context of the verses of Surah al Kahf and the reason for their revelation. The Jewish rabbis specifically asked the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) about Zul-Qarnain and to explain his story as proof of his prophethood. Therefore, bearing this context in mind we see that Zul Qarnain is someone whom the Jewish rabbis learned in the scriptures are aware of.

Therefore, in conjunction with the Vision of Daniel as narrated in the old testament, I believe that Zul Qarnain was a great Persian king and conqueror who may be identified with Cyrus the Great. In the vision of Daniel (Daniel chapter 8 ), he saw a two-horned ram which was marching in three directions (west, north and south). The Quran also mentions three different expeditions of Zul Qarnain in three different directions.