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On The Sources Of The Qur'anic Dhul-Qarnayn

Islamic Awareness
Islamic Awareness, All Rights Reserved.
First Composed: 1st September 1999
Last Updated: 5th March 2006

Assalamu-`alaykum wa rahamatullahi wa barakatuhu:

1. Introduction
Among Western scholars, the issue of Dhul-Qarnayn (the two-horned one) in Qur'an 18:82 had
been a source of great debate. The debate surrounds not only the identity of Dhul-Qarnayn but
also the sources of the Qur'anic story. Who was he? Was he really Alexander the Great?
Hammer-Purgstall held that Dhul-Qarnayn was one of the old kings of Yemen.[1] Graf took
exception to this view and cited the passages from Ephippus and Clement that referred to the
representations of Alexander as son of Ammon with horns. He concluded that the identity of
Dhul-Qarnayn is that of Alexander.[2] Graf's conclusions provoked the dissent of Redslob.
Redslob, citing the prophecy of Daniel in which the king of the Medes and Persians is interpreted
as the two-horned ram, proposed that Dhul-Qarnayn was Cyrus the Persian.[3] Beer held that the
Dhul-Qarnayn in the Qur'an had adopted the form of the long awaited Jewish redeemer or
messiah.[4] And others like Geiger have attempted to link Dhul-Qarnayn to Moses.[5] In the
Western scholarhip, the issue of Dhul-Qarnayn's identity was finally brought to a close by
Nldeke who established that Dhul-Qarnayn was none other than Alexander and the source of
the Qur'anic narrations was the Syrian Christian Legend ascribed to Jacob of Serugh (d. 521 CE).
Nldeke dated the Christian Legend to 514-515 CE.[6] A similar claim that identifies DhulQarnayn with Alexander was made by Newton and other Christian missionaries/apologists.[7]
Nldeke's position was accept by many scholars[8] until it was discovered that the internal
evidence of the Christian Legend suggested a post-Islamic date.
2. Dating The Christian Legend Attributed To Jacob Of Serug

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The dating of the Christian Legend was based on the study of its internal evidence. At the end of
the text there is a mention that on the passing of 826 years, the Huns will break forth and will
subjugate peoples:
And king Alexander fetched [an engraver] and inscribed upon the gate: "The Huns shall go forth
and conquer the countries of the Romans and of the Persians, and shall cast arrows with...., and
shall return and enter their won land. Also I have written that, at the conclusion of eight hundred
and twenty six years, the Huns shall go forth by the narrow way which goes forth opposite
Halrs, where the Tigris goes forth like the stream which turns a mill, and they shall take
captives the nations, and shall cut off the roads, and shall make the earth tremble by their going
forth. And again I have written and made known and prophesied that it shall come to pass, at the
conclusion of nine hundred and forty years,.... another king, when the world shall come to an end
by the command of God the ruler of creation.[9]
This passage is considered by all students to be of fundamental chronological importance. If we
compute according to the Era of the Seleucids, the successors of Alexander (i.e., from 311), then
826-311 yields a year of 515 CE; which was the date of the great Sabir invasion.[10] This
vaticinatio ex eventu (i.e. a prophesy or predication after the event) is prophesied in the Christian
Legend. Considering this vaticination (prediction or prophesy), Nldeke held the view that the
Christian Legend was composed about 515 CE.
What about the second prediction or prophesy of the inscription: the 940th year? The year 629
CE (i.e., 940-311) corresponds to the Greek Era of 940. Nldeke held it to be a genuine
vaticination (prediction or prophesy). He even admits that the Khazars, the allies of Emperor
Herakleios, invaded Armenia through the Caucasus in 627 CE. This date however, argues
Nldeke, did not refer to the beginning of the campaign (as the Legend would have us suppose),
but rather to the conclusion of a protracted Byzantine-Persian war. Therefore, in Nldeke's
opinion, the date 940 of the Greek Era (= 629 CE) is purely arbitrary, as it should naturally be in
the case of a genuine vaticination.
Hunnius has convincingly argued against Nldeke's sixth century dating of Christian Legend. He
showed that certain parts point to the Khazar invasion of 629 CE - i.e., seventh century.[11]
Czegldy, using Kmosk's thesis, also argued that the Christian Legend and metrical discourse of
Jacob of Serugh came into its final form after 628 CE and that this argument is conclusive:
... it is all the more regrettable that Kmosk's expositions, which settle the dispute, were not
published earlier than a few years ago, and even then only in extracts. Kmosk has a whole
series of arguments to prove that both the metrical Legend and the prose text of the same contain
unmistakable references to the war of Khosrav II and Herakleios. Hence both variants, in their
present forms, contain variant of the Legend that came into being as an adaption definitely after
628. Kmosk's arguments are surely conclusive. An adaption of this kind is a natural
phenomenon in apocalyptic literature: after the passing of the date foretold in the latest
vaticination, the subsequent adapters inserts new prophecies into the text.[12]

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This identification only gives us the date 628 CE as terminus a quo (a point of origin or a first
limiting point in time). The text gives no date by which to fix the terminus ad quem (a final
limiting point in time). Similarly Gero says:
Several features of the text [i.e., the Christian Legend] also occur in the Koranic narrative - the
famous horns of Alexander, the journey to the west and then to the east, and of course the central
theme of the gate, which will be opened at an apocalyptic Endzeit by divine command. But
although this has been proposed by Nldeke and often repeated since, the work also does not
qualify as a direct source for the 'two-horned' Alexander of the Koran, at least not in its present
form; recent investigations indicate an ex eventu knowledge of the Khazar invasion of Armenia
in A.D. 629.
The prose legend (neshn) was then in turn the literary source of the Syriac metrical homily
discourse attributed to Jacob of Sarug (sixth century) in the manuscripts. The poem, however,
was actually written in the seventh century, shortly before the Muslim conquest of Mesopotamia
and Palestine.[13]
Sir Wallis Budge indicated a long time ago that the Christian Legend had been re-worked and is
burdened with additions, and that this work is that of Jacob of Serugh is improbable:
This composition appears to be an abbreviated form of which known to us is that given in the
metrical discourse on Alexander attributed to Jacob of Serugh; both these works, in turn are
based upon chapters xxxvii-xxxix of the second book of Pseudo-Callisthenes according to
Muller's greek MS. C. The Christian Legend has been burdened with many additions, evidently
the work of the Christian redactor, which have no connexion whatever with the story. On the
other hand many passages, as, for example, the account of his descent into the sea in a glass
cage, have been entirely omitted. The names of the places which are given us freely in this
legend seem to indicate that it was drawn up at a very late period; that it is the work of Jacob of
Serugh is improbable.[14]
Recent extensive studies on the influence by Syriac Pseudo-Callisthenes on Qur'an 18:60-102
(which includes the story of Dhul-Qarnayn) by Wheeler have shown that it was the Qur'anic
commentaries and not the Qur'an that adopted the Alexander stories among other near eastern
stories to explain the verses 18:60-102. Wheeler's conclusion can be shown in the following
form:[15]

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3. Conclusions
It has been claimed by Nldeke and subsequent scholarship that the Qur'anic story of DhulQarnayn was borrowed from the Christian Legend attributed to Jacob of Serugh. Internal
evidence however shows that it was composed after 628 CE. Investigations by Hunnius, Kmosk
and Czegldy have conclusively shown that the writer had ex eventu (i.e., a prophesy or
predication after the event) knowledge of Khazar invasion of Armenia. The text provides no date
by which the terminus ad quem (a final limiting point in time) can be fixed.
It is not only important to know the dates of composition of the individual works that are used to
establish the theories of borrowing, but to also understand the difference between the Qur'an and
the Qur'anic commentaries.

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References & Notes

[1] F. v. Hammer-Purgstall, "Auszge Aus Saalebi's Buche Der Sttzen Des Sich Beziehenden
Und Dessen Worauf Es Sich Bezieht", Zeitschrift Der Deutschen Morgenlndischen
Gesellschaft, 1852, Volume 6, p. 506.
[2] K. H. Graf, "Ueber Den "Zweihrnten" Des Koran", Zeitschrift Der Deutschen
Morgenlndischen Gesellschaft, 1854, Volume 8, pp. 442-449.
[3] G. M. Redslob, "Ueber Den "Zweihrnigen" Des Koran", Zeitschrift Der Deutschen
Morgenlndischen Gesellschaft, 1855, Volume 9, pp. 214-223.
[4] B. Beer, "Welchen Aufschluss Geben Jdische Quellen ber Den "Zweihrnigen" Des
Koran?", Zeitschrift Der Deutschen Morgenlndischen Gesellschaft, 1855, Volume 9, pp. 785794.
[5] A. Geiger, Judaism And Islam (English Translation Of Was hat Mohammed aus dem
Judenthume aufgenommen?), 1970, Ktav Publishing House Inc.: New York, pp. 135-136.
[6] Th. Nldeke, "Beitrge Zur Geschichte Des Alexanderroman", Denkschriften Der
Kaiserlichen Akademie Der Wissenschaften, Philosophisch-Historische Classe, 1890, Volume
37, pp. 31; Theodor Noldeke, "The Koran", Encyclopdia Britannica, 1893, Volume 16, Adam
And Charles Black: Edinburgh, p. 600. This article was reprinted many times with slight
modifications. See T. Nldeke (J. S. Black [Trans.]), Sketches From Eastern History, 1892, Adam
and Charles Black: London & Edinburgh, p. 30. This article was reprinted and edited by N. A.
Newman, The Qur'an: An Introductory Essay By Theodor Nldeke, 1992, Interdisciplinary
Biblical Research Institute: Hatfield (PA), p. 9; Also see Theodor Nldeke, "The Koran" in Ibn
Warraq, The Origins Of The Koran: Classic Essays On Islam's Holy Book, 1998, Prometheus
Books, p. 43; Also see Theodor Nldeke, "The Koran" in C. Turner (Ed.), The Koran: Critical
Concepts In Islamic Studies, 2004, Volume I (Provenance and Transmission), RoutledgeCurzon:
London & New York, pp. 77-78.
[7] `Abdallah `Abd al-Fadi, Is The Qur'an Infallible?, 1995, Light of Life: Villach (Austria), pp.
84-86; R. F. Safa, Inside Islam: Exposing And Reaching For The World Of Islam, 1996, Creation
House: Orlando (FL), p. 71; M. Elass, Understanding the Koran: A Quick Christian Guide To
The Muslim Holy Book, 2004, Zondervan: Grand Rapids (MI), p. 99. Elass says that "the early
linkage, however, provides an embarrassment to later Muslim scholarship, for Alexander was a
pagan polytheist, and it would not do to canonize a heathen king as a true prophet of Allah." Not
surprisingly, Elass did not provide the source of early "linkage" leading to "embarrassment"; R.
Morey, The Islamic Invasion: Confronting The World's Fastest Growing Religion, 1992, Harvest
House Publishers: Eugene (OR), pp. 144-145. Robert Morey claims "one of the greatest errors in
the Quran concerns Alexander the Great, who is called Zul-qarnain."; N. A. Newman,
Muhammad, The Qur'an & Islam, 1996, Interdisciplinary Biblical Research Institute: Hatfield
(PA), p. 377. Quoting Nldeke and Schwally, Newman says that the "Qur'anic narrative is based
on Syriac Alexander the Great legend which appears to have been written in 515-516 AD";
Abdullah Al-Araby, Islam Unveiled, 2002 (10th Edition), The Pen Vs. The Sword: Los Angeles
5

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(CA), p. 44; D. Ali & R. Spencer, Inside Islam: A Guide To Catholics, 2003, Ascension Press:
West Chester (PA), p. 73. According to Daniel Ali and Robert Spencer, the Qur'an "claims that
Alexander the Great was a Muslim in the story of Zul-qarnain (Sura 18:89-98), whom Muslim
exegetes both ancient and modern identify as Alexander. Such appropriation of historical figures
might be understandable in the case of a figure like Abraham, but Alexander was not even a
monotheist."
[8] See for example: I. Friedlnder, Die Chadhirlegende Und Der Alexanderroman, 1913, Druck
Und Verlag Von B. G. Teubner: Leipzig, p. 278; J. Horovitz, Koranische Untersuchungen, 1926,
Walter De Gruyter: Berlin & Leipzig, p. 111; A. R. Anderson, "Alexander's Horns", Transactions
And Proceedings Of The American Philological Association, 1927, Volume LVIII, pp. 110-111;
A. R. Anderson, Alexander's Gate, Gog And Magog, And The Inclosed Nations, 1932, The
Mediaeval Academy Of America: Cambridge, MA, pp. 29-30; C. C. Torrey, The Jewish
Foundation Of Islam, 1967, Ktav Publishing House, Inc.: New York, p. 35 and 125.; A. Jeffery,
The Koran: Selected Suras, 1958, The Heritage Press: New York, NY, p. 220, n. 9; J. A. Boyle,
"The Alexander Romance In The East And West", Bulletin Of The John Rylands University
Library Of Manchester, 1977, Volume 60, pp. 19-20.; M. S. Southgate, Iskandarnamah: A Persian
Medieval Alexander Romance, 1978, Columbia University Press, New York, p. 201; Ibn Warraq,
Why I Am Not A Muslim, 1995, Prometheus Books: Amherst, NY, p. 61; A. Rippin, Muslims:
Their Religious Beliefs And Practices, 2003, Routledge, p. 22.
[9] E. A. W. Budge, The History Of Alexander The Great Being The Syriac Version Of The
Pseudo-Callisthenes, 1889, Cambridge: At The University Press, p. 154.
[10] K. Czegldy, "The Syriac Legend Concerning Alexander The Great", Acta Orientalia
Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, 1957, Volume 7, p. 246.
[11] C. Hunnius, Das Syrische Alexanderlied, 1905, Gttingen, pp. 21-24.
[12] K. Czegldy, "The Syriac Legend Concerning Alexander The Great", Acta Orientalia
Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, op cit., pp. 246-247. Czegldy also discusses Kmosk's
arguments concerning metrical discourse of Jacob of Serug in "Monographs On Syriac And
Muhammadan Sources In The Literary Remains Of M. Kmosk", Acta Orientalia Academiae
Scientiarum Hungaricae, 1954, Volume 4, pp. 35-36. For the discussion on the Syriac prose
legend refer to pp. 31-34.
[13] S. Gero, "The Legend Of Alexander The Great In The Christian Orient", Bulletin Of The
John Rylands University Library Of Manchester, 1993, Volume 75, p. 7.
[14] E. A. W. Budge, The History Of Alexander The Great Being The Syriac Version Of The
Pseudo-Callisthenes, op cit., p. lxxvii.
[15] B. M. Wheeler in "Moses Or Alexander? Early Islamic Exegesis Of Qur'an 18:60-65",
Journal Of Near Eastern Studies, 1998, Volume 57, p. 203.
Back To Sources Of The Qur'an
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o Story of Zulqarnain (AS)

Home / Today's Paper / Opinion / Story of Zulqarnain (AS)
February 13, 2012
Print : Opinion

In my previous column I mentioned the information available in Surah Kahf about

Hazrat Zulqarnain (AS). I would now like to go into greater detail about the
invaluable book written by the Saudi scholar, Mr Hamdi bin Hamza al-Suraiseri
Al-Johani. The book contains more than 500 pages with useful drawings and
photos, and the information given would require many columns to discuss fully. I
am therefore limiting myself to the essentials.
History tells us that about 3,400 years ago (1392 BC) a child was born in the
grand palace of the Pharaoh on the banks of the Nile. The father was the most
powerful Pharaoh, Amunhotep III the same Pharaoh who wanted to murder
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Hazrat Musa (AS) and was drowned by the Almighty when he was chasing Musa
(AS) and his followers. The prince was named Amunhotep IV, but he changed his
name to Akhenaten after becoming king (Pharaoh) in 1360 BC. Allah had given
him the status of Prophet in 1362 BC and he was quietly following Wehdaniat
(monotheism). Once he felt powerful enough he publicly announced his belief.
His mother, Tiye, also believed in one God. After some time Akhenaten built a
new city, Akhetaton, in the centre of Egypt and forbade the worship of idols.
According to the Holy Quran, Hazrat Zulqarnain (AS), the name Akhenaten is
known by in the Quran, was a nice, religious person and Allah had sent him as a
messenger to his people, the Egyptians.
Hazrat Zulqarnain (AS) lived in Akhetaton for about 12 years and then suddenly
he, his mother and all the inhabitants disappeared. This remains one of the
greatest secrets of Egyptian history. From 1342 BC on, Egyptian history opens a
new chapter.
In about 615 AD, Allah sent revelationsto our Holy Prophet (PBUH) with Surah
Kahf. Following Allahs command, Zulqarnain and his family and followers left
Egypt to visit the places of sunset and sunrise and to build the rampart between
two cliffs in China to protect the inhabitants from the attacks of the cruel Mongols
-the Horse People (discussed in Part I). The Holy Quran has not given any
further information about Hazrat Zulqarnain (AS), his mother and his followers
after the building of this rampart and the rest remains secrets of Egyptian and
Chinese history.
Mr Hamdi bin Hamza carried out extensive research and found that Yajouj and
Majouj consist of a sentence of six words in Chinese meaning inhabitants of the
Asia continent and inhabitants of the horse continent. In Chinese, Yajouj is
known as Yajouren and Majouj as Majouren. The author travelled extensively
throughout China, meeting many Chinese historians. He convincingly postulates
that when Musa (AS) and the Pharaoh were arguing about Allah Almighty,
Pharaohs son AkhenatenAkhenaton (Zulqarnain) interceded and tried to convince
his father and other people to believe what Musa (AS) was saying. None other
than a very important and influential person could intercede in such a discussion.
Hence, it must have been the son of the Pharaoh. History or the Quran do not
mention the departure or migration of Hazrat Zulqarnain (AS). It was most
probably on the command of Allah that he migrated to preach that there was only
one God, the All-Mighty, All-Powerful and All-Knowing.
The Quran says that Hazrat Zulqarnain (AS) first went to the place where the sun
sets. The author has given convincing arguments that this place is the Maldives
Islands where there are hot sea currents. Anthropologists have also confirmed that
it was around 3,400 years ago that the first humans came to the Maldives. This
would coincide with the time when Zulqarnain (AS) reached there.
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According to the Quran, Zulqarnain and his party then left for the place where the
sun rises. The authors research convinced him that this was the Kiribati Islands in
the Pacific, thousands of kilometres east of Australia. There he found the Sun
Rise Hotel where, on Jan 1, 2000, representatives from international agencies
and many tourists had gathered to see the first rays of the sun rising on the new
millennium. These islands are now known as the Republic of Kiribati, with a
population of 100,000. Unfortunately, the inhabitants are very poor. I wish one of
the rich Arab countries would fix a yearly donation to these poor people. We
know that both the Maldives and the Kiribati Islands lie on the Equator where
sunrise and sunset times are more or less constant.
Mr Hamdi bin Hamza also visited the city of Zhenzhou in Henan County, China,
where he found a rampart forming a barrier between two steep mountains. It was
seven km long, 36 meters wide at the base, nine meters wide at the top and nine
meters high. Chinese historians mention it as being the First Great Wall.
When Zulqarnain (AS) reached Zhenzhou city (now a very important industrial
centre), the people there asked him to build a barrier between the mountains to
keep out the marauding Horse People (Mongols). For this they were willing to
make payment in goods. Hazrat Zulqarnain (AS) politely refused to accept any
compensation, saying that the Almighty had provided him with enough resources
and manpower and that they should supply only the materials required. This
consisted of steel pieces (probably slag and pig iron). This he used to fill up the
space between the two mountains. He then asked them to heat the whole until it is
red hot (probably using coal which is found abundantly in the area). When it was
red hot, Zulqarnain (AS) asked them to bring earth (probably rich in metallic ore),
which was then poured onto the red hot iron, turning the whole into a compact,
solid mass.
Hazrat Zulqarnain (AS) and his people were called Chu People by the Chinese,
meaning alien or outsider. Hazrat Zulqarnain (AS) was accepted as their leader
and established a kingdom there. After about 200 years this became known as the
Chu Dynasty and it lasted for almost 800 years.
Mr Hamdi bin Hamza believes that Hazrat Zulqarnain (AS) and his mother and
companions are buried in or near Zhenzhou city and he hopes that some day
archaeologists will find their graves in the same way as those being found in
Egypt 5,000 years after their burial.
May Allah Almighty shower His blessings on Mr Hamdi bin Hamza Al-Suraiseri
Al-Johani and his family for this excellent, noble work. Ameen.
Email: ali4drkhan@gmail.com

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Page 11 of 14

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