The ayaat about
Dhu al Qarnayn’s travels have been variously interpreted, yet continue to
perplex many Muslims. These ayaat have also been used by non-Muslims to point
out factual inaccuracies in The Quran.
Based upon what we know of the polar regions of the Earth, I think that
the first two travels were to the North and South Pole respectively. I’ve also
attempted to understand the third travel. My reasoning is as follows:
Who was Dhu
al Qarnayn?
وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ
عَن ذِي الْقَرْنَيْنِ ۖ قُلْ سَأَتْلُو عَلَيْكُم مِّنْهُ ذِكْرًا
[Al-Quran 18:83, Translator: Mohammad Sarwar]
(Muhammad), they will ask you about Dhu 'l-Qarnayn. Say, "I shall tell you
something about him".
‘Dhu al Qarnayn’ is the name or the title/attribute
of this person.
The Quran uses the word قَرْنٍ to generally mean generations. Variations of the root ق ر ن also lend meaning to words for companion, bound together, capable, accompanying. Of the twenty-three times it is used as the noun qarn (قَرْن), twenty are translated as generation(s), and thrice is it used for the name of the person ذَا الْقَرْنَيْنِ mentioned in Surah al-Kahf (Q18:83, 86, 94). More on this at: Dhul-Qarnayn [two horns, two generations, or both]
One of the meanings of ‘q-r-n’ in Lane’s Lexicon is ‘The part
of the head of a human being which in an animal is the place where the horn
grows’. ‘Qarnayn’ is the dual form of the noun. Various commentators have
interpreted ‘Dhu al Qarnayn’ as the ‘Lord of the Two Horns’ or ‘Possessor of
the Two Horns’.
Based on my interpretation of the subsequent verses, I think
Dhu al Qarnayn probably means Lord / Conqueror of the Two Poles, i.e.
the polar regions of the Earth, except that he already had this title on the first visit described, as he is being addressed as 'Ya Dha al Qarnain'. However, since he is being addressed by the author of the story, it is also plausible that he was already destined to be the Lord / Conqueror of the Two Poles.
Also see: People with Horn like growths on their Head.
So, may be it means all of the above.
To continue exploring other details in the subsequent ayaat:
إِنَّا مَكَّنَّا
لَهُ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَآتَيْنَاهُ مِن كُلِّ شَيْءٍ سَبَبًا
[Al-Qur’an 18:84, Translator: Mohammad Sarwar]
We had given him great power in the land and all kinds of resources.
According to this ayat, Dhu al Qarnayn must be a
legendary person who was established in power and resources, and could reach
anywhere on Earth. The last word: ‘sababun’ is variously translated as ‘resources’, ‘road’, ‘way’, ‘ways and means’, ‘means of access’. The Quran seems to use this word in the context of travel in the sky (air or space travel), such as the Pharaoh commissioning the building of صَرْحًا to travel the skies, as in Q40:36 in this screenshot:
The subsequent ayaat go on to describe three
specific travels described by some unique distinguishing features. Do we know of any such places?
First Travel
فَأَتْبَعَ سَبَبًا
حَتَّىٰ إِذَا
بَلَغَ مَغْرِبَ الشَّمْسِ وَجَدَهَا تَغْرُبُ فِي عَيْنٍ حَمِئَةٍ وَوَجَدَ عِندَهَا
قَوْمًا ۗ قُلْنَا يَا ذَا الْقَرْنَيْنِ إِمَّا أَن تُعَذِّبَ وَإِمَّا أَن تَتَّخِذَ
فِيهِمْ حُسْنًا
قَالَ أَمَّا مَن
ظَلَمَ فَسَوْفَ نُعَذِّبُهُ ثُمَّ يُرَدُّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِ فَيُعَذِّبُهُ عَذَابًا
نُّكْرًا
وَأَمَّا مَنْ
آمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَلَهُ جَزَاءً الْحُسْنَىٰ ۖ وَسَنَقُولُ لَهُ مِنْ أَمْرِنَا
يُسْرًا
[Al-Quran 18:85-88, Translator: Yusuf Ali]
85 One (such) way he followed,
86 Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it set in a spring
of murky water: Near it he found a People: We said: "O Zul-qarnain! (thou
hast authority,) either to punish them, or to treat them with kindness."
87 He said: "Whoever doth wrong, him shall we punish; then shall he be
sent back to his Lord; and He will punish him with a punishment unheard-of
(before). [88] "But whoever believes, and works righteousness,- he shall
have a goodly reward, and easy will be his task as We order it by our
Command."
This place is described by the following facts:
- the Sun is setting,
- what it is setting in,
- people dwell near there, and
- Dhu al Qarnayn has authority over them.
Disappearing or Setting Sun?
The phrase used is ‘magrib-e-shams’
which can also be interpreted as ‘western Sun’ or ‘disappearing Sun’.
The polar regions of the Earth
experience a six-month long day followed by a six-month long night. At the
North Pole, ‘In summertime, the sun is always above the horizon at the North
Pole, circling the Pole once every day. It is highest in the sky at the Summer
Solstice, after which it moves closer to the horizon, until it sinks below the
horizon, at the Fall Equinox.’ [1]
Hence, if the North Pole is
visited during the few weeks before Fall Equinox, the Sun is in the process of
disappearing or setting.
What does the Sun appear to be disappearing in?
‘ainin
hamee-atin’ is variously translated as a well or warm spring, or spring with foul fetid mud [2], murky waters, dark mud, and so on [3].
There is no land at the North Pole. ‘The Arctic consists of ocean that is largely surrounded by land. As such, the climate of much of the Arctic is moderated by the ocean water, which can never have a temperature below −2 °C (28 °F).’ [4]
The lands near the North Pole, in the Arctic Circle, are known for hot springs and geysers, with muddy water spewing out of some [5] [6] [7] [8]. However, such places are also there near the South Pole, though perhaps lesser in number or less discovered [10] [11] [12]. Therefore, hot springs and geysers may not be a uniquely distinguishing feature of the North Pole from the South Pole. Hence, I’m inclined to think that ‘ainin hamee-atin’ refers to the warm waters of the Arctic Ocean.
Near it he found a people?
The key word is ‘near it’. There are many lands in
the Arctic Circle near the Arctic Ocean, where people dwell [13].
[14]
Wikipedia [15]
European Space Agency [16]
Hence, based upon the three key features:
disappearing Sun, warm waters and people near it, I think the only place on
Earth that exhibits all three features is the North Pole and the region
surrounding it, i.e. the Arctic.
-------------------------------
Second Travel
ثُمَّ أَتْبَعَ
سَبَبًا
حَتَّىٰ إِذَا
بَلَغَ مَطْلِعَ الشَّمْسِ وَجَدَهَا تَطْلُعُ عَلَىٰ قَوْمٍ لَّمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُم
مِّن دُونِهَا سِتْرًا
[Al-Qur’an 18:89-90, Translator: Yusuf Ali]
89 Then followed he (another) way,
90 Until, when he came to the rising of the sun, he found it rising on a people
for whom We had provided no covering protection against the sun.
كَذَٰلِكَ وَقَدْ أَحَطْنَا بِمَا لَدَيْهِ خُبْرًا
[Al-Qur’an 18:91, Translator: Pickthall]
91 So (it was). And We knew all concerning him.
The second place
is described by three facts:
- that the Sun is rising,
- there are people dwelling there, so it is a land and
- that there is no protection from the Sun, followed by the claim that ‘We knew all...’.
Appearing or Rising Sun?
When there is
day in the Northern hemisphere, it is night in the Southern hemisphere. When the sun finally disappears below the
horizon at the North Pole at Autumn Equinox, and the six-month long night
starts there, the Sun rises above the horizon at the South Pole, commencing the
six-month long day at the South Pole.
People dwelling there? Land?
.svg.png)
We know that there is land at the South Pole, i.e.
the continent of Antarctica. Though only research teams stay at Antarctica now [17],
however, we cannot rule out if people ever did or did not live in the continent
of Antarctica. There do exist some old maps which indicate a warm climate for Antarctica.
What do we know about natural protection from the
Sun?
We know that the
ozone layer in the atmosphere is a natural protection from the Sun’s harmful
rays. We also know that every Antarctic spring, there is a large hole formed in
the ozone layer over most of Antarctica.
“The Antarctic Ozone Hole was discovered ... Satellite measurements then confirmed that the springtime ozone loss was a continent-wide feature... The ozone hole is formed each year in the Southern Hemisphere spring (September-November) when there is a sharp decline (currently up to 60%) in the total ozone over most of Antarctica.” [18]
“The severe depletion of the Antarctic ozone layer known as the “ozone hole” occurs because of the special atmospheric and chemical conditions that exist there and nowhere else on the globe” [19]
[20]
The ozone
depletion over the North Pole is a recent phenomenon, caused due to ‘human’
reasons. Hence, based upon the three key natural features: rising Sun, land and
no protection from the Sun, I think the only place on Earth that exhibits all
three features is the South Pole and the region surrounding it, i.e. the
Antarctic Circle.
-------------------------------
Third Travel
ثُمَّ أَتْبَعَ
سَبَبًا
حَتَّىٰ إِذَا
بَلَغَ بَيْنَ السَّدَّيْنِ وَجَدَ مِن دُونِهِمَا قَوْمًا لَّا يَكَادُونَ يَفْقَهُونَ
قَوْلًا
قَالُوا يَا ذَا
الْقَرْنَيْنِ إِنَّ يَأْجُوجَ وَمَأْجُوجَ مُفْسِدُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَهَلْ نَجْعَلُ
لَكَ خَرْجًا عَلَىٰ أَن تَجْعَلَ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَهُمْ سَدًّا
قَالَ مَا مَكَّنِّي
فِيهِ رَبِّي خَيْرٌ فَأَعِينُونِي بِقُوَّةٍ أَجْعَلْ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَهُمْ رَدْمًا
آتُونِي زُبَرَ
الْحَدِيدِ ۖ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا سَاوَىٰ بَيْنَ الصَّدَفَيْنِ قَالَ انفُخُوا ۖ حَتَّىٰ
إِذَا جَعَلَهُ نَارًا قَالَ آتُونِي أُفْرِغْ عَلَيْهِ قِطْرًا
فَمَا اسْطَاعُوا
أَن يَظْهَرُوهُ وَمَا اسْتَطَاعُوا لَهُ نَقْبًا
قَالَ هَـٰذَا
رَحْمَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّي ۖ فَإِذَا جَاءَ وَعْدُ رَبِّي جَعَلَهُ دَكَّاءَ ۖ وَكَانَ
وَعْدُ رَبِّي حَقًّا
وَتَرَكْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ
يَوْمَئِذٍ يَمُوجُ فِي بَعْضٍ ۖ وَنُفِخَ فِي الصُّورِ فَجَمَعْنَاهُمْ جَمْعًا
[Al-Qur’an
18:92-99, Translator: Yusuf Ali]
92 Then followed he
(another) way,
93 Until, when he reached (a tract) between two mountains, he
found, beneath them, a people who scarcely understood a word.
94 They said:
"O Zul-qarnain! the Gog and Magog (People) do great mischief on earth:
shall we then render thee tribute in order that thou mightest erect a barrier
between us and them?
95 He said: "(The power) in which my Lord has
established me is better (than tribute): Help me therefore with strength (and
labour): I will erect a strong barrier between you and them:
96 "Bring me blocks of iron." At
length, when he had filled up the space between the two steep mountain-sides,
He said, "Blow (with your bellows)" Then, when he had made it (red)
as fire, he said: "Bring me, that I may pour over it, molten lead." [compare translations of Q18:96]
97 Thus were they made powerless to scale it or to dig through it.
98 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."
99 On that day We shall leave them to surge like waves on one another: the
trumpet will be blown, and We shall collect them all together.
The third place
Dhu al Qarnayn arrives at is distinguished by the facts that:
- it is between two mountains or barriers,
- the people did not have understanding or knowledge,
- they were suffering due to Gog and Magog, who did great mischief on Earth,
- iron was used and another element was poured over it, the opening was sealed, thereby making them powerless to scale or dig through it.
Space between two barriers?
The word used is ‘alssaddayni’ [root: s-d-d] meaning
two barriers. Since the word j-b-l has been used elsewhere in the Qur’an when
speaking of mountains, and s-d-d has been used for barrier, hence it is
reasonable to assume that here also two barriers are being referred to, and not
two mountains.
Who scarcely understood a word?
‘yafqahoona’ root f-q-h: to possess fiqh means to
possess understanding, and knowledge, and intelligence, and especially
knowledge of the law [21]. ‘la yakadoona yafqahoona qawlan’ or ‘who scarcely understood a word’ implies, I
suppose, that these people were primitive in the sense that they were not
organized in terms of religion or society, or were lawless/unable to follow the
law/suffering lawlessness (due to terrorism?). The former follows from the fact that these people
are in isolation between two barriers, while the latter follows from the fact
that, in the subsequent ayaat, they converse with Dhu al Qarnayn, tell him
about the mischief being created by Gog and Magog, request a barrier from them,
and also offer tribute for the building of such a barrier. Furthermore, they
were also able to bring (mine?) iron, and lead or copper alloy, as well as
provide the labour.
Barriers against whom?
Barriers are meant to prevent something or someone
from crossing over, i.e. entering or leaving, as the case may be. Dhu al
Qarnayn was able to reach this place, thus these barriers did not keep him out.
Perhaps, and this is pure speculation, these barriers were not meant to keep
out the people on Earth, but rather were meant to seal a ‘portal’ to keep out
‘aliens’ from the sky or below Earth from reaching the Earth’s surface?
Filled between the ‘l-ṣadafayni’?
‘l-ṣadafayni’ is the dual form of the noun with root
s-d-f, meaning mother of pearl as well as two tall structures meeting together
or facing each other. [22] I assume then that this was a portal or a breached barrier that needed to be
sealed.
Iron covered with molten Copper alloy or Lead? Powerless
to scale or dig through it?
Sheets or blocks of Iron were placed to construct/repair
the barrier. Then, it was coated with another material, probably to reinforce
it and prevent rusting, thus giving it a smooth finish and making it
impenetrable.
The word used for this coating material is ‘qitra’,
which has been variously translated as Copper [23],
Brass [24] and Lead [25]. The same word has been used for the spring of
molten liquid that was made available to Solomon [26]. (Interestingly, Iron was made pliable for his father, David [27])
Gog and Magog, who did Great Mischief on
Earth?
There is mention
of and references to these in ancient scriptures and related works [28]. Some have identified them with a particular place/race, while others do not
identify them with a particular place or race on Earth. Notable among them is
the Hindu mythology, according to which they are hidden from human realm and
are probably subterranean [29] [30].
Legends and adventure stories [31] also abound about the inner Earth, of creatures/people dwelling within the Earth. Though modern science refutes ideas about a hollow earth, if there is any figment of truth to any of these accounts, then it is a wonder why we humans have not been able to dig through or find a way to their subterranean civilization, or why they haven’t been able to reach up to the Earth’s surface, unless there exists a natural barrier with only one opening, which was sealed by Dhu al Qarnayn.
Until the Promise comes to Pass?
In The Quran, this expected event is mentioned twice:
in Surah 18 (as quoted above), and in Surah 21, ayat 96, ‘Until when [the
dam of] Gog and Magog has been opened and they, from every elevation, descend,’ [32]. More on this at: Gog Magog & The City that will Return.
References & Links
note [Update 2022]: this blogpost was initially written in 2014, the related references and links' list was compiled ; since then some of the links provided below may no longer be active now
[2] Lane Lexicon Page 638 Col 3 last entry before h-m-d
[5] The Polar Regions of the Western Continent Explored by W. J. Snelling
Attribution: By CIA - CIA World Factbook (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/xq.html), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21877
- previous image: https://www.ccin.ca/home/sites/default/files/faq/arctic-circle.gif
[21] Lane’s Lexicon Page
2429
[22] Lane’s Lexicon Page 1666
[24] Lane’s Lexicon Page 2543 & http://corpus.quran.com/translation.jsp?chapter=18&verse=96
[33] Attribution: By TUBS - Own workThis image was created with Adobe Illustrator.This file was uploaded with Commonist. This vector image includes elements that have been taken or adapted from this: Antarctica (orthographic projection).svg (by TownDown)., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14959356
Last updated on November 25, 2022
