ZUL-G.4.RNA.IN
Identification of Zul-Qarnain
The commentators of the Qur’an hold divergent opinions
about Zul-Qamain. A large number of them suppose the person to
be Alexander the Great. Imam RazJ is of the same view along with
the majority of commentators, but actually there is no valid reason
to accept this opinion. Alexander the Great lacked most of those
cbarachteristics and achievements of Zul-Qamian which have been
expressly mentioned in the Qur’an, as, e. g. faith in the One and
Only God, piety, just treatment to the conquered people and the
erection of an iron rampart. Perhaps the identification of Zul-Qamain
with Alexander the Great was due to imperfect details of his
character and exploits being available to the earlier commentators
of the Qur’arL
There are, however, other doctors offaith who identify ZulQarnain with the Iranian Emperor Cyrus who was known to the
Jews as the Redeemer of lsrael, and to the Arabs by the name of
Kai Khusroe.
1
1. This is the view put forth in some detail by Mauhllna Abul Kat am
Azad in Volume II of the Tarjumanul Qur’an, wherein he has adduced
numerous references from historical treatises and Jewish religious
records in support of his thesis. A summary of it is given here.
A remarkable personality came to the fore in a dramatic
manner in 559 B. C. and soon attracted the attention of the whole
world. Persia was then divided into two kingdoms : the southern
part was known as Persia and the north western portion was called
Media (Arabs called it Mahat). Cyrus welded the Persian tribes
into a single nation by defeating Astyages of Media at Pasargadce.
Continued on next page
ZUL-QARNAIN 79
But the view expressed by Saiyid Qutub in Fi Zalal ii
Qur’an, which is being reproduced here, appears to us more logicaJ
than the explanations given by other commentators.
‘ The Qur’an does not specify the identity or the time and
place Zul-Qamain. This is a style of narration peculiar to the
stories mentioned in the Qulan, for its aim is not to historicise
the events but to draw out the moraJ and lesson of the story.
The purpose can very often be achieved without determining
the location and chronolobry of the events mentioned in the
Qulan.
Thereafter began the conquests of Cyrus, which were marked not
by sanguine battles and cruelties but by humanity and mildness to
the vanquished inhabitants and honour to the defeated monarchs.
Within 12 years all the lands from Black Sea to Bactria had been
reduced to the position of Persian dependencies.
In the spring of 546 B.C . Croesus of Lydia attacked Persia,
Cyrus flung himself upon him, beat him at Pteria in Cappadocia
and pursued him to Lydia, the North-Western part of Asia Minor,
which was then the centre of Hellenistic civilzation in Asia.
A second victory followed on the banks of Pactolus : by the
autumn of 546. Sardis had already fallen, and the Persian forces
advanced at the bound of Mediterranean. During the next few years
the Greek littoral towns were reduced. In 539 B. C. Nabonidus
was defeated and Babylon occupied, which with the Chaldean
empire, Syria and Palestine also became Persian.
When Cyrus would have advanced beyond Sardis he must
have turned back from the coast of A:gean Sea, near Smyrna.
Here he would have seen the sea taking the shape of a lake and
the sun setting in the murky water : “he found it setting in a muddy
spring, ” as the Qur’an puts it (xviii : 87).
In his eastward expedition, Cyrus conquered the lands upto
Makran and Balkh. In this region he subdued the uncivilized nomadic
tribes, which have also been refered to in the Qur’an : “he found it
(sun) raising on a people for whom We had appointed no shelter
therefrom (xviii : 91)” After reducing Babylon, Cyrus rescued the
Jews from the tyranny of Nabonidus, as predicted In the Jewish
Scriptures. He premitted the Jews in Babylon, to return and rebuild
Jerusalem.
Continued on next page
80 FAITH VERSUS MATERIALISM
“Our recorded history does mention an emperor by the name
of Alexander Zul-Qumain 1 but it is certain that he was not
!he the personality meant by the Qur’an. Alexander the great
was a polytheist and an idoJ worshipper while the sovereign
mentioned in the Qur’an was a man of God, a unitarian, having
faith in the Day of Judgement, Resurrection, etc.
“In his book entitled Al-Athar-11/- Baqiyah an-al-Quroon
il-Khtiliyah Abu Raihan aJ-Bairuni writes that Zul-Qamain
spoken of in the Qur’an belonged to Hymar,
2 as the name itself
indicates. The kings of Hymar had Zu as an essential part of
their names as, e.g., Zu-Nuwas, Zii-Yazan. The proper name
of Zul-Qamain was Abii Bakr ibn Afriqash. He subdued all
the lands on the coast of Mediterranean Sea, including Tunis
and Morocco, and founded a city called Afriqiah which gave
its name to the entire continent. He was called by the name of
Zul-Qumain as he was believed to have reached the lands of
rising and setting sun.
“This view might be correct but we have no means to verify
it. the extant records of history hardly contain anything about
him, and the description of his character and conquests given
in the Qur’an is too general like that of the peoples of Noah,
The last campaign of Cyrus was in the direction of the lands
despo~ed by the people called Gog and Magog. Cyrus advanced
towards Caucasus, leaving Caspian Sea to his right, where he came
across a mountain pass between two steep hills rising like walls.
Here he constructed the iron rampart to check the ingress of Gog
and Magog.
Cyrus met his end in 529 B.C . A marble statue with two horns
on his head, signfiying the unified kingdoms of Persia and Media,
was recovered from the ruins of Pasargad~ in 1938. The unification
of these two kingdoms gave Cyrus the title of Zul-Qarnain. Cyrus
has been rightly praised by most of the modern historians for his
conquests as well as for his just and mild treatment of the conquered
people (For further details see Universal History of the World, Vol.
II, by J. A. Hammerton}.
1 . literally ” The two-homed” one
2. An ancient South Arabian people
ZUL-QARNAIN 81
Hiid, Salih, etc. Actually the records preserved by our history
constitute only a fraction of our life-story on this earth. We
have no record of the events that took place before history
began to list them. Its verdict is thus not at all reliable.
“If only the Old Testament could have been preserved in its
pristine puiity without interpolations and additions, it could
have served as a valuable source ofhistory. But, unfortunately,
numerous legends have been introduced and intenvoven with
the revelation contained in this Scripture with the result that
the historical events mentioned in it cannot be relied upon.
“The Qur’an being free from aJJ additions, alterations and
mutilations can, undoubtedly, be a trustworthy source of the
events narrated by it, but its version cannot, obviously, be
verified from the historical records. The is so because of two
reasons; first, the history docs not account for innumerable
happenings: and, secondly, the Qur’an unfolds some of those
events of the olden times which have not been recorded at all.
“There is another reason too. Recorded history, even if it
contains the details of any particular happening, is, after al I.
a human endeavour always likely to commit mistakes or
misrepresent the event in question. With all tht: facilitics of
communications, means of transmitting news and lhc
techniques of their verification in the modcm times. we
sometimes come across different versions of one and the same
story. The same event is not unoften interpreted differently.
viewed from different angles and widely diffcring conclusions
arc drawn therefrom. This is, in trnth. the basic material which
scrvcs as the source of history : it is. however. •rn enli rel:-·
different matter t11at we devise elaborate nonus for poslscrutiny and vcrification of the authenticity ofthc material so
collected.
“Thcrcforc. it is against the accepted principles of literary
criticism as well as Quranic exegesis to seek historical C.;dcncc
for t11c verification of cvents related by Lhc Qur’iin. Mon.:o,·cr
this procl!dl•rc is also not in accord with thl! conviction” hich
claims to profess thc Qur’an as ch~rnal. 11ni.:ha11gcabh.: \OI d of
82 FAITH VERSUS MATERIALISM
God. Absolute reliance cannot, obviously, be placed on the
date thus collected by history either by one having faith in the
revelatory nature of the Qur’an or by an impartial literary critic.
Historical data is, at best, no more than a collection of our
impressions, estimates and ideas about the past happenings.
”The Prophet had been asked about Zul-Qarnain.
Thereupon God revealed certain salient characteristics of the
monarch known by that name. now, the Qur’an being the only
source of knowledge about him, the verification of its historicity
or otherwise is beyond our means. 111e commentaries on the
Qur’an present differing views in the matter and, therefore,
reliance cannot be placed on them. If any particular view is
cautious for numerous traditions of yore and Israelite legends
have found their.way into some of the old commentaries” 1
It hardly makes any difference to a student of the Qur’an
whether he is able to identify Zul-Qarnain with any sovereign in the
light of available historical records or not. It should be sufficient
for him that the Qur’an has indicated the dominant characteristics
of Zul-Qarnain. We know that he was endowed with political and
military power, manifold resources, courage, large heartedness and
nobility of character.
“Verily We ! We established him in the earth, and vouchsafed
unto him of everything a way (to attain anything he desired).
“Then he followed a way.” (Al-Kahf: 84-85)
Conquests of Zul-Qarnain
The conquests of Zul-Qamain were quite extensive. His
campaigns were directed to far-off lands in the eastern and western
directions which have been alluded to in the Qur’an as the rising
place and the setting place of the sun. He conducted bis wars with
great humanity, administered his subjects mildly, looked after the
weak and poor with loving care and dealt with the insolent and the
bully in a stringent manner. The organisation of his empire was
planned throughout on the Jines indicate~ by the Qur’an.
1. Fi Zalal 11-Qur’an, Volume VI (V Edition} pp. 8-1 O
ZUL-QARNAIN 83
“He saird-not even when he is crowned with the
most brilliant victories nor when he gains control over gigantic
resources and the sinews of earthly power. He turns his attention to
God in the hour of triumphant success and remembers the ultimate
end, when he would crumble into dust and be raised again: he
fearfully trembles with the awe of God; acknowledges his own
weakness; offers solace and mercy to the suffering humanity:
preserves truth and justice; and, directs his incessant endeavour to
serve his fellow-beings, creates a just and virtuous social order,
brings out the ignorant from the dark alley of godlessness nad crass
materialism to the sunshine of divine light and natural rclig1on.
This was the noble and virtuous path trodden by Solomon and ZulQamain, by the right-guided Caliphs and impeccable leaders of
Islam during their own times in different parts of the world.
