"The Wall of Dhul-Qarnayn | Yajuj Majuj in the Qur'an"
The "Wall of Dhul-Qarnayn" and the story of Yajuj and Majuj (Gog and Magog) are mentioned in the Qur'an in Surah Al-Kahf (Chapter 18), verses 83–101. Here’s a clear explanation of the story as found in the Qur'an:
🔹 Who is Dhul-Qarnayn?
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Dhul-Qarnayn (literally "The Two-Horned One") is described as a righteous and powerful ruler whom Allah granted authority and means to travel widely across the Earth.
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While the Qur'an doesn't name him specifically, classical Islamic scholars have debated whether he could be Alexander the Great, Cyrus the Great, or simply a symbolic righteous king (the Qur'an does not confirm his exact identity).
🔹 The Journey and the Wall
Dhul-Qarnayn makes three journeys: to the west, the east, and then between two mountains. In the third journey, he encounters a people who are barely able to communicate. They plead with him:
“O Dhul-Qarnayn! Indeed Gog and Magog (Yajuj and Majuj) are spreading corruption in the land. Shall we pay you a tribute so that you may build a barrier between us and them?”
(Qur’an 18:94)
🔹 The Wall of Dhul-Qarnayn
Dhul-Qarnayn agrees to help them, not for payment, but as a service to God. He constructs a massive barrier:
“Bring me blocks of iron.”
Then, when the iron was leveled between the two mountains, he said:
“Blow!” until it became red-hot, and then he poured molten copper over it.
(Qur’an 18:96)
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The result was a huge wall or dam, so strong that Yajuj and Majuj could neither scale it nor dig through it.
Dhul-Qarnayn then says:
“This is a mercy from my Lord. But when the promise of my Lord comes to pass, He will level it to the ground. And the promise of my Lord is ever true.”
(Qur’an 18:98)
🔹 Yajuj and Majuj (Gog and Magog)
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They are described as a corrupting, destructive force.
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The Qur'an does not detail their exact nature, but Hadith literature expands on them as numerous, chaotic beings who will break free near the end of times, causing global disorder.
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They are linked to the signs of the Day of Judgment in Islamic eschatology.
“Until [the dam of] Gog and Magog has been opened and they, from every elevation, descend.”
(Qur’an 21:96)
Summary
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Dhul-Qarnayn | A just, divinely guided ruler who traveled widely |
| Wall | Made of iron and molten copper, between two mountains |
| Purpose | To contain Yajuj and Majuj from spreading corruption |
| End-Time Prophecy | The wall will eventually break, and Yajuj & Majuj will be unleashed |