Folklore
in Qur’an-Who was Zul-Qarnain?
Syed Kamran Mirza
Virginia, USA
[email protected]
The Zul-qarnain story was narrated in
Qur’an by series of verses (18:83-98). Here let me cite a few verses
related to Zul-qarnain story:
Quran-18:83—84:
They ask thee concerning Zul-qarnain. Say “I will rehearse to
you something of his story.” Verily We established his power on earth,
and We gave him the ways and means to all ends.
Quran-18:86:
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.”
Quran-18:90:
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.
Quran-18:94: 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 mightiest erect a barrier between us and
them?”
Questions
to ponder:
If Allah did not consider the earth FLAT how in the world He sent
Zul-qarnain to the (end of the
world) place where sun was setting?
Or. To the place where sun was rising?
Does anybody needs to reach a setting or rising place to observe
sun-set or sun-rise?
Who was
Zul-Qarnain?
Many Islamic thinkers and intellectuals
consider that the said Zul-Quarnain mentined in Quran is the Greek
conqueror Alexander the great. Here
are some source from where Islamic thinkers perhaps got this idea of
Quranic Zul-qarniain as Alexander the great. The famous Quranic
translator maulana A. Yousuf Ali gave a long story as Appendix Vll
(titled: Who was Zulqarnain; page 760-765) detailing the facts and
figures why most Islamic scholars including himself considered very
strongly that, Quranic Zulqarnain was nobody but Alexander the Great. In
this long Appendix, maulana yousuf Ali tried to justify why he thought
that the person in Quran by the name of Zul-qarnain was nobody but
Alexander the Great. Readers please see for yourself the above mentioned
appendix in the Maulana Yousuf ali’s Translated Quran. Because, here
in this essay I will only illustrate some important
quotations (supporting Maulana Yousuf ali’s assertion) from this
Appendix. Readers
please note that, Maulana Yousuf ali’s quotations are in italics:
Maulana
Yousuf Ali stated, “I
have not the least doubt that Zul-qarnain is meant to be ALEXANDER
THE GREAT, the historic Alexander, and not the legendary Alexander,
of whom more presently. My first appointment after graduation was
that of lecturer in Greek history. I have studied the details of
Alexander’s extraordinary personality in Greek historians as well as
in modern writers, and have since visited most of the localities
connected with his brief but brilliant career.”
What is the meaning of the name Zul-qarnain?
According to Maulana Yousuf Ali—“Lord
of the two Qarns (horn). And other meanings may be applicable as
implying: (1) is a man or a great king; (2) Lord of East and West, Lord
of wide territory or of two kingdoms; (3) Lord of two crests on his
diadem, typifying two kingdoms , or rank superior to that of an ordinary
king; (4) Lord of more than one Epoch—one whose power and influence
extend far beyond his lifetime.”
Maulana
Yousuf Ali stated, “If
we accept the popular identification of Zulqarnain with Alexander, all
the three letter
designations would be applicable to him, as he was the Lord
of the West and the East, Lord of the Greek states united for the first
time (Hellenic Captain-General) and of the widely-extended Persian
Dominion which included all Western Asia, Egypt, central Asia,
Afghanistan, and the Punjab. He was represented on his coins with two
horns on his head: considered himself a son of Jupiter Amon (who had the
two horns of ram), with a divine mission.”
“Now
the generality of the world of Islam have accepted Alexander the Great
as the one meant by the epithet Zul-qarnain. But some of our Ulama have
raised doubts about it and made other suggestions: (1) An earlier
pre-historic king contemporary with Abraham, because they say
Zul-qarnain was a man of faith (Quran-18:88-98) while Alexander the
Great was a pagan and
believed in Grecian Gods.”
“Another
suggestion was made that, Quranic Zul-qarnain was an ancient king of
Persia. But there is nothing in our literature to suggest that
Zul-qarnain came to any such ignominious end.
If it is argued that it was some old prehistoric Persian king who
built the iron gates (Quran:18:96) to keep the Gog and magog tribes
(Quran:18:94), this is no identification at all.
Another suggestion made is that it was some old prehistoric
Himyarite king from Yemen, about whom nothing else is known. An
identification with a supposed pre-historic king, about whom nothing is
known, is no identification at all.”
“The
question of Yajuj and majuj (Gog and Magog) and the iron barrier built
to keep them out is of some interest. It is practically agreed that they
were the wild tribes of Central Asia (Manchus and Mongols) which have
made inroads on settled kingdoms and Empires at various stages of the
world’s history.”
“
The Barrier in the text must have been more in the nature of iron gates
then a iron wall. Two iron gates, geographically far apart, have been
suggested in the alternative. Sometimes they have been mixed up by
writers not strong in geography. Both of them have local association
with the name of Alexander the great.
Both are near a town Derbend, and have borne the name of
bab-ul-hadid (Arabic word for iron gate). The best known iron gate in
modern times is at the town and seaport of derbend in the middle of the
western coast of the Caspian Sea. In the early days, when Muslims spread
to all parts of the world, local legends were started by ignorant people
connecting the places they knew with places referred to in the Quran.”
“ We
now come to the “iron gate”
which corresponds exactly to the Quranic description, and has
the best claim to be connected with Alexander’s story. It is near
another Derbend in Central asia, Hissar District, about 150 miles
south-east of Bukhara. There
is no iron gate there now, but there was one in 7th century
when the Chinese traveler Hiouen Tsiang saw it on his journey to India.
He saw two folding gates cased with iron and hung with bells. Near by is
a lake named Iskandar Kul,
connecting the locality with Alexander the Great.
We know from history that Alexander, after his conquest of
Persia and before his journey to India, visited Sogdiana (Bukara)
maracanda (Samarqand). We
also know from Muqaddasi, the Arab traveler and geographer, who wrote
about A.H. 375 (A.D. 985-6) the Abbasi Khalifa Wathiq (842-846 A.D.)
sent out a mission to Central asia to report on this iron gate.
They found the defile 150 yards wide: on two jambs made with
bricks of iron welded together with molten lead, were hung two huge
Gates, which are kept closed. NOTHING
COULD CORRESPOND MORE EXACTLY WITH THE DESCRIPTION IN HOLY QURA’N (18:
95-96)”
“If
then the Barrier (in Quran:18:95-98) refers to the Iron gate near
Bukhara ,we are able to proceed to a consideration of the Gog and Magog
people with some
confidence. They were the
Mongol tribes on the other side of the Barrier, while the industrious
men who did not understand Zul-qarnain’s language were the
turks, with their agglutinative language, so different from the
languages then spoken in Western Asia.
This Barrier served its purpose for the time being.
We need not bother about the legends of Gog and Magog people.
They were reputed to be Giants, and two tiny hills in flat
Cambridgeshire are derisively called the Gog and Magog hills. In the
Alexander legends of medieval Europe, Gog and magog
are said to have come with 400,000 men to the help of Porus
whom Alexander defeated, and to have fled after that defeat. They fled
to the mountains, and Alexander built a wall with brass gates to prevent
their irruption (Paul Meyer, Alexander le Grand dans la literature
fraqaise du Moyen age: Paris, 1886; Vol.2, pp:386-389).”
About
Alexander’s westward journey Maulana Yousuf Ali writes:
“One
such point in the mention of Alexander’s westward journey
(Quran:18:86): “He saw
the sun set in a piece of murky water which is described as a spring.
Most commentators have understood the “spring” to be the sea, and
takes the “murky water” to be the dark blue water……..to
the west of the town of Lychnis is a lake 170 square miles in area fed
by underground springs that issue through limestone rocks and give out
murky water. Both town and lake is now called Ochrida, about 50 miles
west of Monastir. The water is so dark that the river which forms the
outlet of the lake to the north is called the Black Drin.
Looking at the Sun-set from the Town, the observer would see the
sun set in a pool of murky water (Quran-18:86). History tell us that, it
was a question before the boy King Alexander—the dreamy, impulsive,
fearless rider, whether he would put the barbarous Illyriccans to the
sword or show them mercy. He showed true discrimination and
statesmanship. He
punished the guilty and showed kindness to the innocent, and
thus consolidated his power in the west. This I (Yousuf Ali) construe to
be the meaning of verses (18:86-87); otherwise these verses do not seem
to be perfectly clear. Another
point may be noted. Three episodes mentioned are: (1) journey to the
west, (2)
the journey to the east,
(3) and journey to the “Iron Gate”: The journey to the
west I have just explained. The journey to the east was to the Persian
Empire. Here he found a people who lived in the open
and wore little clothing.
This might apply to people who lived in an inland place in the
latitude of Persepolis or Multan. He left them alone as they were
(Quran:18:91).”
As I mentioned in my previous essay that,
Maulana Yousuf Ali was an educated Mullah who frequently gave a very
sensible/modern explanation to Quranic Ayats (unlike other Madrasa
educated Mullah) and by doing that he put Quranic diviness in clear
jeopardy. Therefore, to save Quranic diviness, he at the same time made
some incongruous arguments to save Allah’s integrity. Here in this
explanation of Quranic Folklore story about Alexander he created very
logical historical background but by doing this he put Allah in a
precarious situation because of the fact that Alexander was not a
believer as Quran postulated by various Ayats. So to save Allah’s
side, Maulana erected some ludicrous logic: “Alexander
was a focus of Christian and Jewish learning for some centuries. The
Christians also made Alexander a saint. The Jews carried the Alexander
cycle into the east. Our Persian poet Jami (A,H. 535-599, A.D.
1141-1203) worked it up into his epic the Iskandar-nama.
He is careful to show the historical or semihistorical and the
ethical parts separately. The one relates to action or exploits (Iqbal)
and the other to wisdom (Khirad). He had the advantage of Quran’s
story before him. The story mentions three historical episodes
incidentally, but draws our attention to matters of the weightiest
spiritual significance, and that is the chief thing to note in the
story. All that is known about Alexander the Great shows that he was a
man of lofty ideals. He died over three centuries before the time of
Jesus, but that does not mean that he was not a man of faith, for God
revealed Himself to men of all nations in all ages. Alexander was an
disciple of philosopher Aristotle, noted for his pursuit of sound Truth
in all departments of thought. ”
Comments:
My question to all Islamists of the opposing
group who do not consider Zul-qarnain as the Alexander the great:
How can you deny all these (above) arguments by Maulana Yousuf
Ali? Apologists are in real
problem with this simulation of Zul-qarnain story because ancient
history does not give us any such character which fits with Zul-qarnain
story in Quran. Zul-qarnain
story exactly fits with the historical facts of the
Alexander the Great. But Mullahs are in real problem to accept
Alexander as Zul-qarnain, as because, Alexander was
a pagan. Interestingly,
if the Alexander was a believer or at least somebody from any of the
three monotheistic religions of the world, Mullahs would immediately
jump to the conclusion that—Zul-qarnain is no one but Alexander the
Great. Readers
should ponder—why Quranic Zul-qarnain story matches 100% with the
story of Alexander the Great? Could it be a mere co-incidence?
Any Muslims (especially Bangladeshi) who
experienced “Waz-Mehfil” of a half-educated, or Madrasha (Taliban
Factory) educated maulana—have definitely enjoyed the superstitious
and mythological description of “Yajuj
and majuj” (of this fanciful Zul-qarnain story) as the terrible
Giants who will erupt from some parts of Syria and will destroy this
beautiful world of Islam. Then
it is the Prophet Issa (Jesus Christ) who will come again to fight this
“Yajuj and majuj” to
save the world. This
colorful superstitious story is believed by hundreds of millions of
blind-faith muslims, just the way they believe that Qur’an is the word
of Allah. However, this historical statement in Qur’an is seriously
erroneous. Because the ancient history tells us that Alexander was a
licentious, belligerent, idolatrous, and claimed to be the son of Amun,
the God of Egypt. And Qur'an amazingly stated that, the Alexander was
the one who reached the west point of flat earth (?), to a end point
where sun set down in a well of muddy water, and also he reached the
point of east end of the earth where he saw sun was rising.
About two years ago, America's PBS telecast a multi-part series
on Alexander the Great. In one episode, it was shown that two Qur'anic
scholars from Middle East (Arab) read a passage on Alexander. He was
described in Qur'an as a demon with two horns who caused much
destruction on earth. The commentator, an English professor, remarked
that Alexander's disheveled hairdo and the shape of his head indeed
portray him as a person with two horns. Perhaps it was a folklore that
this brute Alexander--a devil with two horns--had passed through a big
chunk of Arab land. Still now, people can visit some remote parts of
Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, NWFP of Pakistan, and Punjab and hear
some folk melodies in which a man name Eskander or Sikander is glorified
as a fierce fighter. The bottom line is that Qur'an has obviously
borrowed this folklore story that was prevailing in Arab peninsula.
Like
the one I just described above, there are many stories in the Quran
which were taken from: local folklore,
the fanciful details of Jewish writers, local stories from Arab
heretical Christians, mythological stories from Zoarostrians who
apparently got from Hindu mythology. Here are some examples of folklore
which Quranic author obviously borrowed from various sources:
Story
of Azazil
Quran took this name “Azazil” from Jews who
call the evil spirit by the same name. But the story of Azazil was taken
from Zoroastrian book of 5. Let us see the comparison of the two:
Quranic
(Muslim) version of the story:
Allah created Azazil, who in the seventh hell worshiped the
Almighty for a thousand years; he then ascended, spending a similar term
at each stage, till he reached the earth. Elsewhere we read rhat the
Devil (Azazil) stayed three thousand years close by the gate of the
paradise, with hostile intentions against Adam and Eve, of whom he
entertained the utmost jealousy.
Zoarostrian
version of the story:
He remained in the abyss, dark and ignorant, there to commit hurt
and injury, and such mischief and darkness is the place that they term
the dark region. Ormazed (Zoarostrian name of God), who knew everything
was aware of Ahriman’s(evil) existence and designs. Both remained thus
for 3000 years, without change or action. The evil spirirt was ignorant
of Ormazed’s existence; but eventually rising out of the pit, at least
behind the light of Ormazed; then filled with hostility and envy, he set
to work to destroy.
Other folklore stories which I have no scope to
describe here in this essay are: (a) Legend of the Companions of the
cave (Quran-18:8-25), (b) The story of Harut and Marut (Quran-2:96), (c)
Origin of “The Balance” (in Quran: 7: 7-8; 21: 48).
I will try to bring them in my future essay.
Yet, apologists will always attempt to defend
Quranic flaws by following ridiculous and incogitant arguments: (a) They
will blame the translation, (b) will say human being can not understand
Allah’s Qudraat, (c) Quran has to be taken (when there is serious
flaws) as Allegory/parable, (d) Quranic verses (which has flaws) are
only a poetry and not to be taken as real, or (e) at least will say
“mission impossible”, Or, (f) will attack the messenger leaving
messages by saying Mr. X or Y is not an intellectual (high quality
enough) to comment on Holy Quran—even though Allah repeatedly said:
“I
(Allah) made the Quran in simple Arabic so that ordinary Arabs can
understand it.”
References:
- Holy
Quran-translated by Mauolana Yousuf Ali
- Holy
Quran-translated by Maoulana Mahiuddin Khan
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