ZULQARNAIN AND GOG MAGOG
Before Islam, the Arabs of Makkah were unaware of the story about Ⱬul-Qarnain and Gog Magog. When Islam asserted itself as not a new religion but rather a continuation of the old religion preached by other Prophets such as Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus. Thus, some people from Makkah decided to consult with the Jews from Medina.
The Jews from Medina told them to ask three questions: if he is a true Prophet, then he will know about Ⱬul-Qarnain and Gog Magog. In reply, Allah revealed the story to the Prophet as mentioned in Surah Kahf (Qur’an 18:83-101).
They ask you ˹O Prophet˺ about Ⱬul-Qarnain. Say, “I will relate to you something of his narrative.” (Qur’an 18:83)
Surely, We established him in the land, and gave him the means to all things. (Qur’an 18:84)
So he travelled a course, (Qur’an 18:85)
until he reached the setting ˹point˺ of the sun, which appeared to him to be setting in a spring of murky water, where he found some people. We said, “O Ⱬul-Qarnain! Either punish them or treat them kindly.” (Qur’an 18:86)
He responded, “Whoever does wrong will be punished by us, then will be returned to their Lord, Who will punish them with a horrible torment. (Qur’an 18:87)
As for those who believe and do good, they will have the finest reward, and we will assign them easy commands.” (Qur’an 18:88)
Then he travelled a ˹different˺ course (Qur’an 18:89)
until he reached the rising ˹point˺ of the sun. He found it rising on a people for whom We had provided no shelter from it. (Qur’an 18:90)
So it was. And We truly had full knowledge of him. (Qur’an 18:91)
Then he travelled a ˹third˺ course (Qur’an 18:92)
until he reached ˹a pass˺ between two mountains. He found in front of them a people who could hardly understand ˹his˺ language. (Qur’an 18:93)
They pleaded, “O Ⱬul-Qarnain! Surely Gog and Magog are spreading corruption throughout the land. Should we pay you tribute, provided that you build a wall between us and them?” (Qur’an 18:94)
He responded, “What my Lord has provided for me is far better. But assist me with resources, and I will build a barrier between you and them. (Qur’an 18:95)
Bring me blocks of iron!” Then, when he had filled up ˹the gap˺ between the two mountains, he ordered, “Blow!” When the iron became red hot, he said, “Bring me molten copper to pour over it.” (Qur’an 18:96)
And so the enemies could neither scale nor tunnel through it. (Qur’an 18:97)
He declared, “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 my Lord’s promise is ever true.” (Qur’an 18:98)
On that Day, We will let them surge ˹like waves˺ over one another. Later, the Trumpet will be blown, and We will gather all ˹people˺ together. (Qur’an 18:99)
On that Day We will display Hell clearly for the disbelievers, (Qur’an 18:100)
those who turned a blind eye to My Reminder and could not stand listening ˹to it˺. (Qur’an 18:101)
There is also mention of Gog and Magog in the Qur’an in Surah Al-Anbya (Qur’an 21:95-97).
It is impossible for a society which We have destroyed to ever rise again, (Qur’an 21:95)
until ˹after˺ Gog and Magog have broken loose ˹from the barrier˺,1 swarming down from every hill, (Qur’an 21:96)
ushering in the True Promise.1 Then—behold!—the disbelievers will stare ˹in horror, crying,˺ “Oh, woe to us! We have truly been heedless of this. In fact, we have been wrongdoers.” (Qur’an 21:97)
Location of Ⱬul-Qarnain’s Travels
Qur’an describes Ⱬul-Qarnain as a powerful king of the ancient world. There are no historical records to suggest which region he ruled over or when. But, he ruled over large swathes of land, and travelled far to the east and the West, and then maybe northward. There may be some information about him in the Old Testament.
Taking into consideration that the Jews of Bani Israel were aware of the story of Ⱬul-Qarnain, and the Arabs were clueless. This means that Ⱬul-Qarnain was not from the Middle East region. The Arabs would have known of Ⱬul-Qarnain and Gog Magog had Ⱬul-Qarnain been from the Middle East.
As the Bani Israel were mostly spread around the Middle East. It is possible that the regions Ⱬul-Qarnain travelled happen to be in Eurasia, not too far from the Middle East. This has led some people to think that the wall Ⱬul-Qarnain built could be in the Caucasian mountain range. Allah knows best.
There are no confirmed sightings of the wall built by Ⱬul-Qarnain. Some people speculate that it is the Derbent Pass in the Republic of Dagestan. While others suggest that the wall could be the Great Wall of China. Those who point towards China do so based on the current high number of the Chinese population, but there are no records to show if the Chinese have always had a high population, especially at the time of Ⱬul-Qarnain.
According to a hadith mentioned below, the Gog Magog will be nine hundred ninety-nine out of a thousand descendants of Prophet Adam (AS).
Who are the Gog Magog?
It is safe to assume that Gog and Magog are humans and descendants of Prophet Adam (AS) and not some aliens or a totally different species. Gog and Magog were two tribes or two sets of people or two nations, who at that time were “spreading corruption throughout the land”.
However, looking at the high level of corruption in the modern world, some confused people assume that the Gog Magog may have been released already. They argue that the first wave of Gog Magog invasion happened over 300 years ago, and the final wave will happen when Prophet Isa is here. They refer to Sahih Muslim hadith that mentions “the wall (barrier) of Gog and Magog has been opened so much”. Suggesting that the wall had been breached during the life of the Prophet (PBUH).
Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Apostle (ﷺ) as saying: Today the wall (barrier) of Gog and Magog has been opened so much, and Wuhaib (in order to explain it) made the figure of ninety with the help of his hand. (Sahih Muslim: 2881)
According to the hadith, Gog and Magog are continuously digging through the wall daily and attempting to come out, but they will only be released when it is the will of Allah.
It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Gog and Magog people dig every day until, when they can almost see the rays of the sun, the one in charge of them says: “Go back and we will dig it tomorrow.” Then Allah puts it back, stronger than it was before. (This will continue) until, when their time has come, and Allah wants to send them against the people, they will dig until they can almost see the rays of the sun, then the one who is in charge of them will say: “Go back, and we will dig it tomorrow if Allah wills.’ So they will say: “If Allah wills.” Then they will come back to it and it will be as they left it. So they will dig and will come out to the people, and they will drink all the water. The people will fortify themselves against them in their fortresses. They will shoot their arrows towards the sky and they will come back with blood on them, and they will say: “We have defeated the people of earth and dominated the people of heaven.” Then Allah will send a worm in the napes of their necks and will kill them thereby.'” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, the beasts of the earth will grow fat on their flesh.” (Sunan Ibn Majah 4080)
Prophet Muhammad met with other prophets during the night journey to heaven (Isra’), and during the meeting, Prophet Isa (AS) shared with Prophet Muhammad the information he had about Gog Magog.
It was narrated that ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud said: “On the night on which the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was taken on the Night Journey (Isra’), he met Ibrahim, Musa and ‘Eisa, and they discussed the Hour. They started with Ibrahim, and asked him about it, but he did not have any knowledge of it. Then they asked Musa, and he did not have any knowledge of it. Then they asked ‘Eisa bin Maryam, and he said: ‘I have been assigned to some tasks before it happens.’ As for as when it will take place, no one knows that except Allah. Then he mentioned Dajjal and said: ‘I will descend and kill him, then the people will return to their own lands and will be confronted with Gog and Magog people, who will: “swoop down from every mound.”[21:96] They will not pass by any water but they will drink it, (and they will not pass) by anything but they will spoil it. They (the people) will beseech Allah, and I will pray to Allah to kill them. The earth will be filled with their stench and (the people) will beseech Allah and I will pray to Allah, then the sky will send down rain that will carry them and throw them in the sea. Then the mountains will turn to dust and the earth will be stretched out like a hide. I have been promised that when that happens, the Hour will come upon the people, like a pregnant woman whose family does not know when she will suddenly give birth.'” (One of the narrators) ‘Awwam said: “Confirmation of that is found in the Book of Allah, where Allah says: “Until, when Gog and Magog people are let loose (from their barrier), and they swoop down from every mound (21:96).” (Sunan Ibn Majah 4081)
When released, Gog and Magog will wage war on the world. The hadith also mentions how the demise of Gog and Magog will happen.
People whom God has protected from him will then come to Jesus, who will wipe their faces and tell them of the ranks they will have in paradise. While this is happening, God will reveal to Jesus that He has brought forth servants of His with whom no one will be able to fight and tell him to collect His servants at at-Tur. God will then release Gog and Magog and they will swarm down from every slope.’ [2] The first of them will pass the lake of Tiberias and drink its contents and when the last[3] of them passes he will say there was once water there. They will then journey till they come to the mountain of thickets which is the mountain of Jerusalem and will say, `We have killed those who are in the earth come and let us kill those who are in heaven.’ They will then shoot their arrows into the sky and God will send their arrows back to them dyed with blood; and God’s prophet and his companions will be restrained till an ox-head seems better to one of them than a hundred dinars do to you to-day. God’s prophet Jesus and his companions will then beseech God who will send to them insects in their necks and in the morning, they will have perished as if they were one person. God’s prophet Jesus and his companions will then come down to the earth and will not find in the earth as much space as a span which is not filled with their putrefaction and stench. God’s prophet Jesus and his companions will then beseech God who will send birds with necks like those of Bactrian camels and they will carry them and throw them where God wills. (A version says they will throw them in an-Nahbal[4] and the Muslims will burn their bows, arrows, and quivers for seven years.) God will then send a rain which no house of clay or camel’s wool will keep out and it will wash the earth till it leaves it like a mirror. The earth will then be told to bring forth its fruit and restore its blessing, and on that day a company of people will eat a pomegranate and seek shelter in its skin, and the milk will be blessed so that a milch-camel will be sufficient for a number of people, a cow in milk will be sufficient for a tribe of men and a ewe will be sufficient for a clan of men. (Mishkat al-Masabih 5475)
Once the Gog and Magog are dead, “the Muslims will use the bows, arrows and shields of Gog and Magog as firewood, for seven years.” This indicates the huge number of people belonging to Gog and Magog. There could be more than a few million or probably billions.
It was narrated from Nawwas bin Sam’an that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “The Muslims will use the bows, arrows and shields of Gog and Magog as firewood, for seven years.'” (Sunan Ibn Majah: 4076)
The Gog and Magog will be totally obliterated. However, despite all the research and more than 1000 years of writings by the top scholars, the topic of Gog Magog remains a mystery. It is virtually impossible to say who or where the Gog Magog is. The reason it remains a mystery is the hadith in which Allah will call Prophet Adam (AS) and tell him to separate Gog Magog from the rest of humanity. “He will be told that it is nine hundred and ninety-nine out of every thousand”.
Aba Sa`id al-Khudri reported the Prophet as saying that God most high will call Adam and he will reply, “At Thy service and at Thy pleasure, in Whose hands is all good.” God will tell him to bring out those who are to go to hell, and when he asks what this consists of, he will be told that it is nine hundred and ninety-nine out of every thousand. Then young children will become grey-haired, pregnant women will give birth, and mankind will appear drunk, although they will not be really so; but God’s punishment is severe. On being asked which of them that one would be God’s messenger replied, “Be of good cheer, for there is one of you to every thousand of Gog and Magog.” He then said, “By Him in whose hand my soul is, I hope you may be a quarter of the inhabitants of paradise,” and when they cried, “God is most great,” he said, “I hope you may be a third of the inhabitants of paradise.” Again, they cried, “God is most great,” and he said, ” I hope you may be half the inhabitants of paradise.” Yet again, they cried, “God is most great,” and he said, “Among mankind you are just like a black hair in the skin of a white bull, or like a white hair in the skin of a black bull.” (Mishkat al-Masabih 5541)
There are hadith that mention Gog and Magog, some I have listed above and many I have omitted. The more one studies the hadith on Gog and Magog, the more difficult it becomes to identify which tribe or nation they are from. It is possible that whichever two nations or two groups of people oppose the rule of Prophet Isa (AS), these two will be of Gog and Magog.
Allah knows best.
