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Why Zul-Qarnain of the Qur'an is not Alexander
the great?
By Khalid Jan
Popular opinion amongst the Muslims and quite recently,
within the mainstream evangelical Christians identify
Zul-Qarnain (of the Qur'an) with Alexander the great. This
claim, in the light of history needs to be analysed while
keeping in view the sublime story of Zul-Qarnain found in
chapter 18 of the Qur'an. Before we initiate a
point-by-point examination of whatever data available on
hand, we must bear in mind that Qur'an does not mention the
title "Alexander the great," but rather Zul-Qarnain
(two-horned one) which may also mean "period or century."
(1) In addition, "who was he? In what age and where
did he live? The Qur'an gives us no material on which we can
base a positive answer." (2)
Evidence_1:
The story of Zul-Qarnain begins in the Qur'an with:
"And they ask you about Zul-Qarnain. Say: 'I shall recite
to you something of his story.' Verily, We established him
in the earth, and We gave him the means of everything."
[v83-v84] The most important point made in verse 84 is
that Allah endowed upon Zul-Qarnain the worldly power and
prestige to enable him to rule justly. If a man of God is
under the divine protection, then naturally, under no
circumstances, the forces of evil can overpower him. Let us
now see if, from the following historical record of
Alexander the great, we recognise Zul-Qarnain of the Qur'an:
Alexander: "Hearing of the river Indus, ...drove the army
eastward across the Hindu Kush (327 B.C.). His army had
understood the need to consolidate all the Persian dominion,
but believed this new venture to be a madmanís act.
Actually, Alexander thought that he was entering the last
peninsula of the earth: that beyond it lay the Ocean of the
East. He reached the Indus with a growing following, a
moving state of allied peoples and their families, while his
remaining Macedonians laid down pontoon bridges, shored up
roads over immense ranges, and fought battles when
necessary. Passing from the friendly country around Taxila
(near Attock), they encountered the hostile Paurava rajah at
the Jhelum River where the Macedonian infantry had to fight
against armoured elephants for the first time. Alexander and
his spearhead could not approach the elephants, which
terrified the horses. This shook the Macedonian veterans who
mutinied en masse at the river Ravi. Deeply angered, because
he believed the end of the land lay not far off, at Ocean,
Alexander was obliged to retreat (326
B.C.)." (3)
From the above narrative, we can easily observe that
Alexanderís army considered this new venture to be a
madmanís act and running away from the battleground
upon seeing elephants in the enemyís army. Both of
these acts are in clear opposition to the verse 84 where
Zul-Qarnain is given the utmost power: "Verily, We
established him in the earth, and We gave him the means of
everything." When a man of God is given the power to
rule justly upon the earth, heís also sustained by
his followers who are ready and willing to follow their
leader, and sacrifice themselves for the sake of God. No
hardship, calamity or force can play any role against them.
But, unfortunately, Alexanderís cowardly actions,
such as becoming angry just because he was unable to fight
Paurava Rajaís ((a Rajah) belonging to, or
descended from Puru, a king of Lunar Dynasty) (4) army
which consisted of elephants do not match that of a man of
God.
Evidence_2:
Zul-Qarnain was indeed a believer in monotheism. In one
of his voyages, as described in the Qur'an, he found some
people, and said to them: "as for him who believes in
(Allahís Oneness) and works righteousness, he shall
have the best reward (Paradise), and we (Zul-Qarnain) shall
speak unto him mild words." [v87] On the other hand, we
do not find Alexander being a believer in the Oneness of
God, as the following record demonstrates it: "Alexander
eagerly assimilated the religious mysticism of the Nile and
of Magian Persia. Not only did he protect these religions,
but also as a sole ruler, he necessarily assumed the
semidivine aspect of an Asian despot, wearing Persian attire
at ceremonies and accepting prostration in his
presence."(5) Furthermore, "Alexanderís
greatest work was the spread of Greek influence..." (6)
The comparison so clearly separates Alexander from
Zul-Qarnain that no further explanation is needed.
Evidence_3:
In Zul-Qarnainís third voyage, he found a
habitation between two mountains whose people asked for his
help against the aggression of Gog and Magog - for which
they were going to pay him a tribute. And in the words of
the Qur'an, Zul-Qarnain replied to them: "(the power) in
which My Lord has established me Is better (than tribute.)"
[v95] The manner in which Zul-Qarnain responded, is a
testimony in itself that he had no interest in the material
gain of this world. His mission endorsed by God was to be
just and kind to oppressed, and harsh with those who inflict
hardship upon the helpless. In contrast, when we analyse
Alexander in similar capacity, we get a picture opposite to
what has been cited above for Zul-Qarnain: "In Susa and
Persepolis his (Alexanderís) headlong pursuit won him
the imperial treasure of some 180,000 talents in bullion and
coin - so fabulous an amount that he demonetised the gold to
equate it with the smaller Graeco-Macedonian silver
coinage," (7) and "at Damascus the Persian
armyís treasure and supply train were captured,
giving Alexander wealth for the first time." (8) From
these two historical records, can we picture Zul-Qarnain as
he is depicted in the above Qur'anic verse? Obviously not!
Evidence_4:
So far, it has been established that Zul-Qarnain of the
Qur'an was a believer in the Oneness of God. In the case of
Alexander the great, following few historical accounts
further confirm that he was not a monotheist:
"In the spring of 331 Alexander made a pilgrimage to
the great temple and oracle of Amon-Ra, Egyptian god of the
sun, whom the Greeks identified with Zeus. The earlier
Egyptian pharaohs were believed to be sons of Amon-Ra; and
Alexander, the new ruler of Egypt, wanted the god to
acknowledge him as his son. The pilgrimage apparently was
successful, and it may have confirmed in him a belief in his
own divine origin." (9)
"Shortly before he died, Alexander ordered the Greek
cities to worship him as a god. Although he probably gave
the order for political reasons, he was, in his own view and
that of his contemporaries, of divine birth." (9)
Conclusion:
In the days gone by, access and availability to social,
academic and scientific knowledge was either limited or
non-existent. People of learning used to base their opinions
on whatever information was on hand. There were also those
who accepted matters as conclusive without having first
analysed it from all the different angles. In the case of
those Muslim commentators on the Holy Qur'an who identify
Zul-Qarnain with Alexander the great, we simply cannot blame
them for their erroneous interpretation. The time-domain
they lived in and the resources available to them, they,
accordingly, explained the Qur'anic text to the best of
their ability. Despite the fact that they were all sincere
and good hearted scholars, they were bound to incorporate
within their work certain cultural elements of which they
were part of: "no other man has been claimed - in legends -
by so many nations. Egyptian fable makes him god.
Arabo-Persian tradition represents Is-kander as a
hero-saint." (10) The only common factor on which these
scholars based their opinions is the expeditions carried by
Alexander and Zul_Qarnain. Other than this, there are hardly
any other characteristics that are common in both.
References:
- Cyril Classe, The Concise Encyclopaedia of Islam,
Harper & Row, 1989, p_32
- Yusuf Ali, The Holy Qur'an, note 2428
- Encyclopaedia Americana, Volume 1, p_540
- Margaret & James Stutly, A dictionary of
Hinduism, Ronledge & Kegan Paul, 1977
- Encyclopaedia Americana, Volume 1, p_540
- Encyclopaedia of Religion & Ethics, Volume 1,
p_307
- Encyclopaedia Americana, Volume 1, p_540
- Ibid., p_539
- Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopaedia, CDROM ver, by
future vision multimedia inc., 1995 INFOPEDIA
- Encyclopaedia Americana, Volume 1, p_540
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