He said, "As for one who wrongs, we will punish him. Then he will be returned to his Lord, and He will punish him with a terrible punishment [i.e., Hellfire].
His traveling and reaching the Place where the Sun sets (the West)
فَأَتْبَعَ سَبَباً
(So he followed a way.) Ibn `Abbas said that he followed different routes to achieve what he wanted.
فَأَتْبَعَ سَبَباً
(So he followed a way.) Mujahid said that he followed different routes, east and west. According to one report narrated from Mujahid, he said:
سَبَباً
(a way) means, "A route through the land." Qatadah said, "It means he followed the routes and landmarks of the earth."
حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغَ مَغْرِبَ الشَّمْسِ
(Until, when he reached the setting place of the sun,) means, he followed a route until he reached the furthest point that could be reached in the direction of the sun's setting, which is the west of the earth. As for the idea of his reaching the place in the sky where the sun sets, this is something impossible, and the tales told by storytellers that he traveled so far to the west that the sun set behind him are not true at all. Most of these stories come from the myths of the People of the Book and the fabrications and lies of their heretics.
The statement in verse 86: حَتَّىٰ إِذَا بَلَغَ مَغْرِبَ الشَّمْسِ (until when he reached where the sun sets) means that he reached the far limit towards the West beyond which there was no populated area.
The word: حَمِئَةٍ (Hami'ah) in the succeeding phrase: فِي عَيْنٍ حَمِئَةٍ (into a miry spring) literally means dark marsh or mud carrying the sense of water beneath which there is dark mud and which causes the water it-self to appear black. As for the sense of his seeing the Sun setting into such a spring, it means that an onlooker perceived it as setting into the spring because there was no habitation or dry land in sight. This is like being in an open field while the Sun is setting where as far as one can see there appears to be no mountain, tree, or structure, naturally one who looks at the sight would feel that the Sun was sinking into the land mass.
The literal meaning of ‘Dhu’l Qarnayn’ is ‘possessor of two horns’ i.e. the king whose conquests encompass the further reaches of the world to the east and west. Here, Dhu’l Qarnayn is perhaps a reference to the ancient Iranian King Cyrus, or Khusro, who reigned during the 5th century B.C. He had conquered a major part of the known world of ancient times and was at last killed in a war. He was a just king.
Uthmani text of the Madinah mushaf (King Fahd Complex). Translation: Saheeh International. Tafsir via Quran.com.
