Surah Al-Kahf, Ayah 97

The Barrier restrains Them, but It will be breached when the Hour draws nigh

Allah tells us that Ya'juj and Ma'juj could not climb over the barrier or penetrate its lower portion. Varying forms of the verb are used here in the Arabic text to reflect the difficulty of the action referred to.

فَمَا اسْطَـعُواْ أَن يَظْهَرُوهُ وَمَا اسْتَطَـعُواْ لَهُ نَقْبًا

(So they (Ya'juj and Ma'juj) could not scale it or dig through it.) This indicates that they could not penetrate it or dig through it. Imam Ahmad recorded that Zaynab bint Jahsh, the wife of the Prophet said, "The Prophet woke from sleep, and he was red in the face. He said,

«لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَيْلٌ لِلْعَرَبِ مِنْ شَرَ قَدِ اقْتَرَبَ فُتِحَ الْيَوْمَ مِنْ رَدْمِ يَأْجُوجَ وَمَأْجُوجَ مِثْلُ هَذَا»

(La ilaha illallah! Woe to the Arabs from the evil that has approached (them). Today a hole has been opened in the barrier of Ya'juj and Ma'juj like this.) and he made a circle with his index finger and thumb. I Zaynab said, `O Messenger of Allah, will we be destroyed even though there will be righteous people among us' He said:

«نَعَمْ إِذَا كَثُرَ الْخَبَث»

(Yes, if evil increases.)" This is a Sahih Hadith, both Al-Bukhari and Muslim recorded it.

قَالَ هَـذَا رَحْمَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّى

((Dhul-Qarnayn) said: "This is a mercy from my Lord...") meaning, after it was built by Dhul-Qarnayn.

قَالَ هَـذَا رَحْمَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّى

(He said: This is a mercy from my Lord) for the people, when he placed a barrier between them and Ya'juj and Ma'juj, to stop them from spreading evil and corruption on earth.

فَإِذَا جَآءَ وَعْدُ رَبِّى

(but when the promise of my Lord comes) means, when the true promise comes

جَعَلَهُ دَكَّآءَ

(He shall Dakka' it down to the ground.) means, will make it flat. The Arabs use Dakka' to describe a female camel whose back is flat and has no hump. And Allah says:

فَلَمَّا تَجَلَّى رَبُّهُ لِلْجَبَلِ جَعَلَهُ دَكًّا

(So when his Lord appeared to the mountain, He made it Dakkan) 7:143 meaning, level to the ground.

وَكَانَ وَعْدُ رَبِّى حَقّاً

(And the promise of my Lord is ever true.) means, it will come to pass without a doubt.

وَتَرَكْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ

(We shall leave some of them) meaning mankind, on that day, the day when the barrier will be breached and these people (Ya'juj and Ma'juj) will come out surging over mankind to destroy their wealth and property.

وَتَرَكْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ يَمُوجُ فِى بَعْضٍ

(We shall leave some of them to surge like waves on one another;) As-Suddi said: "That is when they emerge upon the people." All of this will happen before the Day of Resurrection and after the Dajjal, as we will explain when discussing the Ayat:

حَتَّى إِذَا فُتِحَتْ يَأْجُوجُ وَمَأْجُوجُ وَهُمْ مِّن كُلِّ حَدَبٍ يَنسِلُونَ وَاقْتَرَبَ الْوَعْدُ الْحَقُّ

(Until, when Ya'juj and Ma'juj are let loose, and they swoop down from every Hadab. And the true promise shall draw near...) 21:96-97

وَنُفِخَ فِى الصُّورِ

(and As-Sur will be blown.) As-Sur, as explained in the Hadith, is a horn that is blown into. The one who will blow into it is (the angel) Israfil, peace be upon him, as has been explained in the Hadith quoted at length above, and there are many Hadiths on this topic. According to a Hadith narrated from `Atiyah from Ibn `Abbas and Abu Sa`id, and attributed to the Prophet ,

«كَيْفَ أَنْعَمُ وَصَاحِبُ الْقَرْنِ قَدِ الْتَقَمَ الْقَرْنَ وَحَنَى جَبْهَتَهُ وَاسْتَمَعَ مَتَى يُؤْمَرُ؟»

(How can I relax when the one with the Horn has put the Horn in his mouth and has knelt down, listening out for the command to be given to him) They said, "What should we say" He said:

«قُولُوا: حَسْبُنَا اللهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ عَلَى اللهِ تَوَكَّلْنَا»

(Say: "Allah is Sufficient for us and the best Disposer of affairs, in Allah have we put our trust.")

فَجَمَعْنَـهُمْ جَمْعاً

(and We shall collect them (the creatures) all together.) means, `We shall bring them all together for Reckoning.'

قُلْ إِنَّ الاٌّوَّلِينَ وَالاٌّخِرِينَ - لَمَجْمُوعُونَ إِلَى مِيقَـتِ يَوْمٍ مَّعْلُومٍ

(Say: "(Yes) verily, those of old, and those of later times. All will surely be gathered together for appointed meeting of a known Day.) 56:49-50

وَحَشَرْنَـهُمْ فَلَمْ نُغَادِرْ مِنْهُمْ أَحَداً

(and we shall gather them all together so as to leave not one of them behind.) 18:47

Commentary

The Identity of Ya'juj Ma'juj and the Location of the Wall of Dhul-Qarnain

A lot of absurd and strange things disseminated through Isra'ili narratives and historical stories have found currency to the extent that some commentators have also reported them in terms of their historical status, though they themselves do not find them trustworthy. The truth of the matter is that the Qur'an has mentioned it briefly and the Holy Prophet ﷺ has informed his community also about the details as and where necessary. What has to be believed in as part of one's faith is limited to what has been covered in the Qur’ an, and Hadith. Beyond that, whatever historical and geographical information has been provided by commentators, Hadith experts and historians could be correct, or might as well prove incorrect. As for the variant sayings of historians from among those mentioned above, they are based on traces, analogies and conjectures. Whether they are true or false, it simply does not affect what the Qur'an says.

Probably Dhu’l-Qarnayn’s third campaign was in the north east, in the direction of Iran. He reached a place where savages were living. Because they could not have any interaction with any other community, they were hardly able to understand any other language but their own. The ‘two mountains’ probably lay between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea. Here savage tribes used to invade from other places and would then flee through mountain passes after indulging in plunder. Dhu’l-Qarnayn constructed an iron wall between the two mountains.