Surah al-Kahf (The Cave ) 18 : 98

Overview (Verse 98)

Dhu’l-Qarnayn looked at the great work which he accomplished, yet experienced neither pride nor conceit. Nor was he elated by this edifice which testified to both his power and knowledge. Rather, he remembered God and thanked Him, acknowledging that it was He who guided him to what work should be done, and that his own power was granted to him by God, and that future events would take place according to His will. He also declared his belief that all mountains, walls and barriers are certain to be levelled before the Day of Judgement so that the whole earth will be flat. He said: “This is a mercy from my Lord. Yet when the time appointed by my Lord shall come, He will make this [rampart] level with the ground. My Lord’s promise always comes true.” (Verse 98)
 
Thus ends this passage which relates part of the history of Dhu’l-Qarnayn, a good example of a pious ruler who is given power and secure position as well as other means and facilities. He goes with his armies east and west, but he does not tyrannize or show conceit. Nor does he consider his conquering of other people’s lands a means to exploit individuals, communities and countries in order to ensure a luxurious life for himself or his people. He does not treat the vanquished people as slaves, making them the means for his self-aggrandisement. On the contrary, he spreads justice, assists the weak and backward, ensures that no aggression is launched against them, and charges nothing for his services. He utilizes the power God granted him in building proper and secure communities where everyone gets what rightfully belongs to him. He then attributes every good work he does to the grace of God, claiming no part of it for himself. Even at the height of his power, he does not forget God’s power and that to Him he certainly shall return.
 
The Truth about Gog and Magog
 
Now who were Gog and Magog? Where are they now? What did they do and what will happen to them? Such questions are very difficult to answer with any degree of accuracy. Our knowledge of them is limited to what is mentioned specifically in the Qur’ān and in authentic aĥādīth. The Qur’ān includes here a quotation of what Dhu’l-Qarnayn says: “Yet when the time appointed by my Lord shall come, He will make this [rampart] level with the ground. My Lord’s promise always comes true.” (Verse 98) This statement does not specify a time. God’s promise to destroy the rampart may already have occurred when the Tatars swept across huge areas, destroying whole kingdoms.
 
Another mention of them is found in Sūrah 21, The Prophets, where it is stated: “When Gog and Magog are let loose and swarm down from every corner, when the true promise draws close [to its fulfilment], staring in horror shall be the eyes of the unbelievers.” (21: 96-97) Again this statement does not specify a time for the promised appearance of Gog and Magog. That God’s promise has come near to fulfilment, in the sense that the Last Hour or the Day of Judgement is soon to come, is an accomplished fact ever since the time of the Prophet. In the Qur’ān we read: “The Hour has drawn near, and the moon was cleft asunder.” (54: 1) In God’s reckoning, time has a totally different perspective from that of human reckoning. The time gap between the moment when the Hour becomes near and its actual occurrence may stretch to millions of years or centuries. Thus human beings may see this as a very long period of time, while, by God’s standards, it may signify nothing more than a blink of an eye.
 
This means that the rampart built by Dhu’l-Qarnayn might have been penetrated in the period that has lapsed between the revelation of the verse stating, ‘the Hour has drawn near,’ and our present day. This suggests that the conquests of the Tatars in the eastern provinces might have represented a sort of fulfilment of the warning which tells of Gog and Magog forging ahead and sweeping across the earth. An authentic ĥadīth related by Imām Aĥmad ibn Ĥanbal on the authority of Zainab bint Jaĥsh, the Prophet’s wife, mentions that the Prophet woke up once, red in the face, saying: “Woe to the Arabs! A calamitous event is drawing near. The rampart of Gog and Magog has been breached today by as much as this, [rounding his thumb with his first finger].” I said, “Messenger of God! Would we be destroyed when righteous people are living among us?” He said: “Yes, if evil becomes widespread.”
 
The Prophet’s dream occurred more than thirteen and a half centuries ago. The conquests of the Tatars took place subsequently, destroying the `Abbāsid Caliphate. It was Hülegü who destroyed it, ending the reign of al-Musta`şim, the last `Abbāsid Caliph. This might have been the realization of the Prophet’s dream. But true knowledge belongs to God. All that we say in this respect is by way of probability, not certainty.