Setting and Rising Place? of the Sun

Meaning of  مَغْرِبَ (Maghrib)

 The word “maghrib” [مغرب] is literally meaning something that is doing غرب, or loosely (but commonly): “west” or “sunset”.

According to Almu'jam Alwaseet المعجمالوسيط( Arabic dictionary published by Academy_of_the_Arabic_Language ):

المغرب
مكان غروب الشمس
وزمان غروبها
وجهة غروبها
وبلاد المغرب البلاد الواقعة في شمال إفريقية في غربي مصر وهي ليبيا وتونس والجزائر ومراكش
ومملكة المغرب اليوم الجزء الواقع في أقصى بلاد المغرب في غربي الجزائر ويحدها البحر
المغرب

So, it's :

1. Place of sunset
2. Time of sunset
3. Point of sunset
4. Countries located in North Africa in the west of Egypt ( Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco)
5. The Kingdom of Morocco ( Called Maghrib in arabic )

[Source]

 

1. Almu'jam Alwaseet المعجمالوسيط
2. Vocabulary of the Holy Qur'an page 447
3. Arabic-English Dictionary of Quranic Usage page 661
4. Al-Mawrid Arabic-English Dictionary page 1077
5. Hans Wehr Arabic-English Dictionary, 3rd Edition page 669

 مَغْرِبَ (Maghrib) means:

1. Place of Sunset, i,e west as the sun sets in the west
2. Time of Sunset
3. West
4. Sunset

According to:

1. Arabic-English Dictionary of Quranic Usage page 661
2. Hans Wehr Arabic-English Dictionary, 3rd Edition Page 669

مَغْرِبَ الشَّمْسِ used in Surah 18:86 should be understood to mean:

1. Time of Sunset
2. Place of Sunset, i.e. west as the sun sets in the west.

So when Allah says "Until, when he reached the setting of the sun (maghrib)" it can either mean:

1. He reached the time of Sunset.
2. Or Dhul-Qarnayn reached the western part of his empire where there was no longer any land.
3. 
   
4.  
5. SOURCE:
6. http://quran-errors.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/did-sun-set-in-muddy-pool-according-to.html***

 Meaning of  تَغْرُبُ (Taghrubu)

The word used to describe the setting of the sun ‘in the murky spring’ is تَغْرُبُ [stemming from the word غرب - meaning to leave, be absent, be hidden, to depart, to be distant].  تَغْرُبُ  just means setting or disappearing. Meaning Dhul-Qarnayn found/saw/perceived the sun setting/disappearing.*

It is important to note that the word used doesn't mean to enter [دخل], neither to sink in/be swallowed up [خسف]. If the Quran wished to say the Sun entered the water it wouldn't have used تَغْرُبُ (taghrubu) as تَغْرُبُ (taghrubu) doesn't mean entering. It would of used  دخل meaning to enter.*

 Al matliAA means “the rising place” or “the rising time” (of the sun )*

 Meaning of  وَجَدَ (Wajada)

 وَجَدَ (Wajada) can mean to find/perceive/see/discover/experience.

1. Mini English-Arabic & Arabic-English Dictionary, Wagdi Rizk Ghali, Librairie du Liban Publishers, Page 340
2. Al-Mawrid Arabic-English Dictionary page 1223
3. Hans Wehr Arabic-English Dictionary, 3rd Edition, page 1049
4. A Dictionary and Glossary of the Koran by John Penrice p.158
5. H. Anthony Salmoné. An Advanced Learner's Arabic-English Dictionary. Beirut. Librairie du Liban. 1889.
6. Arabic-English Dictionary by J.G.Hava p.884
7. Dictionary Of The Holy Quran, by Malik Ghulam Farid, M.A p.817
8. Arabic-English Dictionary of Quranic Usage page 1012
9. Edward William Lane’s Arabic-English Lexicon p. 2924
10. Mufradat al-Quran of Imam Raghib Isfahani

 وَجَدَ (Wajada) means:

1. To find.
2. To discover.
3. To perceive.
4. To see.
5. To experience.
6. Finding by means of any one of the five senses.

Also this action of Wajada is done with a strong emotion.

So when Allah says "wajada it set (taghrubu) in a spring of murky water" it can mean:

he found/discovered/perceived/saw the sun set in a spring of murky water. 

This means it is from Dhul-Qarnayn perspective, where he saw or perceived the sun setting in murky water. This can be easily seen when one travels to a shore whilst it is sun set and he will find it setting in the sea:

 Summary of Linguistic Analysis

So the verse says that Dhul-Qarnayn reached maghrib - the time of Sunset or the place of sunset (west) - and he found/saw/perceived (wajada) it setting/disappearing (taghrubu) into a body of murky water.

This verse doesn't state the sun goes into a body of water, there are no implications of this at all. What the verse states is that Dhul-Qarnayn found/saw/perceived the sun setting in a body of water, which would obviously be the case when he travelled as far west as possible until there was no more land to travel on. Just as one can easily do if they visit the sea-side and watch the sunset

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 18:86 [And he marched westwards] till, when he came to the setting of the sun,84 it appeared to him that it was setting in a dark, turbid sea;85 and nearby he found a people [given to every kind of wrongdoing]. We said: "O thou Two-Horned One! Thou mayest either cause [them] to suffer or treat them with kindness!"86

 84 I.e., the westernmost point of his expedition (Razi). 85 Or: "abundance of water" - which, according to many philologists (cf. Taj al-'Arus), is one of the meanings of 'ayn (primarily denoting a "spring"). As for my rendering of the phrase "he found it (wajadaha) setting...", etc., as "it appeared to him that it was setting", see Razi and Ibn Kathir, both of whom point out that we have here a metaphor based on the common optical illusion of the sun's "disappearing into the sea"; and Razi explains this, correctly, by the fact that the earth is spherical. (It is interesting to note that, according to him, this explanation was already advanced in the - now lost - Qur'an-commentary of Abu 'Ali al-Jubba'i, the famous Mu'tazili scholar who died in 303 H., which corresponds to 915 or 916 of the Christian era.)
86 This divine permission to choose between two possible courses of action is not only a metonymic statement of the freedom of will accorded by God to man, but establishes also the important legal principle of istihsan (social or moral preference) open to a ruler or government in deciding as( by muhammad assad )*

• CONTACT

 Quran 18.86 sun setting in a spring.

The verse "setting of the sun مغرب الشمس" was mistranslated to "setting PLACE of the sun". The word PLACE was added by translators. It doesn't exist in Arabic Quran. This mistake contradicts context and Arabic grammar of the verse.

1. "Hatta in Arabic حتى" means "until" and is always coupled with time (not location). The word that does refer to location is "ila الى" which means "to" and is always coupled with a location. For example, "the boy went toschool ذهب الولد الى المدرسه". You cannot say in Arabic "the boy went until school ذهب الولد حتىالمدرسه" because "until حتى" only refers to time. So in Arabic "until حتى" is always followed by time. If the verse "setting of the sun مغرب الشمس" is a location as skeptics claim then it should have been preceded by "to الى" and the verse should have read "الى انبلغ مغرب الشمس" in that case the verse indeed would have meant the setting "place" of the sun; however this wasn't the case. The verse started with "until حتى"  which only refers to time "حتى إذا بلغ مغرب الشمس". So "setting of the sun مغرب الشمس" is time of sunset (not a location). However it was mistranslated to the "setting place of the sun". The word "place" was added by translators.
2. In Arabic grammar all places and locations are referred to in the male mode. For example, "هاذا المكان"... Since the setting place of the sun is a location then it should also be referred to in the male mode however this was not the case. This verse ends with female mode: "he found at it people وجدعندها قوما" here "it ها" the Arabic is in the female mode; which means it refers to the muddy spring (عين حمئة female mode) and not to the "setting place of the sun" (male mode).

So both "until حتى" at the beginning of the verse and the female mode at the end prove that the translation was wrong.

Quran 18.86 simply says that Thu Al-Qarnain continued moving until time of sunset, while setting he (and his army) were in a muddy spring and there he found people...

So the sun setting in a muddy spring is just a mistranslation. Other mistranslations in the same story of Thu Al-Qarnein are: The word "saddain" in Arabic means "two dams" however it was mistranslated to other languages as "two mountains". Another word "sadafain" in Arabic means "two shells" however it was mistranslated also to the same words "two mountains". This suggests that translators were translating the Tafseer (not the original Arabic Quran).

The frequent mistranslation of the Quran presents wrong stories in other languages. Please always refer to Arabic Quran( via speed-light )

Like an eye عين:
 Dr. Zaghloul Al-Najjar talks about the muddy pool of water that also happens to look like an eye.
This is a picture of the Issyk Kul lake in Kyrgyzstan.  It has muddy waters, and it looks like and eye
as Allah Almighty in the Glorious Quran described.  And Allah Almighty always Knows Best.  And
again, عين means both an eye and a body of water in Arabic
 .Click to play video)
 


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Dhul Qarnayn's story. Sunrise and sunset. - Answering Christianity***

 

 Dhul Qarnayn's story.  Sunrise and sunset.  Also Why حمئة and not حاميةٍ.  Dhil Qarnayn's journey is detailed with scientific and geographical maps that are more 1000 years old.

The sunsetless North Pole Miracle in the Glorious Quran [1].

Sunrise and sunset in the Hadiths.

The iron gates of Dhul Qarnayn were found.

The overwhelming Scientific and Numerical Miracles in the Glorious Quran.

The North and South Poles, and Prayer and Fasting Times.

 

Setting and rising place of the sun. Does the sun set in a particular place? Can you travel to the place where the sun sets or rises?

https://aqtthq.blogspot.com.es/2017/04/setting-and-rising-place-of-sun-does.html**


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Refuting Scientific Errors in Quran and Hadith***

Disappearing or Setting Sun?

The phrase used is ‘magrib-e-shams’ which can also be interpreted as ‘western Sun’ or ‘disappearing Sun’.

The polar regions of the Earth experience a six-month long day followed by a six-month long night. At the North Pole, ‘In summertime, the sun is always above the horizon at the North Pole, circling the Pole once every day. It is highest in the sky at the Summer Solstice, after which it moves closer to the horizon, until it sinks below the horizon, at the Fall Equinox.’[5]

Hence, if the North Pole is visited during the few weeks before Fall Equinox, the Sun is in the process of disappearing or setting.

What does the Sun appear to be disappearing in?

‘ainin hamee-atin’ is variously translated as a well or warm spring, or spring with foul fetid mud[6], murky waters, dark mud, and so on.[7]

There is no land at the North Pole. ‘The Arctic consists of ocean that is largely surrounded by land. As such, the climate of much of the Arctic is moderated by the ocean water, which can never have a temperature below −2 °C (28 °F).’ [8]

The lands near the North Pole, in the Arctic Circle, are known for hot springs and geysers, with muddy water spewing out of some. [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] However, such places are also there near the South Pole, though perhaps lesser in number or less discovered. [14][15] [16] Therefore, hot springs and geysers may not be a uniquely distinguishing feature of the North Pole from the South Pole. Hence, I’m inclined to think that ‘ainin hamee-atin’ refers to the warm waters of the Arctic Ocean.  

Near it he found a people?

The key word is ‘near it’. There are many lands in the Arctic Circle near the Arctic Ocean, where people dwell. [17]

SOURCE :

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Dhu al Qarnayn visited the Polar Regions? - Signs & Science - Blogspot

 

 

By Truth Seeker Staff

This phenomenon is particularly encountered in the North Pole (Arctic) region, and there is a serious loss of ozone for a few hours immediately after sunrise.

“Until he reached the rising of the sun and found it rising on a people to whom We had not given any shelter from it.” (Al-Kahf 18: 90)

The Arabic word “sitran” in verse 90 of Surat al-Kahf means “cover, shelter, curtain or screen.” The term “lam naj`al lahum min duniha sitran” describes an environment devoid of any shelter or protection against the Sun. In the light of present-day knowledge, this is suggestive of the ozone layer that protects living things against harmful solar rays.

The area where the ozone layer around the Earth is thinnest, where it protects least against solar radiation, is the poles.1 Scientific research has established a severe thinning of the ozone layer at the North Pole at the moment the Sun rises2 and this scientific discovery has been described as Sunrise Ozone Destruction (SOD).3

As a matter of fact, during their research, American scientists determined a rapid decrease in ozone concentration at the moment of sunrise – when there was no sign of any before.4This phenomenon is particularly encountered in the North Pole (Arctic) region, and there is a serious loss of ozone for a few hours immediately after sunrise.5

The Arabic word “matlia” in this verse, meaning the “rising place” of the Sun, may well be a reference to this scientific discovery about the ozone layer. (Allah knows the truth.) The fact that this information, obtained with 20th-century high technology, also appears in such a compatible form in the Qur’an, is yet more proof that the Qur’an is the revelation of our Lord, the One and Only Owner of science and technology.

Quran 18;86 :


 view of  he/ point of he ( he found ) sun in  murky ( dark )/hami'ah  or

 hot/ hamiyah water ( spring/lake / body of water  )


 can be reflection ?

The Qur'an tells that Dhul-Qarnayn reached the place where the sun sets and saw a setting sun in his eye. According to the first world map of ancient Mesopotamia found in the last century, a country is described as the country where the sun sets. In Egypt, there was an ancient capital called Heliopolis, which means "the place where the sun sets". Here they worshiped the symbol of the eye in which the sun sets, which is the eye of Horus. This Horus is so important in history that esoteric organizations still worship this Horus by bilim ve yaratılış

https://ponderingislam.com/2020/02/15/did-the-qur%ca%bean-borrow-from-the-syriac-legend-of-alexander/

https://www.academia.edu/41983783/Did_the_Qur%CA%BE%C4%81n_borrow_from_the_Syriac_Legend_of_Alexander

Does the Quran Say That the Sun Sets in a Muddy Pool?**

If you study Arabic, then you know the word FEE فِى in Q18:86 can be used as the preposition “in," but can mean numerous other things. "FEE" فِى can be interpreted spatially (near, beyond, etc.), temporally (be present at the same time), and metaphorically (to merge, become one with, become embodied by, etc.). The word فِى shows up thousands of times in the Qur’an and carries a vast number of meanings, as shown in the link.

https://revivearabic.blogspot.com/.../arabic-particles...  by ken george

The sinking of an object in water is the verb “gareke” (غرق) and is a different verb from “garabe” (غرب). In the Qur'an, this word is used to mean that something sinks into water, for example in the chapter of Kahf:

…. It is said, “Did you pierce it to sink (garake) (غرق) its contents?…..” (18 Surah Al-Kahf – 71)Therefore, there is no mention of the sun's setting in water like an object in the verse above.   via kuranda çelişki yoktur.com

𝗠𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗗𝗵𝘂𝗹 𝗤𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘆𝗻 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗤𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱. 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗸𝗶𝘀𝗵 "𝗭ü𝗹𝗸𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆𝗻: 𝗞𝘂𝗿’𝗮𝗻’𝗱𝗮 𝗨𝘇𝗮𝘆𝗮 𝗦𝗲𝘆𝗮𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗶 𝗔𝗻𝗹𝗮𝘁ı𝗹𝗮𝗻 İ𝗻𝘀𝗮𝗻 (𝗗𝗵𝘂𝗹-𝗤𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘆𝗻: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗻 𝗪𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝗡𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗤𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻)” 𝗯𝘆 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗸𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗮𝗻 İ𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗧ü𝗿𝗲.

In every age, there have been certain verses of the Quran that could not be fathomed. Surah al-Kahf is one of the most interesting Surahs of the Quran. This surah is very ambiguous, in the sense that every story in this Surah contains subtle and profound meanings. The story of Moses and Khidr (pbut) is placed right before the story of Dhul-Qarnayn, and it recounts the patience of Moses who couldn’t make any sense of – even perceived as evil- the actions of Khidr, and it tells his learning of the true nature of those actions when his patience was exhausted. The main message of that story is: Even if you don’t comprehend the insights of certain things that came from God, keep holding on tenaciously to God and His religion. In order to test whether we have internalized this message or not, God narrates a very ambiguous story, story of Dhul-Qarnayn right after the story of Moses and Khidr (pbut). Since it is sprinkled with many weird phrases and expressions, some people have claimed that this story contradicts science and logic. Now, I am going to try to explain this story under the light of science. The framework of this study is taken from the Turkish theologian İskender Türe’s book which unfortunately has not been translated into English: “Zülkarneyn: Kur’an’da Uzaya Seyahati Anlatılan İnsan (Dhul-Qarnayn: The Man Whose Space Travel is Narrated in the Quran)”

Every piece of information I am going to give is underlain by a long and deep process of investigation, and not a superficial allegation. We are not the first people who claim that Dhul-Qarnayn’s journeys actually took place in the heavens. Kâ`b al-Ahbâr (r.a.) had claimed that Dhul-Qarnayn tied his horse to a star, and he was warned by Muawiya for saying so.[1] Also, Ali ibn Abi Talib(r.a.) has stated that God the Almighty subjugated for Dhul-Qarnayn the clouds to carry him wherever he wished.[2] The story begins with these verses:

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83- And they ask you about Dhul-Qarnayn. Say, "I will recite to you about him a report."

84- Indeed We established him upon the earth, and We gave him to everything a way (SABAB).

85- So he followed (ATBAA) a way (SABAB).

​

Dhul-Qarnayn is granted SABAB by God. Although it is merely translated as “a way”, the word SABAB is crucial for understanding this story because of its versatile meaning and its repetition throughout the story. According to Tacu’l-Arus, the original meaning of SABAB is “a rope that is used to climb to a palm tree”. Namely, it is a means to reach something high and above. “Zayd bin Aslam” has explained the meaning of this word in the Quran as “a way to heaven.” The word SABAB is mentioned 5 times in the Quran and in 4 of them, it is used in the meaning of “a means to reach the heavens”.

Or is theirs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and what is between them? Then let them ASCEND through any ways of Access (SABAB). (Surah Sad, 10)

And Pharaoh said, "O Haman, construct for me a tower that I might reach the ways (SABAB), The ways (SABAB) into the heavens, so that I may look at the deity of Moses; (Surah Ghafir, 36-37)

Whoever has ever surmised that God will never give him victory in the present life and the Hereafter, then let him extend forth a means (SABAB) to the heaven, thereafter let him cut it off… (Surah Al-Haj, 15)

The usage of this word in this fashion throughout the Quran suggests that the SABAB that is followed by Dhul-Qarnayn led him to the heavens. Also, the word ATBAA that is used in the verse means “to obey, to be subject to”. This word implies that Dhul-Qarnayn had no control over this journey, rather, he was merely a passenger.

​

Before looking into the details about Dhul-Qarnayn’s journeys, we should have a look at the Milky Way Galaxy to envision the journeys more easily. This image depicts for us the Milky Way according to the latest scientific data and it is taken from a completely secular source:

86- Until, when he reached the setting-place of the sun (SHAMS), he found it setting in a spring of dark mud (AAYNIN HAMIAH), and he found near it a people…

​

The sun does not set on the earth. It is actually in space when we see it setting, so it is impossible to define anywhere where the sun sets on the face of the earth. In order to understand where the sun literally sets, we need to know where it bounds for. The Quran gives us the answer in Surah Yasin: “And the sun runs [on course] toward its stopping point. That is the determination of the Exalted in Might, the Knowing. (Surah Yasin 38)” According to this verse, the Sun is moving towards its stopping point which Surah Al-Kahf refers to as the “setting point”. This course is called the Solar Apex in astronomy and we can assume than Dhul Qarnayn went towards the Solar Apex until he reached its end. What he witnessed at its end is even more intriguing. He witnessed “Shams”(a word which can refer to any star although the translations usually use “the Sun”) setting in “AAYNIN HAMIAH”, which is usually translated as ‘a spring of dark mud’ but can correspond to the black hole in contemporary terms. Considering that there wasn’t any Arabic word for the black hole 1400 years ago, “AAYNIN HAMIAH” is a great expression to describe it. The word “AAYN” means “eye” in Arabic. Eyes and black holes are very similar in the sense that they both are holes that absorb light. We can think of the Solar Apex as a train that ends up in a black hole, and our Sun is in the middle of this train. The black hole that is mentioned in the verse most likely refers to the supermassive black hole that is located at the center of the Milky Way.

86- “…and he found near it a people. God said, "O Dhul-Qarnayn, either you torment [them] or else adopt among them [a way of] goodness."

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The bizarre point in the second part of the verse is the word “adhaab” which is translated as “torment”. Why would God allow Dhul-Qarnayn to torment these people? The answer is simple. These people were approaching the black hole along with their star. They would’ve ended up in the black hole If Dhul-Qarnayn hadn’t saved them, and this surely would be a torment.

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87- 88 He said, "As for one who wrongs, we will torment him. Then he will be returned to his Lord, and He will torment him with a terrible torment. But as for one who believes and does righteousness, he will have a reward of Paradise, and we will speak to him from our command with ease.”

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89-90-91 Then he followed (ATBAA) a way (SABAB). Until, when he came to the rising-place of the Sun (Shams), he found it rising on a people for whom We had not made against it any shield. Thus. And We had encompassed [all] that he had in knowledge.

This verse talks about the second journey of Dhul-Qarnayn, and this time the journey is towards the opposite direction, towards the Solar Antapex. The expression of “having no shield against the Sun (star)” gives the impression that the planet of these people lacked an atmosphere, for atmosphere is a shield between creatures and the Sun. The atmosphere reflects back the harmful radiations emitted from the Sun, and therefore it is a shield between us and the Sun. Dhul-Qarnayn came to the birthplace of the Sun, and he probably visited a newly formed planet that doesn’t have an atmosphere yet. Another possible interpretation is that since God likens the night to a cover surrounding us in a couple of verses, having no shield against the star would mean living in a planet where it never gets dark. This is scientifically possible if there is a binary Star that revolves in a particular period. Most stars in the universe (approximately 85%) are in binary star systems. One thing that is certain is that he went to the star-forming region in our galaxy.

92-93 Then he followed(ATBAA) a way(SABAB). Until, when he reached between the two barriers (SUDDEYN), he found close to them a people who almost did not comprehend speech.

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This is the third journey of Dhul-Qarnayn. If we probe into this verse, we can see that the word “SUDDAYN”, which is translated as “barrier” causes some controversy. Despite the fact that many translators assume this word to denote mountains, this is only a hypothesis. Since the Arabic language does not incorporate vowels, there is also controversy in how this word should be read. The qira’at scholars except Aasim have read this word as “SUDDAYN”, and it means the invisible barrier, cloud, fog etc. according to ancient dictionaries; and Aasim has read this word as “SADDEYN”, which means the concrete and visible barrier according to ancient dictionaries. In order to grip a more accurate insight, we can have a look at another verse from Surah Yasin that contains the same word.

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“And We have put before them a barrier(SUDDE/SADDE) and behind them a barrier and covered them, so they do not see. (Surah Yasin 9)”

​

This verse also should be read as “SUDDE” because the barrier that God depicts here is an invisible barrier that obscures the vision of disbelievers’ hearts, we all know that disbelievers are not enclosed by concrete barriers. Since these two verses are subject to the same controversy, they should be read the same way and have the same meaning. Considering the above-mentioned meanings of “SUDDEYN”, we can now see that there is a term that corresponds exactly to “SUDDEYN” in astronomy: Nebula. Dhul-Qarnayn must have reached a planet between two Nebulas in space during his third journey. This two-sided Nebula may be the Double Helix Nebula that is located near the center of our galaxy.

94- They said, "O Dhul-Qarnayn, indeed Gog and Magog are [great] corrupters in the land. So may we assign for you an expenditure that you might make between us and them a barrier (SUDDE)?"

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We come across the word “SUDDE” again in this verse. The people whom Dhul-Qarnayn spoke to in this planet asks him to make an invisible barrier (SUDDE) against Gog and Magog. The concept of invisible barriers may be represented by missile defense shields or anti-virus programs in contemporary terms. The word “Al-Ard” that is translated as “land” doesn’t have to refer to the Earth, it can refer to any place on which it is said. This is the opinion of the scholars of Islam.

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95- He said, "That in which my Lord has established (MAKKANE) me is better, but assist me with strength; I will make between you and them a barrier (RADM).

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The word “MAKKANE” is derived from “makaan” which means “place”. So this verse has a meaning “where God put me in is better” embedded in it. It alludes to the first verse of this story:

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84- Indeed We established (MAKKANE) him upon the earth, and We gave him to everything a way (SABAB).

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So by looking at these two verses, we can deduce that Dhul-Qarnayn thinks the Earth is better than their planet and he wants to return to the Earth after his job is over. Although people ask him to make SUDDE, Dhul-Qarnayn tells them that he is going to make RADM. RADM means multiple layers of barrier. One of the meanings of it mentioned in old dictionaries such as Lisan al-Arab is “a cloud with multiple layers”.

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96- Bring me sheets of iron" - until, when he had leveled [them] between the two cliffs, he said, "Blow [with bellows]," until when he had made it [like] fire, he said, "Bring me, that I may pour over it molten copper."

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This verse is supposed to describe how this barrier is built, however, it doesn’t resemble any of the walls on the earth. A number of scholars have stated that this wall is impossible to be built especially with the poor technology of those times, therefore this should be regarded as a miracle of Dhul-Qarnayn. Some scholars including Muhammed Hamdi Yazır have told that this barrier is probably figurative rather than a substantial one. We know that Gog and Magog will surmount their barrier in the End Times and attack whole mankind, as stated in the subsequent verses:

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97- And (Gog and Magog) were not able to surmount, nor could they pierce (it).

98- He said, "This is a mercy from my Lord. Then when the promise of my Lord comes, He will make it pounded (into dust); and the promise of my Lord has (always) been true."

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Also in Surah Al-Anbya, God says:

“Until the Gog and Magog are let through (their barrier), and they swiftly swarm from every elevated place (Al-Anbya 96).”

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However, we know that there is no barrier on the earth that confines a huge number of people. Even if there were, it would have been surmounted by planes and technological equipment. According to a prophetic tradition, Gog and Magog outnumber the rest of the world population. So those who believe that this barrier is located on the earth have to accept that today there are billions of people on the earth who are confined in walls and are unknown to the rest of mankind. They also must believe that these people who don’t have any trace nor any technology will overpower the whole mankind during a war. One doesn’t have to be a genius to realize that the barrier of Gog and Magog is nowhere on the earth since we know every inch of the earth in this century.

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The process being mentioned here is actually a chemical process. The hot iron is a great catalyst and its reaction with molten copper gives out methane and hydrogen gas as long as one blows oxygen to it. The verb in this verse also implies “blowing”, therefore we can infer that this process creates hydrogen and methane, two very flammable gases. Since these gases are very light, they immediately fly up and usually escape to other planets with bigger masses because of their force of attraction. This is called “atmospheric escape” in astronomy and this is the main reason why the Moon doesn’t have an atmosphere. The gases on the Moon can easily fly over to the Earth, that’s why the Earth’s atmosphere is partially imported from the moon. The gases that Dhul-Qarnayn created might have passed over to the planet of Gog and Magog and might have formed multiple layers of gases (methane and hydrogen) in this planet, just like the word “RADM” implies. We cannot know what kind of protection this atmospheric barrier would provide unless we acquire more knowledge about the planet of Gog and Magog, it is possible that this barrier obscures the vision of Gog and Magog by preventing the sunlight (starlight) from penetrating into their planet. Let’s have a look at a prophetic narration describing the barrier of Gog and Magog.

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“ …Gog and Magog are digging every day until they can almost see sunlight, then the one who is in charge of them says, “Go back, we will dig again tomorrow.” Then God restores (the barrier) and makes it stronger than it was. (This will continue) until the appointed time…[3]”

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This narration favors the opinion that this barrier is made of gas. A concrete wall wouldn’t prevent sunlight from coming in because it wouldn’t engulf Gog and Magog completely. However, the narration suggests that Gog and Magog are deprived of sunlight. Moreover, restoring a concrete barrier every day would be impossible; on the other hand, a barrier that is made of gas would restore itself spontaneously since gases can flow and fill up every hole that is made in them.

Now, our planet might be approaching the planet of Gog and Magog; and their next target is going to be our planet when these two planets come close to each other and when God lets them penetrate through their barrier. You may think that this interpretation is overdependent upon interpretation rather than the Scripture; however, the conventional interpretation depends substantially on interpretation rather than the Scripture as well. Dhul-Qarnayn is conventionally regarded as a powerful king with huge armies although the Scripture doesn’t mention any of these. Now let’s mention some narrations that support our view in regards to Gog and Magog.

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“Gog and Magog are people who have half the height of an average man; on their hands they have claws instead of nails; they have molars and canines like predators, large ears, one of which serves them as bed, the other as cover; there is no man or woman among them whose death is not known in advance. A woman does not die before having given birth to a thousand children; the same goes for men.[4]”

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They are from the unusual children of Adam. That is Adam had a wet dream, the semen intermingled with the earth and they were created from that earth.[5]"

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These narrations illustrate that Gog and Magog have non-human features. The narrations that state they have only one parent (Adam (pbuh)) and they reproduce rapidly might allude to asexual reproduction. It is very likely that Gog and Magog are extraterrestrials as far as the descriptions of their physical appearances are concerned.

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Describing space travel with the vocabulary that belongs to 1400 years ago, at the times when even the phenomenon of space wasn’t known is very difficult. On top of that this description must be so implicit that it shouldn’t bother nor confuse anyone who is reading it at those times. We should keep these facts in mind while evaluating the story of Dhul-Qarnayn. This perspective I tried to articulate here is one of the perceptions that cast light on the story of Dhul-Qarnayn. One can also argue that these journeys were not only space travels, but also time travels. I strived to present to you what I found most convincing among these opinions. I believe that Quranic verses contain infinitely many layers of meanings that cannot be understood by everyone reading them, and multiple different interpretations can be valid at the same time for a single verse. I do not claim that this is the only true interpretation of the verses describing Dhul-Qarnayn’s journeys, but at least it should upon up new perspectives in your mind. And God knows best...

[1] es-Suyûtî, ed-Dürrü’l-Mensûr, V.5, p.450

[2] Ibn Kathir, a.g.e., V.2, p.103

[3] Saheeh Ibn Maajah, 3298

[4] Transmitted by Wahb b.Munabbih

[5] Fathul-Bari

To read the article. Visit the following link:

https://www.therisingmoon.org/dhul-qarnayns-space-travel...

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