Surah Kahf ayat 94 Tafsir Quran 18:94

﴿قَالُوا يَا ذَا الْقَرْنَيْنِ إِنَّ يَأْجُوجَ وَمَأْجُوجَ مُفْسِدُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَهَلْ نَجْعَلُ لَكَ خَرْجًا عَلَىٰ أَن تَجْعَلَ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَهُمْ سَدًّا﴾
[ الكهف: 94]

18:94 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?"

They said ‘O Dhū’l-Qarnayn truly Gog and Magog read Ya’jūj wa-Ma’jūj or Yājūj wa-Mājūj these two are non-Arabic names of two tribes and are therefore indeclinable are causing corruption in the land plundering and oppressing us when they come forth to attack us. So shall we pay you a tribute some form of payment a variant reading for kharjan is kharājan on condition that you build between us and them a barrier? an obstruction so that they will not be able to reach us.

They said to him -through interpreters-: O you Zul- Qarnain, the tribes of Gog and Magog* are people who have both mischief and ill-will in their composition and they spread discord in the land. May we apportion to you a tribute in payment of raising a rampart between us, a rampart that would be invincible against all assaults

His Journey to the Land of Ya'juj and Ma'juj, and building the Barrier Allah says of Dhul-Qarnayn: ثُمَّ أَتْبَعَ سَبَباً ( Then he followed (another ) way) meaning, he traveled from the east of the earth until he reached a place between the two mountains which were next to one another with a valley in between, from which Ya'juj and Ma'juj ( God and Magog ) will emerge into the land of the Turks and spread mischief there, destroying crops and people.
Ya'juj and Ma'juj are among the progeny of Adam, peace be upon him, as was recorded in the Two Sahihs;
«إِنَّ اللهَ تَعَالَى يَقُولُ: يَا آدَمُ فَيَقُولُ: لَبَّيْكَ وَسَعْدَيْكَ فَيَقُولُ: ابْعَثْ بَعْثَ النَّارِ، فَيَقُولُ: وَمَا بَعْثُ النَّارِ؟ فَيَقُولُ: مِنْ كُلِّ أَلْفٍ تِسْعُمِائَةٍ وَتِسْعَةٌ وَتِسْعُونَ إِلَى النَّارِ وَوَاحِدٌ إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ، فَحِينَئِذٍ يَشِيبُ الصَّغِيرُ وَتَضَعُ كُلُّ ذَاتِ حَمْلٍ حَمْلَهَا.
فَقَالَ: إِنَّ فِيكُمْ أُمَّتيْنِ مَا كَانَتَا فِي شَيْءٍ إِلَّا كَثَّرَتَاهُ يَأْجُوجَ وَمَأْجُوج»
"Allah said: "O Adam." Adam said, "Here I am at Your service." Allah said, "Send forth the group of Hellfire." Adam said, "What is the group of Hellfire" Allah said: "Out of every thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine will go to Hell and one will go to Paradise." At that time young men will turn grey and every pregnant female will drop her load.
Among you are two nations who never come to anything but they overwhelm it with their huge numbers.
( They are ) Ya'juj and Ma'juj." وَجَدَ مِن دُونِهِمَا قَوْماً لاَّ يَكَادُونَ يَفْقَهُونَ قَوْلاً ( he found before them a people who scarcely understood a word.
) he could not understand their speech, because they were so isolated from other people. قَالُواْ يذَا الْقَرْنَيْنِ إِنَّ يَأْجُوجَ وَمَأْجُوجَ مُفْسِدُونَ فِى الاٌّرْضِ فَهَلْ نَجْعَلُ لَكَ خَرْجاً ( They said: "O Dhul-Qarnayn! Verily, Ya'juj and Ma'juj are doing great mischief in the land.
Shall we then pay you a tribute" ) Ibn Jurayj reported from `Ata' from Ibn `Abbas that this meant a great reward, i.e., they wanted to collect money among themselves to give to him so that he would create a barrier between them and Ya'juj and Ma'juj.
Dhul-Qarnayn said with kindness, righteousness and good intentions, مَا مَكَّنِّى فِيهِ رَبِّى خَيْرٌ ( That in which my Lord had established me is better (than your tribute ).) meaning, the power and authority that Allah has given me is better for me than what you have collected.
This is like when Sulayman ( Solomon ), peace be upon him, said: أَتُمِدُّونَنِ بِمَالٍ فَمَآ ءَاتَـنِى اللَّهُ خَيْرٌ مِّمَّآ ءَاتَـكُمْ ( Will you help me in wealth What Allah has given me is better than that which He has given you! ) 27:36 Similarly, Dhul-Qarnayn said: `What I have is better than what you want to give me, but help me with strength,' i.e., with your labor and construction equipment, أَجْعَلْ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَهُمْ رَدْمًاءَاتُونِى زُبَرَ الْحَدِيدِ ( I will erect between you and them a barrier.
Give me Zubar of iron, ) Zubar is the plural of Zubrah, which means pieces or chunks of something.
This was the view of Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and Qatadah.
These pieces were like bricks or blocks, and it was said that each block weighed one Damascene Qintar or more. حَتَّى إِذَا سَاوَى بَيْنَ الصَّدَفَيْنِ ( then, when he had filled up the gap between the two mountain-cliffs, ) means, he put the blocks on top of one another, starting at the bottom, until he reached the tops of the mountains, filling the width and height of the gap.
The scholars differed about the precise width and height. قَالَ انفُخُواْ ( he said: "Blow;" ) means, he lit a fire until the whole thing was burning hot. قَالَ آتُونِى أُفْرِغْ عَلَيْهِ قِطْراً ( he said: "Bring me Qitran to pour over them." ) Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, `Ikrimah, Ad-Dahhak, Qatadah and As-Suddi said it was copper.
Some of them added that it was molten.
This is similar to the Ayah: وَأَسَلْنَا لَهُ عَيْنَ الْقِطْرِ ( And We caused a fount of Qitran to flow for him ) 34:12.
So it resembled a striped cloak.
Then Allah said:

(18:94) They said, "O Zul-Qarnain, Gog and Magog *69 spread chaos in this land; should we then pay a tribute to you so that you may build a bulwark between us and them ?"

They said, "O Dhul-Qarnayn, indeed Gog and meaning

*69) As has already been pointed out in E.N.
62, Gog and Magog were the wild tribes of North Eastern Asia which, from the very early times had been making inroads on settled kingdoms and empires in Asia and Europe and ravaging them.
According to Genesis ( Chapter 10 ), they were the descendants of Japheth, the sort of Noah, and the Muslim historians have also accepted this.
And according to the book of Ezekiel ( Chapters 38, 39 ), they inhabited the territories of Meshech ( Moscow ) and Tubal ( Tubalsek ).
According to the Israelite historian Josephus, they were the Scythians and their territory spread to the north and the east of the Black Sea.
According to Jerome, Magog inhabited the territory to the north of Caucasia near the Caspian Sea.

 

His Journey to the Land of Ya'juj and Ma'juj, and building the Barrier Allah says of Dhul-Qarnayn: ثُمَّ أَتْبَعَ سَبَباً ( Then he followed (another ) way) meaning, he traveled from the east of the earth until he reached a place between the two mountains which were next to one another with a valley in between, from which Ya'juj and Ma'juj ( God and Magog ) will emerge into the land of the Turks and spread mischief there, destroying crops and people.
Ya'juj and Ma'juj are among the progeny of Adam, peace be upon him, as was recorded in the Two Sahihs; «إِنَّ اللهَ تَعَالَى يَقُولُ: يَا آدَمُ فَيَقُولُ: لَبَّيْكَ وَسَعْدَيْكَ فَيَقُولُ: ابْعَثْ بَعْثَ النَّارِ، فَيَقُولُ: وَمَا بَعْثُ النَّارِ؟ فَيَقُولُ: مِنْ كُلِّ أَلْفٍ تِسْعُمِائَةٍ وَتِسْعَةٌ وَتِسْعُونَ إِلَى النَّارِ وَوَاحِدٌ إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ، فَحِينَئِذٍ يَشِيبُ الصَّغِيرُ وَتَضَعُ كُلُّ ذَاتِ حَمْلٍ حَمْلَهَا.
فَقَالَ: إِنَّ فِيكُمْ أُمَّتيْنِ مَا كَانَتَا فِي شَيْءٍ إِلَّا كَثَّرَتَاهُ يَأْجُوجَ وَمَأْجُوج» "Allah said: "O Adam." Adam said, "Here I am at Your service." Allah said, "Send forth the group of Hellfire." Adam said, "What is the group of Hellfire" Allah said: "Out of every thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine will go to Hell and one will go to Paradise." At that time young men will turn grey and every pregnant female will drop her load.
Among you are two nations who never come to anything but they overwhelm it with their huge numbers.
( They are ) Ya'juj and Ma'juj." وَجَدَ مِن دُونِهِمَا قَوْماً لاَّ يَكَادُونَ يَفْقَهُونَ قَوْلاً ( he found before them a people who scarcely understood a word.
) he could not understand their speech, because they were so isolated from other people. قَالُواْ يذَا الْقَرْنَيْنِ إِنَّ يَأْجُوجَ وَمَأْجُوجَ مُفْسِدُونَ فِى الاٌّرْضِ فَهَلْ نَجْعَلُ لَكَ خَرْجاً ( They said: "O Dhul-Qarnayn! Verily, Ya'juj and Ma'juj are doing great mischief in the land.
Shall we then pay you a tribute" ) Ibn Jurayj reported from `Ata' from Ibn `Abbas that this meant a great reward, i.e., they wanted to collect money among themselves to give to him so that he would create a barrier between them and Ya'juj and Ma'juj.
Dhul-Qarnayn said with kindness, righteousness and good intentions, مَا مَكَّنِّى فِيهِ رَبِّى خَيْرٌ ( That in which my Lord had established me is better (than your tribute ).) meaning, the power and authority that Allah has given me is better for me than what you have collected.
This is like when Sulayman ( Solomon ), peace be upon him, said: أَتُمِدُّونَنِ بِمَالٍ فَمَآ ءَاتَـنِى اللَّهُ خَيْرٌ مِّمَّآ ءَاتَـكُمْ ( Will you help me in wealth What Allah has given me is better than that which He has given you! ) 27:36 Similarly, Dhul-Qarnayn said: `What I have is better than what you want to give me, but help me with strength,' i.e., with your labor and construction equipment, أَجْعَلْ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَهُمْ رَدْمًاءَاتُونِى زُبَرَ الْحَدِيدِ ( I will erect between you and them a barrier.
Give me Zubar of iron, ) Zubar is the plural of Zubrah, which means pieces or chunks of something.
This was the view of Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and Qatadah.
These pieces were like bricks or blocks, and it was said that each block weighed one Damascene Qintar or more. حَتَّى إِذَا سَاوَى بَيْنَ الصَّدَفَيْنِ ( then, when he had filled up the gap between the two mountain-cliffs, ) means, he put the blocks on top of one another, starting at the bottom, until he reached the tops of the mountains, filling the width and height of the gap.
The scholars differed about the precise width and height. قَالَ انفُخُواْ ( he said: "Blow;" ) means, he lit a fire until the whole thing was burning hot. قَالَ آتُونِى أُفْرِغْ عَلَيْهِ قِطْراً ( he said: "Bring me Qitran to pour over them." ) Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, `Ikrimah, Ad-Dahhak, Qatadah and As-Suddi said it was copper.
Some of them added that it was molten.
This is similar to the Ayah: وَأَسَلْنَا لَهُ عَيْنَ الْقِطْرِ ( And We caused a fount of Qitran to flow for him ) 34:12.
So it resembled a striped cloak.
Then Allah said:

( They said ) to the interpreter: ( O Dhu’l-Qarnayn! Lo! Gog and Magog are spoiling the land ) they are destroying our land, they eat our dates, loot our crops and kill our offspring; it is also said that this means: they devour people, for Gog and Magog were two men from the descendent of the children of Yapheth; it is also said that they were called Gog and Magog due to their sheer number. ( So may we pay thee tribute ) a reward; and it is also said that this means a wage, according to a different reading, ( on condition that thou set a barrier between us and them? )

They said: "O Dhul-Qarnain! Verily! Ya'juj and Ma'juj (Gog and Magog) are doing great mischief in the land. Shall we then pay you a tribute in order that you might erect a barrier between us and them?"

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