Dhul-Qarnayn — Book Two: The Great Barrier, Ya’jūj and Ma’jūj, and the Questions of History A Qur’anic Study in Light of the Qur’an and Sunnah (The Dhul-Qarnayn Series) - Softcover

Slaoui Andaloussi, Dr. Sheikh Saad

Softcover

ISBN 13: 9798170043682

Publisher: Independently published, 2026

Synopsis

Dhul-Qarnayn — Book Two: The Great Barrier, Ya’jūj and Ma’jūj, and the Questions of History takes up the questions that Book One deliberately postponed.

After first establishing Dhul-Qarnayn’s Qur’anic profile, this second volume turns to the major historical identifications associated with him. Alexander the Great, Cyrus the Great, ancient Arabian and Ḥimyarite rulers, Egyptian proposals, geographical theories, archaeology, classical tafsīr, and later legendary traditions are all examined through a careful revelation-first method.

The guiding principle is simple:

Let the Qur’an interrogate history—not the other way around.

Rather than selecting a preferred candidate first and then forcing every verse to fit, the book asks what any proposed Dhul-Qarnayn must actually satisfy. The Qur’an describes a ruler of substantial power and extraordinary means, one who travelled westward and eastward, reached a region between two barriers, encountered Ya’jūj and Ma’jūj, constructed a formidable defensive structure, believed in Allah and the Hereafter, governed with moral accountability, and attributed his success to his Lord.

The volume therefore evaluates historical theories according to evidence rather than fascination. It distinguishes between what is certain, what is plausible, what is weak, and what remains unknown. It also warns against confirmation bias, late legendary material, and the temptation to turn an interesting historical proposal into an article of faith.

The discussion then moves beyond the identity of Dhul-Qarnayn to one of the most compelling elements of his story: the great barrier.

Readers will examine its Qur’anic construction using iron, intense heat, and molten material, the significance of the two natural barriers, proposed geographical locations, and the limits of archaeological identification.

From there, the book follows Ya’jūj and Ma’jūj from the Qur’anic narrative into the authentic Prophetic descriptions of the end times. It explores their emergence, their relationship to the major signs of the Hour, the role of ʿĪsā ibn Maryam عليه السلام, and the believer’s proper response to eschatological knowledge.

Inside this volume, readers will explore:

• what the Qur’an actually establishes about Dhul-Qarnayn
• Alexander the Great as a proposed identification
• Cyrus the Great as a proposed identification
• Arabian and Ḥimyarite theories
• Egyptian proposals
• the classical tafsīr tradition
• the geography of the two barriers
• the construction and purpose of the great barrier
• Ya’jūj and Ma’jūj in the Qur’an and authentic Sunnah
• the major signs of the Hour
• ʿĪsā ibn Maryam عليه السلام and Ya’jūj and Ma’jūj
• the danger of uncontrolled end-times speculation
• confirmation bias in historical interpretation
• how Muslims should distinguish certainty from probability

The book’s conclusion is intentionally disciplined: Islam does not depend upon successfully identifying Dhul-Qarnayn with a known historical ruler. A Muslim can believe every word of Sūrat al-Kahf while acknowledging that revelation has not given us enough evidence to state his historical identity with certainty.

This is more than a search for an ancient king or a lost wall.
It is a study of how Muslims should think when revelation, history, archaeology, tafsīr, and speculation meet.

Dhul-Qarnayn — Book Two is especially suited for readers interested in Sūrat al-Kahf, Qur’anic studies, Ya’jūj and Ma’jūj, Gog and Magog, Islamic eschatology, tafsīr, ancient history, archaeology, and serious Islamic scholarship grounded in the Qur’an and authentic Sunnah.

Edition details

• Publisher: Independently published
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 13: 9798170043682
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 192