Moses and Zul-Qarnain

Table of contents

Moses said to his servant, “I will not give up until I reach the junction of the 2 rivers, even if it takes me years.”
Then, when they reached the junction between them, they forgot about their fish. It found its way into the river, slipping away.
When they went further, he said to his servant, “Bring us our lunch; we were ex- posed in our travel to much fatigue.”
He said, “Do you remember when we rested by the rock? I forgot about the fish. It was only the devil who made me forget it.

And so it found its way to the river, amazingly.”

And so they turned back retracing their steps.

Then they came upon a servant of Ours, whom We had blessed with mercy from Us, and had taught him knowledge from Our Own.
Moses said to him, “May I follow you, so that you may teach me some of the guidance you were taught?”
He said, “You will not be able to endure with me.
And how will you endure what you have no knowledge of?”
He said, “You will find me, Allah willing, patient; and I will not disobey you in any or- der of yours.”
He said, “If you follow me, do not ask me about anything, until I myself make mention of it to you.”
So they set out. Until, when they had boarded the boat, he holed it. He said, “Did you hole it, to drown its passengers? You have done something awful.”
He said, “Did I not tell you that you will not be able to endure with me?”
He said, “Do not rebuke me for forgetting, and do not make my course difficult for me.”
Then they set out. Until, when they encountered a boy, he killed him. He said, “Did you kill a pure soul, who killed no one? You have done something terrible.”
He said, “Did I not tell you that you will not be able to endure with me?”
He said, “If I ask you about anything after this, then do not keep company with me. You have received excuses from me.”
So they set out. Until, when they reached the people of a town, they asked them for food, but they refused to offer them hospitality.

There they found a wall about to collapse, and he repaired it. He said, “If you wanted, you could have obtained a payment for it.”

He said, “This is the parting between you and me. I will tell you the interpretation of what you were unable to endure.
As for the boat, it belonged to paupers working at sea. I wanted to damage it because there was a king coming after them seizing every boat by force.
As for the boy, his parents were believers, and we feared he would overwhelm them with oppression and disbelief.
So we wanted their Lord to replace him with someone better in purity, and closer to mercy.
And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphaned boys in the town. Beneath it was a treasure that belonged to them. Their father was a righteous man. Your Lord wanted them to reach their maturity, and then extract their treasure—as a mercy from your Lord. I did not do it of my own accord. This is the interpretation of what you were unable to endure.”

Zul-Qarnain

83-. We established Zul-Qarnain on earth and gave him all kinds of means.

He pursued a certain course until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it setting in a murky spring, and found a people in its vicinity.

We said, “O Zul-Qarnain, you may either inflict a penalty, or else treat them kindly.”

He said, “As for him who does wrong, we will penalize him, then he will be returned to his Lord, and He will punish him with an unheard-of torment. But as for him who believes and acts righteously, he will have the finest reward, and We will speak to him of Our command with ease.”
Then he pursued a course.

Until, when he reached the rising of the sun, he found it rising on a people for whom We had provided no shelter from it.

Until, when he reached the point separating the two barriers, he found beside them a people who could barely understand what is said.

They said, “O Zul-Qarnain, the Gog and Magog are spreading chaos in the land. Can we pay you, to build between us and them a wall?”
He said, “What my Lord has empowered me with is better. But assist me with strength, and I will build between you and them a dam.”
“Bring me blocks of iron.” So that, when he had leveled up between the two cliffs, he said, “Blow.” And having turned it into a fire, he said, “Bring me tar to pour over it.”
So they were unable to climb it, and they could not penetrate it.
He said, “This is a mercy from my Lord. But when the promise of my Lord comes true, He will turn it into rubble, and the promise of my Lord is always true.”