[Prophet], they ask you about Dhu ’l-Qarnayn. Say, ‘I will tell you something about him.’

We established his power in the land, and gave him the means to achieve everything.

He travelled on a certain road;

then, when he came to the setting of the sun, he found it [seemed to be] setting into a muddy spring. Nearby he found some people and We said, ‘Dhu ’l-Qarnayn, you may choose [which of them] to punish or show kindness to.’

He answered, ‘We shall punish those who have done evil, and when they are returned to their Lord He will punish them [even more] severely,

while those who believed and did good deeds will have the best of rewards: we shall command them to do what is easy for them.’

He travelled on;

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

And so it was: We knew all about him.

وَيَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَن ذِي ٱلْقَرْنَيْنِۖ قُلْ سَأَتْلُوا۟ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْهُ ذِكْرًا

إِنَّا مَكَّنَّا لَهُۥ فِي ٱلْأَرْضِ وَءَاتَيْنَٰهُ مِن كُلِّ شَيْءࣲ سَبَبࣰا

فَأَتْبَعَ سَبَبًا

حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا بَلَغَ مَغْرِبَ ٱلشَّمْسِ وَجَدَهَا تَغْرُبُ فِي عَيْنٍ حَمِئَةࣲ وَوَجَدَ عِندَهَا قَوْمࣰاۖ قُلْنَا يَٰذَا ٱلْقَرْنَيْنِ إِمَّآ أَن تُعَذِّبَ وَإِمَّآ أَن تَتَّخِذَ فِيهِمْ حُسْنࣰا

قَالَ أَمَّا مَن ظَلَمَ فَسَوْفَ نُعَذِّبُهُۥ ثُمَّ يُرَدُّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِۦ فَيُعَذِّبُهُۥ عَذَابࣰا نُّكْرࣰا

وَأَمَّا مَنْ ءَامَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَٰلِحࣰا فَلَهُۥ جَزَآءً ٱلْحُسْنَىٰۖ وَسَنَقُولُ لَهُۥ مِنْ أَمْرِنَا يُسْرࣰا

ثُمَّ أَتْبَعَ سَبَبًا

حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا بَلَغَ مَطْلِعَ ٱلشَّمْسِ وَجَدَهَا تَطْلُعُ عَلَىٰ قَوْمࣲ لَّمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُم مِّن دُونِهَا سِتْرࣰا

كَذَٰلِكَۖ وَقَدْ أَحَطْنَا بِمَا لَدَيْهِ خُبْرࣰا

He travelled on;

then, when he reached a place between two mountain barriers, he found beside them a people who could barely understand him.

They said, ‘Dhu ’l-Qarnayn, Gog and Magog are ruining this land. Will you build a barrier between them and us if we pay you a tribute?’

He answered, ‘The power my Lord has given me is better than any tribute, but if you lend me your strength, I will put up a fortification between you and them:

bring me lumps of iron!’ and then, when he had filled the gap between the two mountainsides [he said], ‘Work your bellows!’ and then, when he had made it glow like fire, he said, ‘Bring me molten metal to pour over it!’

Their enemies could not scale the barrier, nor could they pierce it,

and he said, ‘This is a mercy from my Lord. But when my Lord’s promise is fulfilled, He will raze this barrier to the ground: my Lord’s promise always comes true.’

On that Day, We shall let them surge against each other like waves and then the Trumpet will be blown and We shall gather them all together.

We shall show Hell to the disbelievers,

those whose eyes were blind to My signs, those who were unable to hear.

ثُمَّ أَتْبَعَ سَبَبًا

حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا بَلَغَ بَيْنَ ٱلسَّدَّيْنِ وَجَدَ مِن دُونِهِمَا قَوْمࣰا لَّا يَكَادُونَ يَفْقَهُونَ قَوْلࣰا

قَالُوا۟ يَٰذَا ٱلْقَرْنَيْنِ إِنَّ يَأْجُوجَ وَمَأْجُوجَ مُفْسِدُونَ فِي ٱلْأَرْضِ فَهَلْ نَجْعَلُ لَكَ خَرْجًا عَلَىٰٓ أَن تَجْعَلَ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَهُمْ سَدࣰّا

قَالَ مَا مَكَّنِّي فِيهِ رَبِّي خَيْرࣱ فَأَعِينُونِي بِقُوَّةٍ أَجْعَلْ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَهُمْ رَدْمًا

ءَاتُونِي زُبَرَ ٱلْحَدِيدِۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا سَاوَىٰ بَيْنَ ٱلصَّدَفَيْنِ قَالَ ٱنفُخُوا۟ۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَعَلَهُۥ نَارࣰا قَالَ ءَاتُونِيٓ أُفْرِغْ عَلَيْهِ قِطْرࣰا

فَمَا ٱسْطَٰعُوٓا۟ أَن يَظْهَرُوهُ وَمَا ٱسْتَطَٰعُوا۟ لَهُۥ نَقْبࣰا

قَالَ هَٰذَا رَحْمَةࣱ مِّن رَّبِّيۖ فَإِذَا جَآءَ وَعْدُ رَبِّي جَعَلَهُۥ دَكَّآءَۖ وَكَانَ وَعْدُ رَبِّي حَقࣰّا

۞ وَتَرَكْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذࣲ يَمُوجُ فِي بَعْضࣲۖ وَنُفِخَ فِي ٱلصُّورِ فَجَمَعْنَٰهُمْ جَمْعࣰا

وَعَرَضْنَا جَهَنَّمَ يَوْمَئِذࣲ لِّلْكَٰفِرِينَ عَرْضًا

ٱلَّذِينَ كَانَتْ أَعْيُنُهُمْ فِي غِطَآءٍ عَن ذِكْرِي وَكَانُوا۟ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ سَمْعًا