Until when he reached the land of the rising of the sun...

Until when he reached the land of the rising of the sun, he found it rising on a people to whom We had given no shelter from It; Even so! And We had a full knowledge of what he had. Then he followed (another) course. Until when he reached (a place) between the two mountains, he found on that side of them a people who could hardly understand a word. They said, O Dhu’l-Qarnayn! surely Gog and Magog make mischief in the land.

Shall we then pay you a tribute on condition that you should raise a barrier between us and them He said, That in which my Lord has established me is better, therefore you only help me with workers, I will make a fortified barrier between you and them; Bring me blocks of iron; until when he had filled up the space between the two mountain sides, he said, Blow, until when he had made it fire, he said, Bring me molten brass which I may pour over it.

So they were not able to scale it nor could they make a hole in it. He said, This is a mercy from my Lord, but when the promise of my Lord comes to pass He will make it level with the ground, and the promise of my Lord is ever true.” (18:83-98) According to an authentic report the people didn’t have the knowledge of how to construct houses. Some historians say that they lived in the nude, as shall be explained later.

As regards the location of the mountains mentioned in the above ayats, some scholars opine that they are the mountains of Armenia and Azerbaijan. The northern part of these mountains falls in Turkistan. Details concerning Gog and Magog state that the two giants were man-eaters. The translation of the above ayats is in consonance of the view held by commentators.

Shaykh Muhammad bin Masud al-Ayyashi has reported in his tafsir that Asbagh bin Nubatah quotes from Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali when people asked him about Dhu’l-Qarnayn that, Dhu’l-Qarnayn was an exalted servant of Allah. His name was Ayaash. The Almighty selected him after the Deluge of Nuh and gave him suzerainty over the surrounding areas of Northwest Africa in the two centuries. The people hit him on the right and he was martyred by it.

Then after a hundred years the Almighty raised him to life in the areas of East. This time the people hit him on the left side of his head and he was martyred. The Almighty raised him again after a hundred years and the lieu of the strokes he had suffered granted him a pair of outgrowths with a space between them. And gave him Kingship, Prophethood and miracle.