Imam al-Tabari again records...

Imam al-Tabari again records: حدثنا محمد بن المثنى، قال: ثنا محمد بن جعفر، قال: ثنا شعبة، عن القاسم بن أبي بزة، عن أبي الطفيل، قال: سمعت عليا وسألوه عن ذي القرنين أنبيا كان؟ قال: كان عبدا صالحا، أحب الله فأحبه، وناصح الله فنصحه، فبعثه الله إلى قومه، فضربوه ضربتين في رأسه، فسمي ذا القرنين، وفيكم اليوم مثله. Muhammad b. al-Muthanna – Muhammad b. Ja’far – Shu’bah – al-Qasim b.

Abi Bazzah – Abu al-Tufayl: I heard ‘Ali while they asked him about Dhu al-Qarnayn: “Was he a prophet?” He replied, “He was a righteous servant. He loved Allah and Allah loved him. He sought the guidance of Allah and He guided him. Then, Allah sent him to his people. But, they struck him twice on his head. As a result, he was named Dhu al-Qarnayn. And among you today is an example of him .[^4] Commenting upon this exact riwayah , Prof.

Ibn Yasin pronounces: وسنده صحيح Its chain is sahih .[^5] So , the matter is clear and undisputable. This sahih athar proves the following: Dhu al-Qarnayn, ‘alaihi al-salam , was not a prophet. But, he was a righteous servant loved by Allah, and he was rightly guided by Him. He was given that name only because he was fatally struck twice on his head. Even though he was not a prophet, Allah nonetheless “sent” him to his people, like a prophet.

This shows that non-prophets can be given some qualities and jobs of prophets. Imam al-Tabari further presents: حدثنا محمد بن بشار، قال: ثنا يحيى، عن سفيان، عن حبيب بن أبي ثابت، عن أبي الطفيل، قال: سئل علي رضوان الله عليه عن ذي القرنين، فقال: كان عبدا ناصح الله فناصحه، فدعا قومه إلى الله، فضربوه على قرنه فمات، فأحياه الله، فدعا قومه إلى الله، فضربوه على قرنه فمات، فسمي ذا القرنين. Muhammad b. Bashar – Yahya – Sufyan – Habib b.

Abi Thabit – Abu al-Tufayl: ‘Ali, ridhwanullah ‘alaihi , was asked about Dhu al-Qarnayn, and he replied, “He was a servant who sought the guidance of Allah, and He guided him. He called his people to Allah. So, they struck him on his qarn **, AND HE DIED. But, Allah RESURRECTED him, and he (again) called his people to Allah. They (once again) struck him on his** qarn **, AND HE DIED. Therefore, he was named Dhu al-Qarnayn**.[^6] This report too is sahih . Al-Hafiz (d.

852 H) states about the first narrator: محمد بن بشار بن عثمان العبدي البصري أبو بكر بندار ثقة Muhammad b. Bashar b.