قَالُوا۟ يَـٰذَا ٱلْقَرْنَيْنِ إِنَّ يَأْجُوجَ وَمَأْجُوجَ مُفْسِدُونَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَهَلْ نَجْعَلُ لَكَ خَرْجًا عَلَىٰٓ أَن تَجْعَلَ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَهُمْ سَدًّا 94
Translations
They said, "O Dhul-Qarnayn, indeed Gog and Magog are [great] corrupters in the land. So may we assign for you an expenditure that you might make between us and them a barrier?"
Transliteration
Qāloo yā dhā al-qarnayni inna Yajūja wa-Majūja mufsidūn fī al-ard fa-hal najʿal laka kharja ʿalā an tajʿal baynana wa-baynahum sadda
Tafsir (Explanation)
The people appeal to Dhul-Qarnayn (often identified with Alexander the Great or a righteous king), informing him that Gog and Magog (Yajuj and Majuj) are corruptors spreading devastation in the land, and they offer him payment (tribute) if he will construct a barrier between them and their enemies. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir note that this demonstrates the people's desperation and recognition of Dhul-Qarnayn's power and resources. The offer of compensation shows their willingness to invest significantly in their own security and protection.
Revelation Context
This ayah occurs within the narrative of Surah Al-Kahf regarding Dhul-Qarnayn's journey and his encounter with a people threatened by Yajuj and Majuj. The Surah was revealed in Mecca and addresses themes of trial, knowledge, and divine power. The story serves as a parable about seeking protection through righteous means and the reality of apocalyptic threats mentioned in Islamic eschatology.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said regarding Yajuj and Majuj: 'Every day they make a hole in the wall and when they see the light, they return saying we will breach it tomorrow. But Allah will return it to its former state until the Day of Resurrection' (Sahih Bukhari 3348). Additionally, the Prophet mentioned the wall's construction in eschatological contexts (Sahih Muslim 2880).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that facing collective threats requires both community cooperation and seeking capable leadership while maintaining trust in Divine will. It reminds believers that protection from societal corruption is a shared responsibility that may require material investment and strategic planning under righteous guidance.
Related Ayahs
وَلَقَدْ صَرَّفْنَا فِى هَـٰذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانِ لِلنَّاسِ مِن كُلِّ مَثَلٍ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ أَكْثَرَ شَىْءٍ جَدَلًا
And We have certainly diversified in this Qur’ān for the people from every [kind of] example; but man has ever been, most of anything, [prone to] dispute.
وَمَا نُرْسِلُ ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ إِلَّا مُبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنذِرِينَ ۚ وَيُجَـٰدِلُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِٱلْبَـٰطِلِ لِيُدْحِضُوا۟ بِهِ ٱلْحَقَّ ۖ وَٱتَّخَذُوٓا۟ ءَايَـٰتِى وَمَآ أُنذِرُوا۟ هُزُوًا
And We send not the messengers except as bringers of good tidings and warners. And those who disbelieve dispute by [using] falsehood to [attempt to] invalidate thereby the truth and have taken My verses, and that of which they are warned, in ridicule.
وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِفَتَىٰهُ لَآ أَبْرَحُ حَتَّىٰٓ أَبْلُغَ مَجْمَعَ ٱلْبَحْرَيْنِ أَوْ أَمْضِىَ حُقُبًا
And [mention] when Moses said to his boy [i.e., servant], "I will not cease [traveling] until I reach the junction of the two seas or continue for a long period."
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ لَهُمْ جَنَّـٰتُ عَدْنٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهِمُ ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ يُحَلَّوْنَ فِيهَا مِنْ أَسَاوِرَ مِن ذَهَبٍ وَيَلْبَسُونَ ثِيَابًا خُضْرًا مِّن سُندُسٍ وَإِسْتَبْرَقٍ مُّتَّكِـِٔينَ فِيهَا عَلَى ٱلْأَرَآئِكِ ۚ نِعْمَ ٱلثَّوَابُ وَحَسُنَتْ مُرْتَفَقًا
Those will have gardens of perpetual residence; beneath them rivers will flow. They will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold and will wear green garments of fine silk and brocade, reclining therein on adorned couches. Excellent is the reward, and good is the resting place.