Gog and Magog: a destructive nation capable of becoming the sole superpower
Dhul Qarnain's kingdom was an unchallenged superpower with unlimited technology (innaa makkanna lahoo fil ardi wa aataynahu min kulli shay'in sababaa, Qur’an, al-Kahf 18:84). He conquered every nation of the known world, from the far west to the far east, punished the unjust and rewarded the righteous (Qur’an, al-Kahf 18:85-91). When he reached a place near the middle of the Two Barrier-Mountains (assaddain, Qur’an, al-Kahf 18:93), he received a peculiar cry for help from a people who lived there.
“They said, 'O Dhul Qarnain, [the nation of] Gog and Magog are certainly perpetrators of destruction on Earth [or perpetrators of global destruction, mufsidoona fil ard]. Shall we raise a tax for you in return for converting (taj'ala) what is between us and them [the Two Barrier-Mountains, assaddain, which have a pass between them and thus are not a complete barrier] into a [complete] barrier [saddan, a single barrier without a pass]?' ” (Qur’an, al-Kahf, 18:94)
One would think that Dhul Qarnain would conquer the nation of Gog and Magog and punish them as he did with other unjust peoples. Instead, he agreed to convert the mountains into a barrier (Qur’an, al-Kahf 18:95). This can only mean that he knew that it was Allah's will that the nation of Gog and Magog could not be vanquished by man, not even by a superpower like his that possessed advanced technology. This means that Gog and Magog are capable of becoming the sole superpower on earth. In Chapter Four, Shaykh Hosein includes these properties of Gog and Magog in his depiction of their profile.
Al-Radm: the barrier of Gog and Magog consists of two mountains and a crack between them that was patched by Dhul Qarnain
Gog and Magog traveled through the only existing pass between two mountains which are very high and barrier-like (assaddain, Qur’an, al-Kahf 18:93) and attacked their neighbors on the other side of the mountains.
The victimized people asked Dhul Qarnain to convert (taj'ala) what is between them and Gog and Magog (baynana wa baynahum, i.e., a mountain range with a crack for a pass) into a perfect barrier (saddan, Qur’an, al-Kahf 18:94). He replied: “aj'al baynakum wa baynahum radman,” i.e., “I shall patch (aj'al . . . radman) what is between you and them (Qur’an, al-Kahf 18:95). Dhul Qarnain blocked the pass outlet with heated iron ore upon which he poured molten copper. The barrier of Gog and Magog consists of two mountains and a crack between them that was patched by Dhul Qarnain (al-Radm).
If someone wears a patched shoe, we say he wears radman (something patched). Because of the phrase “aj'al baynakum wabaynahum radman” (I shall convert what is between you and them into radman), it would be wrong to assume that the term radman refers to the patch alone. Grammatical imprecision has led this researcher and others to make this mistake. The above clarification allows for better ta'weel.
In Chapter Five, Shaykh Hosein identifies the geographical location of al-Radm based on ta'weel of Qur’an, al-Kahf 18:93-97. The Two Barrier-Mountains are the eastern and western sections of the Caucasus mountain range, separated by a narrow pass called the Daryal Gorge. The Caucasus mountain range stretches from the Black Sea in the west to the Caspian Sea in the east.
A large gap in the barrier was created before Islam—a hilly coastal passage was exposed by the receding Caspian Sea
Allah declared that Gog and Magog initially could not climb over the patched barrier nor were they able to penetrate it (fa mastaa'oo an yazharoohu wa mastataa'oo lahoo naqba, Qur’an, al-Kahf 18:97). Dhul Qarnain knew that the barrier only offered temporary protection. He announced, on authority from Allah, “This [al-Radm, the patched mountain barrier] is mercy from my Lord-God, but when the Promise of my Lord-God comes, then He shall turn it into dakkaa' [dakkaa' = 'hilly area' or 'demolished']” (qaala haadha rahmatun min rabbee, fa idha jaa'a wa'du rabbee ja'alahoo dakkaa', Qur’an, al-Kahf 18:98).
Allah promised each of His prophets that a last prophet would come with a great final law (the Qur’an). In some scriptures (e.g., the Torah), this is referred to as “The Promise.” The Promise that Dhul Qarnain refers to is Islam. A few decades before the birth of the Prophet of Islam sallalahu 'alaihi wasallam, around 550 A.D., the Caspian Sea receded to expose a hilly coastal passage on the east end of the Caucasus Mountains. Gog and Magog used this passage to invade Persia before Islam. Umar radiallahu 'anhu launched military campaigns against Gog and Magog through this passage.
Many ahadeeth confirmed that “The Promise” was Islam by warning that the Arabs were targets (wailun lil 'arab) because a gap in the Gog and Magog radm (patched barrier) was opened. What frightened the Prophet sallalahu 'alaihi wasallam was the width of this gap: 90 units, possibly 90 farsakh (1 farsakh = 3.5 miles). This is wide enough to allow large waves of Gog and Magog to devastate the Arabs. The prophecy was fulfilled: “And on that day [when the barrier is opened], we shall let them merge into each other like waves (wa taraknaa ba'dahum yawma idhin yamooju fee ba'd, Qur’an, al-Kahf 18:99).
Moreover, Gog and Magog are described as “coming out of every hill” (min kulli hadabin yansiloon, Qur’an, al-Anbiyaa' 21:96). The use of the term hill (hadabin) in this context strongly supports the choice of the meaning “hilly area” for dakkaa'. The wide passage by the sea made the patch itself insignificant. The patch came down later and the narrow Daryal Gorge was opened.
Based on Hadith terminology, early Muslims referred to Gog and Magog as al-Turk (the Turks), named after their ancestor Turk. This is not to be confused with modern day Turks.
The age of Gog and Magog
When Allah declares, “and on that day, we shall let them merge into each other like waves (wa taraknaa ba'dahum yawma idhin yamooju fee ba'd, Qur’an, al-Kahf 18:99), what does He mean by “that day”? One “day” (yawm) of Allah's time—a divine day—is not 24 hours, but a period lasting a thousand lunar years or more. There are divine days of different length, but in general, a divine day is 1,000 lunar years long, a millenium (wa inna yawman 'inda rabbika ka alfi sanatin mimmaa ta'uddoon, Qur’an, al-Hajj 22:47). In Chapter Three, Shaykh Hosein discusses different divine days.
The Qur’an discusses the lengths of only three special divine days:
1. A divine day that is 50,000 lunar years long in which all the angels ascend to Allah (Qur’an, al-Ma'aarij 70:4). Surah al-Ma'aarij describes what happens in this long period. Among other things, people are resurrected and the disbelievers are sent to the hellfire. Some mufassiroon believe that it is Yawm alQiyamah, the Day of Resurrection.
2. A divine management cycle that consists of two divine days: a management millennium in which Allah uses angels to manage the sending and execution of commands from the sky down to the earth, followed by an accounting millennium in which these angels ascend to Allah to report about the deployed commands so that people are judged accordingly (yudabbiru al-amra minas samaa'i ilal ardi thumma ya'ruju ilayhi fee yawmin kaana miqdaruhu alfa sanatin mimmaa ta'uddoon, Qur’an, as-Sajdah 32:5).
As we have seen above, the coming of Islam and the release of Gog and Magog (around 550 A.D.) both happened at the dawn of a single divine day. It may be safe to assume that it is in fact a management millennium. If so, this millennium ended five centuries ago and we are now in the middle of the accounting millennium that follows every management millennium. The management millennium started about 1,460 solar years or 1,505 lunar years ago. Only Allah knows when The Hour will come. Maybe during the accounting millennium, maybe later.
Gog and Magog are now the sole superpower, but they will be destroyed
After over 1,500 years of merging like waves with Gog and Magog, most of humanity has either adopted their lifestyle or is going along with it. Nowadays, it is very difficult to tell who is an original member of Gog and Magog and who simply has joined them. This is the basis of the hadith that 999 out of every 1,000 people in Hell shall be from Gog and Magog.
Gog and Magog are already coming out of every hill, every position of power (min kulli hadabin yansiloon, Qur’an, alAnbiyaa' 21:96). They are now the sole superpower on earth. This superpower is nothing but an unjust civilization (qaryatin zaalimatin), and like every other unjust civilization, it will be destroyed before the arrival of the Hour (al-Hajj 22:45-48).
Gog and Magog have realized the meaning (formula) of their Arabic name, Ya'jooj wa Ma'jooj. These two terms are active and passive word forms derived from the root “hamza jeem jeem” (the sounds “a j j”). The only other contexts containing this root in the Qur’an, use the the word ujaaj which describes the taste of salty water as burning. Gog and Magog thus are those who burn others (Ya'jooj) and are themselves burned (Ma'jooj).
Why would Allah condemn Gog and Magog—along with most of humanity who have adopted their lifestyle—to burning in Hell? How can one recognize and avoid the lifestyle of Gog and Magog? Insha’ Allah, the following sections will elicit answers from muhkam verses.
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