"And they question thee about Dhu'l-Qarnayn. Say, 'I shall recite unto you a remembrance of him.'"
Quran 18:83
Continuing our discussion of the 18th surah, al-Kahf, "The Cave," we are introduced to Dhu'l-Qarnayn, who, almost universally by Islamic scholars, is identified as Alexander the Great. Arguably no one casts a longer shadow in the ancient world than Alexander - he's featured in the Persian epic the Shahnameh and is even referenced in the West African epic the Sonjiata - so it's not particularly surprising that he would appear in the Quran, even if only as a metaphor. What's interesting is how he's presented, which we'll be discussing in the coming days. In the Shahnameh Alexander is presented as a great leader and a searcher after deeper truth, and while there is some part of that view that is true of his complex nature, it's a pretty broad generalization. In the Sonjiata he's a paradigm of bold courage. In the Quran he comes across as a man of great faith, which is much more of a stretch. We'll have much more to say about this, especially his significance as a metaphor.
Quran 18:83
Continuing our discussion of the 18th surah, al-Kahf, "The Cave," we are introduced to Dhu'l-Qarnayn, who, almost universally by Islamic scholars, is identified as Alexander the Great. Arguably no one casts a longer shadow in the ancient world than Alexander - he's featured in the Persian epic the Shahnameh and is even referenced in the West African epic the Sonjiata - so it's not particularly surprising that he would appear in the Quran, even if only as a metaphor. What's interesting is how he's presented, which we'll be discussing in the coming days. In the Shahnameh Alexander is presented as a great leader and a searcher after deeper truth, and while there is some part of that view that is true of his complex nature, it's a pretty broad generalization. In the Sonjiata he's a paradigm of bold courage. In the Quran he comes across as a man of great faith, which is much more of a stretch. We'll have much more to say about this, especially his significance as a metaphor.
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