Bu surada so‘nggi qismi asosan Zulqarnayn va uning uch safari haqida bo‘lib, sharqqa, g‘arbga va o‘rta hududlarga qilgan yurishlari, shuningdek, Ya’juj va Ma’juj o‘tib keta olmasligi uchun mustahkam to‘siq qurganligi bayon etiladi. Sura bizga xabar beradiki, to‘siqni qurib bo‘lgach, Zulqarnayn shunday degan: “Bu Parvardigorimning rahmatidir. Ammo Parvardigorimning belgilagan vaqti kelganda, U buni tekislikka aylantirib yuboradi. Parvardigorimning va’dasi doim ro‘yobga chiqadi.” (98-oyat)

This final passage of the sūrah is mainly concerned with Dhu’l-Qarnayn and his three journeys, to the east, west and the central areas, as well as his erection of a strong barrier to prevent Gog and Magog from getting through. The sūrah tells us that after he had erected the barrier, Dhu’l-Qarnayn said: “This is a mercy from my Lord. Yet when the time appointed by my Lord shall come, He will make this [rampart] level with the ground. My Lord’s promise always comes true.” (Verse 98)

"Haqiqiy va'da" ga ishora qilingandan so'ng sur chalinishi va qiyomat manzarasi keladi, so'ng sura uchta qisqa bo'lim bilan yakunlanadi; ularning har biri "Ayt" buyrug'i bilan boshlanadi. Bu uchta bo'lim suraning barcha asosiy mavzularini jamlaydi va uning yo'nalishini davom ettiradi. Ular silliq oqayotgan kuyning so'nggi kuchli zarbalari vazifasini bajaradi.

The reference to the ‘true promise’ is followed with the blowing of the trumpet and a scene of the resurrection before the sūrah concludes with three short sections, each of which starts with the command, ‘Say’. These three sections sum up all the main topics of the sūrah and follow its drift. They serve as the final strong beats of an evenly flowing tune.

Dhu’l-Qarnayn haqidagi hikoya shunday boshlanadi: “Ular sendan Zulqarnayn haqida so‘raydilar. Ayt: Men sizga uning haqida xabar beraman.” (83-oyat) Ushbu surah nozil bo‘lish sabablari haqida gapirar ekan, Muhammad ibn Ishoq Payg‘ambarning amakivachchasi va sahobasi Ibn Abbosga nisbat berilgan rivoyatni keltiradi. Rivoyatda aytilishicha, Quraysh an-Nazr ibn al-Horis va Uqba ibn Abu Muayt ikkovlarini Madinadagi yahudiy ruhoniylariga Muhammad haqida so‘rash uchun yuborgan, va ularga qanday yo‘l tutish kerakligini belgilab bergan. Quraysh oqsoqollari ikki kishiga Muhammadni yahudiy ruhoniylariga batafsil ta’riflab berishni hamda u nimaga da’vat qilayotgani haqida ularga rostini aytishni buyurdilar. “Yahudiylar,” dedi Quraysh oqsoqollari, “avvalgi kitoblar egalaridir va ularda payg‘ambarlar haqida bizda yo‘q bo‘lgan keng bilim bor.” Madinada Quraysh ikki kishisi ruhoniylarga savollarini berdi va ulardan Muhammad haqida xolis fikrini so‘radi. Ruhoniylar ularga Muhammaddan uchta savol so‘rashni maslahat berdilar. “Agar u sizga qoniqarli javob bersa, demak, u Allohning payg‘ambari va elchisidir. Agar javob berolmasa, demak, u o‘ylab topib gapiryapti, siz esa u bilan xohlaganingizcha muomala qilishingiz mumkin. Undan qadimgi zamonlarda ajoyib hikoyasi bo‘lgan yigitlar guruhi haqida so‘rang va ularga nima bo‘lganini aytib berishini so‘rang. Undan shuningdek, dunyoning hamma yerini kezib, sharq va g‘arbgacha borgan bir kishi haqida so‘rang. Uchinchi savol esa — u sizga ruh haqida aytib berishi kerak.” An-Nazr va Uqba Makkaga qaytib, qabiladoshlariga Muhammad bilan bo‘lgan muammolariga javob topganliklarini aytdilar. Ular yahudiy ruhoniylarining maslahatini aytib berganlarida, Payg‘ambarning oldiga borib, unga uchta savolni berdilar. Payg‘ambar ularga ertasi kuni javob berishini aytdi.

The story of Dhu’l-Qarnayn begins as follows: “They will ask you about Dhu’l- Qarnayn. Say: I will give you an account of him.’” (Verse 83) Speaking about the reasons that led to the revelation of this sūrah, Muĥammad ibn Isĥāq mentions a report attributed to Ibn `Abbās, the Prophet’s cousin and Companion. The report mentions that the Quraysh sent al-Nađr ibn al-Ĥārith and `Uqbah ibn Abī Mu`ayţ to ask the Jewish rabbis in Madinah about Muĥammad, outlining for them their terms of reference. The Quraysh elders told the two men to describe Muĥammad in detail to the Jewish rabbis and to report to them truthfully what he advocated. “The Jews,” said the Quraysh elders, “are the people of early Scriptures and they have a wealth of knowledge about prophets which is not available to us.” In Madinah, the two men from the Quraysh put their questions to the rabbis and solicited their honest opinion about Muĥammad. The rabbis told them to ask Muĥammad three questions. “If he gives you satisfactory answers, then he is a prophet and messenger of God. If he has no answer to give, then he is fabricating whatever he says. You may do what you like with him. Ask him about a group of young people about whom there was a strange story in ancient times, and let him tell you what happened to them. Ask him also about a man who travelled all over the place and went to the far east and far west. The third question you should ask him is to tell you about the spirit.” Al-Nađr and `Uqbah travelled back to Makkah and told their tribesmen that they had brought the answer to their problem with Muĥammad. When they told them of the advice of the Jewish rabbis, they went to the Prophet and put the three questions to him. The Prophet told them that he would answer them the following day.

Shunda ba'zi kishilar Alloh elchisidan Zulqarnayn haqida so'radilar va Alloh unga ushbu surada uning tarixi va ishlari haqida nimalar borligini vahiy qildi. Biz Qur'ondan boshqa hech qanday manbaga ega emasmiz, shuning uchun u haqda qo'shimcha ma'lumot berish uchun. Shu sababli, biz uni kengaytirishga yoki batafsil bayon qilishga urinmaymiz, chunki bu aniq ma'lumotga asoslanmagan bo'lar edi.

Some people, then, asked God’s Messenger about Dhu’l-Qarnayn, and God revealed to him what this sūrah contains about his history and actions. We have no source other than the Qur’ān to give us further information. Hence, we will not try to expand or elaborate, because that would not be based on any accurate information.

Qur’on sharhlari ko‘plab rivoyatlar va ko‘p ma’lumotlarni keltiradi, lekin ularning hech biri ishonchli asosga ega emas. Shu sababli, ularga juda ehtiyotkorlik bilan yondashish kerak, ayniqsa ularda isroiliy rivoyatlar va boshqa afsonalar uchraganligi sababli.

Commentaries on the Qur’ān provide many accounts and plenty of information, but none of these has any reliable basis. Hence, they should be approached very cautiously, particularly because they include Israelite reports and other legends.

Qur'on tarixidagi Zulqarnayn haqida uchta safar eslatiladi: biri g'arbga, ikkinchisi sharqqa, uchinchisi esa "ikki tog' orasidagi" hudud deb tavsiflangan joyga. Endi Qur'ondagi ushbu bayonni ko'rib chiqaylik.

Of the history of Dhu’l-Qarnayn the Qur’ān mentions three journeys, one to the west, one to the east and the third to a place described as an area ‘between two mountains’. Let us now consider this Qur’ānic account.

Bu surada keltirilgan Zulqarnayn qissasi uning o‘zi haqida qisqacha tanishtirish bilan boshlanadi: "Biz uni yer yuzida qudratli qildik va unga har narsaga erishish vositalarini berdik." (84-oyat) Demak, Alloh uni yer yuzida hokimiyatga ega qildi va unga hech kimning e’tirozisiz hukmronlik berdi. Shuningdek, unga davlat boshqaruvi va g‘alaba vositalarini, inson tamadduni barpo etish imkoniyatlarini, Alloh insoniyat uchun tayyorlagan ne’matlardan bahramand bo‘lishni va yer yuzida inson hayotini barqaror va farovon qiladigan barcha narsalarni ham ato etdi.

The story of Dhu’l-Qarnayn, as given in this sūrah, begins with a brief introduction of the man himself: “We established his power on earth, and gave him means to achieve anything.” (Verse 84) God then has established his power on earth, giving him uncontested authority. He has also given him the means of government and victory, the facilities to build civilization, enjoy the blessings God has made available to mankind, and all that make human life on earth steady and prosperous.

Shundan so'ng u yana bir yo'lni tutdi va yurib bordi, nihoyat ikki tog' orasidagi bir joyga yetganida, ularning yonida bir qavmni topdi, ular deyarli hech bir so'zni tushuna olmas edi. «Ey Zulqarnayn! — dedilar ular. — Ye'juj va Ma'juj bu yerni vayron qilmoqda. Biz sizga soliq to'lasak, bizning bilan ular o'rtasida to'siq qurib bera olasizmi?» U javob berdi: «Parvardigorim meni qodir qilgan narsa (sizlar taklif qilgan) soliqdan yaxshiroqdir».

Then he followed yet another way and [marched on] till, when he reached a place between the two mountain-barriers he found beneath them a people who could scarcely understand a word. Dhu’l- Qarnayn,’ they said, ‘Cog and Magog are ravaging this land. May we pay you a tribute so that you erect a barrier between us and them?’ He answered: ‘That with which my Lord has established me is better [than any tribute].

Shunday ekan, menga kuch-quvvat bilan yordam bering, men sizlar bilan ular orasiga to‘siq quraman! Menga temir bo‘laklarini olib keling!» Nihoyat, u tog‘ ikki yonbag‘irining orasini to‘ldirgach, dedi: «Dam yuboring!» Keyin temirni olovdek qizdirgach, dedi: «Menga erigan mis olib keling, uni ustiga quyaman». Shunday qilib, dushmanlari unga chiqib o‘ta olmadilar va uni teshib o‘tishga ham qodir bo‘lmadilar.

Hence, do but help me with strength, and I shall erect a rampart between you and them! Bring me blocks of iron!’ At length, when he had filled up the gap between the two mountain-sides, he said: ‘Ply your bellows!’ Then, when he made [the iron glow like] fire, he said: ‘Bring me molten copper which I will pour over it.’ And thus their enemies were unable to scale [the rampart], nor could they dig their way through it.

U dedi: «Bu Rabbimdan bo‘lgan rahmatdir. Biroq Rabbimning belgilagan vaqti kelganda, U uni tekislab yerga yassi qiladi. Rabbimning va’dasi doimo amalga oshadi».

He said: ‘This is a mercy from my Lord. Yet when the time appointed by my Lord shall come, He will make this [rampart] level with the ground. My Lord’s promise always comes true.’ (Verses 92-98)

Endi Zulqarnaynning uchinchi safari haqida gapiramiz, u ikki tog‘ to‘siғi orasidagi bir joyga yetib borgan edi. Bu joyning aniq qayerdaligini biz aniq taxmin qila olmaymiz va bu to‘siqlarning tabiati haqida ham hech qanday ma’lumotimiz yo‘q. Matndan faqat shuni tushunish mumkinki, u ikki tabiiy yoki sun’iy to‘siq orasida, ular o‘rtasida bo‘shliq yoki past o‘tish joyi bo‘lgan joyga yetib kelgan.

Now we come to the third of Dhu’l-Qarnayn’s journeys which took him to a place between the two mountain-barriers.’ We cannot make any definite suggestion as to the exact location of this place, nor do we have any information about the nature of these barriers. All that we can understand from the text is that he reached a place lying in between two natural or man-made barriers, separated by a gap or low passage.

Endi Gog va Magog kim edi? Ular hozir qayerda? Ular nima qilgan va ularga nima bo‘ladi? Bunday savollarga biror darajada aniqlik bilan javob berish juda qiyin. Ular haqidagi bilimimiz faqat Qur’onda va sahih hadislarda aniq zikr etilganlar bilan chegaralangan. Qur’onda Zulqarnaynning shunday deganini keltiradi: “Parvardigorim va’dasi kelganda, U (to‘siqni) tekis qilib yerga yakson qilur. Parvardigorimning va’dasi albatta haqdir” (98-oyat). Bu so‘zda vaqt belgilanmagan. Tatarlar katta hududlarni bosib o‘tib, butun podsholiklarni vayron qilganda, Xudoning to‘siqni yo‘q qilish haqidagi va’dasi allaqachon ro‘y bergan bo‘lishi mumkin.

Now who were Gog and Magog? Where are they now? What did they do and what will happen to them? Such questions are very difficult to answer with any degree of accuracy. Our knowledge of them is limited to what is mentioned specifically in the Qur’ān and in authentic aĥādīth. The Qur’ān includes here a quotation of what Dhu’l-Qarnayn says: “Yet when the time appointed by my Lord shall come, He will make this [rampart] level with the ground. My Lord’s promise always comes true.” (Verse 98) This statement does not specify a time. God’s promise to destroy the rampart may already have occurred when the Tatars swept across huge areas, destroying whole kingdoms.

Yana ularga Anbiyo surasining 21-oyatida ishora qilingan, unda shunday deyilgan:

Another mention of them is found in Sūrah 21, The Prophets, where it is stated:

“Qachonki Yajuj va Majuj ozod qilinib, har bir tepalikdan oqib tushsalar, va haq va’da yaqinlashsa, kofirlarning ko‘zlari dahshatdan qotib qolur.” (21: 96-97) Bu oyat Yajuj va Majujning va’da qilingan paydo bo‘lish vaqtini aniq ko‘rsatmaydi. Allohning va’dasi amalga oshish yaqin bo‘lgani, ya’ni Qiyomat yoki Qiyomat kuni yaqinlashgani Payg‘ambar ﷺ davridan beri ro‘y bergan haqiqatdir. Qur’onda shunday deyiladi: “Soat yaqinlashdi va oy ikki bo‘lib yorildi.” (54: 1) Xudoning hisobida vaqt insoniy hisobdan butunlay boshqacha ko‘rinishga ega. Soatning yaqinlashgan paytidan to uning haqiqatan sodir bo‘lishigacha bo‘lgan vaqt oralig‘i millionlab yillarga yoki asrlarga cho‘zilishi mumkin. Shunday qilib, inson buni juda uzoq davr deb bilishi mumkin, Xudo nazarida esa bu ko‘z qisib ochguncha bo‘lgan vaqtdan ortiq bo‘lmasligi mumkin.

“When Gog and Magog are let loose and swarm down from every corner, when the true promise draws close [to its fulfilment], staring in horror shall be the eyes of the unbelievers.” (21: 96-97) Again this statement does not specify a time for the promised appearance of Gog and Magog. That God’s promise has come near to fulfilment, in the sense that the Last Hour or the Day of Judgement is soon to come, is an accomplished fact ever since the time of the Prophet. In the Qur’ān we read: “The Hour has drawn near, and the moon was cleft asunder.” (54: 1) In God’s reckoning, time has a totally different perspective from that of human reckoning. The time gap between the moment when the Hour becomes near and its actual occurrence may stretch to millions of years or centuries. Thus human beings may see this as a very long period of time, while, by God’s standards, it may signify nothing more than a blink of an eye.

Sura ortidan Zulqarnayn Xudoning haqiqiy va'dasi haqidagi so'zini Qiyomat kuni manzarasi bilan davom ettiradi.

The sūrah follows the reference by Dhu’l-Qarnayn to God’s true promise with a scene from the Day of Judgement:

U o'sha kuni Biz ularni bir-biriga urilgan to'lqinlar kabi tashlab qo'yamiz. Sur chalinadi va Biz ularning hammasini bir joyga to'playmiz. Va o'sha kuni Biz kofirlar uchun Jahannamni yoyib qo'yilgan holda namoyon qilamiz, ular Mening pandimga ko'z yumgan va Mening ogohlantirishimga quloq solmaganlardir.

On that day We shall leave them to surge like waves dashing against one another. The trumpet will be blown, and We shall gather them all together. And We shall, on that day, present hell, all spread out, for the unbelievers, who have turned a blind eye to My admonition and a deaf ear to My warning. (Verses 99-101)

Bu rang-barang, turli irq, poyga va geografik hududga mansub, barcha avlod va davrlarga tegishli odamlarning qayta tiriltirilib, hayotga qaytarilganidan keyingi ulkan ommalarning harakatini ko'rsatuvchi sahna. Ular o'z atrofida nima borligidan bexabar holda tartibsiz harakat qiladilar. Dengizdagi to'lqinlar kabi bir-birlarini itaradilar va to'lqinlar ko'targan ko'pikka o'xshab aralashib ketadilar. Shunda birdan surnay chalinadi va ular aniq bir tartibga ko'ra to'planadilar: "Surnay chalinadi va Biz ularning hammasini bir joyga to'playmiz." (99-oyat)

This is a scene showing the movement of huge masses of people of all colours, races and geographical areas, belonging to all generations and times, after they have been resurrected and brought back to life. They move across in a chaotic way, unaware of what is around them. They push each other like waves in the sea and mix like the surf raised by the waves. Then suddenly a trumpet is blown and they are gathered according to a specific order: “The trumpet will be blown, and We shall gather them all together.” (Verse 99)

Biz, Allohning zikridan yuz o‘girgan kofirlarni ham ko‘ramiz — go‘yo ularning ko‘zlari berkitilgan, quloqlari kar bo‘lgandek. Endi ular o‘zlari uchun keltirilgan do‘zaxni ko‘rmoqdalar va Xudoning hidoyatidan yuz o‘girganlaridek, undan yuz o‘gira olmaydilar. O‘sha kunda yuz o‘girish imkoni ular qo‘lida bo‘lmaydi. Ko‘zlaridagi parda olib tashlangan va ular ataylab yuz o‘girganlarining oqibatini endi aniq ko‘radilar. Bu adolatli mukofotdir.

We see also the unbelievers who turned away from remembrance of God as though their eyes were covered and their ears deaf. Now we see them with hell brought before them and they cannot turn away from it as they used to turn away from God’s guidance. On that day, the option of turning away is not within their power. The cover over their eyes has been drawn, and they now see clearly the consequence of their deliberate turning away. This is a fair recompense.

Sūra yakunida, uning turli mavzulardagi ko‘plab fikrlarini uyg‘un ohang va ritm bilan jamlaydigan bir necha oyat keladi. Bu yerda sūraning butun mavzusini bir butunlikda ifodalaydigan uch jihat bor. Ulardan birinchisi qadriyatlar va me’yorlar atrofida aylanadi: ular og‘ishgan jamiyatlarda qanday aks etishi va haqiqatda qanday ekani haqida. Bular ham amallarga, ham odamlarga taalluqlidir.

The sūrah concludes with a few verses that bring together its many different lines of discussion in harmonious tone and rhythm. We have here three different aspects which, together, sum up the whole theme of the sūrah. The first of these revolves around values and standards as they are reflected in deviant societies and as they truly are. These relate to both actions and people.

Ayting: “Sizlarga, qilgan ishlarida eng ko‘p zarar ko‘rувchilarni aytib berайinmi? Ular shunday kishilarki, dunyodagi mehnatlari adashgan bo‘lsa-da, o‘zlari esa qilayotgan ishlarini to‘g‘ri deb o‘ylaydilar. Ular Parvardigorlarining oyatlariga kufr keltirgan va Uning huzuriga borishlarini inkor etgan kishilardir. Ularning amallari behuda ketadi. Qiyomat kuni ularga hech qanday vazn qo‘ymaymiz.” (103-105-oyatlar)

Say: ‘Shall we tell you who are the greatest losers in whatever they may do? It is they whose labour in this world has been misguided, and who nonetheless think that what they do is right. It is they who have chosen to disbelieve in their Lord’s revelations and deny the truth that they will meet Him. Vain will be their works. No weight shall We assign to them on Resurrection Day.’ (Verses 103-105)

"Sizga amallarida eng ko'p ziyon ko'radiganlarni aytib beraylikmi?" (103-oyat)

“Shall we tell you who are the greatest losers in whatever they may do?” (Verse 103)

Bular shunday kishilarki, ularning yo'qotilishidan katta yo'qotish tarixda hech bir insonga yetmagan.

These are the ones whose loss cannot be exceeded by any human being in history.

Javob juda tez keladi. "Ular shundaylardirki, dunyodagi mehnatlari adashgan bo'lib ketgan." (104-oyat) Bu ularni to'g'ri hidoyatga ergashtirmadi. Bu hech qanday haqiqiy natija bermadi va hech qanday maqsadga erishtirmadi. Lekin bu odamlar "shunga qaramay, qilayotgan ishlari to'g'ri deb o'ylaydilar." (104-oyat) Bu esa ularning qanchalik adashganini ko'rsatadi. Ular dunyoda qilgan har bir ishlari ularni yanada xatoga yetaklashini va shu sababli butunlay behuda ketayotganini bilmaydilar. Shu sababli ular butun umrlarini shunday befoyda intilishlarda o'tkazishda davom etadilar.

The answer to this question comes very quickly. “It is they whose labour in this world has been misguided.” (Verse 104) It did not lead them to follow any proper guidance. It did not yield any real fruit, nor did it achieve any objective. But these people “nonetheless think that what they do is right.” (Verse 104) This tells how misguided these people are. They have no inclination that whatever they do in this world takes them further into error and is thus completely wasted. Hence, they continue spending their whole lives in such vain pursuits.

Ikkinchi yakuniy unsur inson bilimining cheklanganligini Xudoning cheksiz bilimi bilan solishtirganda ko‘rsatadi. Bizning tasavvurimiz mutlaqqa yeta olmagani uchun Qur’on o‘zining tasvir chizish usulidan foydalanib, bizga oson tushunarli bo‘lgan oddiy o‘xshatish beradi: “Ayt: Agar dengiz Rabbimning kalomlari uchun siyoh bo‘lsa, Rabbimning kalomlari tugamasdan oldin dengiz albatta quriydi, garchi unga yana bir dengiz qo‘shsak ham” (109-oyat). Dengiz insoniyatga ma’lum bo‘lgan eng katta va eng boy narsadir. Odamlar istagan narsalarini yozib qoldirish uchun siyohdan foydalanadilar. Shu tariqa ular katta deb o‘ylagan bilimlarini hujjatlashtiradilar. Shuning uchun Qur’on dengizning keng-mo‘lligi bilan birga tasvirini keltiradi, lekin endi u Xudoning bilimini bildiruvchi kalomlarini yozib qoldirish uchun siyohga aylangan. Butun dengiz ishlatilsa ham, Xudoning kalomlari tugamaydi. Shu o‘rinda xuddi shunday katta yana bir dengiz keltiriladi, lekin u ham to‘liq ishlatiladi, Xudoning kalomlari esa hali tugashdan uzoqdir.

The second concluding element shows the limits of human knowledge when compared with God’s infinite knowledge. As our imagination cannot reach the absolute, the Qur’ān gives us a simple analogy which we can easily comprehend, using its method of image drawing: “Say: If the sea were ink for my Lord’s words, the sea would surely dry up before my Lord’s words are exhausted, even though we were to add to it another sea to replenish it.” (Verse 109) The sea is the largest and richest thing known to mankind. People use ink to write down whatever they want to record. This is how they document their knowledge which they imagine to be great. Hence the Qur’ān puts forward the image of the sea with all its vast expanse, but which is now made of ink with which to write down God’s words that indicate His knowledge. Even though the whole sea is used, God’s words are not finished. At this point another sea of similar magnitude is brought forward, but it too is used in full while God’s words are far from finished.

Cheksiz narsaning cheklangan inson aqliga shunday aniq tasvir va harakat orqali yetkazilishi bilan bog'liq. Umumiy va mavhum tushuncha to'g'ri ta'riflanmaguncha inson tasavvuridan tashqarida qoladi. Inson mavhumni anglash qobiliyati qanchalik kuchli bo'lmasin, mavhum tushunchani tasvirlar va shakllar, turlar va xususiyatlar bilan bog'lashi kerak. Bu chegaralangan yoki sezilarli narsalarning mavhum tushunchalariga ham tegishlidir. Unda cheksiz va sezilmaydigan narsani inson qanday qilib anglay oladi?

It is with such a clear image and movement that the concept of the infinite is placed before the finite human intellect. A universal and abstract concept remains beyond human conception until it is described in specific terms. No matter how powerful a human being’s ability to understand the abstract is, he needs to relate an abstract concept to images and shapes, types and characteristics. This applies to abstract concepts of what is limited or tangible. How then can it fathom what is unlimited and intangible?