I do not say that Dhu'l-Qarnayn was Alexander, for the name does not fit. Some of the commentators called him malik (king) spelling it with kasra, others called him malak, spelling it with a fatḥa, others said he was a prophet, and others said he was a saint, and so on. But certainly Dhu'l-Qarnayn was the person who con- ducted the construction of the Barrier.

As for the Barrier, some commentators said it was the Wall of China, others said it was a great mountainous barrier somewhere else, others said it was a hidden barrier, concealing the revolutions and circumstances of the world. And others said such-and-such, and so on and so forth. Most probably it was a mighty rampart or huge wall to repulse the depradations of marauders.

As for Gog and Magog, some commentators said they were two tribes descended from Yasef, [^38] others said they were the Mongols and Manchurians, others said they were the peoples of the northeast, and yet others said that they were a vast body of men, a horde which would overturn the world and civilisation; and still others said they were a sort of creature, either human or sub-human, from beyond the earth or from inside it. They would be the cause of the end of the world and would thus overturn humankind. Yet other commentators said other things. What is certain and the point on which they are agreed is this: Gog and Magog, two pillaging plundering tribes, and the people of civilisation are two groups of God's creatures.

[^38]:Yasef: the third son of Noah.

As for the destruction of the Barrier, some say that it will occur on the Last Day; others, near to the Last Day; others, when it's still a long way off, but as a sign of it; and still others, that it has been destroyed. But it has not been demolished. Much has been said about it. Most probably, what is agreed upon is that its ruin will be a sign that a grey hair has appeared in the Earth's beard and that the human race, its offspring, is growing old. If you have weighed up and contemplated this discussion, you will admit that the following is possible: the Qur'anic Barrier is the Great Wall of China, which