Alexander the Great in the Quran (Dhul al-Qarnayn)

The story of Dhul-Qarnayn (in Arabic ذو القرنين, literally "The Two-Horned One"; also transliterated as Zul-Qarnain or Zulqarnain), mentioned in the Quran, has been hypothesized to be a reference to Alexander III of Macedon (356–323 BC), popularly known as Alexander the Great. Some Western and traditional Muslim scholars identify Alexander the Great as Dhul-Qarnayn (Quran 18:83–94). However, a minority of Muslim scholars believe the story of Dhul-Qarnayn to be a reference to a pre-Islamic monarch from Persia or south Arabia. According to Maududi, modern Muslim scholarship also leans in favour of identifying the character with Cyrus the Great.

Alexander the Great in the Quran (Dhul al-Qarnayn)

The story of Dhul-Qarnayn (in Arabic ذو القرنين, literally "The Two-Horned One"; also transliterated as Zul-Qarnain or Zulqarnain), mentioned in the Quran, has been hypothesized to be a reference to Alexander III of Macedon (356–323 BC), popularly known as Alexander the Great. Some Western and traditional Muslim scholars identify Alexander the Great as Dhul-Qarnayn (Quran 18:83–94). However, a minority of Muslim scholars believe the story of Dhul-Qarnayn to be a reference to a pre-Islamic monarch from Persia or south Arabia. According to Maududi, modern Muslim scholarship also leans in favour of identifying the character with Cyrus the Great.