Dhul-Qarnayn: Using power to protect

In response to the question asked about Dhu al-Qarnayn, it is narrated that he was given means and causes upon the earth. During his journey to the west, he encounters a community, and the responsibility regarding how to treat them is explained. He states that injustice and good behavior are not to be held as equal. Power is addressed at the beginning of the narrative along with accountability and attitude.

Following this, he travels in the direction of the east and reaches a community that has no covering against the sun. Later, he follows another path and arrives between two barriers. There, he encounters a community that barely understands speech. The details of these journeys are kept brief; the story presents him as a ruler who encounters different environments.

This community asks for a barrier to be built between them, saying that Gog and Magog are causing corruption on the earth. They offer a payment. Dhu al-Qarnayn says that what his Lord has given him is better and asks them to help by working. Pieces of iron are brought, heated, and molten copper is poured over them. Thus, a structure emerges that cannot be surmounted or penetrated.

Dhu al-Qarnayn does not consider the completed structure an absolute proof of his own power. He mentions it as a mercy from his Lord and says that it will vanish when the divine promise comes. The story describes the use of power that protects a community through shared effort. This passage does not determine the exact modern location of the structure or the historical identity of Dhu al-Qarnayn.