Who is Dhu'l Qarnain?/ Zulkarneyn

Who is Dhu'l Qarnain?

Surah 18 verses 83-101
Translated by Ahmet Ali

ذو القرنين
he of the two horns

Was he a prophet? and Angel of God? Was he Alexander the Great? 
Was he Cyrus the Great?
Or is this a story of the future?

Who are Gog and Magog?

16th Century Persian Miniatures

They ask you about Dhu'l Qarnain.
84
Say: "I will cite before you his commemoration."
We gave him authority in the land
and means of accomplishing every end.
85
so he followed a certain road
86
Till he reached the point if the setting sun,
and saw it set behind a muddy lake'
and near it found a people.
we said: "O Dhu'l Qarnain, you may either punish them or treat them with kindness."
87
He said: "I shall punish whoever is wicked.
He will then be sent back to his Lord
who will inflict on him a terrible punishment.
88
 But he who believes and does the right will have an excellent reward,
and we shall make things easy for him."
89
He then followed (another) road
90
 Till he reached the point of the rising sun,
and saw it rise over a people for whom
we had provided no shelter against it.
91
 It was so, for We were fully informed about him.
92
He then followed (another) road
93
Till he reached a place between two mountains,
and found this side of it a people
who understood but little of what was spoken.
94
 They said: "O Dhu'l Qarnain,
Gog and Magog are oppressing the land.
May we pay you some tribute so that you can built a rampart between us and them?"
95
He said: "The ability my Lord has given me is better.
So help me with your manual labour;
I will build a wall between you and them.
96
"Bring me ingots of iron," (which they did) until
the space between two mountain sides were filled up.
"Blow your bellows." he said; (and they blew)
until it was red hot.
"Bring me molten brass" he said, "that I may pour over it."
97
Thus (Gog and Magog) could neither climb over it
nor dig a whole through (the rampart)
98
"This is the benevolence of my Lord" he said;
"but when the promise of my Lord comes to pass,
He will reduce it to a mound of dust;
and the promise of my Lord is true."
99
We shall leave them on that day
surging like waves pressing one against the other,
and the trumpet blast will be sounded,
when We shall gather them all together.
100
Then We shall bring the Hell right before the infidels
101
whose eyes were veiled against My warning,
and they could not hear.

Gog ve Magog, Zakariya al-Qazwini (1203–1283).

Tomb of Cyrus, Iran