“Alexander is not meant by ‘Dhu’l-Qarnayn’ [Qur’án 18.83–98], rather . . .”

[Ahanu]

ʻAbdu'l-Bahá’s approach takes a big shift from traditional Islamic commentaries that focus on the physical details of Dhu’l-Qarnayn and his journeys. The Study Quran shows how commentators have often debated literal interpretations of Dhu’l-Qarnayn. For example, some say he wore a helmet with two horns, had sides of his head made of copper, or that the horns represented physical journeys to distant places. Other literal interpretations include the barrier constructed against Gog and Magog, which is treated as a physical wall, and so on.

ʻAbdu'l-Bahá departs from that . . .

Alexander is not meant by “Dhu’l-Qarnayn”; rather, it is an allusion to one possessed of power. Consider how Alexander, with all his might and glory, was deprived of the fountain of life, while Khiḍr, though bereft of worldly means, attained unto it and received his portion and share. Dhu’l-Qarnayn was one of the kings of Yemen and an Arab, for Dhu’l-Kalá‘, Dhu’l-Ḥimár, Dhu’l-Qarnayn, and Dhí Yazan are among the titles of the kings of Yemen. Some have erred, supposing that Alexander the Greek is intended, and this is a grievous mistake, for Dhu’l-Qarnayn was among the near servants of God, while Alexander was a Greek personage.
-ʻAbdu'l-Bahá

As to the verses concerning Dhu’l-Qarnayn, these are of the ambiguous sort that have an inner meaning. The objectors made this account a snare of deceit, and posed questions in the hope that an answer contrary to their views might be given, thus causing the believers to waver. Therefore, the story of Dhu’l-Qarnayn was outwardly revealed in accordance with the views of others, that they might find no cause for objection. Yet in every word there lies hidden a mystery. By Dhu’l-Qarnayn is meant the Commander of the Faithful, who journeyed with his spirit throughout all regions in search of the universal Manifestation. At last, he observed that the Sun of Truth was concealed within a Form composed of clay and water . . .
-ʻAbdu'l-Bahá

As to the intended meaning of Dhu’l-Qarnayn [“the possessor of two horns”] in this verse, it is none other than Muḥammad Himself—may the spirits of them that are nigh unto God be a sacrifice for Him—for He held the ranks of both Prophet and Guardian. We may alternatively interpret Dhu’l-Qarnayn as the Lord of East and West, for in His essence, He was the One Who laid low the necks of all created things and wielded sovereignty over all existence on the part of God, the One, the Incomparable, the Almighty, the All-Wise.

In another sense, we may interpret the two horns as signifying steadfastness and virtuous character, inasmuch the people witnessed that none like unto Him [Muḥammad] had ever appeared on the earth, even as the Almighty addressed Him, saying: “And truly Thou art of an exalted character.” God Himself doth suffice us, at this moment, as a Witness.

In yet another sense, we may interpret the two horns as the Qur’án and the Law, which God hath made a reminder and an admonition for those who have turned their faces unto Him, the Mighty, the Gracious. Verily, God assigned to Him [Muḥammad] a dwelling-place upon the earth and a seat of authority in this realm, and made Him a Sign of the Cause of all things, that He might establish the truth and eliminate falsehood, and cause the whole earth to be illumined with the light of the guidance of God, the Omnipotent, the Exalted, the Omniscient. For instance, God revealed unto Him the Qur’án to serve as a reminder for the people of insight, and the sword to be a lesson for the heedless.
-ʻAbdu'l-Bahá

“And they question thee about Dhu’l-Qarnayn. Say, “I shall recite unto you a remembrance of him.” 84 Truly We established him in the land, and gave him the means to all things. 85 So he followed a means, 86 till when he reached the place of the setting sun, he found it setting in a murky spring, and there he found a people. We said, “O Dhu’l-Qarnayn! Thou mayest punish, or thou mayest treat them well.” 87 He said, “As for the one who has done wrong, we shall punish him. Then he shall be brought back to his Lord, whereupon He will punish him with a terrible punishment. 88 But as for the one who believes and works righteousness, he shall have a reward, that which is most beautiful, and we shall speak unto him that which is easy from our command.” 89 Then he followed a means, 90 till he reached the place of the rising sun. He found it rising over a people for whom We had not made any shelter from it. 91 Thus [it was], and We encompassed that which lay before him in awareness. 92 Then he followed a means, 93 till he reached the place between the two mountain barriers. He found beyond them a people who could scarcely comprehend speech. 94 They said, “O Dhu’l-Qarnayn! Truly Gog and Magog are workers of corruption in the land. Shall we assign thee a tribute, that thou mightest set a barrier between them and us?” 95 He said, “That wherewith my Lord has established me is better; so aid me with strength. I shall set a rampart between you and them. 96 Bring me pieces of iron.” Then, when he had leveled the two cliffs, he said, “Blow!” till when he had made it fire, he said, “Bring me molten copper to pour over it.” 97 Thus they were not able to surmount it, nor could they pierce it. 98 He said, “This is a mercy from my Lord. And when the Promise of my Lord comes, He will crumble it to dust. And the Promise of my Lord is true.”
(Qur’án 18.83–98)

 

[RJM]

Alexander is often portrayed with two horns, in the station of Ammon Ra, or basically Zeus, which he believed was revealed to him by the Oracle of Amun in the Siwan Oasis, to which he diverted his army for a long and difficult march through the Egyptian desert in order to hear the oracle, and left satisfied with what he had heard.

In battle he wore a helmet with three plumes, enabling his commanders to identify him.

I accept Abdul Baha's thesis that the horns alone may not identify the Quranic person of Dhu’l-Qarnayn with Alexander the Great, but perhaps as a powerful Yemeni king.

It doesn't have to be Alexander, imo.

 

[Weishaupt]

Today, I would like to introduce an unexplored concept on behalf of the Bahai Faith. This verse pertains to the Divine Right of Kings. The concept was appropriated and distorted by European monarchs. In the Tablets, Baha'u'llah himself has revealed an attribute of this blessing, he called it the "power of utterance". Corroboration: [7] On the Divine Right of Kings.pdf
Alexander was meant to attain to this Power, but he forfeited his right to it, having shed blood and having attempted to overextend his empire beyond India, which he was expressly warned against by portentious signs. Whenever a King entrusted with this Power attempts to invade a country beyond the limits fixed for them by higher powers, he inevitably loses his access to the power to move nations and brings about his own undoing.
The interpretation by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá that it refers to "one possessed of power" is perfectly valid, a man invested with divine authority from the Creator to reshape and reorganize the world and inaugarate a new age. Such authority likewise manifests as the gift of oratory and the faculty of harmonizing with everyone's lives. This divine gift may be called "the Power of the All", and the power of becoming all things to all manner of people. "Jesus took them all by stealth, for he did not appear as he was, but in the manner in which they would be able to see him."
Only a man completely freed from external influence and who answers to God alone should be called "one possesed of power", able to act freely of their own will; "the power to do what one wills" (Voltaire) It is by acting in accordance with the higher laws of life that a person comes to possess the "means of action which exceed the very limited force that a single individual has at his disposal". (Simone Weil)

Thus, we may expect that there will again be a King who is completely controlled by God, who Christ shares his power with, the right to reign alongside him as a co-ruler when they inaugurate a new epoch.
His power rests on the strength of people's need for him, their "universal yearning for the divine".
A Manifestation of God is sent to quench and express the aspirations and yearnings of countless human beings and to give them more opportunities to display their better and heroic sides, which society has thwarted and which gives us the erroneous impression that people are naturally given over to evil. The real problem is that we have not been allowed to be free and sincere, to remain true to ourselves, but are obliged to keep up appearances of outward goodness, living in fear of other people's judgment.
_____

"Through thee have We unloosed the Tongue of Utterance to expound all that hath been, and We shall again, by My sovereign power, unloose it to speak of that which is yet to come. Erelong shall We bring into being through thee eloquent tongues that will praise and extol Me amongst the Concourse of eternity and amidst the peoples of the world."

The first among these inspired tongues to rise will be a woman called the "Handmaid of God", prophesied by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá. It was in preparation for her emergence that I have unveiled the following revelation to the Bahai Faith, concerning the appearance of that King awaited by Baha'u'llah:
New Revelation for Bahai and the World By delivering the message to this one lady, we can effect a societal change the likes of which has never been seen, bypassing any need to propagandize and convince. More efficient than the slow method of winning one individual at a time over with time and patience allotted to most believers. Through this Vestal, a prophetess, the Bahai Faith is destined to swell up into one powerful movement capable of rivaling both the predominant religions Christianity and Islam.

A religious world war must be prevented! Class/racial conflicts are meant to be transformed into a renewed prophetic struggle. The conflict between God's prophets and false prophets hearkens back to the days of the righteous Abel and the prophet Elijah (Matthew 23).

"It’s a fact: not one religious or philosophical teaching has been founded by a woman, but teachings that have already been founded have been adopted and disseminated predominantly by women." (Vladimir Solovyov)

Prophecies concerning the Handmaid of God: [9] The Woman from the East - Handmaid of God.pdf
This woman, presently maturing as a child, will soon come from the east, manifesting powerfully as an orator, raising a powerful voice, delivering a dire warning to the whole world and to those who would lay waste to the earth, who know that their days are numbered, and that it's time for them to stop behaving like insolent children.

"Praise thou God that in this age, the age of the dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh, thou hast been awakened, hast been made aware of the Manifestation of the Lord of Hosts." ('Abdu'l-Baha)

Interpreted:
Higher beings must come into contact with higher beings of a corresponding stage of development in order to realize their mission in life; until then they go about as misfits.

"thou mayest daily advance in the Kingdom, that thou mayest become a heavenly angel" "O handmaid of God! The stars in the sky do not exert any spiritual influence on this world of dust; but all the members and parts of the universe are very strongly linked together in that limitless space, and this connection produceth a reciprocity of material effects." ('Abdu'l-Baha)

Interpreted:
Higher beings are powerless without man, unable to develop further in their own worlds, unless they assist us on the earth; they are desperate to help raise our spiritual condition. “We are all a link in the great chain of humanity.” They have manifested throughout the ages and left traces of their existence behind as clues for certain individuals to rediscover:
"What plunderers delight in travels far and wide with me, and falls to my lot, though I was once devoid of friends, if I am to have renown in the cities, and a wealth of brightness." (Exeter Book of Riddles)
"It is the esteem of Elohim to hide/conceal a matter, And the esteem of sovereigns to search out a matter." (Proverbs 25:2 NOG)

"mayest erect a structure that shall eternally remain firm and unshakable."

Only a system grounded in the recognition of higher worlds/higher beings can be made a basis for new attitudes towards life, people, society, Nature, higher beings, animals of the lower kingdom, etc.
"We are witnessing the emergence of a new worldview, in which humans are one link in a great chain of living beings. We are higher than many, but we are also lower than a great many more."
_____

First, it must be made clear that there exist higher laws, we may distinguish them from human laws and refer to them as laws of life. Next, people must realize that there exist higher beings, great and powerful spiritual hierarchies (Elohim), enforcing these unexplored laws. Then people must acknowledge that all authority on earth comes from God (John 19:11), that there exists an unseen ruler of our planet who is not God, but was given power equal to him, entrusted with all authority on earth. (Daniel 7:14), representing the Creator, and who has continually manifested, or expressed himself, through the Manifestations of God, especially through the person of Jesus Christos, and that all the kings of the earth are under this Ruler's watchful gaze; kings are raised and removed as he pleases (Daniel 2:21); kings represent different types of man, generations of mankind (Daniel 4:16-17). God and his ruler/representative humble those they love, namely, the elect (Daniel 4:24-25).

"Though weariness lay Me low, and hunger consume Me, and the bare rock be My bed, and My fellows the beasts of the field, I will not complain, but will endure patiently as those endued with constancy and firmness have endured patiently, through the Power of God, the Eternal King and Creator of the nations..." (Baha'u'llah)

"The Lord never prospers any man, but the man prospers because he acknowledges the Lord, and lives in accordance with the higher laws."

 

[Weishaupt]

Here follows scriptural and historical corroboration for one of the revealed aspects of the Divine Right of Kings, namely, fixed limits set for empires by higher Beings/hierarchies (Elohim), those who preside over the nations and give to them their national characteristics (for instance Russia sacrifices its whole people for the whole). Any divinely sent king or even an usurper who dares violate the law of life will forfeit their empire in an instant. For instance, the US is not permitted to enter beyond Iran, Russia is not permitted to enter beyond Germany, while the Germans are not permitted to enter beyond Russia.

One of the divine laws/higher laws of life has been formulated as follows:
"Every visible and palpable force is subject to an invisible limit which it shall never cross. In the sea, a wave mounts higher and higher; but at a certain point, where there is nevertheless only space, it is arrested and forced to redescend. In the same way, the German flood was arrested, without anybody knowing why, on the shores of the Channel." (Christian mystic Simone Weil)

Exodus 23:31 "I have set your border from the Red Sea, even unto the sea of the
Philistines, and from the wilderness unto the [Euphrates] River:"
Psalm 104:9 You have set a border, which they shall not pass not over, neither shall they return to cover the earth.

Akhenaten's Great Hymn to the Aten
The foreign lands of Syria and Nubia, and the land of Egypt,
You set everybody in his place and supply their needs.
They all have their food and their lifetimes are counted.

[The historical Akhenaten was not Moses. Neither plagiarized from each other. The difference is that Moses viewed Nature as a whole while Akhenaten acknowledged individual distinctions. "The Jew has at all times perceived more keenly the context in which phenomena appear than the individual phenomena as such." (Martin Buber)]

Life of Apollonius
But the genuine sages live between the Hyphasis and the Ganges, in a country which Alexander never assailed; not I imagine because he was afraid of what was in it, but, I think, because the omens warned him against it. And they say there was also a brass column dedicated, and inscribed as follows: “Alexander stayed his steps at this point.” The altars we may suppose to be due to Alexander who so honored the limit of his Empire; but I fancy the Indians beyond the Hyphasis erected the column, by way of expressing their pride at Alexander’s having gone no further.

Historia Augusta: Life of Carus, Carinus and Numerian
The letter I have inserted for the reason that many declare that there is a certain decree of Fate that no Roman emperor may advance beyond Ctesiphon, and that Carus was struck by the lightning because he desired to pass beyond the bounds which Fate has set up.⁠ But let cowardice, on which courage should set its heel, keep its devices for itself.

Silius Italicus, Punica
A cry came from Liger — he was skilled to perceive the warnings of heaven; to foretell the future by watching the birds: — "Hannibal, you, like that bold bird, for twice eight years shall pursue the men of Rome in the land of Italy, and shall carry off much booty and shed much blood. But restrain your threats; for, lo! the armour-bearer of Jupiter withholds from you the realm of Daunus.

Superstition/ignorance ascribes miraculous events to Mary, and not to the laws of life and the various portends sent by God as warnings to kings:
"When Batu’s army reached Kitezh, it didn’t have any defenses – not even city walls. But its citizens were praying wholeheartedly, and the waters of the lake rose, hiding Kitezh from the enemy and the world in general."
"In 1395, Tamerlane marched on Moscow, but when the venerated icon was sent to protect the city, his armies suddenly turned back near the town of Yelets. Historians still debate the reasons for this, but Muscovites believed that the holy icon interceded for Moscow and drove away the conqueror."
"Two more times, in 1451 and 1480, the pattern repeated: Moscow was just about to be invaded, defeated and burned by the Mongols, but in the end they didn’t fight the Russians. Orthodox believers were sure that the icon saved their city. This is why the icon is believed to be miraculous."
•Ögedei Khan's invasion in the Battle of Liegnitz (1241)
•Adolf Hitler's invasion in the Battle of Konigsberg (1945)

Apparition of the Virgin in Konigsberg. Kazan icon of the mother of God in the history of wwii

«Знай же о нашем городе: вплоть до кончины ни один народ не пленит и не возьмёт его ни в коем случае, ибо он отдан под покровительство Богородицы, и никто не похитит его из её рук. Ведь многие народы будут приступать к стенам его и сломают свои рога, отступая с позором, унося из него, однако, дары и большое богатство. (Know this about our city: until its death, no people will captivate it or take it under any circumstances, for it is given under the protection of the Mother of God, and no one will snatch it from her hands. After all, many nations will approach its walls and break their horns, retreating in disgrace, taking away from it, however, gifts and great wealth.)

Ангел Господень изливает новые чаши бедствий, чтобы люди в разум пришли. Две войны одна горше другой будут. Новый Батый на Западе поднимет руку. Народ промеж огня и пламени. Но от лица земли не истребится, яко довлеет ему молитва умученного Царя». (A new Batyi in the West will raise his hand. The people between fire and flame. But from the face of the earth, people will not be destroyed, as the prayer of the tortured Tsar prevails.)

Istanbul is one of the few cities that are divinely protected, no harm may befall it, it will never see a nuke fall upon it, such an act would never be permitted. Instead, Istanbul will again become, as Baha'u'llah prophesied, the seat of tyranny, before it's liberation by God's King.

 

[Weishaupt]

Regarding the Barrier, it is none other than the border between the living and the dead. And likewise the border (Barzakh) between the lower ("the Grave") and higher (Jannah, Al-Araf) regions of the Hereafter.
The Day of Judgment is not describing the wrath of God (Christian translators interpolated God into these contexts, distorted Paul's letters, and they ascribe to God unworthy passions), but the wrath of the dead when they manifest among the living, during a time of barren wombs and monstrous births. The time is coming when the living give themselves over to demons/Djinn (such an act is a a great crime against their own souls) and bodies without human souls are reanimated by deceased creatures and manifest visibly among the living, who, in times of great stress/wars and during wintertime, develop the spiritual sight. Numberless humans will be sent to the Hereafter, after which they shall be judged; this is balancing act on part of God to regulate overpopulation. They are thrown before the merciless path of wars, dictators, etc. in order to reap what their forefathers sowed.

Platon: "in the second place, they shall be entirely stripped before they are judged, for they shall be judged when they are dead;"
Platon: "I, however, am in the habit of praising the ancients and our predecessors rather than the men of the present day, and more greatly, as a precaution against the envy of the living and through fear of the wrath of those who are dead."
Luke 21:23 "And woe to those with child, and to those giving suck, in those days; for there will be great distress on the land, and wrath on this people;"

Mishkat al-Masabih 132
"The grave is the first stage of the next world; if one escapes from it what follows is easier than it, but if one does not escape from it what follows is more severe than it."

Quran 7:46-48
There will be a barrier between Paradise and Hell. And on the heights of that barrier will be people who will recognize the residents of both by their appearance. They will call out to the residents of Paradise, "Peace be upon you!" They will have not yet entered Paradise, but eaglerly hope to... Those on the heights will call out to some tyrants in the Fire, who they will recognize by their appearance, saying, "Your large numbers and arrogance of no use today!" Finally, those on the heights will be told: "Enter Paradise! There will be no fear for you, nor will you grieve."

Quran 18:92-97
Then Zul-Qarnain travelled a third course until he reached a pass between two mountains. He responded, "I will build a barrier between you and them. Bring me blocks of iron!" Then, when he had filled up the gap between the two mountains, he ordered, "Blow!" When the iron became red hot, he said, "Bring me molten copper to pour over it." And so the enemies could neither scale nor tunnel through it.

Psalm 104:9 You have set a barrier, which they shall not pass not over, neither shall they return to cover the earth.

[Quran] Surah Al-Mu'minun 23:99-100
When death approaches any of them, they cry, “My Lord! Let me go back, so I may do good in what I left behind.” Never! It is only an useless appeal they make. And there's a [dimensional] barrier, [or a difference of dimension] before them until the Day they are resurrected.

"During that peace the Gates of the North will be opened and those hosts of [deceased] nations will come forth who were imprisoned there, and the earth will shake before them." (Methodius)

[Quran] Surah Al-Anbya 21:95-104
"It is impossible for a society which We have destroyed to ever rise again, until after Gog and Magog have broken loose from the barrier, swarming down from every hill,
[According to a less familiar reading (jadath, for hadab), ‘they will be scrambling out of every grave.’]

Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3156, Sahih al-Bukhari 4730, Sahih Muslim 2849a
Death [Dajjal] would be brought forward on the Day of Resurrection in the form or shape of a (mixed) black and white ram (a white-coloured ram), until it is halted upon the barrier [Barzakh] between Paradise and the Fire. (Abu Kuraib made this addition: Then it would be made to stand between the Paradise and the Hell.) Then a call maker will call out to the people of Paradise and the people of Hell and ask, "Do you recognize this?" They will say, "Yes, this is Death." By then all of them will have seen it. Then it will be laid down and slaughtered. (Daniel 9:27)

 

[Weishaupt]

Lastly, I will leave one last thing for true believers, before I go offline for a long time...
The righteous and the wicked may be distinguished by their countenance. The Dajjal's followers appear to be happy, but this is a deception. It's not their true selves speaking, but the Djinn that has obsessed them. The righteous, those who prostrate before God, are not those who pray at prescribed times, but those who are in constant state of prayer, always under God. When they enter into a church or mosque that bears the true worship, they sense the presence of angels, who notice and acknowledge them (while they are less aware of the average worshiper), compels them to prostate themselves.

Musnad Ahmad 12
It was narrated that Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq said: The Messenger of Allah said: “The Dajjal will emerge from a land in the east called Khurasan and he will be followed by peoples whose faces are like shields.” [hammered, burnished, beaming]

Jami' at-Tirmidhi 1956
"Your smiling in your brother's face is charity; and your exhorting man to virtuous deeds is charity; and your prohibiting the forbidden is charity; and your showing men the road, in the land in which they lose it, is charity; and your assisting the blind is charity."

Quran 48:29
And those with him are firm with the disbelivers and compassionate with one another. You see them bowing and prostrating in prayer, seeking Allah's bounty and pleasure. The sign of brightness can be seen on their faces from the trace of prostrating in prayer.

Sunan Ibn Majah 4326
It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet said:
“The Fire will consume all of the son of Adam except the mark of prostration. Allah has forbidden the Fire to consume the mark of prostration.’”

I'm currently looking for contemporary examples. I can't do this all by myself. Someone should take the time to search through the lives and testimonies of Orthodox saints and Sufi mystics, the impressions left behind by those who made visits to consecrated places. What I have uncovered regarding the Mark of Prostration:

"when, at the moment of the Consecration, interrupting the improvisation he had begun, he would leave the organ-bench, and, kneeling in a corner of the gallery, prostrate himself in fervent adoration before the Almighty Presence at the altar."

"I had two marvelous days at Assisi. There, alone in the little twelfth-century Romanesque chapel of Santa Maria degli Angeli, an incomparable marvel of purity where Saint Francis often used to pray, something stronger than I was compelled me for the first time in my life to go down on my knees."

"Although I had previously disdained to engage in genuflection – my emotional immaturity having led me to suspect something servile in the custom – an irresistible impulse caused me to kneel."

Thus, did Baha'u'llah proclaim:
Thus the peoples of the world are judged by their countenance. By it, their misbelief, their faith, and their iniquity are all made manifest. Even as it is evident in this day how the people of error are, by their countenance, known and distinguished from the followers of divine Guidance.

 

[RJM]

there exists an unseen ruler of our planet who is not God, but was given power equal to him, entrusted with all authority on earth

I think so. And I believe the ruler of this planet is not always the same one, but that the 'LORD' of this earth moves on from time to time, ever onward, ever upward, and another fills his place.

 

[TheLightWithin]

Lastly, I will leave one last thing for true believers, before I go offline for a long time...

Fascinating points you've made.
I don't know if you mean you're stepping away from the forum after a short time here, or just taking a break from being online altogether but will you return?