Seyyed Mohammad Reza Mir Seyyed
Abstract
In the holy Qur'an, in Kahf Surah, there has been a reference to Dhu al-Qarnayn. Qur'anic scholars and commentators have been concerned with finding the true meaning of Dhul Qarnain. Abul Kalam Azad tracked the Torah and investigated the history of ancient Iran, and concluded that the great Cyrus was ...
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In the holy Qur'an, in Kahf Surah, there has been a reference to Dhu al-Qarnayn. Qur'anic scholars and commentators have been concerned with finding the true meaning of Dhul Qarnain. Abul Kalam Azad tracked the Torah and investigated the history of ancient Iran, and concluded that the great Cyrus was Dhu al-Qarnayn. Cyrus's great wars in the north, south, and west of Iran, the hornlike crown of Morghab plain along with his occasionally mild behavior with his defeated enemies, and especially his services to the Jews of Babylon truly match Cyrus with Dhu al-Qarnayn. Referring to the words of the Torah and Achaemenids being Zoroastrian, he confirms the monolithic religion of Dhu al-Qarnayn. Although some evidence presented here is compatible with his characteristics in Holy Qur'an, his faith in God and the Resurrection, lack of fair treatment of offenders, not registering the Iron Dam foundation in his name in historical resources are issues that doubt his sameness with Cyrus. The present paper highlights the clear difference between Cyrus and Dhu al-Qarnayn through investigating Abul Kalam's views and its criticism on the insufficiency of the presented evidence.
