83 Preface وَيَسأَلونَكَ عَن ذِي القَرنَينِ ۖ قُل سَأَتلو عَلَيكُم مِنهُ ذِكرًاAhmed AliThey ask you about Dhu’l-Qarnain.1 Many Commentators identify Dhu’l-Qarnain with Alexander of Macedon, some with kings of earlier days. But he is closest in his travels to East and West, wisdom and qualities of prophethood, to Cyrus the Great of Persia who was a contemporary of Zoroaster, whom he may well have known, as is indicated by the obviously symbolical travel to the setting and the rising sun, darkness and light. In the Bible too Cyrus is called the anointed one, with qualities similar to those attributed to Dhu’l-Qarnain here. See Isiah, 42:1-3, and Ezra, 1-2.