94 Preface قالوا يا ذَا القَرنَينِ إِنَّ يَأجوجَ وَمَأجوجَ مُفسِدونَ فِي الأَرضِ فَهَل نَجعَلُ لَكَ خَرجًا عَلىٰ أَن تَجعَلَ بَينَنا وَبَينَهُم سَدًّاYusuf AliThey said: “O Zul-qarnain! the Gog and Magog (people)1 do great mischief on earth: shall we then render thee tribute in order that thou mightest erect a barrier between us and them?Who were the Gog and Magog people? This question is connected with the question, who was Dhu al Qarnayn? Some discussion on the question will be found in Appendix 6 at the end of this Sūra. What we are mainly concerned with is the spiritual interpretation. The Conqueror had now arrived among a people who were different in speech and race from him, but not quite primitive, for they were skilled in the working of metals, and could furnish blocks (or bricks) of iron, melt metals with bellows or blowpipes, and prepare molten lead (18:96). Apparently they were a peaceable and industrious race, much subject to incursions from wild tribes who are called Gog and Magog. Against these tribes they were willing to purchase immunity by paying the Conqueror tribute in return for protection. The permanent protection they wanted was the closing of a mountain gap through which the incursions were made.