The claim presupposes that historians are aware of every single significant leader in ancient human history. They are not. Archaeologists continue to discover more regularly.

The coin evidence is pretty much conclusive evidence that Dhul Qarnain is Alexander the Great. Alexander the great was always depicted as having the horns of Amon (depicted as a Ram) - the Egyptian equivalent of Zeus - KING OF ALL GODS. Alexander was always considered the most legendary of all kings. Even the Roman Emperors aspired to be him. Thats why he's depicted with horns, because Amon = Zeus = symbol of a king. In the middle east, rulers were compared to the Egyptian gods, which is why the Egyptian copts chose to describe Alexander with the Horns of Amon. This tradition naturally seeped into the inferior Semitic tribes (ie the Arabs) and eventually the "two horned one" is a semitic reference to Alexander the great!

(Extra Info: When Alexander conquered Egypt the Egyptian oracles at Siwa declared him "Son of Amon". Since then semitic cultures portrayed him with two-horns in this vain. NO OTHER LEADER was given this honor.)

But he must have been an important person and a very well known person...we can't just say, it could have been anyone.

If that is the case, then Muslims do not know who Mohammed was referring to when he talks about Dhul Qarnayn..so how can Muslims say everything in the Quran is proven and true because you don't know who the man even was.

Also I'd like to know are there other great world leaders or great (figures) mentioned in the Quran that Muslims do not know who Mohammed was referring to?

Salam,


018.086 Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it set in a spring of murky water: Near it he found a People: We said: "O Zul-qarnain! (thou hast authority,) either to punish them, or to treat them with kindness."

No one can reach the Sun set, does that mean that he(Thul qarnayn) went around the world.?

Allahu allam

Is this conclusive evidence he was a goat?


or...the devil, or a cow, or anything else depicted with two horns.

Actually NO. What does he have to do with a goat? Read up on Amon. He was always portrayed as a ram. Nothing you said actually links back to talking about alexander the great. Nobody here said "he was a goat". So I really don't get what you're talking about.

What you mean is that we do not know whether the identity of Dhul-Qarnayn is known to historians and archaeologists by another name or whether it has yet to be discovered. But we know who he was from what the Qur'an has told us about him.
I don't think any Muslim has ever claimed that every historical figure mentioned in the Qur'an has been realized by archaeological and historical evidence.

Again, we know who they were from what it says in the Qur'an. But if you mean anyone who's identity remains a mystery to modern historians and archaeologists, then why not start with Adam?

Your reasoning was:
1. Dhul-Qarnayn is the 'two-horned one'
2. I have a coin depicting Alexander the Great with two horns
3. Therefore, Dhul Qarnayn is Alexander the Great.

What is the difference between the above reasoning and saying:
1. Dhul-Qarnayn is the 'two-horned one'
2. I have a coin depicting a goat with two horns
3. Therefore, Dhul Qarnayn is a goat

Actually, I should also point out that horned helmets are noted battle-gear for several ancient civilizations.

You second line of incorrect reasoning is wrong because it is divorced from historical context. You do not take into account the the authors of the Quran came from the Mid-East (arabs) and that the local powerful cultures (ie Egypt) influenced their ideas and folklore.

Here's my line of reasoning:

1) Dhul Qarnain means "two horned one"
2) Dhul Qarnain is described in Quran as a great leader that reaches the far ends of the earth.
3) Therefore Dhul Qarnain CANNOT be a simple goat (lol)
4) Alexander the Great is the only leader known in the Mid-East to be anointed as the son of Amon (a ram figure) and displayed by locals as being with "two horns"
5) Alexander the Great also reached the far reaches of the known world (at his times)
6) Since the Quran was written in the Mideast the only known figure that matches the Quranic "Dhul Qarnain" is ALEXANDER THE GREAT!

Note: Christian legend also (propagandistically) described Alexander as a pious monotheist. This accounts for how the idea of Alexander the great being a "muslim" made its way into the Quran. Embarrasing indeed!

yeah. so? The horns are not just any horns. They are rams horns. The horns of AMON. Alexander the Great was anointed as the SON OF AMON.




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amun

Likewise, in Libya, there remained an oracle of Amun in the desert, at the oasis of Siwa. Such was its reputation among the Greeks that Alexander the Great journeyed there, after the battle of Issus, and during his occupation of Egypt, in order to be acknowledged the son of the god. Even during this occupation, Amun, identified as a form of Zeus, continued to be the great god of Thebes,

How about someone with one of these on their head?





Where in the Qur'an does it say Dhul-Qarnayn was anointed as the son of Amon?

There have been NUMEROUS conquerors who have had such territorial span in ancient times.

Keyword - 'known'. That proves? Nothing.

Where does the Qur'an say he had ram horns?

Some Muslims have speculated that Cyrus may have been Dhul-Qarnayn.

Cyrus' dominions must have comprised the largest empire the world had yet seen

Again, it's just speculation.

I never said the Quran did.

Actually no, Alexander the Great was the only one known to have gone that far. That's the only really big hero the Arabs really knew of.