حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغَ بَيْنَ السَّدَّيْنِ وَجَدَ مِنْ دُونِهِمَا قَوْمًا لَا يَكَادُونَ يَفْقَهُونَ قَوْلًا ﴿۹۳﴾ قَالُوا يَا ذَا الْقَرْنَيْنِ إِنَّ يَأْجُوجَ وَمَأْجُوجَ مُفْسِدُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَهَلْ نَجْعَلُ لَكَ خَرْجًا عَلَى أَنْ تَجْعَلَ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَهُمْ سَدًّا ﴿۹۴﴾ قَالَ مَا مَكَّنِّي فِيهِ رَبِّي خَيْرٌ فَأَعِينُونِي بِقُوَّةٍ أَجْعَلْ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَهُمْ رَدْمًا ﴿۹۵﴾ آتُونِي زُبَرَ الْحَدِيدِ حَتَّى إِذَا سَاوَى بَيْنَ الصَّدَفَيْنِ قَالَ انْفُخُوا حَتَّى إِذَا جَعَلَهُ نَارًا قَالَ آتُونِي أُفْرِغْ عَلَيْهِ قِطْرًا ﴿۹۶﴾

﴾93﴿ Hattaaa izaa balagha bainas saddaini wajada min doonihimaa qawmal laa yakaa doona yafqahoona qawlaa
﴾94﴿ Qaaloo yaa Zal qarnaini inna Ya'jooja wa Ma'jooja mufsidoona fil ardi fahal naj'alu laka kharjan 'alaaa an taj'ala bainanaa wa bainahum saddaa
﴾95﴿ Qaala maa makkannee feehi Rabbee khairun fa-a'eenoonee biquwwatin aj'al bainakum wa bainahum radmaa
﴾96﴿ Aatoonee zubaral hadeed, hattaaa izaa saawaa bainas sadafaini qaalan fukhoo hattaaa izaa ja'alahoo naaran qaala aatooneee ufrigh 'alaihi qitraa

﴾93﴿ When he reached between two mountains, he found near them a people who could hardly understand any speech
﴾94﴿ They said (through an interpreter), O Dhul-Qarnayn, indeed Gog and Magog are corrupters in this land. Shall we offer you a tribute so that you might build a barrier between us and them
﴾95﴿ He said, What my Lord has given me in strength is better [than your tribute]. So assist me with your manpower, and I will construct a barrier between you and them
﴾96﴿ Bring me blocks of iron, until he had leveled it between the two mountain cliffs. He said, Blow [with bellows], until he made it [like] fire. He said, Bring me molten copper to pour over it

[93] The meaning of (al-saddayn) is two mountains, and they were named so because they acted as natural barriers—powerful walls created by Allah to block Gog and Magog, with only a gap remaining between them.
This people could not understand Dhu al-Qarnayn’s language, which is proof that Dhu al-Qarnayn did not have knowledge of everything—so how could he be considered a partner with Allah, the Most High?
(Qawman) refers to two types of people: one group was east of the Caspian Sea, known as the Caspians, and the other group was called the Colchians, who were near the Caucasus region.
[94] (Ya’jūj wa Ma’jūj) are two nations from the descendants of Yāfith (Japheth), son of Noah (peace be upon him). Among the descendants of Yāfith are also the Turks, Slavs, Chinese, and others. All of them are sources of corruption, but the corruption of Gog and Magog exceeds them all. In European terminology, they are referred to as “Gog and Magog.”
Authentic hadiths have also been reported about them, and their emergence is among the signs of the nearness of the Day of Judgment. When they break through the wall, it is possible that China, Russia, and others will be among the corrupters with them, because all these groups share lineage and will spread corruption throughout the world—except in the sacred land of Ḥijāz.
(Fa-hal naj‘alu laka kharjan) indicates that it is the duty of the people to seek help from the ruler for social benefit.
[95] The verse indicates that a righteous king does not take wealth from the people without necessity, because doing so harms the subjects. However, seeking physical assistance in accordance with necessity is permissible.
(Saddan) refers generally to a wall, while radman refers to a wall whose parts are tightly connected and firmly built.
The construction of this wall signifies that it is the duty of a ruler to protect his people, block the way for corrupters in the land, and establish security within his kingdom.
[96] He constructed blocks of iron and stacked them on top of each other in such a way that the wall became level with the peaks of the mountains. Then he melted copper, heated the iron thoroughly with fire, and poured the molten copper into the joints. When the wall cooled, the copper solidified within it, making the wall extremely strong.
Historians have written that near the Caucasus, in the Darial Valley, there is an ancient wall known as as-Sadd al-Ḥadīdī (the Iron Wall). Ibn Jarīr has recorded events of certain kings who sent people to investigate those regions, and they reported having seen it.