Transliteration:( 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 )
"They [209] said, 'O Dhul-Qarnayn, indeed, Gog and Magog are causing mischief [210] in the land. Should we then pay you a tribute [211] on the condition that you build a barrier between us and them?'"
Though the people could barely communicate verbally, they managed to express their request to Dhul-Qarnayn. This may have occurred through signs and symbols, or they might have found an interpreter who knew both languages. Some scholars suggest that Allah had blessed Dhul-Qarnayn with the ability to understand every language, allowing smooth communication without any external aid.
The people were under constant threat from Gog and Magog, tribes known for their extreme savagery and destruction. They descended from Yafath, the son of Hazrat Nuh (عليه السلام). These tribes would invade nearby lands, destroy fields and gardens, and even consume serpents, scorpions, animals, and humans. Their terrifying nature made them infamous throughout the region. It is said they were extremely tall, some up to 360 feet, and had hair covering their entire bodies.
In desperation, the people offered Dhul-Qarnayn a tribute—an agreement where he would take funds and manage the construction of a strong wall or barrier to protect them from Yajuj and Majuj. They entrusted him with complete authority over the project, seeking relief and security from destruction. This reflects how just rulers gain the confidence of people, and how protecting the oppressed is among the most noble responsibilities of leadership.
The tafsir of Surah Kahf verse 94 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Kahf ayat 92 which provides the complete commentary from verse 92 through 96.
(18:94) They said: “O Dhu al-Qarnayn, Gog and Magog[69] are spreading corruption in this land. So shall we pay you taxes on the understanding that you will set up a barrier between us and them?”
69. As has already been pointed out in (Surah Al-Kahf, ayat 83) note 62, Gog and Magog were the wild tribes of North Eastern Asia which, from the very early times had been making inroads on settled kingdoms and empires in Asia and Europe and ravaging them. According to Genesis (Chapter 10), they were the descendants of Japheth, the son of Noah, and the Muslim historians have also accepted this. And according to the book of Ezekiel (Chapters 38, 39), they inhabited the territories of Meshech (Moscow) and Tubal (Tubalsek). According to the Israelite historian Josephus, they were the Scythians and their territory spread to the north and the east of the Black Sea. According to Jerome, Magog inhabited the territory to the north of Caucasia near the Caspian Sea.
[798]- Savage tribes who had ravaged large parts of central Asia, committing every kind of atrocity.
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