According to what Ibn Jarir relates, Shahr Baraz, in the city of Bab, pointed out a man to Abdurrahman b. Rebia who had come to him, and said: "O commander, I sent this man towards the barrier (sed), provided him with ample provisions, and wrote a letter addressed to the kings, which I gave to him so that the kings might support and assist me in a certain matter. I also sent them gifts. In my letter, I said: Send this man with the other kings who are in the regions beyond you, so that he may reach the barrier of Dhu'l-Qarnayn (Zülkarneyn şeddi), and let them recommend him. Let this man go and see the barrier of Dhu'l-Qarnayn and bring us news about it."
This man set out and arrived at the ruler of the land where the barrier of Dhu'l-Qarnayn was located. The ruler sent him to the governor of the city where the barrier was. The governor, along with Bazyar, sent him towards the barrier. Bazyar had an eagle with him. When they reached the barrier, they encountered two mountains, between which there was a closed barrier. When they climbed to the top of the mountains, they saw, behind the barrier, a trench so dark and steep that it was blacker than the darkness of night due to its depth. He looked at the trench and began to ponder. Just as he was about to turn back, Bazyar said to him:
– Wait a moment.
Then he took a piece of meat he had with him and threw it into the air. The eagle rushed after the piece of meat. Bazyar said: "If the eagle catches the piece of meat in the air before it falls to the ground, there is nothing unusual. But if it cannot catch it in the air before it falls, then there is something abnormal." The eagle could not catch the piece of meat in the air. Eventually, the meat fell to the bottom of the trench. The eagle descended to the bottom of the trench, retrieved the meat, but on the meat was the ruby I am showing you now." After saying this, Shahr Baraz gave the ruby to Abdurrahman b. Rebia. After examining it, Abdurrahman returned the ruby to him. Upon its return, Shahr Baraz rejoiced and said:
– By Allah, this ruby is better than owning the city of Bab al-Abwab. I swear by Allah, today you are dearer to me than the dynasty of Kisra. If I were under their rule and they knew of this ruby, they would forcibly take it from me. I swear by Allah, nothing you possess is as valuable as the great sovereignty you hold in your hands."
After this, Abdurrahman b. Rebia turned to the envoy whom Shahr Baraz had sent to the barrier of Dhu'l-Qarnayn and said:
– What is the state of the barrier of Dhu'l-Qarnayn? What are its characteristics? The envoy, showing the red and bluish garment he was wearing, said:
– It is like this. One of the men present also said to Abdurrahman:
– By Allah, he has spoken the truth. He saw it with his own eyes. Abdurrahman replied:
– Yes, he has described the qualities of iron and copper. For the Exalted Allah says in a noble verse: "Bring me blocks of iron," he said. When they had filled up the gap between the two mountains, he said, "Blow," until when he had made it (like) fire, he said, "Bring me molten copper to pour over it." (al-Kahf 18:96)
I have explained the characteristics of the barrier of Dhu'l-Qarnayn in our tafsir (Qur'anic exegesis) and in the earlier parts of this book.
Al-Bukhari also narrates in his Sahih that a man said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
– I have seen the barrier.
– How did you see it?
– I saw it like a decorated and patterned cloak.
Abdurrahman b. Rebia then asked Shahr Baraz the following question:
– What was the value of the gifts you sent to those kings?
– The value of the gifts I sent was 100,000 dirhams in my lands, and 3,000,000 dirhams in their lands.
Our teacher Abu Abdullah al-Dhahabi has transmitted the following among the events of the twenty-second year of the Hijra: The author of the book "Masalik al-Mamalik" stated that Salam the Interpreter dictated the following to him: When the Caliph al-Wathiq bi Amrillah b. al-Mu'tasim saw in a dream that the barrier of Dhu'l-Qarnayn had been breached, he sent Salam to the region where the barrier was located. He also gave him a letter, in which he recommended that the local rulers treat him well. In addition, he sent him to those regions with 2,000 mule-loads of provisions. Salam and his companions set out from Samarra and arrived in Tbilisi. The ruler of Tbilisi, Ishaq, also gave him a letter, recommending that the governor of Sharir treat them well. When they reached the governor of Sharir, he wrote a letter to the rulers of Lam, recommending that Salam be treated well. After arriving at the ruler of Lam, he also wrote a letter to Kaplan Shah, recommending that Salam be assisted. Kaplan Shah also wrote a letter to the ruler of the Khazars, recommending that Salam be assisted. In addition, Kaplan Shah sent five of his sons with Salam. They traveled for twenty-six days. Then they reached a foul-smelling black land, so much so that the smell of vinegar reached their noses. They traveled for ten days in that foul-smelling land.
Finally, they reached ruined cities, which were twenty-seven days' journey away. There were Gog and Magog (Ye'cûc and Me'cûc) there. They had destroyed those cities, which remain in ruins to this day. Salam and his companions reached a fortress near the barrier of Dhu'l-Qarnayn. There, they encountered a people who spoke Arabic and Persian and had schools and mosques where the Qur'an was memorized. They were astonished at their condition and asked them where they had come from. They explained that they had been sent there by the Commander of the Faithful (amir al-mu'minin) al-Wathiq. They could not describe him exactly. The delegation then came to a slippery mountain with no greenery on it. There, they saw that bricks of iron were embedded in copper, and thus a barrier had been constructed. The barrier was truly high; the eye could not see its top.
It also had iron balconies. In the middle was a large gate with two wings, both locked. Each wing of the gate was a hundred cubits wide and five cubits deep. There was a padlock on it, seven cubits long and a span thick. There were guards there, standing by the padlock. New guards were stationed there every day. After this, they would hear a disturbing, loud sound, saying: "There are guards and sentinels behind this gate." Near that gate were two large fortresses, between which was a spring of fresh water. In one of the fortresses, the remains of buildings still exist. There are shovels and iron bricks and other items. The length of a brick was one and a half cubits, its width one and a half cubits, and its thickness about a span. It is reported that the inhabitants of those lands were asked whether they had seen anyone from Gog and Magog (Ye'cûc and Me'cûc), and they said that one day they saw some individuals on the balconies, but when the wind blew, those individuals fell down by themselves. They said that one of the men from the tribe of Gog and Magog was about one or half a span tall.
Allah knows best.
Al-Waqidi said: In the twenty-second year of the Hijra, Muawiya attacked Saife from the Byzantine territories. Hammad and other Companions (ṣaḥāba) were with him. They obtained spoils and returned safely. In this year, Yazid, the son of Muawiya, and Abd al-Malik, the son of Marwan, were born.
In this year, ʿUmar led the people in the pilgrimage (hajj). The governors he had appointed to the provinces were the same as those of the previous year; none were changed.
It is reported that in this year, ʿUmar dismissed Ammar from the governorship of Kufa due to the complaints of the people. The Kufans said that Ammar did not govern them well. ʿUmar therefore removed him from office and appointed Abu Musa al-Ashʿari in his place. The Kufans, saying they did not want him, complained about his son, upon which ʿUmar said:
– Let me think about this matter for a while. Then, to consider whom to appoint as governor there, he went to a group of people in the mosque. He fell asleep from sorrow, and at that moment, Mughirah came and stood by him, waiting until he woke up, and said to him:
– O Commander of the Faithful! This matter that has befallen you is truly great.
– What am I to do with these Kufans? Kufa has a population of 100,000. They are not pleased with any governor, nor is any governor pleased with them.
After this, ʿUmar gathered the Companions (ṣaḥāba) and consulted with them. He asked whether he should appoint a strong and stern man or a weak and God-conscious (taqwa) man as governor over the Kufans. Mughirah b. Shuʿbah said to him:
– O Commander of the Faithful! The strength of a strong man is to your and the Muslims' advantage. His sternness benefits himself. As for a weak and God-conscious man, his weakness is to your and the Muslims' detriment. His God-consciousness (taqwa) benefits only himself.
Upon this, ʿUmar approved of Mughirah's opinion and said to him:
– Go, I have appointed you as governor of Kufa.
After ʿUmar had dismissed Mughirah from the governorship of Kufa due to the testimony of those who accused him of adultery, and after applying the prescribed punishment to those whose slander was proven, he reappointed Mughirah as governor of Kufa. The definitive knowledge of this matter is with Allah, the Mighty and Majestic.
Abu Musa al-Ashʿari sent word to Basra and had the dismissed Ammar asked the following question:
– Did being dismissed from office upset you?
– Being appointed as governor did not please me, but being dismissed upset me.
According to another report, it was ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) who asked Ammar this question. Later, ʿUmar wanted to send Saʿd b. Abi Waqqas as governor to Kufa in place of Mughirah, but as will be explained later, in the twenty-third year of the Hijra, death overtook Saʿd before he could go to Kufa. For this reason, ʿUmar left a testament regarding Saʿd in this matter.
Al-Waqidi said: In the twenty-second year of the Hijra, Ahnaf b. Qays went on a military expedition to the provinces of Khurasan. He headed for the city where the Persian king Yazdegerd was.
Ibn Jarir said that, according to the claim of Sayf b. Umar, the expedition to the provinces of Khurasan took place in the eighteenth year of the Hijra.
I say: The more well-known report is the first one. Allah knows best.