Gog and Magog: Difference between revisions

* '''Name of a person''': According to some sources, "Gog" and "Magog" was the name of a person. In the [[Old Testament]], Magog is the second son of Japheth who was one of [[Noah (a)]]'s sons.

* '''A geographical location''': According to some religious sources, "Gog" and "Magog" does not refer to a person, a tribe, or a number of tribes; rather it refers to a geographical region.

* '''Tribes residing in northern Asia''': In Islamic sources, "Gog" and "Magog" refers to tribes residing in northern Asia who were engaged in murder and plunder of the possessions of other tribes. According to these sources, the area of their residence ranged from northeastern Asia, that is, [[Tibet]] and [[China]], to Arctic Ocean, and from the west to [[Turkmenistan]]. Thus, some people take the word, "Gog" and "Magog", to be derived from the Chinese word, "Mongok" or "Monchok", which has transformed into "Ya'juj wa Ma'juj" in Hebrew and Arabic, and into "Gog" and "Magog" in Greek.

* '''Another title for Mongols''': Some people have speculated that "Gog" and "Magog" were the same as the [[Mongol]] people who lived in northeastern Caspian Sea and invaded nearby regions, such as [[Transoxiana]], [[Armenia]], and [[Azerbaijan]] as well as farther regions, such as China and the [[India|Indian Subcontinent]]. The Great Wall of China and the Dam of [[Dhu l-Qarnayn]] were constructed in order to block their progress. Thus, the riot of "Gog" and "Magog" in the [[End Time]], which is mentioned in the [[Qur'an]], has been interpreted as the invasion of the Mongols in the 7th/[[13th]] century.

The Qur'an has referred to Gog and Magog in [[Sura al-Kahf]], [[verse]]s 93-98<ref>When he reached [the place] between the two barriers, he found between them a people who could hardly understand a word [of his language].(93){{-}}They said, ‘O Dhul Qarnayn! Indeed Gog and Magog are causing disaster in this land. Shall we pay you a tribute on condition that you build a barrier between them and us?’(94){{-}}He said, ‘What my Lord has furnished me is better. Yet help me with some strength, and I will make a bulwark between you and them.(95){{-}}Bring me pieces of iron!’ When he had levelled up between the flanks, he said, ‘Blow!’ When he had turned it into fire, he said, ‘Bring me molten copper to pour over it.’(96){{-}}So they could neither scale it, nor could they make a hole in it.(97){{-}}He said, ‘This is a mercy from my Lord. But when the promise of my Lord is fulfilled, He will level it; and my Lord’s promise is true.’(98)</ref> and [[Sura al-Anbiya']], verse 96<ref>until when Gog and Magog are let loose, and they race down from every slope.</ref> as people who caused corruption in the land and harmed others. In Sura al-Anbiya', the riot of "Gog" and "Magog" is mentioned as an indication of the End Time.

In one of his journeys, [[Dhu l-Qarnayn]], a believing king, arrived in a region which was located between two mountains. People of the region told him that "Gog" and "Magog" who lived on the other side of the mountain frequently invaded their lands and plundered everything. People asked Dhu l-Qarnayn to construct a dam preventing "Gog" and "Magog" in exchange for some money. With the help of people, he constructed a dam with molten iron and copper without receiving any money from them. The dam came to be known as the "[[Dam of Dhu l-Qarnayn]]" or the "Dam of Gog and Magog". The [[Qur'an]] has narrated the story in verses 93 to 98 of Sura al-Anbiya'. Some people believe that the dam is located in Darial Gorge in the north of [[Tbilisi]] on the [[Georgia]]-[[Russia]] border.

Their riot in the End Time is also prognosticated in the Book of Ezekiel in the [[Old Testament]] and the Book of Revelation of John in the [[New Testament]].

The word, "Ya'juj wa Ma'juj" (Gog and Magog), is used in the folk Persian literature to mean something strange, unfamiliar, and unintelligible.

* The material for this article is mainly taken from {{ia|[[:fa:یأجوج و مأجوج|یأجوج و مأجوج]]}} in Farsi WikiShia.

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