Dhul-Qarnayn and the Great Wall

7 min · Ages 4–12

A tall glowing wall of iron and copper between two dark mountains under the stars.

Dhul-Qarnayn is a believer who loves Allah, and Allah makes him a great and powerful ruler. He travels far and chooses to be fair, and when some people ask for help, he builds a strong wall of iron and copper between two mountains, without taking any payment. He says, this is a mercy from my Lord.

The Moral · Kindness

Dhul-Qarnayn was strong, and he chose to be fair and to speak gently. When people asked for a wall, he built it with them and took no payment.

Try today: Help someone today without asking for anything back.

How the Story begins

A great wall of iron rose between two mountains. This is a true story, from the Qur’an. Long ago, some people came to our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and asked him about a man called Dhul-Qarnayn. So Allah told the Prophet his story in the Qur’an. His name means the one with the two horns. The Qur’an does not tell us why he had that name, so we will not guess.

Dhul-Qarnayn was a believer who loved Allah, and Allah made him a great and powerful ruler. The Qur’an tells us that Allah gave him power in the land, and gave him the way to everything he needed: the knowledge, the tools and the means to get things done. And Dhul-Qarnayn set out on a long journey, following the way Allah had given him.

He travelled and travelled, all the way towards where the sun sets, far in the west. And there, the Qur’an tells us, he saw the sun looking as if it were setting into a spring of dark, muddy water. Of course, the sun does not really go into water. The scholars explain that this is how it looked to him, like when you stand on a beach and watch the sun sink into the sea.

The Story has 17 Pages. The rest is narrated in the app.

Hear the whole Story in Munira. Narrated Page by Page over hand-drawn Scenes, then a picture Quiz and one Moral to carry into tomorrow. Bedtime Mode dims the screen and fades the narration to silence.

Download on the App Store

Free to download with 5 Free Stories. Every Story with Yearly (US$19.99, 7-day free trial) or Lifetime (US$49.99). iPhone and iPad; English.

Sources

Retold from Surah Al-Kahf 18:83–98; with notes from Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Every Story in Munira is retold only from the Qur’an and authentic hadith, shows its Sources, and is checked by a Reviewer before it is published in the app.

More from Kings and wise hearts

A leather sling with two cords lying across smooth river stones beside a shallow stream.

Kings and wise hearts Dawud and Jalut 6 min · Ages 7–12

A flock of birds gathering above layered mountains in the glow of evening.

Kings and wise hearts Dawud's Beautiful Voice 6 min · Ages 4–12

A single large ant standing on top of an anthill in the sunlit sand.

Kings and wise hearts Sulaiman and the Little Ant 6 min · Ages 4–12

A hoopoe with a feathered crown perched on a branch beside a small rolled scroll tied with a cord.

Kings and wise hearts The Hoopoe's Big News 7 min · Ages 4–12

A small glowing seed tucked inside a hollow in a large rock at sunset.

Kings and wise hearts Luqman’s Advice to His Son 7 min · Ages 4–12