Anwar Shah Kashmiri: Dam of Gog & Magog Collapsed

 

بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the worlds

Peace and benedictions upon you, my Master, Apostle of Allah

Concerning the identity of Gog & Magog, Allamah Anwar Shah Kashmiri said:

واعلم أن بأجوجَ ‌ومأجوج لا يَبْعُد أن أن يكونوا أهلَ روسيا وبريطانيا والمراد من خروجِهم حَمْلَتُهم وقد خرجوا مرارًا فإِنَّ تيمور لنك وجَنْكِيْزخَان وهُلاكوكلهم كانوا من يأجوج ‌ومأجوج ولم أَرَ فِعْلَهم ببني آدم إلا التدميرَ واستباحةَ بيضتهم ولعلهم يخرجونِ مِن نَسْلهم في زمنٍ قَدَّره الله تعالى فَيَعِيثُون في الأرض مفسدين أما السدُّ فقد انْدَكَّ اليوم وحَقَّقت في رسالتي عقيدة الإِسلام أن هؤلاء ليسوا إلا من بني آدَم وأَنَّ المرادَ من خروجهم ليس إلا خروجُهم على وَجْه الفساد وأن السَّدَّليس بمانعٍ من خروجهم اليوم أيضًا

Know that Gog and Magog may very well be the people of Russia and Britain. What is meant by their emergence is their attack, and they have emerged repeatedly. Tamerlane, Genghis Khan, and Hulagu were all from Gog and Magog, and I have not seen their action against the children of Adam except destruction and the violation of their skulls. Perhaps they will emerge from their offspring at a time decreed by Allah Most High, and they will spread corruption on the Earth. As for the dam, it has collapsed today, and I have established in my treatise Aqidat al-Islam that these are none other than the children of Adam, and that what is meant by their emergence is nothing but their emergence in a corrupt manner, and that the dam does not prevent their emergence today either (Faid ul-Bari, v.4, p.197)

أمَّا الكلامُ في يَأْجُوجَ ‌ومَأْجُوجَ فاعلم أنهم من ذُرِّيَّة يافث باتفاق المؤرِّخين

وللبرطانية إقرارٌ بأنهم من ذُرِّيَّة مَأْجُوجَ وكذا ألمانيا أيضًا منهم وأمَّا الروس فهم من ذُرِّيَّةِ يَأْجُوجَ

As for the discussion about Ya’juj wa Ma’juj, know that they are from the offspring of Japheth according to the agreement of the historians.

The British confess that they are among the offspring of Ma’juj (Magog), as do the Germans. As for the Russians, they are from the offspring of Ya’juj (Gog) (ibid, p.354)

I agree with Allamah Anwar Shah Kashmiri that the northern nations of Eurasia, such as the Russians, Germans and Anglo-Saxons, should be considered from among Gog and Magog. The Turks and Mongols too are from among Gog and Magog, including the likes of Genghis Khan and Timur and their armies which swept much of the world causing unbelievable destruction. I also agree with him that the barrier originally constructed by Dhu-l-Qarnayn to obstruct Gog and Magog from penetrating south of the Caucasus into the Near East has already been demolished.

Incidentally, Anwar Shah Kashmiri says that the Hadith about Gog and Magog excavating every day to penetrate the barrier constructed by Dhu-l-Qarnayn:

يَحْفِرُونَهُ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ حَتَّى إِذَا كَادُوا يَخْرِقُونَهُ قَالَ الَّذِي عَلَيْهِمُ ارْجِعُوا فَسَتَخْرِقُونَهُ غَدًا فَيُعِيدُهُ اللَّهُ كَأَمْثَلِ مَا كَانَ حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغَ مُدَّتَهُمْ وَأَرَادَ اللَّهُ أَنْ يَبْعَثَهُمْ عَلَى النَّاسِ

They dig it every day until, when they are about to penetrate it, the one over them says, “Go back, for you will penetrate it tomorrow.” Then Allah will restore it as it was until, when their term has reached its end, and Allah intends to send them against the people (Jami at-Tirmidhi) contradicts the authentic Hadith:

وَيْلٌ لِلْعَرَبِ مِنْ شَرٍّ قَدِ اقْتَرَبَ فُتِحَ الْيَوْمَ مِنْ رَدْمِ يَأْجُوجَ وَمَأْجُوجَ مِثْلُ هَذَا

Woe to the Arabs from an evil that has drawn nearer! Today a hole has been made in the dam of Gog and Magog like this (Sahih al-Bukhari)

(Faid ul-Bari, v.4, p.355)

But I don’t think there is any contradiction between the two Hadith. I say that the barrier was indeed penetrated by Gog and Magog in the lifetime of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and that they only managed to penetrate it when they said, “Go back, you will penetrate it tomorrow, God willing.”