What follows is my provisional translation (in other words, not official or authorized; see here for more) of a passage from a Tablet by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the original text of which has been published in Makátíb-i-Ḥaḍrat-i-‘Abdu’l-Bahá, vol. 3, p. 366. I recommend reading it in tandem with this passage from a Tablet of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in which He gives a figurative interpretation of Dhu’l-Qarnayn, and this passage from another one of His Tablets in which He gives various interpretations of that term as part of a commentary on the Quranic Súrih of the Cave.
Alexander is not meant by “Dhu’l-Qarnayn”;[1] rather, it is an allusion to one possessed of power. Consider how Alexander, with all his might and glory, was deprived of the fountain of life, while Khiḍr,[2] though bereft of worldly means, attained unto it and received his portion and share. Dhu’l-Qarnayn was one of the kings of Yemen and an Arab,[3] for Dhu’l-Kalá‘,[4] Dhu’l-Ḥimár,[5] Dhu’l-Qarnayn, and Dhí Yazan[6] are among the titles of the kings of Yemen. Some have erred, supposing that Alexander the Greek is intended, and this is a grievous mistake, for Dhu’l-Qarnayn was among the near servants of God, while Alexander was a Greek personage.
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[1] See Qur’án 18:83–98.
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khidr
[3] There are unpublished Persian notes (among the Ahmad Sohrab Papers at the US National Bahá’í Archives) from a lecture given in America by Mírzá Abu’l-Faḍl circa 1904 which state that Himyarite and Ghassanid kings adopted the title of Dhu’l-Qarnayn for themselves going back to some three or four hundred years before Muḥammad. That explanation aligns with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s statement in this Tablet that “Dhu’l-Qarnayn was among the near servants of God,” since the Himyarites and Ghassanids were monotheistic. However, Abu’l-Faḍl does not seem to identify any of the sovereigns from these kingdoms who held the title of Dhu’l-Qarnayn. Even among Muslims, there seems to be a lack of consensus on who was intended by the reference to Dhu’l-Qarnayn in the Qur’án (see endnote 1 above), though several possibilities have been surmised. One list is available here.
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samayfa_ibn_Nakur
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Aswad_al-Ansi
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saif_ibn_Dhi_Yazan
A typescript of the original Persian text of this passage appears below.
Adib Masumian 