Abu Ishaq al-Sabiʿi, on the authority of ʿAmr ibn ʿAbd Allah al-Wadaʿi, related: I heard Muʿawiyah say, “Four men have ruled the earth: Solomon son of David, the Prophet ﵉; Dhu l-Qarnayn; a man from Hulwan; and another man.” Someone asked him, “Al-Khidr?” He replied, “No.” (1)

Al-Zubayr ibn Bakkar said: Ibrahim ibn al-Mundhir told me, from Muhammad ibn al-Dahhak, from his father, that Sufyan al-Thawri said: “It has reached me that four persons ruled the entire earth—two believers and two unbelievers: Solomon the Prophet, Dhu l-Qarnayn, Nimrod, and Nebuchadnezzar.” (2) Saʿid ibn Bashir transmitted the same report verbatim.

Ishaq ibn Bishr reported from Saʿid ibn Abi ʿArubah, from Qatadah, from al-Hasan, who said: “Dhu l-Qarnayn reigned after Nimrod. He was a righteous Muslim who reached both East and West; Allah prolonged his life and granted him victory until he subdued the lands, seized their wealth, opened their cities, slew their fighting men, and ranged over countries and fortresses, marching on until he had arrived at the rising and the setting-place of the sun.

“That is the meaning of Allah’s words: ‘They ask you about Dhu l-Qarnayn. Say: I shall recite to you something of his story’—that is, his narrative—‘Indeed, We established him firmly in the land and granted him access to every means,’ meaning knowledge of the routes that lead to each station.”

Ishaq added: Muqatil claimed that he would conquer cities and amass treasures; whoever followed him in his religion and supported him (3) was spared, otherwise he killed him. (4)

Ibn ʿAbbas, Mujahid, Saʿid ibn Jubayr, ʿIkrimah, ʿUbayd ibn Yaʿla, al-Suddi, Qatadah, and al-Dahhak said that the phrase “We granted him access to every means” means knowledge. (5)

Qatadah and Matar al-Warraq (6) interpreted it as knowledge of the earth’s landmarks, its stations, its signposts, and its traces.

ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Zayd ibn Aslam said: it refers to mastery of languages; he would never march against a people without addressing them in their own tongue.

The sound opinion is that it encompasses (7) every means by which he might attain his objectives, whether in governance or otherwise, for he would take from each region such goods, foodstuffs, and provisions as would suffice him and aid him with the people of the next region.