Unfamiliar expressions in the hadith:

Ajfaẓ: that is, it fills them; meaning that the arrows return to them covered full of blood.

In al-Qāmūs: al-jafīẓ is a slain person who has become swollen. Al-jafẓ means fullness, and ijfaʾaẓẓat—like iḥmārrat and iṭmaʾannat—means that it swelled.

Naghafan: worms found in the nostrils of camels and sheep; the singular is naghafah.

Tashkaru: that is, it becomes filled with fat. It is said, “A she-camel shakarat,” when it became fat and its udder filled with milk.

Note: Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, cited this hadith from the narration of Imam Ahmad under his exegesis of the verses concerning the story of Dhu al-Qarnayn, his construction of the barrier, and Allah’s statement regarding Gog and Magog therein: “Thus they were unable to scale it, nor were they able to pierce it.” He then said: “Its chain is good and strong, but there is an objection to the text insofar as it is attributed to the Prophet, because the apparent meaning of the verse indicates that they were unable either to climb over it or to pierce it, owing to the soundness, solidity, and strength of its construction.”

I say: Yes, but the verse does not indicate, either directly or indirectly, that they will never be able to do so. The verse speaks of the past, whereas the hadith speaks of the future yet to come. Thus, there is neither contradiction nor objection; rather, the hadith accords perfectly with the Quran in His statement: “Until Gog and Magog are released, and they surge down from every elevation.” After writing this, I returned to the account in his work al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah and found that he had answered in a manner similar to what I have mentioned, though with some further points on which we have observations. It would take us too long to explain them; whoever wishes to examine them may refer to it (2/112).

Another note: Ibn Kathir’s aforementioned statement that the hadith’s chain is good came after he had cited al-Tirmidhi’s preceding statement, except that it did not contain the word “good.” This confused his abridger, Shaykh al-Sabuni (2/437), who cited Ibn Kathir’s statement after the hadith: “There is an objection to its attribution to the Prophet,” and mentioned