Is the claim correct that Yajuj and Majuj are amongst us today?

I have listened to the lectures of sheikh —- in which he states that gog and magog are already released into this world as the white jews in israel and they are already drinking all the water, etc.

I want to know if this is true. is there a possibility that gog and magog are already here?

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

The issue of Yajuj and Majuj (Gog and Magog) and their current location has been a topic of debate between many in the past, but it is important to understand that the majority of scholars advise that one should not delve into details that are not expressly stated in the Quran and the ahadith and should only stick to the apparent meaning of such texts.[1]

The Shaykh has chosen to interpret such texts based on logic and self-interpretation. He believes that the story of Dhul Qarnain and Yajuj and Majuj (mentioned in Surah Kahf, verses 93-96) is in reference to the Darial Gorge surrounded by the Caucasus Mountain ranges.[2]  

In regards to Yajuj and Majuj themselves, he states in his book “An Islamic View of Gog and Magog in the Modern World”:

“The Khazar tribes who resided in territory north of Caucasus Mountains not only converted to Judaism but also created history in early Islam when they successfully blocked the path of the all-conquering Muslim armies that were poised to conquer Europe…we have located people who have been making  that journey to the Holy Land from the very region where Dhul Qarnain built the barrier. It is these European or Caucasian Jews who have been also responsible for seducing the Israelite Jews to leave wherever they were residing (in the Muslim World in particular) and to return to the Holy Land.

And so our conclusion is that Gog and Magog were originally located in the Khazars of Eastern Europe. While many of them became European Jews it is certain that some them must also have become European Christians…”[3]

He argues that those who claim otherwise only say so because they themselves have not searched for the barrier of Dhul Qarnain themselves.[4] He further substantiates on this using self interpretations of Quranic ayaat and ahadith that do not conform with the explanations offered by the mufassirin and muhaddithin in the past. [5] It is stated clearly in the ahadith that the emergence of the Yajuj and Majuj will become apparent after the arrival of Isa (alaihis salam). The Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said:

ثُمَّ يَأْتِي عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ قَوْمٌ قَدْ عَصَمَهُمُ اللهُ مِنْهُ، فَيَمْسَحُ عَنْ وُجُوهِهِمْ وَيُحَدِّثُهُمْ بِدَرَجَاتِهِمْ فِي الْجَنَّةِ، فَبَيْنَمَا هُوَ كَذَلِكَ إِذْ أَوْحَى اللهُ إِلَى عِيسَى: إِنِّي قَدْ أَخْرَجْتُ عِبَادًا لِي، لَا يَدَانِ لِأَحَدٍ بِقِتَالِهِمْ، فَحَرِّزْ عِبَادِي إِلَى الطُّورِ  وَيَبْعَثُ اللهُ يَأْجُوجَ وَمَأْجُوجَ، وَهُمْ مِنْ كُلِّ حَدَبٍ يَنْسِلُونَ

Then a people whom Allah had protected from him (dajjal) would come to Isa, son of Maryam (alaihimas salam), and he would wipe their faces and would inform them of their ranks in Paradise and it would be under such conditions that Allah would reveal to Isa (alaihis salam) these words: I have brought forth from amongst My servants such people against whom none would be able to fight; you take these people safely to Tur, and then Allah would send Gog and Magog and they would swarm down from every slope. The first of them would pass the lake of Tiberias and drink out of it. And when the last of them would pass, he would say: There was once water there. [Sahih Muslim, 2937, The Book of Tribulations and Portents of the Last Hour]

He further attempts to make the last portion of this hadith in regards to the lake of Tiberias (currently known as Sea of Galilee[6]) coincide with his interpretation of Yajuj and Majuj. He states in his book:

“the release of Gog and Magog is also located in the Hadith describing them passing by the Sea of Galilee on their way to Jerusalem and drinking the water in that sea to such an extent that it would eventually dry up…The water level in the Sea of Galilee is now so low that it is considered essentially dead, i.e. it is only a matter of time before it dries up…When it reaches that level, removing water from the lake, which is one of Israel’s major water resource will no longer be possible because the pumps will be above the water level…Additional dramatic proof of the release of Gog and Magog can be found in the growing evidence of the world’s great lakes now drying up.”[7]

Other than the aforementioned interpretations, The Shaykh has other opinions regarding the signs of the day of judgment that are not in conformity with the opinions of the majority of the scholars, such as:

• The “Dajjal”(or antichrist) has already been released and is currently in the third stage of his mission
• The “Dukhan” (or “the smoke”) refers to pollution
• The “Dabbatul Ard” or (“the Beast”) refers to the state of Israel[8]

The fact of the matter is that all such interpretations are based off of mere intellect and are not substantiated by explanations provided by the muhaddithin or mufassirin in the past.

As stated before, we as Muslims are not bound to interpret such ahadith with our own logic and reasoning. We accept the ahadith as they are with their apparent meanings without delving into details not explicitly mentioned by the Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) or his companions (may Allah be pleased with them).

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Bilal Mohammad

Student Darul Iftaa
New Jersey, USA 

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.

www.daruliftaa.net