Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Kahf Verse 97

Mufti Taqi Usmani

So they (Ya’jūj and Ma’jūj) were not able to climb it, nor were they able to make a hole in it.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

And so the enemies could neither scale nor tunnel through it.

Ruwwad Translation Center

Thus they could not climb over it nor could they pierce it.

A. J. Arberry

So they were unable either to scale it or pierce it.

Abdul Haleem

Their enemies could not scale the barrier, nor could they pierce it,

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Thus they Were not able to mount it, nor Were they able to burrow through it.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Thus were they made powerless to scale it or to dig through it.

Abul Ala Maududi

Such was the rampart that Gog and Magog could not scale, nor could they pierce it.

Ahmed Ali

Thus (Gog and Magog) could neither climb over it nor dig a hole through (the rampart).

Ahmed Raza Khan

Therefore Yajuj and Majuj were neither able to surmount it, nor could they pierce it.

Ali Quli Qarai

So they could neither scale it, nor could they make a hole in it.

Ali Ünal

And they (Gog and Magog) were no longer able to surmount, nor were they able to dig their way through (the barrier).

Amatul Rahman Omar

So (there was built the rampart which) they (- Gog and Magog) could neither scale nor they had the strength to cause a breach through it.

English Literal

So they did not rise/diffuse/spread over (it, nor) that they mount/ascend it , and they were not able (of) piercing/penetration for it.

Faridul Haque

Therefore Yajuj and Majuj were neither able to surmount it, nor could they pierce it.

Hamid S. Aziz

"Bring me blocks of iron. When they had filled up the space between the two mountain-sides, he said, "Blow (with your bellows)". When he had made it red with fire, he said, "Bring me, that I may pour over it, molten lead."

Hilali & Khan

So they [Ya'juj and Ma'juj (Gog and Magog)] were made powerless to scale it or dig through it.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Bring me blocks of iron. At length, when he had filled up the space between the two mountain sides, he said, Blow. Till, when he had made it (a) fire, he said: Bring me molten brass to pour over it.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

So they were not able to scale it nor could they make a hole in it.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And (Gog and Magog) were not able to surmount, nor could they pierce (it).

Muhammad Sarwar

(Thus he constructed the barrier which) neither Gog nor Magog were able to climb nor were they able to dig a tunnel through the iron and brass barrier.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Thereafter they could neither scale it, nor could they pierce it.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

So they could not scale it or dig through it.

Wahiduddin Khan

So they [Gog and Magog] were not able to scale it, nor were they able to bore through it,

Talal Itani

So they were unable to climb it, and they could not penetrate it.

Tafsir jalalayn

And so they, Gog and Magog, were not able to scale it, to climb up its length, because of its [great] height and smoothness, nor could they pierce it, because of its firmness and thickness.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

The Barrier restrains Them, but It will be breached when the Hour draws nigh

Allah tells us that Ya'juj and Ma'juj could not climb over the barrier or penetrate its lower portion. Varying forms of the verb are used here in the Arabic text to reflect the difficulty of the action referred to.

فَمَا اسْطَاعُوا أَن يَظْهَرُوهُ وَمَا اسْتَطَاعُوا لَهُ نَقْبًا



So they (Ya'juj and Ma'juj) could not scale it or dig through it.

This indicates that they could not penetrate it or dig through it.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Zaynab bint Jahsh, the wife of the Prophet said,

"The Prophet woke from sleep, and he was red in the face.

He said,

لَاا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ وَيْلٌ لِلْعَرَبِ مِنْ شَرَ قَدِ اقْتَرَبَ فُتِحَ الْيَوْمَ مِنْ رَدْمِ يَأْجُوجَ وَمَأْجُوجَ مِثْلُ هَذَا
La ilaha illallah! Woe to the Arabs from the evil that has approached (them). Today a hole has been opened in the barrier of Ya'juj and Ma'juj like this.

and he made a circle with his index finger and thumb. I (Zaynab) said, `O Messenger of Allah, will we be destroyed even though there will be righteous people among us?'

He said;

نَعَمْ إِذَا كَثُرَ الْخَبَث

Yes, if evil increases."

This is a Sahih Hadith, both Al-Bukhari and Muslim recorded it