Doubts in belief
Salam Alaykum Dear questioner,
Thank you for your question. I’m sorry to hear you’ve been troubled by this story; really, leaving Islam should never even cross your mind.
There is no doubt about the existence of Ya’juj and Ma’juj since they are mentioned in the Qur’an and authentic hadiths. Based on the hadith narrations we have, we can piece together some parts of the jigsaw puzzle. However, many facts about them remain a mystery. Among these facts are their current location and the location of the Wall. Over the centuries, scholars have suggested various places where the Wall may be located, none of which are compelling.
The fact is that there are hardly any historical or geographical details mentioned in the Qur’an. Even in Surat al-Kahf itself, we don’t know who the youths were or where the cave was situated. Neither the youth who accompanies Musa is named, nor is Khidr himself. Where is the place where Musa and al-Khidr meet? Where is the town that they visit? If Allah wanted us to know these details, He would have informed us of them. The message we take from this is that these details are not that important and do not take away from the story’s purpose and the lessons we learn from it.
Regarding Ya’juj and Ma’juj, all we are required to do is affirm their existence and know that they will emerge at the end of time and that their emergence will be a great test. That’s all. They are now and where they will emerge, and how this will happen is not something we need to concern ourselves with.
Yes, we have mapped the earth, and yes, we have amazing technology but are there not many things about the earth that we don’t know? Discoveries are constantly being made, which shed light on things we didn’t previously understand. Isn’t it enough that the reality of Ya’juj and Ma’juj is in the realm of things we don’t know? Why burden ourselves with this? Do we really think we will conclusively solve every single mystery that the Qur’an presents?
You believe in Allah, and you believe in the truthfulness of the Quran and the truthfulness of the Prophet (peace and blessings upon him). That is the most important thing. This is what we will be asked about in the next life. We will not be asked for the GPS location of Ya’juj and Ma’juj.
My advice is to say what many of the greatest people said from the Companions to the great scholars down the ages said: “Allah knows best.” Be content that Allah knows what goes on in His kingdom, and He is in control and take comfort in that. Then, get on with the important things – gaining beneficial knowledge and using that to get closer to Allah and follow His Beloved (peace and blessings upon him).
May Allah bless you and give you tawfiq
Wassalam
