Theme 2: Their Appearance and Overwhelming Numbers

...of them engaged in raiding, and they are the Turks, so they remained on this side of the barrier.

Ibn Jarir and Ibn Mardawayh narrated via al-Suddi through a strong narration: 'The Turks were an expeditionary vanguard from the vanguards of Gog and Magog. They had set forth on an expedition, and subsequently Dhul-Qarnayn came and built the barrier, leaving them outside of it.' Furthermore, 'Ali (may Allah ennoble his face) was asked concerning the Turks, and he said: 'They are wandering nomads without fixed roots; they are of Gog and Magog. They went forth raiding the people, then Dhul-Qarnayn arrived and erected the barrier between them and their kinsfolk, so they remained wandering across the earth.' Narrated by Ibn al-Mundhir.

Scholarly Benefit: The eminent erudite scholar stated in al-Bahjah: 'Yajuj and Majuj are two non-Arabic proper nouns. For this reason, they are indeclinable (prevented from full inflection). It is permissible to pronounce them with a hamzah or without it, deriving from 'yajja' and 'majja' when water or wind surges and becomes turbulent, which is entirely consistent with their state and turbulent nature. It is also said that 'Ajuj' is derived from 'ajij al-nar', meaning the blazing of fire, or from 'al-ajj', which signifies swiftness in running, or from 'al-ujaj', which denotes extreme salinity.'

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As for their physical appearance: Ibn Abi Hatim narrated through the chain of Shurayh ibn 'Ubayd, on the authority of Ka'b al-Ahbar, who said: 'They are of three types: one type whose bodies are like the cedar tree (al-arz, spelled with a fathah on the hamzah, a sukun on the ra, followed by a zay), which is an immensely large tree. It is stated in al-Nihayah: It is the mountain ash tree (al-arzan), which is a well-known sturdy timber, and it was also said: a tree...'