This interpretation connects the Qur’anic story of Yajuj and Majuj (Gog and Magog) with modern astronomy and the scientific concept of the Great Filter, which arises from the Fermi Paradox. It proposes that the barrier holding back Yajuj and Majuj is a real structure composed of iron and copper, exactly as described in the Qur’an. This barrier corresponds to the region of the asteroid belt that lies between Mars and Jupiter. Most of the barrier is hidden from human perception because of a greater, unseen cosmic veil known as the Great Filter. The asteroid belt is visible only because there is a gap in this veil, allowing a portion of the barrier to be seen. This perspective offers a new way of understanding the ancient prophecy by connecting it with modern science.
The Fermi Paradox asks why, despite the vast number of planets that could sustain life, humanity has not yet encountered evidence of other civilisations. The Great Filter theory suggests that there are extremely difficult thresholds that prevent life from progressing to the level of interstellar communication or travel. Normally, the Great Filter is understood as an abstract concept or a historical event. In this interpretation, however, it is seen as an actual veil that conceals parts of the universe, including the barrier of Yajuj and Majuj.
The Qur’an records that Dhu al-Qarnayn constructed a barrier bayna al-sadafayn (“between the two points”) using zubar al-hadid (iron sheets), sealed with qitr (molten copper) in Surah al-Kahf (18:96–97). Traditional interpretations understand these “two points” as mountains on Earth. Yet the same chapter describes Dhu al-Qarnayn’s journeys to the “setting-place of the sun” and the “rising-place of the sun” (18:86, 18:90). To the west of the sun lies Mars, and to the east lies Jupiter. These two planets define the boundaries of the asteroid belt, making them strong candidates for the “two points” of the Qur’anic narrative. The asteroid belt itself contains iron-rich and copper-bearing bodies, in precise harmony with the Qur’an’s description of the barrier’s materials.
A report in Sahih al-Bukhari (7135) states that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) made a circle with his thumb and index finger, saying: “Today a hole has been opened in the barrier of Gog and Magog.” This gesture resembles a ring with an opening in the middle, corresponding to the shape of the asteroid belt, which forms a band between Mars and Jupiter. The “hole” in the hadith may therefore signify the gap in the Great Filter that allows part of the barrier to be seen.
The Qur’an also mentions the sun setting in a “murky spring” (‘aynin hamiah) in Surah al-Kahf (18:86). This could be a reference to the “snow line” of the early solar system near the asteroid belt, where water and volatile compounds froze and mixed with rock and metal. This phenomenon fits naturally into the cosmic imagery of the verses.
The release of Yajuj and Majuj is described in Surah al-Anbiya’ (21:96): “Until, when Gog and Magog are released, and they descend swiftly from every high mound.” The word hadab denotes a high place, while yansilun means to descend quickly. If Yajuj and Majuj come from beyond the Great Filter, their descent would indeed be from the sky upon the earth’s mountains, fulfilling the Qur’anic prophecy.
When these elements are brought together—the Qur’anic barrier of iron and copper between Mars and Jupiter, the metallic composition of the asteroid belt, the hadith of the hole in the barrier, the Great Filter that conceals most of it, and the prophesied descent of Yajuj and Majuj from above—a coherent picture emerges. The asteroid belt appears as part of the physical barrier, but the majority of it, along with the beings it restrains, remains hidden by the Great Filter. Humanity perceives only a fraction through the gap. This understanding departs from traditional interpretations that place the barrier on earth. Instead, it situates the Qur’anic narrative within a cosmic framework, suggesting that ancient scripture may contain allusions to realities of the universe which modern science is only now beginning to uncover.
10/08/2025