Surah Al Kahf Tafseer

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