Who is Dhul-Qarnayn mentioned in Surat Al-Kahf, verses 83-91, and is he a prophet, a righteous man, or an angel, and when and where did he live, given that Omar ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said to a man calling out: "O Dhul-Qarnayn": "Have you exhausted the names of the prophets and then ascended to the names of the angels"?

Nothing has been authentically reported about Dhul-Qarnayn except what is mentioned in the Holy Quran in Surat Al-Kahf. The details of his story found in books of tafsir (exegesis) and history are for supplementary understanding and cannot be asserted with certainty. There is disagreement regarding his prophethood: some say he was a prophet, others say he was a righteous servant whom Allah loved and who loved Allah, and still others say he was a just and righteous king. Al-Qurtubi mentioned that he lived during the time of Abraham or a little before him. He also quoted Muhammad ibn Ishaq saying that his name was Marzuban ibn Mardubah al-Yunani, from the progeny of Yunan ibn Yafith ibn Nuh. Some also said he was Alexander, the builder of Alexandria. Nothing authentic can be relied upon concerning his lineage or his time, apart from what is stated in the Book of Allah the Almighty, and one should not burden themselves by seeking more than that.