Did Allah Almighty speak to Dhul-Qarnayn?

Scholars have differed on whether Dhul-Qarnayn was a prophet or not. The more prevalent view is that he was a righteous servant obedient to Allah. Regarding his prophethood, there is hesitation, due to the saying of the Prophet, peace be upon him: "I do not know whether Dhul-Qarnayn was a prophet or not."

As for whether Allah spoke to him or not, Allah knows best. Not every prophet was spoken to by Allah, and revelation comes in various forms. The apparent meaning of the Qur'an may suggest that Allah Almighty spoke to him, given His saying: {We said, "O Dhul-Qarnayn, either you punish [them] or else you treat them kindly."} [Al-Kahf: 86]. Some scholars believe this indicates that Allah Almighty spoke to him directly, without an intermediary. However, those who do not affirm his prophethood believe that the address was through a prophet in that era, or that it was an inspiration and not revelation, or that the speaker was a prophet or a scholar, or that the meaning is that due to his power, he was given a choice by destiny.