According to the horoscope of Eskandar, the astrologers had predicted that at the time of his majesty’s death the earth beneath him would be of iron, and the sky above him of gold. After Eskandar had terminated his conquests, and was on his march back to Greece, he happened in the vicinity of Qômus to be somewhat in advance of his baggage; and being suddenly attacked by a violent hemorrhage, there was no other remedy but to use the coat of mail of one of the generals as his bed, and his golden buckler as an umbrella, to ward off the rays of the sun. On this occasion Eskandar said: ‘Here is the earth of iron and the heaven of gold, as foretold by the astrologers, and my life has reached its term.’
Distich: Alas! the stock of youth is spent;
I know not how it came, nor how it went.
Then Eskandar called for a scribe, and indited to him the following epistle to his mother: ‘This is the letter of the servant of God, Eskandar—who has for a short time associated with the inhabitants of this, but will for ever remain with those of the next world—to his mother, whom he has never forgotten during his absence in foreign countries, and whom he will, God willing, rejoin in the world of light and of joy, where he will never be separated from her any more.’ This, however, is a long letter, and is recorded in detail in large historical works.
When the great conqueror departed this life, and answered the summons of his Creator, his august body was, according to his own injunctions, after the customary ablution and shrouding, placed into a sarcophagus of gold, which the chiefs took up and carried into the assembly of the people, wherein one of the generals arose and spoke as follows: ‘If anyone be inclined to weep, let him weep on account of the decrees of God; and if anyone wishes to be amazed, let him be astonished at the decrees of God concerning the death of our king.’ After these words he turned to the philosophers and requested them to say something for the consolation of the high and the low people. Accordingly one of the disciples of Aristo rose, and taking hold of the hand of Eskandar—which had by his own command been left without the coffin, to inform the people that, as he had arrived with empty hands in the world, he also departed therefrom in the same way—and placing it on his head, he spoke as follows: ‘O sweet-spoken orator, what has made thee so dumb? What has, despite of thy vast stores of knowledge and wisdom, decoyed thee like heedless game into this narrow prison-house? Yesterday Eskandar concealed silver and gold from the sight of men, and to-day fate conceals Eskandar like silver and gold from theirs! This is he who was but yesterday the powerful sovereign of mankind, whom all feared to address; to-day all may speak to him, but he has not the power to hear or to reply. This is the monarch who encompassed the east and the west by his conquests, but now he is encompassed by two yards of earth. Yesterday Eskandar had governed the world by the breath of his nostrils, but to-day he is incapable of taking care of himself. Praise be therefore to Him, besides whom nothing else can endure!’
After each philosopher had said something, according to the measure of his ability, the corpse of Eskandar was despatched to Eskandaria [Alexandria], the inhabitants whereof came forth to meet it with great solemnity. When the mother of Zulqarneen beheld the remains of her son, she wept bitterly, and exclaimed: ‘O darling of my soul, whose wisdom and knowledge reached heaven, and who has subjugated the world! I wonder how he has fallen asleep and cannot awake? How is he so silent and utters not a word? Who will tell it to Zulqarneen, that as he has given me advice, I received it; that he gave me consolation, and I was comforted; that he had recommended to me patience, and I bore with everything?’ At these words a company of wise men made their appearance, and proffering their condolence, delivered suitable speeches, full of salutary advice, and committed the body to the earth. When the sorrowing mother of Eskandar returned to her house, she had prepared a funeral repast, together with the great ladies of the realm, according to the testamentary injunction of her son, that only such persons should partake of the food who had never experienced grief and sorrow from the loss of relatives by death. But there being no individual among all present who had not to deplore the loss of some member of his family, everyone rose without touching the meal; and when the mother of Eskandar had been informed of this circumstance, she inferred that her son’s injunction implied a consolation, and that she ought to restrain her grief, because innumerable persons had to mourn for similar reasons, according to the proverb: ‘When the evil is universal, it abates.’ Therefore she moderated her sorrow, and, bowing to the Divine will, said: ‘Eternal life belongs to God alone’; and, ‘He is the living One, who neither decreases nor dies’; and, ‘Unto Allah we belong, and to Him we must surely return.’*
In the Târikh Hukmâ it is recorded that Eskandar’s physiognomy resembled neither that of his father nor of his mother, that his complexion was yellowish, that one of his eyes was black and the other blue, and that one of them always looked upwards, whilst the other was cast down. His teeth were small but sharp, and his countenance resembled that of a lion. He was distinguished by valour from childhood, and began to reign in his nineteenth year. The duration of his government amounted to seventeen years, nine whereof he spent in turmoil and war, but eight in rest and tranquillity of heart. He attained dominion over twenty-two large kingdoms in the east, west, south and north. He had among his relatives thirteen kings, who served him in person at all times. He travelled in two years over the greater part of the inhabited world, and examined all its curiosities, the description whereof would take up a long time. With three hundred and seventy thousand men he conquered the entire East and West, but was at last compelled to leave the dominion of the world to others, and could, of all the treasures which he had acquired, at last take nothing with him except a few yards of cloth. ‘Every age hath its book [of revelation]. Allah shall abolish and shall confirm [what he pleaseth]. With Him is the original of the book.’
It is related in the Ghoniah that there is a difference of opinion concerning the name of Eskandar. Some assert that he was called Zulqarneen [two-horned] because he was a prophet sent to a nation, but that he was accused of falsehood, struck upon one of the horns [i.e., temples] of his head and slain; that, however, God resuscitated him, and he was surnamed Zulqarneen; and this tradition is ascribed to A’li. It is also said that he was thus called because God had sent him to one section of a nation which accused him of falsehood, but was destroyed by God, who then despatched him to another section. Some assert that he had been surnamed Zulqarneen because the temporal sides of his head were of copper, but according to others of brass, or iron, or gold. God, however, is most wise! Wuhub Bin Muniah states that he was called Zulqarneen because he possessed Persia and Rûm; it is also said because he reached the horns [i.e, extremities] of the world, namely, in the East and the West. It is also related that he had dreamt of having taken hold of the horns [i.e., both sides] of the sun, and that, having asked interpreters, they informed him of his going to become the lord of the whole earth. It is also said that he had two protuberances on his head, which were called horns. Here ends the quotation from the Ghoniah. Others maintain that he was called Zulqarneen because he reigned sixty years, which make two generations. Others insist that he was called thus because he had two long ears. There are yet other opinions, which [if inserted] would only carry this discussion to an undue length.