Vocabulary(1)

Dhī al-Qarnayn: This is the title of a particular person. The word qarn has various meanings, one of which is a part of the human head. Qarn al-rajul means the edge of the head, and its extremity and side; it is also used to mean “horn”. Dhū al-Qarnayn thus means “possessor of two horns”, because his crown bore two things resembling a qarn (horn), or two feathers. Qarn has also been used to mean a community (ummah) and a fixed period of time.(2)