Wikipedia:Peer review/Alexander the Great in the Qur'an/archive1

Alexander the Great in the Qur'an

This peer review discussion has been closed.
I've listed this article for peer review because:

• The article may be too long (may not be summary style) ... I would like some advice on this issue in the context of the article.
• It is difficult to convey the philological issues covered in the article without quoting the (obscure and rare) texts in question .... but the article may contain too many quotes. Suggestions on how to improve this situation are welcome.
• I would like to know whether people think the article is neutral and objective and if anything can be done to improve it in this regard.
• The article was originally part of the parent article Dhul-Qarnayn, which (after some years of edit wars) was splintered into Alexander in the Qur'an and Cyrus the Great in the Qur'an. I'm interested in people's opinion about the current situation and how it might be improved.
• I would like to know what people think about the use of pictures in the article.
• There are quite a few citations but the citation formatting may not be correct. Any corrections are appreciated.
• Dates ... Many dates are mentioned in the article (e.g. "550 AD"), but the formating is inconsistent and I suspect that the formatting is all wrong by Wikipedia standards. Help on this is appreciated.

Thanks, Semaphoris (talk) 08:27, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

llywrch writes

• A fascinating topic. Has your research touched on the fact that there exists an Ethiopian version of the Alexander romance, wherein Alexander is considered a saint? I think this is relevant, & including this variant of the story is relevant. (Ethiopian Christianity was heavily influenced by Syrian & pre-Islam Arab practices.) If you need help finding sources about the Ethiopian story, drop me a line & I will provide a few.
• More to the point. While it probably isn't too long, & appears to me to be objective, the problem I have with this article is that it feels disorganized. I was left confused because I have no idea how all of the material you present -- the story of Gog & Magog, especially -- relates to this issue. It would help if you explained to some degree just who Dhul-Qarnayn is/was, & the similarities (& differences) of this personage to Alexander in fact & fiction. (Even the article on Dhul-Qarnayn isn't very clear about his story -- or can everything that is known about him be set out in a few sentences?)
• The numerous quotations don't bother me, but then I am an advocate of providing excerpts of primary -- & relevant secondary -- sources when they are relevant & well-written.
• The image of the T-O map & its text is irrelevant to the article. However, the images of the two coins are very useful because they help explain one theory why Dhul-Qarnayn could be a legendary personage based on Alexander.
• As for your dating system in this article, the solution is simple: pick one system -- either AD/BC or CE/BCE -- & use it consistently through the article. I think using either could be defended, although CE/BCE might be a little more palatable to some.

Hope these comments help. -- llywrch (talk) 19:17, 5 November 2009 (UTC)