Personal relationships of Alexander the Great the shrines of the two heroes Achilles and Patroclus; Alexander honoring Achilles, and Hephaestion honoring Patroclus. Alexander and Hephaestion were possible lovers,and their tutor,Aristotle, described their relationship as "one soul abiding two bodies," After Hephaestion's death, Alexander mourned him greatly and did not eat for days. Alexander held an elaborate funeral for Hephaestion at Babylon, and sent a note to the shrine of Ammon, which had previously acknowledged Alexander as a god, asking them to grant Hephaestion divine honours. The priests declined, but did offer him the status of divine hero. Alexander died soon after receiving this letter; Mary Renault
Alexander the Great in the Quran to the notion of an "inhabited Earth," surrounded by the Ocean, and an "uninhabited Earth" (though exactly how much of this was understood by his student Alexander the Great is not known). "Surah Al-Kahf" has also been linked to the "Alexander romance" through a second story. The Quran verses 18:60–82, which immediately precede the story of Dhul-Qarnayn, mention the story of Al-Khidir and a fish that miraculously comes to life. It has been theorized that the Quran's story was influenced by the story of the Water of Life (Fountain of Youth) mentioned in Eastern versions of the "Alexander romance". In