Alexander the Great part due to Aristotle's tutelage; Alexander was intelligent and quick to learn. His intelligent and rational side was amply demonstrated by his ability and success as a general. He had great self-restraint in "pleasures of the body", in contrast with his lack of self-control with alcohol. Alexander was erudite and patronized both arts and sciences. However, he had little interest in sports or the Olympic games (unlike his father), seeking only the Homeric ideals of honour ("timê") and glory ("kudos"). He had great charisma and force of personality, characteristics which made him a great leader. His unique abilities were further
Alexander the Great in the Quran the Macedonian. He provides a vague justification, saying that the Dhul-Qarnayn mentioned in the Quran traveled to the east and the west achieving victories and so he must be Alexander: While a survey in the history we do not find anybody other than Macedonian Alexander, "therefore, the Dhul Qarnayn is the same Macedonian Alexander". Aristotelian Muslim philosophers, such as al-Kindi (801–873 AD), al-Farabi (872–950 AD), and Avicenna (980–1037 AD), enthusiastically embraced the concept of Dhul-Qarnayn being an ancient Greek king. They stylized Dhul-Qarnayn as a Greek philosopher king. Ibn Taymiyyah (1263–1328 AD) objected to the identification on the basis that