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These foundations of the Religion of God, which are spiritual and which are the virtues of humanity, cannot be abrogated; they are irremovable and eternal, and are renewed in the cycle of every Prophet (48:1) The second part of the Religion of God, which refers to the material world, and which comprises fasting, prayer, forms of worship, marriage and divorce, the abolition of slavery, legal processes, transactions, indemnities for murder, violence, theft and injuries-- this part of the Law of God, which refers to material things, is modified and altered in each prophetic cycle in accordance with the necessities of the times (48:2) Briefly, what is meant by the term Holy of Holies is that spiritual Law which will never be modified, altered or abrogated; and the Holy City means the material Law which may be abrogated; and this material Law, which is described as the Holy City, was to be trodden under foot for twelve hundred and sixty years (48:3) "And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth."l These two witnesses are Muhammad the Messenger of God, and 'Ali, son of Abu Talib (48:4) In the Qur'an it is said that God addressed Muhammad the Messenger of God, saying: "We made You a Witness, a Herald of good news, and a Warner"-- that is to say, We have established Thee as the witness, the giver of good tidings, and as One bringing the wrath of God. The meaning of "a witness" is one by whose testimony things may be verified. The commands of these two witnesses were to be performed for twelve hundred and sixty days, each day signifying a year. Now, Muhammad was the root, and 'Ali the branch, like Moses and Joshua. It is said they "are clothed in sackcloth ," meaning that they, apparently, were to be clothed in old raiment, not in new raiment; in other words, in the beginning they would possess no splendor in the eyes of the people, nor would their Cause appear new; for Muhammad's spiritual Law corresponds to that of Christ in the Gospel, and most of His laws relating to material things correspond to those of the Pentateuch. This is the meaning of the old raiment
(48:5)
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