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Afterward it is said: "These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy,"l meaning that in that cycle they would be like kings. The law and teachings of Muhammad, and the explanations and commentaries of 'Ali, are a heavenly bounty; if they wish to give this bounty, they have power to do so. If they do not wish it, the rain will not fall: in this connection rain stands for bounty (50:1) Then it is said: "They have power over water to turn it to blood,"2 meaning that the prophethood of Muhammad was the same as that of Moses, and that the power of 'Ali was the same as that of Joshua: if they wished, they could turn the water of the Nile into blood, so far as the Egyptians and those who denied them were concerned-- that is to say, that that which was the cause of their life, through their ignorance and pride, became the cause of their death. So the kingdom, wealth and power of Pharaoh and his people, which were the causes of the life of the nation, became, through their opposition, denial and pride, the cause of death, destruction, dispersion, degradation and poverty. Hence these two witnesses have power to destroy the nations (50:2) Then it is said: "And smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will "2 meaning that they also would have the power and the material force necessary to educate the wicked and those who are oppressors and tyrants, for to these two witnesses God granted both outward and inward power, that they might educate and correct the ferocious, bloodthirsty, tyrannical nomad Arabs, who were like beasts of prey
(50:3)
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