“And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall
prophesy a thousand two hundred and three-score days, clothed in sackcloth.”
[Rev. 11:3] By these two witnesses are intended Muhammad the Messenger of God
and ‘Alí the son of Abú Tálib. In the Qur’án it is said that God addressed
Muhammad, saying, “We made Thee a witness, a herald, and a warner”;[Qur’án
48:8] that is, We have established Thee as one Who bears witness, Who imparts
the glad-tidings of that which is to come, and Who warns of the wrath of God. A
“witness” means one by whose affirmation matters are ascertained. The
commandments of these two witnesses were to be followed for 1,260 days, each
day corresponding to a year. Now, Muhammad was the root and ‘Alí the branch,
like Moses and Joshua. It is said they were “clothed in sackcloth”, meaning
that they appeared to wear not a new raiment but an old one. In other words,
they would initially appear to be of no consequence in the eyes of other
peoples and their Cause would not seem new. For the spiritual principles of the
religion of Muhammad correspond to those of Christ in the Gospel, and His
material commandments correspond for the most part to those of the Torah. This
is the symbolism of the old raiment.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Explaining the Eleventh Chapter of the Revelation of
John; Table talks in Akka, authenticated by ‘Abdu’l-Baha; ‘Some Answered
Questions’ – 2014 revised translation by the Baha’i World Centre)
