BEŞİNCİ BÂB · BİRİNCİ FASIL · Üçüncü Madde
Article Three
Regarding the resemblance of the world of humanity (the human realm) to the celestial realm (the realm of the spheres).
O beloved! Know that the people of Sufism have said: The similarity between the human body and the heavens is this: Just as the sky has twelve signs, so too does the human body have twelve pathways from exterior to interior. These are: two ears, two eyes, the mouth, two breasts, the navel, and the anterior and posterior openings for excretion. Another similarity is that just as there are seven planets in the heavens, so too are there seven organs within the human body: The lungs of man resemble the Moon, the stomach resembles Utarid [Mercury], the kidneys resemble Zuhra [Venus], the heart resembles the Sun, the bile resembles Mirrikh [Mars], the liver resembles Mutiq [Jupiter], and the spleen resembles Zuhl [Saturn].
Just as there are countless stars in the sky, so too are there countless nerves within the human body. Just as there are twenty-eight well-known mansions in the heavens, so too are there twenty-eight sensations and powers within the body. Just as there are three hundred sixty degrees in the heavens, so too – as previously explained – are there three hundred sixty arteries in the human body. Just as all the heavens and their parts, both fixed and wandering stars, have various, natural, and necessary movements—as previously mentioned—so too does the body have diverse movements, either voluntary or necessitated. Just as the heavens contain the four elements (water, earth, air, and fire), so too does the body contain the four humors (akhlat-i arba’a). These are:
1- Bile. It is dry and hot like fire.
2- Blood. It is warm and moist like air.
3- Phlegm. It is wet and cold like water.
4- Black Bile. It is heavy and dry like earth.
Just as the three stages of nature (mawali-i selase) are born from the four elements, so too have organs arisen within the body from the four humors. Joyful state is analogous to daylight; a sorrowful state is analogous to nighttime. A joyful state and refreshment are analogous to clear weather; inner distress is analogous to cloudy weather. The sound of thunder is analogous to a person’s voice; laughter is analogous to lightning. Tears are analogous to rain, breaths are analogous to the wind. [148/a] Words in speech are analogous to the occurrences and deteriorations within nature. Eyebrows are like a rainbow. An ear is like the crescent moon, a round face is like the full moon. Hair on the head is like the darkness of night, the forehead is like the light of dawn. There are many more resemblances between the world of humanity and the visible realm than what has been described here. But since a single indication suffices for one who possesses gnosis, there is no need to prolong the discourse further.
Poem:
1- In the dominion of the soul, there are heavens that command in the world’s sky.
2- On the path of the spirit, there are ascents and descents; high mountains, seas.