BİRİNCİ FEN · İKİNCİ BÂB · ÜÇÜNCÜ FASIL · Dördüncü Madde
**Article Four**
Concerning the direction and movement of the star Saturn (Zuhal), its true motion,
its stopping, slowing, speeding up, returning (after completing its orbit) and bewilderment (amazement), its connection to the Sun and its approach to the Sun.
O esteemed one! It is known that astronomers have said: Of the seven planets, only the Sun and Moon [41/b] are not among the three elevated ones (selase-i ulviye) and two inferior ones (süfliyeteyn), hence they are called “the five bewildered” (hamse-i mütehayyire) [486], because in them occur, at times, true motion, at other times slow movement, sometimes stopping, sometimes returning, sometimes pausing and moving slowly, and sometimes moving straight and swiftly.
The explanation for the movements of "the five bewildered" being as described is that when one of these planets comes over the rotating sphere, the planet’s own center appears to move with the center of the Episycle's movement – which corresponds to the rising of the signs (tevâlî-i burûc; Metâli‘u’l-burûc) [487] – and thus seems to be moving swiftly (serîu’l-hareke). When the star inclines slightly with the Episycle, its movement becomes straight. If it descends into the skirt (esfel) of the Episycle, then the star's own center being at the descent, its movement is not seen and it appears to be stationary (batîu’l-hareke). When the star approaches close to the skirt (esfel-i tedvîr) of the Episycle, its movement then occurs contrary to the rising of its own center (hilâf-ı tevâlî), coinciding with the movement of the Episycle's center and the carrying sphere. Because these two movements are opposite to each other, the star appears to be at rest. When the star descends completely into the skirt (esfel-i tedvîr), its own movement then becomes greater than the movement of the Episcycle’s center, so it appears to return (râci‘). After the star's return (ric‘at-i kevkeb) ends, these two aforementioned movements again become equal and the star appears to be stationary a second time (batî’ul- hareket).
After this pause, as it will then pass into a rising state, its own movement will again not be seen and the star will appear to be moving slowly. After slow movement, it appears to move straight again. However, in truth, with respect to its own turning, the star certainly completes its movement smoothly. For all spheres and stars move simply within their orbits, and their movements are alike. The station before a star’s return (ric‘at) is called the first *makãm*, and the one after it is called the second *makãm*. Saturn's (Zuhal) return takes four months, and its straight movement takes eight years and twenty-four days.
With respect to the bright Sun, certain connections and approaches have occurred with "the five bewildered" (hamse-i mütehayyire). The distance of the star Saturn from its own center to the middle point of the Episycle’s sphere is like the distance from the Sun's center to the middle point of the signs sphere to the center of the Episcycle sphere (mevzi-i vüstâ). Therefore, the star Saturn is always found near the Sun with an average closeness (mukãrine-i vasatiye) when the midpoint of the Episycle’s sphere is located at its solstice. Because the Sun's center is distant from the center of the Episcycle sphere, the distance of that star from the Sun will be equal to the Sun's distance. Until the bright Sun comes face to face with the center of the Episycle sphere, Saturn descends into the skirt (hadîd-i tedvîr) of the Episycle. In this situation, Saturn’s distance and nearness to the Sun correspond to the state when the Episycle is at its summit, and its being face to face with the Sun is like it being in the skirt of the Episycle sphere. The connections of Jupiter and Mars with the Sun are also like this, and explanatory information about each of them will be explained in the relevant sections bearing their names.
The time elapsed between Saturn’s two approaches (ihtirâk) is one year and thirteen days. Because it comes to the place of the Sun in the signs sphere every three hundred seventy-eight days, becoming invisible with it. Due to its nearness to the earth, this situation is called a conjunction (kırân) and approach (ihtirâk) of two planets. The carrying sphere of Saturn is inclined towards the south and north directions by two and a half degrees from the signs belt (mıntıkatü’l-burûc), and at the same time, the visible apogee (zirve-i mer’î) [488] ; bu’du’l-eb’âd el-mukavvem) and inclination of the Episycle's skirt are inclined towards the south and north by four and a half degrees. Therefore, variations in latitude (ihtilâf-ı arazî) occur in this star’s orbit, making it appear bewildered during its course, hence it is mentioned among “the five bewildered.”