BİRİNCİ FEN · İKİNCİ BÂB · BEŞİNCİ FASIL · Dördüncü Madde
The Fourth Article
It describes the nature and attributes of the luminous sun, its benefits and effects, its distance and magnitude.
O esteemed one! It is known that astrologers have said: The nature of the greatest source of light, the sun, is moderately warm and dry; it possesses masculine qualities and is related to daytime. It has been named *sa‘d-i evsat* (Middle Fortune). Its attributes are found to be strength, intensity, severity, wrath, inclination, feeling, subtlety, modesty, and chastity. As explained in previous articles, when these attributes of the sun manifest themselves in children falling into the maternal womb, they are observed precisely as such.
The luminous Sun governs Sunday and Thursday nights. The first hours of that day and night are related to the sun. Through the wisdom inherent in the decrees of the Most High God, the effects of ethereal [502] bodies on the lower (sublunar) bodies are abundant; and each star (whether mentioned or unmentioned) influences events with its various qualities, so that the Creator of the universe, Allah Almighty, has bestowed countless characteristics upon this great source of light, the sun, with His boundless power. Indeed, the influence of the sun is more evident on the bodies of both the upper and lower worlds than itself. It is larger than the other planets. As for its effect on the bodies of the higher world (ulviyat), it is to make all the stars invisible when it rises, because it is brighter than all the stars. It gives light and brilliance to the moon.
Regarding its influence on the bodies of the lower world (sublunar), it heats the seas. And as a result of this, vapors rise, forming rain clouds in the cold layers of the sky. Through its influence, rains fall; it brings life to the earth. Plants sprout, water runs through trees, fruits ripen. Snow and rainwater revive rivers that are drying up. (And this cycle, largely due to the sun’s influence) bestows life on plants and animals. They spread as desired in mountains and plains. Through the sun's influence, minerals are formed, plants grow with its heat, fruits ripen. With its rising and shining, humans and animals gain strength and benefit from its warmth and light. And when it sets, they all become helpless, lying down like the dead. Furthermore, due to the influence of the sun, the inhabitants of the first climatic zone have black skin. They are inclined towards sensual desires due to the intense heat. Since the zenith point of the Sun is close to them, their bodies are light, their understanding weak, their manners harsh and sharp. Their nature is prone to aggression and violence like predatory animals.
As for those who live in the seventh climatic zone; since the sun's zenith point is distant from them and its heat is weak, its influence on them is slight. The inhabitants of that region are fair-skinned or yellowish-complexioned. The effect of the sun’s weak influence in that region is immediately apparent in their manners. Those people of that climate are dull and deficient; their creation is ugly, their character bad.
One of the many benefits of the luminous sun is that when its solstice point is in the northern signs, the northern hemisphere of the earth becomes fertile. The southern hemisphere is devastated by (overflows from) the seas. When the sun’s solstice point passes into the southern signs, then the southern hemisphere becomes fertile, and the northern hemisphere is covered with seawater and devastated.
Therefore, with the movement of the solstice point as explained above, every 25,200 solar years, the lands and seas of the earth completely interchange; this world finds new order again through Allah’s wisdom. Perhaps, through the influence of the sun, days and nights, temperature ratios, shaded areas, light and illumination, seasons of summer and winter, snow and rain, minerals and stones are formed, and the mixture of natures and essences, the life of humans and animals, the calculation of time and ages, the number of months and days are known. Thousands more benefits and blessings, through the decree of Allah, the All-Knowing, the Possessor of Infinite Power, have been linked to the sun’s warmth, movement, and light in this world's lamp.
Regarding the size and quantity of the sun and the distance of the *Ortakmermezli* sphere, observers, mathematicians, and geometry scholars unanimously say:
The distance from the center of the universe to the outer convex surface of the Sun’s *Ortakmermezli* sphere is calculated to be approximately two thousand times one thousand and twenty-nine thousand two hundred six (2,029,206) parasangs. The distance from the center of the universe to the inner convex surface of that sphere is calculated to be approximately one thousand times one thousand and eight hundred fifty thousand one hundred fifty-four (1,850,154) parasangs. The thickness of that sphere’s *Ortakmermezli* globe is measured to be approximately one hundred seventy-nine thousand fifty-two (179,052) parasangs. The body of the sun's sphere is found to be approximately one hundred sixty-six times the size of the Earth. And all this has been proven with various geometric proofs. However, in truth, Allah Almighty knows the most correct thing.
Our purpose in giving these information briefly here is to draw attention to the boundless power of Allah, the Ever-Living, who makes this immense source of heat and light revolve around us every day, once a day, and gives light like a lamp above our heads, and to highlight His unparalleled greatness. So that intelligent and discerning people may contemplate the subtleties in Allah’s creation and artistry and become insightful.
May people, from the wisdom inherent in the creation of created things, find the Creator; may they turn away from everything else and turn only to Him.
Nurturing Sun, governs Sunday and Thursday nights. It is assigned to the first hour of that day and night in relation to itself. Due to the wisdom possessed by the Exalted One, the influences of ethereal substances on the sublunar bodies (sūflī) are abundant, and each star (whether mentioned or not) exerts influence through various qualities (events). The Creator of the universe, Allah Most High, has bestowed countless attributes upon this great source of light, the Sun, so that its influence is more evident in the sublunar bodies than in itself. It is greater than the other planets. As for its influence on the celestial bodies (ulviyāt), it obscures all stars when it rises, because it is brighter than all the stars. It gives light and brilliance to the Moon.
Thus also, Mars, when located at the average apogee point of the Epicycle, always approaches the Sun with an average proximity (mukãrene-i vasatī). For as long as the center of the Sun is distant from the center of the Epicycle, the center of the star will be as far from the Sun’s average apogee point as the distance of the Sun's center from the Epicycle’s center. Until the Sun opposes the center of the Epicycle (mukãbele), the star finds itself descended to the Epicycle’s perihelion point. The Sun’s conjunction with it occurs when it is at the Epicycle’s perihelion point. This distance of Mars from the Sun when it is near is greater and more than the distance observed when they are opposite each other. Because during the approach, the diameter of the Epicycle between the Sun and Mars is calculated as larger and longer than the diameter of the Sun's common-focus sphere at the moment they are facing each other.
Later, these celestial spheres (eflâk-ı ulviye) were accepted as five planets: Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
See *Muhtasar Kozmoğrafya*, Translated by Sālih Zeki, Matbaa-i Âmire, Istanbul 1332, p. 35.
Mukãrene: Proximity. 1- The approach of planets to each other; the occurrence of celestial bodies in the same sign or on the same ecliptic longitude. 2- The conjunction of Saturn (Zühal) and Mars in the Cancer (Seretân) sign.
The solstices and equinoxes (nokta-i itidal) of the luminous Sun, its nodes, its slow and swift courses are described.
O esteemed one! Know that astronomers have said: One of the seven stars counted in the sky [44/b], Mars, is the fifth sphere relative to the lunar sphere and is located above the solar sphere, being known as the "higher spheres" (eflâk-ı ulviye) and is the lowest of these three spheres and closest to the earth. Mars is solely red in nature and is known as “the lesser ill” (nahs-i asgar).