Felāḥ (salvation) is of two kinds: The first kind is to attain Paradise in the Hereafter and thus be saved from Hell, and in the dunyā (this world) to be saved from calamities and misfortunes. The second kind is to be enabled to obey (God) in this world, and in the Hereafter to attain blessing and happiness by abiding eternally in the gardens of Paradise. (Gunye, TI, 17)
falak / aflāk (falak-i atlas; falak-i burūj; falak-i jawzāʾ; falak-i asrār; falak-i qamar; falak-i mukawkab)
It is a lamp from the light of the unseen. It shone and returned to its former place. It surpassed all other lamps and became their sultan. It is a moon that manifests among the moons. Such a moon that its constellation is in the falak-i asrār (sphere of mysteries). God called it ummī (unlettered) because He gathered all His attention upon it, ḥaramī (sanctified) because its blessings are great, and makkī (of Mecca) because it stands close to Him. (Tawāsīn, 191)
I saw a rakwa (leather water vessel) with eleven folds. —What the author means by this 'rakwa with eleven folds' is the terrestrial globe. Nine of these are the nine falaks (celestial spheres/planets). Of the other two, one is air and the other is fire. Fire surrounds air, and both are surrounded by the falaks.
They are placed in a bowl, with some water in the center, and in the middle of the water are grains of sand stuck together. Around these grains of sand, there are many living beings moving. In each layer of this twelve-fold water vessel—by which I mean each of the nine high chambers—a luminous tassel is placed. Only the second layer does not have a tassel. —In each of the nine layers there are pearl falaks. Only the eighth layer does not have one; instead, many falaks are placed there.
This is because there are many luminous tassels in this layer. These tassels resemble the turbans of Moroccan Sufism (taṣawwuf) masters. Perhaps the turbans of Moroccan Sufis represent the movements of these planets and their rotation from west to east. Contrary to Aristotle, many Arab falaks are observed.
The eighth falak—which is the last falak—moves from west to east. There is no tassel on the highest layer. —There is no falak in the ninth layer. This is the greatest layer, and its view encompasses all the falaks. According to us, it is not the ninth layer; for him, it is the first layer.
Thus, all these falaks rotate rapidly like a ball, and there is no void among them. That is, there is neither a crack nor a fissure. This ninth layer also has no color. Because of their state, they are very subtle, and nothing at their base remains hidden. They have no color. For a concave surface is seen through the gap of the convex surface, and density prevents the part behind from being seen. 242 falak/aflāk
Thus, in this ḥāl (spiritual state), we see all these falaks through the gaps of the first falak. In reality, the falak of constellations radiates light from above the eighth layer. All these falaks can see each other, for they are colorless, transparent, and very subtle bodies. No one can surpass these nine folds. —Here, the author is expressing that these falaks cannot be split or broken apart.
According to the philosophers, there is conclusive evidence that these planets cannot be separated from each other or split apart. However, the two lowest layers, that is, the layers of fire and air, can be pierced. These are subtle bodies, and subtle bodies can certainly be divided. (Jibrāʾīl, 144)
In the ascending falak, the sun of ḍuḥā
stands as a fresh branch in the garden.
By the sun of ḍuḥā (the morning sun) and the moment of ruʾya (vision), the clarity of the manifestation is meant. The falak is nothing but the form in which the manifestation occurs in itself. This differs according to beliefs and the maʿrifa (experiential knowledge) attained. Here is the level of tabaddul (change) and transformation in forms. This divine power and lordly attribute reveal the signs of the people of Paradise in the streets of Paradise where there is no exchange. Here, some gnostics such as Kuzayb al-Bān can reach this station through sensory forms... (Tercümān, 106)
The falak of constellations (falak-i burūj) is the atlas. Then Allah caused that falak to revolve in the center of this Kursī. Allah said: "By the sky containing the constellations..." (al-Burūj 85:1). The things decreed in the falak of constellations are called burūj. The atlas, which contains no stars and is thus named, is like a ring thrown into emptiness in relation to the Kursī, just as the Kursī is in relation to the Throne (ʿArsh).
One of the marātib al-wujūd (levels of existence) is the falak-i atlas (the celestial sphere of the atlas). It is a real, existent falak revolving beneath the Kursī and above the other falaks whose levels will be mentioned later. We call it existent to draw attention to the fact that the falaks mentioned before it, such as habāʾ and ṭabīʿa, are only notional and not real. This falak is called the atlas because it contains no stars or celestial bodies. Therefore, there is no sign to indicate its period of revolution or orbit.
In one part of this falak, I saw a small falak that revolves seventy thousand times in the blink of an eye, and I asked what it was. I was told it is the falak of the moment (ān), that is, a falak whose every revolution is called an 'ān' (moment). This atlas falak is the mover of all falaks that revolve by their own motion. Its movement arises in one manner and by a single will from nature. Therefore, by Allah's will, the subsistence (baqāʾ) of the world continues for a long time. (Marātib, 32)
One of the marātib al-wujūd (levels of existence) is the falak-i jawzāʾ (sphere of Gemini); it is a notional celestial body with no real existence, consisting of the two known distances between the sun and the moon, between fanāʾ-baḳāʾ. One of these distances is called the head, the other the tail. At one of these distances, the earth comes between the moon and the sun, so the moon cannot receive the sun's light, and a lunar eclipse occurs, because the moon's light comes from the sun.
At the other distance, the moon comes between the earth and the sun, and just as a cloud blocks and prevents the light, it prevents the sun's light from reaching the earth. In this case, a solar eclipse occurs. If we tried to explain the details, it would take much time with many mathematical calculations. This is philosophy itself. But this is all that needs to be said about this meaning. This notional celestial body is considered the falak of falaks at its level. For notional realities occupy the highest level of existence in the world of material beings. (Marātib, 33)
Another of the marātib al-wujūd (levels of existence) is the falak-i mukawkab (the sphere adorned with celestial bodies) and the minṭaqa-yi burūj (region of constellations), also called the falak-i aflāk (sphere of spheres). All the fixed stars and planets, except for the seven celestial bodies within the seven heavens, are within it. If it were not for this sphere of spheres, all the stars and celestial bodies would not be contained within it. For this reason, it is called the region of constellations, the sphere of spheres, and the adorned sphere.
Know that the existence of the stars in their falaks is like the existence of fish in water. In each star's falak, there is a small falak in which the star revolves, and there is a pole, of the same kind as the adorned falak, that preserves it just as the heart preserves the continuation of life. (Marātib, 34)
When you reach the sky of the world, the spirituality of the falak-i qamar (sphere of the moon) comes to you. According to the sages (philosophers), it is the Tenth Intellect waiting in your service. For it is the servant of Adam, and you are its guest... (Asfār, 152)