Concept

The Nine Celestial Spheres (Aflak) in Sanai's Hadiqat al-Haqiqah

In Section 48 of Hadiqat al-Haqiqah, Sanai outlines the traditional Ptolemaic cosmological model consisting of nine celestial spheres (Aflak). He details the structure from the highest and outermost sphere downwards: the Ninth Sphere (Falak-e Tase'), which is the Primum Mobile encompassing all others; the Eighth Sphere, which contains the constellations or zodiac signs (Buruj); and the subsequent spheres corresponding to the seven classical planets. In descending order, these are Saturn (Kaiwan) in the seventh, Jupiter (Zaosh) in the sixth, Mars (Bahram) in the fifth, the Sun (Khorshid) in the fourth, Venus (Nahid/Zohreh) in the third, Mercury (Tir/Utarid) in the second, and the Moon (Mah) in the first, innermost sphere closest to the Earth. Sanai uses this astronomical framework to contextualize the spiritual universe and the divine order.

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Updated 2026-07-04

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Persian Literature Prerequisite Course