[109] His whole title is Shemseddin Muhammed ben Yahja, ben Ali Lahjáni, a native of Lahjan, a town in the province of Gilan. He wrote in A.D. 1474 a work under the title Mefat-i-hul âjaib fi sherh-i-Gulshen-raz, “the Key of Marvels, in explanation of the Mystery of the Rosebower.” The latter work was quoted vol. I. p. 82.

[110] See vol. I. p. 2. note.

[111] I shall attempt to sketch, in the smallest possible compass, the fundamental ideas of Asiatic cosmology, which are rather confusedly stated in the text.

According to the Dasatir, God created primitively, immediately, and singly, the supreme intelligence; this produced the second intelligence, with the primitive soul and body; the second intelligence brought forth the third, and the corresponding heavenly sphere, with soul and body; and so down to the tenth intelligence, to wit that of human reason. The modern Orientals kept the first-born supreme intelligence, which to the Muhammedans was sanctified by the verse of the Koran, saying: The first being which God created was intelligence, and established a double series of descending intelligences and ascending heavenly spheres, as follows, according to the ancient and modern system:

COSMOLOGY
OF THE DASATIR.OF THE MODERN ORIENTALS.
Intelligences.Spheres.
The Ist intelligence.
 IIThe Ist intelligence.The IXth heavenly sphere.The uppermost Heaven.
 III II VIIIThat of the zodiac, or of fixed stars.
 IV III VIIThat of Saturn.
 V IV VIJupiter.
 VI V VMars.
 VII VI IVthe Sun.
 VIII VII IIIVenus.
 IX VIII IIMercury.
 X IX Ithe Moon.
 XI XThe human.the Earth.

The difference between the system of the Dasatir and the latter consists only in this: that the first enthrones the first supreme intelligence, or reason, above all nine heavenly spheres, and assigns to the second intelligence with its soul and body the ninth sphere, in which the latter system places the first intelligence, and the third intelligence corresponds to the eighth sphere, and so on; each intelligence is placed in the first system, one sphere higher than in the latter; so that the numbers of intelligences and spheres, counterparts of each other, do not form a perfect Dekas, which mutually meets in the sacred number five, but they make an Endekas. Besides, the Muhammedan philosophers call the soul of the second intelligence “the truth of truths,” and identify it with Muhammed, who is said to have declared: The first being which God created was my light.—(See upon this subject Heidelberger Jahrbücher der Literatur. 1823. Erste Hälfte, pp. 313, etc.)

[112] Koran, chap. III. v. 163.

[113] Shosterí, or Tosterí, “native of the town of Shoster or Toster,” is the surname of Abu Muhammed (above Mahmud) Sahal Ben And. He is reputed as one of the principal chiefs of the Sufís; he was a disciple of Zu al nun, and condisciple of Jionaid. He died in his eightieth year, in the year of the Hejira 283 (A. D. 896).

[114] See pp. 8-9, [note 2].

[115] Aâráf, the plural of ârf, from the verb arafa, “to distinguish between two things, or part of them:” some interpret it as above, “a wall; any thing that is high raised, as a wall of separation may be supposed to be.” In the Koran, chap. VII. entitled Al Aâráf, v. 44, it is called “a veil,” to wit: “Between the blessed and the damned there shall be a veil, and men shall stand on Al Araf, who shall know every one of them by their mark, and shall call unto the inhabitants of Paradise, saying: ‘Peace be upon you:’ yet they shall not enter therein, although they earnestly desire it.” It appears a sort of purgatory for those who deserve neither hell nor heaven. In this sense it is taken above. Others imagine it to be a state of limbo for the patriarchs and prophets, or for the martyrs and saints, among whom there will also be angels in the form of men. But, on the day of universal judgment, all those who are confined in this place shall prostrate themselves in adoration before the Lord, and hear these words: “Enter ye into paradise; there shall come no fear upon you, neither shall ye be grieved.”—Ibid., v. 47.