“And what the prophet said: When I became free, I raised my face upwards, and I found a ladder, one step of which was of silver and the other of gold:”[135] this means, from the external to the internal sense; “gold” and “silver” denote the superior value of the one over the other.[136] “And what he said: I arrived at the heaven of the universe; the gates yielded and I entered. There I saw Ismâíl seated upon a throne, and a crowd before him, with their eyes fixed upon his face. I made my salute, looked at him, and went on.” By “heaven,” is understood the moon; by “Ismâíl,” the body of the moon; and by “the crowd,” those whose conditions are under the influence of the moon. “What Muhammed said: I entered the second heaven;[137] there I saw an Angel excelling all others; by his perfect beauty, he captivated the admiration of the whole creation; one half of his body was of ice and the other half of fire; and yet there was no counteraction nor enmity between them. He saluted me, and said: ‘Be welcome! All things and riches are thine.’” This means: it was the heaven of Mercury; and the import of this is, that every star has a determined influence, either auspicious or inauspicious; but Mercury acts in both ways; with an inauspicious connection inauspiciously, with an auspicious one auspiciously; so that one half is good and the other half bad.” The “welcome,” and the gift of “prosperity and riches,” mean: the power of the mind, and the multiplicity of sciences which the star bestows. What the prophet said: “When I arrived into the third heaven,[138] I there saw an Angel, equal to whom in excellence and beauty I had seen none; placid and joyful, he was seated upon a throne; and a circle of angelic effulgency was diffused about him.” This was the heaven of Venus, and it is not necessary to comment its beauty: it denotes gladness and festivity. Further: “When I entered the fourth heaven,[139] I there saw an Angel, surrounded with royal pomp, seated upon a throne of light; I made my obeisance, to which he replied with entire haughtiness, and, from pride and majesty, he bestowed neither word nor smile upon any body about him. When he answered my salute, he said: ‘O Muhammed, I see all things and riches in thee: glory and happiness to thee.’” That is, “the fourth heaven,” the residence of “this angel,” means the sun; he represents the conditions of kings and great personages; his “smile” is his influence upon good fortune; and his “congratulation” signifies his bounty for any body’s prosperity.