The Comparison of Dante Alighieri with Spanish and Italian Scholars - Essay Example

The afterlife, with its various imagined possibilities, has been a central focus of belief systems throughout human history - to rationalize man’s mortality but also to construct codes of conduct. Thus the existence after death is made dependent on the quality of life that has been lived, measured against prescribed codes. For most belief systems there is therefore a ‘judgment’ day, on which ‘rewards and punishments’ are meted out, with rewards leading to a blissful existence at the feet of a divinity, whereas those for whom there is no redemption, must suffer eternally in a cesspool of misery, known by a variety of names. Suspended between these alternatives is often a chance for redemption, for some of those who have transgressed the codes, and it is here and in the different rewards that some significant differences arise between major religions. This paper aims to identify the conceptual similarities and differences between Islam and Christianity, in terms of heaven, hell and salvation, based on the Koran, the writings of a number of 11th and 12th century Arabic scholars and those of Dante Alighieri, whose work contains theological as well as philosophical aspects. In addition, modern interpretations of these documents will be discussed, together with the suggestion that Dante drew to some extent on Arabic sources for the inspiration of his epic poem (Monroe, J. T., 2004, p. 15). The first significant elaboration of the journey through Heaven in Muslim history comes from Mohammed’s Mi’raj in the Koran and the hadith 1 “Then the Prophet was brought the ladder by which the spirits of the children of Adam ascend…It had alternate stairs of silver and gold and came down from the Highest and Amplest Garden of Paradise, Jannat al-firdaws. It was incrusted with pearls and surrounded with angels on its right and left. The Prophet began his ascent with Jibril …"2 This heaven is complex, in that it contains areas in which sinners are housed and punished, but in general it follows a structure of ascension through the ranks of the righteous, with each heaven extolling a particular virtue. Eventually, the seventh heaven is reached, which holds the gate to Paradise and access to the eighth (or ninth3) Ascension – the Lote-Tree, where Mohammed meets God. What follows is a kind of covenant between God and Mohammed’s people, resonant of that of God and Moses (Qur’an 53:10-18). Even these early documents show strong parallels to Dante’s Paradiso, in which Dante ascends through nine spheres of paradise, which eventually lead him to the Saints. Here he is questioned and has an experience of the ‘Triune God’. This encounter is short but ‘blinding’ it its intensity, leading Dante to an intuitive understanding to the mystery of Christ’s divinity (Kirkpatrick, Paradiso, Canto xxxii). Thus both men ascend through nine (or eight) heavens to an encounter with God. There are differences in the types of knowledge they find along the way, reflecting the different purposes of the documents, which are also evident from the beginnings of the works. Mohammed’s night journey forms part of a religious (and at the time also political) document, depicting the prophet’s journey in the company of Jibril, the Angel, who took Mohammed – not at his behest or with his consent - to be first purified and then to ascend to God 4. Dante however, although motivated by theological concerns, is drawn into the abyss by Virgil, who acts on behalf of Beatrice. Hence ‘love’ is the facilitator of salvation when Virgil says: “And then I heard a lady call – so blessed, so beautiful – I begged her to tell me as she wished” (Kirkpatrick, Inferno, Canto 2:52) However, it is not the purpose of the documents that is of paramount importance here, and the different intentions of the authors do not detract from the similarities of their respective creations, which are confirmed by later documents, although these elaborate a greater scope of Islamic Heaven and Hell than can be found in Dante. They include the Kitab al Mi’raj (Nykl, A. R., 1951) and the writings of Ibn Alrabi, a Sufi mystic, who preached and wrote during the 12th century CE (The Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi Society). The latter identified the stages of man’s journey after death as Barzakh, a temporary state of sleep, where souls wait for Qiyamah, the Day of Judgment, Samara (Resurrection) and Paradise or Hell. Beyond Paradise is Kathib, the desert mountain (Jassemi, B. 2005). The first three and the last of these stages are not found in Dante, at least not with any clarity and they are also not referred to in the Qur’an and the Surah. In these texts, Heaven is largely based on Mohammed’s night journey with Jibril and is therefore similar to the Surah text. Some of the more significant differences between the texts arise in Hell, where Dante’s Inferno is eternal and no salvation is possible. Thus Charon shouts at the wretched souls: “Degenerates! Your fate is sealed! Cry woe!..I’m here to lead you to the farther shore, into eternal shadow, heat and chill.” (Kirkpatrick, Inferno, Canto 3:85). It should be noted here also that Dante makes a curious ‘separate category’ for Virgil, the ‘virtuous Pagan’, who is condemned to alternate between ‘sadness and joy’, in full knowledge of his loss, but is spared the fires of hell. (Kirkpatrick, Inferno Canto 4.42) With the exception of this special treatment, one of the Islamic hells (there are two) is similar to Dante’s hell, although it is reserved for the unbelievers. – a distinction that Date does not make: “The sinners will be in the Punishment of Hell, to dwell therein (for aye): Nowise will the (Punishment) be lightened for them, and in despair will they be there overwhelmed. Nowise shall We be unjust to them: but it is they who have been unjust themselves. They will cry: "O Malik! (chief gate-keeper of hell), would that thy Lord put an end to us!" He will say, "Nay, but ye shall abide!" (Qur’an-43: 74-77)” For these kafirs5, there is no redemption and they will burn for all eternity in hell, graded by the nature of their transgression against the faith and entering through seven different gates: “And surely, Hell is the promised place for them all. It has seven gates, for each of these gates is a class of sinners assigned.” (Quran 15:43-44). Another Hell, which is situated at the bottom of heaven and is the first one Mohammed comes to, allows believers to purge themselves of their sins, thus acting like Dante’s Purgatory, as a pathway to Paradise: “Then the Prophet continued for a little while. He saw a tablespread on which there were pieces of (good) meat which no one approached, and another tablespread on which were pieces of rotten meat which stank, surrounded by people who were eating it. The Prophet asked: "O Jibril, who are these?" He replied: "These are those of your Community who abandon what is lawful and go to what is unlawful." 6 Mohammed finds these sinners in the first circle of Heaven, which has been divided into sections to keep separate the different kinds. In Dante, the more righteous go to ‘Purgatory’, accompanied by an Angel, to be cleansed of the seven deadly sins, while they ascend through seven terraces to Paradiso (Kirkpatrick, R., 2007, p. xiv). Some of these differences are superficial, however, the different treatments of the ‘unbelievers’ elevates this crime to the only one for which there is no hope of redemption. Dante has in the Inferno drawn heavily on classical sources, as evidenced by the presence of Virgil. Also, the sinners who dwell in the Inferno have committed sinful ‘acts’. In contrast, Dante’s approach to Purgatory is more philosophical and based on Christian theology and attitudes rather than on actual sins (Kirkpatrick, R., 2006, xliii pp). This distinction is not made in the Islamic documents, which is firmly linked to the Mosaic tradition, with Adam meeting Mohammed in hell, during the ascent to heaven: “The Prophet saw to Adam’s right great dark masses and a gate exuding a fragrant smell, and to his left great dark masses and a gate exuding a foul, malodorant smell”7 and the crimes that are described appear to be ‘acts’ rather than attitudes, as in Dante: “The Prophet asked: O Jibril, who are these?... These are those of your Community who abandon what is lawful and go to what is unlawful."8 Those, who were l to the left of Adam are clearly the righteous, who have ascended to Heaven and are now dwelling above the Lote-Tree: “As to the Righteous, they will be in Gardens, and in Happiness. They will recline (with ease) on Thrones (of dignity) arranged in ranks; and We shall join them to Companions, with beautiful big and lustrous eyes. 
And those who believe and whose families follow them in Faith, - to them shall We join their families: Nor shall We deprive them (of the fruit) of aught of their works: (Yet) is each individual in pledge for his deeds (Qur’an 52.20-22) "And their recompense shall be Paradise, and silken garments, because they were patient. Reclining on raised thrones, they will see there neither the excessive heat of the sun, nor the excessive bitter cold, (as in Paradise there is no sun and no moon). The shade will be close upon them, and bunches of fruit will hang low within their reach. Vessels of silver and cups of crystal will be passed around amongst them, crystal-clear, made of silver. They will determine the measure of them according to their wishes. They will be given a cup (of wine) mixed with Zanjabeel, and a fountain called Salsabeel. Around them will (serve) boys of perpetual youth. If you see them, you would think they are scattered pearls. When you look there (in Paradise) you will see a delight (that cannot be imagined), and a Great Dominion. Their garments will be of fine green silk and gold embroidery. They will be adorned with bracelets of silver, and their Lord will give them a pure drink." 
(Qur’an76:12-21) It is in this treatment of the rewards of Heaven, that there are the least similarities between the Qur’an and Dante’s work. Although Dante encounters Beatrice – love – in Paradise, the rewards are in the nature of enlightenment, rather than rewards and in the glorification of virtues. This often takes the form of sermons, by Saints, philosophers and Kings. In the eights sphere, Dante sees the Virgin Mary and in the 10th sphere, the Empyrean, he leaves the earthly sphere to become ‘fit for God’: "Like sudden lightning scattering the spirits
 of sight so that the eye is then too weak 
to act on other things it would perceive, such was the living light encircling me,
 leaving me so enveloped by its veil
 of radiance that I could see no thing. The Love that calms this heaven always welcomes 
into Itself with such a salutation, to make the candle ready for its flame” (Kirkpatrick, Paradiso, Canto XXX:46–54) From the foregoing, it is evident that there are considerable similarities between the two works, in structure, content and philosophy, though perhaps not in purpose. In this context, it is interesting that there is still considerable debate as to whether or not Dante knew the works of Ibn Arabi and others, especially since it is well documented that there was considerable intellectual exchange during Dante’s time between Spanish (Muslim) and Italian scholar (Monroe, J. T., 2004, p. 15). Be that as it may, it is clear that any significant differences in the approach of Dante and Islamic scholarship to Haven and Hell appear to be mainly related to their purpose  Bibliography: Amilcare, A. I., Dante’s Limbo: At the Margins of Orthodoxy, in Miller, James (2005), Dante & the Unorthodox. The Aesthetics of Transgression. Waterloo, Ontario: Wilfried Laurier University Press. Caner, E. M., Caner, E. F. & Land, R., (2009). Unveiling Islam: An Insiders Look at Muslim Life and Beliefs. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publication. Jassemi, B., The Dimensions of the Mystical Journey, Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi Society, Volume XXXVIII, 2005, last accessed 2.12.2010 on http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/mysticaljourney.html Kirkpatrick, R. (2006), Dante, Inferno, (transl.). London: Penguin Books Ltd. Kirkpatrick, R. (2007), Dante, Purgatory, (transl.). London: Penguin Books Ltd. Kirkpatrick, R. (2007), Dante, Paradiso, (transl.). London: Penguin Books Ltd. Miller, James (2005), Dante & the Unorthodox. The Aesthetics of Transgression. Waterloo, Ontario: Wilfried Laurier University Press Monroe, J. T., (2004), Hispano-Arabic poetry: a student anthology. Los Angeles: First Georgias Press. Untitled review by A.R. Nykl of Il Libro della Scala e la questione delle fonti arabospagnole della Divina Commedia by Enrico Cerulli, in Speculum, Vol. 26. No. 2 (Apr., 1951), pp. 376-80, last accessed 3.12.2010 at http://faculty.ed.umuc.edu/~jmatthew/naples/cerulli.htm Qur’an: All direct quotes from the Qur’an are taken from the Surah, translated by the Centre for Jewish Muslin Engagement. University of Southern California, last accessed 2.12.2010 on http://www.usc.edu/schools/college/crcc/engagement/ resources/texts/muslim/quran/053.qmt.html The Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi Society http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/ Read More