Does the story of Mohammed’s Night Journey invalidate in any way Dante’s Divine Comedy? Although there are obviously many similarities between the texts they remain insular. The story of sinners going to hell, or prophets having a view of Heaven and Hell is not unique to any religion. Even in Buddhism there are multiple stories of Buddha and other monks journeying to Heaven or Hell. Dante could have been influenced by the Night Journey, but it is not plagiarism. There are of course just as many differences. Most notably the presentation of the prophets of the 2 religions are presented very differently. Dante encounters Mohammed and Ali deep in Hell, being punished for their sins. By contrast Mohammed’s Night Journey does not overtly punish Jesus. Each of the texts have different goals, and can exist as separate stories.
1. How can one interrelate the parallels in narrative between Dante’s Inferno and the Miraj Nameh?
One can almost see the Inferno and the Miraj Nameh as the Yin and Yang of the same concept - a devout man ventures deep into the world beyond our own, and comes out bettered and more enlightened than before. Though as mentioned, Dante and Mohammed literally could not have taken more different paths. For one, Dante was guided by an ancient non-abrahamic figure through the many circles of Hell, encountering all manners of sinners both deserving of their punishment and otherwise. There’s a nuance to the way that Dante takes in and reacts to the many individuals, and each circle of hell has it’s own unique disposition. The path taken by Mohammed immediately deviates from this, as he’s guided by one of the most holy figures in all of Abrahamic religion - the angel Gabriel - through increasingly rapid methods of travel across the seven realms of Heaven. Mohammed, somewhat predictably I might add, like an awestruck and humble holy man who is very simply doing what’s asked of him, all for the glory of God. The whole deal for Mohammed is pretty much a test to see if he’s worthy to walk in front of god (spoilers: he is). At the very least, Mohammed is portrayed as something besides faultless, as he is almost constantly a little intimidated by the great and powerful beings before him, as was the case for Dante. Mohammed didn’t faint nearly as much, however.
2. Why does something as unofficial and far away from the normal religious canons like the Miraj Nameh and the Inferno garner so much adulation from their contemporary religious layperson?
I feel that most of the popularity that’s accumulated by these works is a product of the subject matter they cover: Heaven and Hell. Keeping in mind the general proclivity of humanity to seek out answers about the world they inhabit, and the role that religion plays in that pursuit, it’s no wonder that a well-written and comprehensive account of the afterlife would generate a large and sustained readership. Add in all the socio-political comentary within the Inferno, and the adventurous perspective on Mohammed’s thoughts of the Miraj Nameh, and you have something that’s also ripe for scholastic analysis.
3. How could a non-believer treat the ever-increasing awesomeness and religious devotion that he would encounter along the seven heavens?
As a non-believer, I can sum it up into one utterance: Uhh, weird. There’s something almost Kafkaesque about uncountable legions of not-quite people who apparently do nothing but praise god without cession. When it gets to the point where one angel has 70,000 heads with 70,000 mouths each all speaking separate tongues, it jumps straight toward Lovecraftian horror. Angels with wings that stretch out into infinity, Angels that speak in thunderclaps and fire, it’s all incredible. Just attempting to visualize such monstrosities sends shudders of revulsion through me. This is the most literal form of awesome that I can describe, something that is great and terrifying at the same time.
What are some similarities between Dante’s Inferno and Muhammad’s Night Journey? Well, there are many similarities and differences between the two tales of heaven and hell. Both stories showed heaven/hell to be comprised of multiple layers, although Inferno had nine while Muhammad’s story showed only seven. Dante and Muhammad seemed to go through the layers or circles themselves, which is another similarity, although Someone else told Muhammad’s story for him. Something I found interesting was the point made about Dante always moving to the left and not to the right in the Inferno. Another thing in our discussion that I found interesting was a point that Chris (I think Chris said this) made about Dante moving only left. He said that a long time ago, people used to view those who were left-handed as being evil. These people were punished or killed simply because they were left-handed! Therefore, going left could have been a symbol of evil or sin, which is why Dante may have moved left within hell.
It is probable that Dante took some of his ideas from Night Journey
I agree with the general consensus in class today that Dante most likely got some of his ideas from the Night Journey. Many near parallels between the Night Journey and Dante's Inferno were discussed in class today. One of these near parallels include a tiered system of the underworld and heaven, with varying degrees for the various degrees of the benevolent and malign individuals. Another near parallel is Muhammad ripping open his chest and stomach repeatedly in hell in Dante's Inferno, as punishment for causing schisms, quite similar to how Muhammad in the Night Journey has his chest ripped open so the blessed water can cleanse and bless his insides. Yet another similarity is the three stage path to heaven that both must traverse. There are multiple other similarities, however, I would like to add my comments on this topic. It is quite clear that Dante in some aspects lacks originality in his narrative. Dante throughout the vast majority of Inferno takes characters from various religions, stories, and actual history and uses them to his liking; even if it defies reason or the actual history of the actual or fictional individuals. Now don't take this the wrong way; the use of the wide array of familiar characters in history is a great aspect of the narrative, and it makes it relatable to a wider audience. However, what this also reveals is a lack of originality on Dante's part, and it displays that he relies on characters and themes to his liking that fill certain roles in his story. He does this to the extent where it even bears contradictions in multiple ways (as discussed previously in class and other blog posts). With that said, my point of this post is that for someone who has relied so heavily on characters and themes not of his creation, coupled with all of the similarities with the Night Journey, it makes it really plausible that Dante did indeed take various themes from the Night Journey and used it for his Inferno. If we are to assume this hunch as fact, one then must wonder what his motives were in doing this. Was he seeking to make a legitimate Christian hell, similar to the Islamic hell to give it more plausibility, but while subtly using their previous themes without detection? Or perhaps was he ripping off the Night Journey out of spite of Islam from it's schism from Christianity, and maybe even the many years of bloodshed between Christians and Muslims in the Crusades? Maybe Dante was just lacking originality so much that he used Muslim themes? We probably will never know for sure. My personal opinion is that Dante took ideas from Islam and used them for his Inferno.
Yet again in reading another so called non-western work similarities can be drawn to a well known western piece of literature. Muhammed's Night Journey and Dante's The Divine Comedy have a number of similarities. Both stories can be interpreted as either a physical or spiritual (or both) journey for the protagonist who just so happens to be the author. Both Dante and Muhammed need a guide to safely traverse the phantasmic places where they each see the results of mankinds blunders. Even the way Muhammed and Dante advance through Heaven and Hell respectively is similar, both advancing through the various levels inching ever closer to the climax of their adventure.
One similarity, that I found very interesting, between the works was how other religions were represented in each work. In Dante's Inferno, Muhammed is actually in the 8th circle of hell where he is forced to tear himself apart. The significance of this punishment is that Dante views Muhammed as an imposter and liar who formed Islam (thus tearing people away from Christianity). Although he treats Muhammed harshly Noah, Moses, and Abraham as wells as other notable Jewish figures are treated kindly. They are contained to the first circle of hell with no real punishment. In Muhammed's Night Journey, Muhammed uses the cries of men and women on his journey with Buraq to represent the temptation of Christianity and Judaism. If he had answered one of these calls his people would be doomed to follow that religion until judgment day. Both of these works treat other religions as inferior, although Dante shows a little more hate for Islam than maybe necessary. These works are on a growing list of eerily similar pieces of literature that supposedly come from "western" and "eastern" cultures.
Can the similarities between Dante’s text and Muhammad’s Night Journey be defined as plagiarism? If not to this extent, are these parallels necessarily a bad thing?
These texts should not in any way, shape, or form be associated with the concept of plagiarism. While there is obvious and undeniable similitude between these works, Dante’s text is, in my experience, completely unique. To accuse Dante of Plagiarism for this specific text would also be to accuse him of stealing from almost every other author he references. In my opinion Dante does not get anything more from the Night Journey than he does from Greek mythology, Virgil, or even the Bible. Dante takes bits and pieces from each, some more than others as evident with the Night Journey, and puts his own unique spin on them. He then incorporates all the small parts together into an allegorical model for the afterlife. This is Dante’s true accomplishment, and if he needs to draw from a myriad of other sources to accomplish this than I believe it is justified. Also, the effect of this both increased my experience with Dante helped me to further understand the Night Journey. Looking at Dante at the end of the semester, with all of the other classic texts under my belt, Dante’s Inferno is all the more impressive. Now armed with understand of where Dante gets his material from and to see just how many things he references, to accuse that of plagiarism would be to miss the point of Dante’s texts entirely. Finally, the Night Journey does not have one specific author. It is a collection of stories, some stemming from the Hadith, no so different from the oral traditions of the Bible or the Qur’an. Given that there is not one solid source this increases the difficulty to raise a plagiarism case against Dante.
What are the functional differences between the two texts relative to their respective religious backgrounds?
There is a key difference between Dante’s work and the story of the Night Journey in terms of their religious function. The Night Journey, while not explicitly stated in the Qur’an or mentioned in the Hadith, is of incredible importance to the Islamic faith. Followers of this religion look at this tale as a sign of hope, an indication that they may one day ascend into the heavens as Muhammad did. This could be comparable to Jesus’ empty tomb and his post-mortem travels on earth before ascending into heaven in the New Testament. Both examples give the believer hope that there is an attainable afterlife for them. Dante’s text, on the other hand, is not a part of Christian theology. While many people view it as a religious text it really is nothing more than a work of fiction. It is Dante at a spiritual and personal crisis trying to make sense of the world around him. This line between Canon and epic poetry is often blurred for the layperson, but this is a distinction that must be made when looking at these works of literature.
Why would Dante use Islamic literature in the Inferno? Dante went to great lengths to incorporate many Abrahamic beliefs and Pagan beliefs to unify these religions in their understanding of his underworld. He uses many different literary figures including Mohammed of Islamic tradition and Virgil author of the Aeneid who chronicled parts of Roman lore for modern historians, Minos, Nesus and Charon from Greek lore, he uses some English lore by introducing a giant into the plot and quite a few Christian characters. He brings these cultures together by giving their cultures a voice and representation. This gives him credibility with not only one audience but many different audiences.
How does the religious impact of Muhammad’s Night Journey compare to that of Dante’s Inferno? Dante’s Inferno is a text which can still be read exactly as it was written seven hundred years ago. The established church of the time did not recognize it as divinely inspired, and probably dismissed it as heretical writings of a man exiled by the pope. Despite this lack of established support, ideas from Inferno have been adopted as common Christian conceptions of what Hell is like, and may be responsible for the word “inferno” entering the English language (despite the fact that when it changed languages it readily became linked with fire, in direct opposition to Dante’s description of the 9th Circle of Hell). Conversely, Muhammad’s Night Journey is based on quotes from the Quran and generally accepted Hadiths, sayings that came directly Muhammad. Instead of shaping Muslims’ views of Heaven or Hell, as Inferno did for Christians, Miraj has changed Muslims’ perception of the physical world by sanctifying the location where the Buraq’s hoofprint is supposedly located. Muslims already had detailed accounts of Heaven and Hell from the Quran and Hadiths, while the Bible says relatively little about them. What little the Bible does say about Hell involves descriptions of burning and “lakes of brimstone,” or molten sulfur, which are contradicted by Dante’s descriptions. I just found it interesting that despite the texts’ distinct differences in origin they have had similar impacts on their respective religions in terms of scope. Could the similarities between the two works be explained by coincidence? I don’t consider it too far-fetched to say that many of the similarities between these texts could have occurred naturally. If not for the Liber Scale Mohameti in Dante’s possession, I would argue that the similarities are based on assumptions most people would make. The gates around Hell could have arisen due to Dante’s having lived in the Middle Ages, a time where towns or densely populated areas were fenced off. This could have even been a criticism of cities, comparing them to Hell to remark that they are full of sinners. The use of a guide to travel to Heaven or Hell is logical, as people clearly can’t get to either place on their own without dying. The gatekeepers’ hesitance to let people through is also logical, as it served a narrative purpose of marking a change while emphasizing the strictness of the boundaries between levels. The one, very clear allusion to the Miraj in Inferno is Muhammad being ripped open, a punishment so specific and unintuitive (yet fitting) that one can conclude Dante did make use of his knowledge of Islamic beliefs in the Divine Comedy.
Can the similarities between Dante’s text and Muhammad’s Night Journey be defined as plagiarism? If not to this extent, are these parallels necessarily a bad thing?
Not necessarily. Though Dante heavily borrowed from The Night Journey, is all fiction based on other fiction necessarily plagiarism? We'll be reading Shakespeare next week. The man didn't have a single original plot. Yet to reduce him to plagiarism is to ignore Western canon. In modern times, we have historical fiction or even modern retellings of older stories (Jane Austen's Emma being turned into Clueless comes to mind).
Of course, Dante using Islamic imagery and borring from the Night Journey isn't very well taught in schools. If Dante is not a plagarist, he owes a debt to Muslim authors. Not acknowleding that it as via Muslim influence that led to the Renaissance is very much in vein of xenophobia. After all, several of the Greek philosophers Dante also referenced were only preserved through the efforts of Muslim scholars. That's how knowledge was preserved through the Dark Ages after the fall of Rome. Surely the West can acknowledge that.
Or perhaps we let our biases get the best of us. The parelles aren't necessarily bad. The lack of acknowledgement is.
Dante Alighieri's knowledge of the Islamic culture was a prominent influence on his writing of the Inferno. There is enough sufficient evidence ot come to this conclusion. I am not saying that without the knowledge of the Islamic culture, Dante would not be able to write such an epic story. The spread of Islamic texts and manuscripts to the Italian peninsula from either Spain or across the Mediterranean is partly responsible for Dante's knowledge of non-Western ideas.
His first inclusion of the Islamic world, was including Averroes and Avicenna in Limbo among the prominent minds of the Western World. He later adds to the journey of Dante the Pilgrim with the additions of Muhammed and Ali to the eighth circle of Hell. The two of them are both located there and punished for creating a "schism" in humanity. Muhammed is depicted literally tearing his own body in half, punishment for leading individuals in a direction away from the Christian faith. The surprising part is the addition of Ali, the individual that plays a major role in defining the separate sects of Islam. I find his deeper knowledge of the Islamic culture to be impressive, even for a time period in which Western Europe was being exposed to new ideas from the East.
A text "Liber Scale Mahometi" was found in Dante's personal library. This was a Muslim text that was translated into Latin in the 13th century. The title of the text basically translates to "The Book of the Ladder of Muhammed." Dante had knowledge of Muhammed's Night Journey and other parts of the Islamic faith. This is also shown by a number of similarities between the Night Journey and the Inferno. Without mentioning all that was covered in class, I found the specific notion of Satan being punished in to be interesting. In Dante's Catholic faith, Hell is described only being fiery in nature, while the Islamic faith describes Satan as a creature of fire that can only be punished in a realm of the opposite.
I believe that Dante's Divine Comedy and Muhammed's Night Journey are both tales of journeys made by individuals to achieve some sort of enlightenment. Is it possible to compare either of these epic journeys to Plato's Allegory of the Cave? An example where one reaches enlightment by reaching the sunlight or God.
How can the reader view the author’s view of other Abrahamic religions in relation to Islam in this text? Muhammad’s Night Journey of the Mi’raj is similar to other Islamic texts when it comes to the other Abrahamic religions it simultaneously shows a great amount of respect to Judaism and Christinaity, while simultaneously asserting Islamic superiority. This can be seen when Muhammad learns about the prophets and religious figures of other Abrahamic religions like Moses, Abraham, Jesus, and Adam, in these meetings Muhammad recognizes their importance, but the prophets appear to be more interested in Muhammad. One specific exchange would be when Muhammad tries to mount Buraq which is a divine steed that serves Gabriel, when reading the dialogue there seems to be a pattern of Muhammad being lifted above other religious figures. At first the steed is anxious and apprehensive to let Muhammad ride him before he knows that this man is in fact the prophet, so Gabriel tells Buraq to calm down because, “By god, no on more noble than Muhammad has ever ridden you”(197). Buraq responds that Abraham, Moses and Jesus have all ridden him, but when he discovers this is Muhammad he shows respect and fear of his authority. Here we can see that only great men get to ride this mythical beast with only the most important characters of the Bible listed, but once Buraq finds out the identity of this man he is struck with awe and respect. Another example is in the seventh layer of heaven when Muhammad meets Adam, the first man asks Muhammad to remember him when talking to God. In this exchange Muhammad first shows great respect to the father of all mankind, but this situation is reversed when Adam responds asks that Muhammad remember him when talking to God, Adam is asking Muhammad for favors. When Muhammad goes to meet Allah and speak with him God states about the other prophets “The rest requested my contentment, but I request your contentment, Muhammad” (228). Here God is saying that the prophets of Judaism and Christianity needed God’s approval, while God needs the approval of Muhammad. It appears that the important figures of Judaism and Christianity are to be respected and revered, but in the end Islamic teachings are the most important teachings and Islam is the true faith.
How can these views be compared and reconciled with the views of other Abrahamic religions? How can the views of Judaism and Christianity that Islam teaches be reconciled with the views these religions have of Islam. Judaism and Christianity do not recognize Muhammad as a prophet, let alone the most important prophet that God has ever had, although Islam does recognize Jewish and Christian prophets as holy and deserving respect. When viewing the debate in this way it seems that Islam is more accepting of other Abrahamic religions and their beliefs. Alternatively, another way of viewing this debate can be seen in Muhammad’s journey when he was riding Buraq from Mecca to Jerusalem and voices called to the prophet. A voice from the right called to Muhammad stating they he could help advise his people, then another one from the left called with the same statement, these voices were later revealed to be Jews and Christians calling for Muhammad to join them. Muhammad chooses to avoid these two voices and a lustful woman who calls to him after this, this woman represents sinful ways of the mortal world. This is an interesting part of the story, because to ensure a successful journey for Islam he has to resist the Jews, Christians, and sins of this world, meaning that avoiding these voices was the correct decision for Muhammad. This brings up the counter point that even if Islam is accepting of previous prophets this could all be negated with the supremacy of the teachings of Muhammad, much the way Jesus is more important than Moses in Christianity. So, even if Jewish and Christian prophets are to be respected, the teachings of Islam will always trump their teachings. How can God be viewed in this text in comparison with other Islamic texts? When Muhammad meets with God the omnipotent creator of all things requests that the followers of Muhammad’s teachings pray fifty times a day Muhammad, who thinks this is excessive, eventually talks him down to five. This is an example of both God’s favoring of Muhammad and an inconsistency in the religious views of Islam. If Allah wanted people to pray fifty times a day it seems that he could make that happen, he is the all-mighty master of existence. It seems strange that God has legions of angels that control all things and are massive enough to destroy all of existence, keep in mind that these angels constantly praise God for his strength and wisdom, but a simple man can negotiate God down to a fraction of his original request.
Can Dante’s Inferno be considered an original work?
After careful comparison of Dante’s Divine comedy and Muhammad’s Night Journey one comes to the conclusion that Dante may have “borrowed” more than a few ideas from the prophet. Actually once a closer look is taken Dante’s epic begins to appear quite plagiarized. Besides the parallel plot similarities of the Night Journey every other idea in the Inferno is taken from some other work. The Christian values that Dante abides by in the Inferno are obviously biblical, his characters are mostly taken from the Greek pagan beliefs, and his stock characters are ripped out of any story he had encountered and had any interest in. This may be proof that Dante may not have had an original bone in his body. His entire story is comprised from that of others. It is literately a mash up of the most inspiring stories conceived before Dante’s time. The only original idea that Dante presents is the plagiarism of so many stories. Which begs the question; should he be given credit for the genius of that idea? Or was that idea stolen as well?
Whatever the case Dante himself cannot be persecuted for his actions because one could make the connection that Muhammad’s Quran is inspired by the Bible and that the Bible itself is composed of other peoples stories. The most inspiring books in history to some extent could be considered plagiarized. Can what Dante did in his Inferno even be considered bad? If his epic helps mankind in the search of his soul then it can be considered to be as important as the Bible. When people who read his story but never know its origin read the ideas the important thing is that the ideas themselves live on. In a way this is what humans have always done with all of knowledge everywhere and it is kind of ridiculous to say the idea was stolen. It is more or less the same story with the same ideas but with a modern, more relevant spin on it.
Plagiarism a serious issue? Plagiarism in our era is a very serious issue, so serious in that some cases you can be expelled from school for doing so. But for historical people it seems as if they get a pass on plagiarism. We often credit people who have stolen past ideas because we can’t know for sure. The Night Journey seems to have some common ground with Dante’s inferno and Dante could have incorporated them straight from the Night Journey. The idea of stealing ideas does seem heinous but the concept of what constitutes plagiarism is unsettling. If we read a book that contains information we use ,we need to cite it. The reasoning for this is because we did not know it ourselves. But does that not mean we have to cite everything we say, we were not born knowing the alphabet should we have to cite it? If we have to cite all outside information wouldn’t any assignment contain hundreds of citations to varied sources that no teacher could possibly check on their own. Is squabble inevitable? Just like from the bible people argue over the ideas proposed in these stories. Some of them argue that Muhammad’s experience was merely spiritual and that his body never moved, while others say it was physical and spiritual. It seems that in almost in story people will turn the story into their own idea and try to rebuke others concepts which causes controversy within their own faction. God bargains now? God knows what is best and yet he allows Muhammad to bargain him down from fifty-five prayers a day to five. This idea seems crazy why would God propose something and then let a mortal(even if he is a prophet) debate him. Especially the amount he goes eleven times lower than his first suggestion .
.What is the religious significance of the Night Journey? The Night Journey has obvious significance to Muslims. The text details the journey of Mohammad through various stages of Heaven and Hell, and his meeting with other Islamic prophets, such as Abraham, Jesus, and Moses. He even meets God himself. However, aside from the obvious Islamic significance, there is also significance to those who are not Muslim. The text has allegorical undertones that apply to those of other religions. The text stresses the importance of prayer and faith to self-betterment.
.In what ways was Dante’s Inferno influenced by the Night Journey? There are clear similarities between the Night Journey in Dante’s Inferno. The most basic of these similarities is the layered structure of heaven and hell. Dante, in Inferno has Virgil as his guide. In the Night Journey, Mohammad is guided in a similar way by the angel Gabriel. Both Virgil and Gabriel lead their charges throughout their journeys, and frequently grant them access to areas they would not be able to reach on their own. In both texts, the punishment of sinners tends to fit the crime. The most interesting, although not the most obvious, reference to Islamic scriptures in Dante’s Inferno is the punishment that Satan faces. Despite the fact that the Bible states that Satan will be punished with fire, Dante’s text has Satan being punished by being frozen in ice. This punishment is consistent with the Islamic portrayal of Satan as being made of fire.
What are the other prophet's roles in the Night Journey?
Over the course of Mohammad's wild adventure, he sees all of the past prophets of Allah. These are guys are Jesus, Moses, Abraham, the whole gang was there. But what were they in context to Moses, since in Islam it is stated continuously that Mohammad is the last and best prophet. Moses is the most prominent prophet, and his role and reaction to Mohammad is especially strange. Moses at one point begins to weep, which is strange since, like baseball, I assumed there was no crying in heaven. He then tells Mohammad that he is crying because many more of Mohammad's followers will reach the ultimate paradise that his. This immediately seems unfair since Moses and his people existed at least a thousand years before Mohammad, so we should they be left out if they never even got the chance to listen to this prophet. This is the same issue that Dante had to deal with when writing the Divine Comedy, how do they explain the great people that existed before are treated in the after life. So, the roles of the other prophets is to show the reader that while the other religions are just and good, Islam is much better to the point that the other prophets weep at its greatness.
Why is Baruq included in the tale?
Everything in writing is a choice, so Baruq's inclusion was a choice made by the other for one reason or another. Baruq is there certainly as a vehicle for Mohammad's travels, but why couldn't Gabriel just fly him to the mosque in Jerusalem? He is described as having an absurd amount of wings, so I'm not sure why Gabriel couldn't just pick him up. Baruq's inclusion must have been there to either create a stronger bond with existing myth, or to add to Mohammad's status as being the "chosen one" and being given a powerful horse, like Perseus and Rostam. I prefer the first, as creating as many connections to older tales is a good idea for a new burgeoning religion, and Baruq could have made the tale more digestible to readers who weren't fully aware of who Mohammad was.
Does the story of Mohammed’s Night Journey invalidate in any way Dante’s Divine Comedy?
ReplyDeleteAlthough there are obviously many similarities between the texts they remain insular. The story of sinners going to hell, or prophets having a view of Heaven and Hell is not unique to any religion. Even in Buddhism there are multiple stories of Buddha and other monks journeying to Heaven or Hell. Dante could have been influenced by the Night Journey, but it is not plagiarism. There are of course just as many differences. Most notably the presentation of the prophets of the 2 religions are presented very differently. Dante encounters Mohammed and Ali deep in Hell, being punished for their sins. By contrast Mohammed’s Night Journey does not overtly punish Jesus. Each of the texts have different goals, and can exist as separate stories.
1. How can one interrelate the parallels in narrative between Dante’s Inferno and the Miraj Nameh?
ReplyDeleteOne can almost see the Inferno and the Miraj Nameh as the Yin and Yang of the same concept - a devout man ventures deep into the world beyond our own, and comes out bettered and more enlightened than before. Though as mentioned, Dante and Mohammed literally could not have taken more different paths. For one, Dante was guided by an ancient non-abrahamic figure through the many circles of Hell, encountering all manners of sinners both deserving of their punishment and otherwise. There’s a nuance to the way that Dante takes in and reacts to the many individuals, and each circle of hell has it’s own unique disposition. The path taken by Mohammed immediately deviates from this, as he’s guided by one of the most holy figures in all of Abrahamic religion - the angel Gabriel - through increasingly rapid methods of travel across the seven realms of Heaven. Mohammed, somewhat predictably I might add, like an awestruck and humble holy man who is very simply doing what’s asked of him, all for the glory of God. The whole deal for Mohammed is pretty much a test to see if he’s worthy to walk in front of god (spoilers: he is). At the very least, Mohammed is portrayed as something besides faultless, as he is almost constantly a little intimidated by the great and powerful beings before him, as was the case for Dante. Mohammed didn’t faint nearly as much, however.
2. Why does something as unofficial and far away from the normal religious canons like the Miraj Nameh and the Inferno garner so much adulation from their contemporary religious layperson?
I feel that most of the popularity that’s accumulated by these works is a product of the subject matter they cover: Heaven and Hell. Keeping in mind the general proclivity of humanity to seek out answers about the world they inhabit, and the role that religion plays in that pursuit, it’s no wonder that a well-written and comprehensive account of the afterlife would generate a large and sustained readership. Add in all the socio-political comentary within the Inferno, and the adventurous perspective on Mohammed’s thoughts of the Miraj Nameh, and you have something that’s also ripe for scholastic analysis.
3. How could a non-believer treat the ever-increasing awesomeness and religious devotion that he would encounter along the seven heavens?
As a non-believer, I can sum it up into one utterance: Uhh, weird. There’s something almost Kafkaesque about uncountable legions of not-quite people who apparently do nothing but praise god without cession. When it gets to the point where one angel has 70,000 heads with 70,000 mouths each all speaking separate tongues, it jumps straight toward Lovecraftian horror. Angels with wings that stretch out into infinity, Angels that speak in thunderclaps and fire, it’s all incredible. Just attempting to visualize such monstrosities sends shudders of revulsion through me. This is the most literal form of awesome that I can describe, something that is great and terrifying at the same time.
Jessica Wilner
ReplyDeleteWhat are some similarities between Dante’s Inferno and Muhammad’s Night Journey?
Well, there are many similarities and differences between the two tales of heaven and hell. Both stories showed heaven/hell to be comprised of multiple layers, although Inferno had nine while Muhammad’s story showed only seven. Dante and Muhammad seemed to go through the layers or circles themselves, which is another similarity, although Someone else told Muhammad’s story for him.
Something I found interesting was the point made about Dante always moving to the left and not to the right in the Inferno. Another thing in our discussion that I found interesting was a point that Chris (I think Chris said this) made about Dante moving only left. He said that a long time ago, people used to view those who were left-handed as being evil. These people were punished or killed simply because they were left-handed! Therefore, going left could have been a symbol of evil or sin, which is why Dante may have moved left within hell.
It is probable that Dante took some of his ideas from Night Journey
ReplyDeleteI agree with the general consensus in class today that Dante most likely got some of his ideas from the Night Journey. Many near parallels between the Night Journey and Dante's Inferno were discussed in class today. One of these near parallels include a tiered system of the underworld and heaven, with varying degrees for the various degrees of the benevolent and malign individuals. Another near parallel is Muhammad ripping open his chest and stomach repeatedly in hell in Dante's Inferno, as punishment for causing schisms, quite similar to how Muhammad in the Night Journey has his chest ripped open so the blessed water can cleanse and bless his insides. Yet another similarity is the three stage path to heaven that both must traverse. There are multiple other similarities, however, I would like to add my comments on this topic. It is quite clear that Dante in some aspects lacks originality in his narrative. Dante throughout the vast majority of Inferno takes characters from various religions, stories, and actual history and uses them to his liking; even if it defies reason or the actual history of the actual or fictional individuals. Now don't take this the wrong way; the use of the wide array of familiar characters in history is a great aspect of the narrative, and it makes it relatable to a wider audience. However, what this also reveals is a lack of originality on Dante's part, and it displays that he relies on characters and themes to his liking that fill certain roles in his story. He does this to the extent where it even bears contradictions in multiple ways (as discussed previously in class and other blog posts). With that said, my point of this post is that for someone who has relied so heavily on characters and themes not of his creation, coupled with all of the similarities with the Night Journey, it makes it really plausible that Dante did indeed take various themes from the Night Journey and used it for his Inferno. If we are to assume this hunch as fact, one then must wonder what his motives were in doing this. Was he seeking to make a legitimate Christian hell, similar to the Islamic hell to give it more plausibility, but while subtly using their previous themes without detection? Or perhaps was he ripping off the Night Journey out of spite of Islam from it's schism from Christianity, and maybe even the many years of bloodshed between Christians and Muslims in the Crusades? Maybe Dante was just lacking originality so much that he used Muslim themes? We probably will never know for sure. My personal opinion is that Dante took ideas from Islam and used them for his Inferno.
Hum1
ReplyDeleteBlog Week 15
Muhammed's Night Journey
Yet again in reading another so called non-western work similarities can be drawn to a well known western piece of literature. Muhammed's Night Journey and Dante's The Divine Comedy have a number of similarities. Both stories can be interpreted as either a physical or spiritual (or both) journey for the protagonist who just so happens to be the author. Both Dante and Muhammed need a guide to safely traverse the phantasmic places where they each see the results of mankinds blunders. Even the way Muhammed and Dante advance through Heaven and Hell respectively is similar, both advancing through the various levels inching ever closer to the climax of their adventure.
One similarity, that I found very interesting, between the works was how other religions were represented in each work. In Dante's Inferno, Muhammed is actually in the 8th circle of hell where he is forced to tear himself apart. The significance of this punishment is that Dante views Muhammed as an imposter and liar who formed Islam (thus tearing people away from Christianity). Although he treats Muhammed harshly Noah, Moses, and Abraham as wells as other notable Jewish figures are treated kindly. They are contained to the first circle of hell with no real punishment. In Muhammed's Night Journey, Muhammed uses the cries of men and women on his journey with Buraq to represent the temptation of Christianity and Judaism. If he had answered one of these calls his people would be doomed to follow that religion until judgment day. Both of these works treat other religions as inferior, although Dante shows a little more hate for Islam than maybe necessary. These works are on a growing list of eerily similar pieces of literature that supposedly come from "western" and "eastern" cultures.
Austin Stone
ReplyDeleteHumanities 1
Dr. Akman
4/30/13
Can the similarities between Dante’s text and Muhammad’s Night Journey be defined as plagiarism? If not to this extent, are these parallels necessarily a bad thing?
These texts should not in any way, shape, or form be associated with the concept of plagiarism. While there is obvious and undeniable similitude between these works, Dante’s text is, in my experience, completely unique. To accuse Dante of Plagiarism for this specific text would also be to accuse him of stealing from almost every other author he references. In my opinion Dante does not get anything more from the Night Journey than he does from Greek mythology, Virgil, or even the Bible. Dante takes bits and pieces from each, some more than others as evident with the Night Journey, and puts his own unique spin on them. He then incorporates all the small parts together into an allegorical model for the afterlife. This is Dante’s true accomplishment, and if he needs to draw from a myriad of other sources to accomplish this than I believe it is justified. Also, the effect of this both increased my experience with Dante helped me to further understand the Night Journey. Looking at Dante at the end of the semester, with all of the other classic texts under my belt, Dante’s Inferno is all the more impressive. Now armed with understand of where Dante gets his material from and to see just how many things he references, to accuse that of plagiarism would be to miss the point of Dante’s texts entirely. Finally, the Night Journey does not have one specific author. It is a collection of stories, some stemming from the Hadith, no so different from the oral traditions of the Bible or the Qur’an. Given that there is not one solid source this increases the difficulty to raise a plagiarism case against Dante.
What are the functional differences between the two texts relative to their respective religious backgrounds?
There is a key difference between Dante’s work and the story of the Night Journey in terms of their religious function. The Night Journey, while not explicitly stated in the Qur’an or mentioned in the Hadith, is of incredible importance to the Islamic faith. Followers of this religion look at this tale as a sign of hope, an indication that they may one day ascend into the heavens as Muhammad did. This could be comparable to Jesus’ empty tomb and his post-mortem travels on earth before ascending into heaven in the New Testament. Both examples give the believer hope that there is an attainable afterlife for them. Dante’s text, on the other hand, is not a part of Christian theology. While many people view it as a religious text it really is nothing more than a work of fiction. It is Dante at a spiritual and personal crisis trying to make sense of the world around him. This line between Canon and epic poetry is often blurred for the layperson, but this is a distinction that must be made when looking at these works of literature.
Why would Dante use Islamic literature in the Inferno?
ReplyDeleteDante went to great lengths to incorporate many Abrahamic beliefs and Pagan beliefs to unify these religions in their understanding of his underworld. He uses many different literary figures including Mohammed of Islamic tradition and Virgil author of the Aeneid who chronicled parts of Roman lore for modern historians, Minos, Nesus and Charon from Greek lore, he uses some English lore by introducing a giant into the plot and quite a few Christian characters. He brings these cultures together by giving their cultures a voice and representation. This gives him credibility with not only one audience but many different audiences.
How does the religious impact of Muhammad’s Night Journey compare to that of Dante’s Inferno?
ReplyDeleteDante’s Inferno is a text which can still be read exactly as it was written seven hundred years ago. The established church of the time did not recognize it as divinely inspired, and probably dismissed it as heretical writings of a man exiled by the pope. Despite this lack of established support, ideas from Inferno have been adopted as common Christian conceptions of what Hell is like, and may be responsible for the word “inferno” entering the English language (despite the fact that when it changed languages it readily became linked with fire, in direct opposition to Dante’s description of the 9th Circle of Hell). Conversely, Muhammad’s Night Journey is based on quotes from the Quran and generally accepted Hadiths, sayings that came directly Muhammad. Instead of shaping Muslims’ views of Heaven or Hell, as Inferno did for Christians, Miraj has changed Muslims’ perception of the physical world by sanctifying the location where the Buraq’s hoofprint is supposedly located. Muslims already had detailed accounts of Heaven and Hell from the Quran and Hadiths, while the Bible says relatively little about them. What little the Bible does say about Hell involves descriptions of burning and “lakes of brimstone,” or molten sulfur, which are contradicted by Dante’s descriptions. I just found it interesting that despite the texts’ distinct differences in origin they have had similar impacts on their respective religions in terms of scope.
Could the similarities between the two works be explained by coincidence?
I don’t consider it too far-fetched to say that many of the similarities between these texts could have occurred naturally. If not for the Liber Scale Mohameti in Dante’s possession, I would argue that the similarities are based on assumptions most people would make. The gates around Hell could have arisen due to Dante’s having lived in the Middle Ages, a time where towns or densely populated areas were fenced off. This could have even been a criticism of cities, comparing them to Hell to remark that they are full of sinners. The use of a guide to travel to Heaven or Hell is logical, as people clearly can’t get to either place on their own without dying. The gatekeepers’ hesitance to let people through is also logical, as it served a narrative purpose of marking a change while emphasizing the strictness of the boundaries between levels. The one, very clear allusion to the Miraj in Inferno is Muhammad being ripped open, a punishment so specific and unintuitive (yet fitting) that one can conclude Dante did make use of his knowledge of Islamic beliefs in the Divine Comedy.
Can the similarities between Dante’s text and Muhammad’s Night Journey be defined as plagiarism? If not to this extent, are these parallels necessarily a bad thing?
ReplyDeleteNot necessarily. Though Dante heavily borrowed from The Night Journey, is all fiction based on other fiction necessarily plagiarism? We'll be reading Shakespeare next week. The man didn't have a single original plot. Yet to reduce him to plagiarism is to ignore Western canon. In modern times, we have historical fiction or even modern retellings of older stories (Jane Austen's Emma being turned into Clueless comes to mind).
Of course, Dante using Islamic imagery and borring from the Night Journey isn't very well taught in schools. If Dante is not a plagarist, he owes a debt to Muslim authors. Not acknowleding that it as via Muslim influence that led to the Renaissance is very much in vein of xenophobia. After all, several of the Greek philosophers Dante also referenced were only preserved through the efforts of Muslim scholars. That's how knowledge was preserved through the Dark Ages after the fall of Rome. Surely the West can acknowledge that.
Or perhaps we let our biases get the best of us. The parelles aren't necessarily bad. The lack of acknowledgement is.
HUMN 1
ReplyDeleteWeek 15
Dante Alighieri's knowledge of the Islamic culture was a prominent influence on his writing of the Inferno. There is enough sufficient evidence ot come to this conclusion. I am not saying that without the knowledge of the Islamic culture, Dante would not be able to write such an epic story. The spread of Islamic texts and manuscripts to the Italian peninsula from either Spain or across the Mediterranean is partly responsible for Dante's knowledge of non-Western ideas.
His first inclusion of the Islamic world, was including Averroes and Avicenna in Limbo among the prominent minds of the Western World. He later adds to the journey of Dante the Pilgrim with the additions of Muhammed and Ali to the eighth circle of Hell. The two of them are both located there and punished for creating a "schism" in humanity. Muhammed is depicted literally tearing his own body in half, punishment for leading individuals in a direction away from the Christian faith. The surprising part is the addition of Ali, the individual that plays a major role in defining the separate sects of Islam. I find his deeper knowledge of the Islamic culture to be impressive, even for a time period in which Western Europe was being exposed to new ideas from the East.
A text "Liber Scale Mahometi" was found in Dante's personal library. This was a Muslim text that was translated into Latin in the 13th century. The title of the text basically translates to "The Book of the Ladder of Muhammed." Dante had knowledge of Muhammed's Night Journey and other parts of the Islamic faith. This is also shown by a number of similarities between the Night Journey and the Inferno. Without mentioning all that was covered in class, I found the specific notion of Satan being punished in to be interesting. In Dante's Catholic faith, Hell is described only being fiery in nature, while the Islamic faith describes Satan as a creature of fire that can only be punished in a realm of the opposite.
I believe that Dante's Divine Comedy and Muhammed's Night Journey are both tales of journeys made by individuals to achieve some sort of enlightenment. Is it possible to compare either of these epic journeys to Plato's Allegory of the Cave? An example where one reaches enlightment by reaching the sunlight or God.
How can the reader view the author’s view of other Abrahamic religions in relation to Islam in this text?
ReplyDeleteMuhammad’s Night Journey of the Mi’raj is similar to other Islamic texts when it comes to the other Abrahamic religions it simultaneously shows a great amount of respect to Judaism and Christinaity, while simultaneously asserting Islamic superiority. This can be seen when Muhammad learns about the prophets and religious figures of other Abrahamic religions like Moses, Abraham, Jesus, and Adam, in these meetings Muhammad recognizes their importance, but the prophets appear to be more interested in Muhammad. One specific exchange would be when Muhammad tries to mount Buraq which is a divine steed that serves Gabriel, when reading the dialogue there seems to be a pattern of Muhammad being lifted above other religious figures. At first the steed is anxious and apprehensive to let Muhammad ride him before he knows that this man is in fact the prophet, so Gabriel tells Buraq to calm down because, “By god, no on more noble than Muhammad has ever ridden you”(197). Buraq responds that Abraham, Moses and Jesus have all ridden him, but when he discovers this is Muhammad he shows respect and fear of his authority. Here we can see that only great men get to ride this mythical beast with only the most important characters of the Bible listed, but once Buraq finds out the identity of this man he is struck with awe and respect. Another example is in the seventh layer of heaven when Muhammad meets Adam, the first man asks Muhammad to remember him when talking to God. In this exchange Muhammad first shows great respect to the father of all mankind, but this situation is reversed when Adam responds asks that Muhammad remember him when talking to God, Adam is asking Muhammad for favors. When Muhammad goes to meet Allah and speak with him God states about the other prophets “The rest requested my contentment, but I request your contentment, Muhammad” (228). Here God is saying that the prophets of Judaism and Christianity needed God’s approval, while God needs the approval of Muhammad. It appears that the important figures of Judaism and Christianity are to be respected and revered, but in the end Islamic teachings are the most important teachings and Islam is the true faith.
How can these views be compared and reconciled with the views of other Abrahamic religions?
ReplyDeleteHow can the views of Judaism and Christianity that Islam teaches be reconciled with the views these religions have of Islam. Judaism and Christianity do not recognize Muhammad as a prophet, let alone the most important prophet that God has ever had, although Islam does recognize Jewish and Christian prophets as holy and deserving respect. When viewing the debate in this way it seems that Islam is more accepting of other Abrahamic religions and their beliefs. Alternatively, another way of viewing this debate can be seen in Muhammad’s journey when he was riding Buraq from Mecca to Jerusalem and voices called to the prophet. A voice from the right called to Muhammad stating they he could help advise his people, then another one from the left called with the same statement, these voices were later revealed to be Jews and Christians calling for Muhammad to join them. Muhammad chooses to avoid these two voices and a lustful woman who calls to him after this, this woman represents sinful ways of the mortal world. This is an interesting part of the story, because to ensure a successful journey for Islam he has to resist the Jews, Christians, and sins of this world, meaning that avoiding these voices was the correct decision for Muhammad. This brings up the counter point that even if Islam is accepting of previous prophets this could all be negated with the supremacy of the teachings of Muhammad, much the way Jesus is more important than Moses in Christianity. So, even if Jewish and Christian prophets are to be respected, the teachings of Islam will always trump their teachings.
How can God be viewed in this text in comparison with other Islamic texts?
When Muhammad meets with God the omnipotent creator of all things requests that the followers of Muhammad’s teachings pray fifty times a day Muhammad, who thinks this is excessive, eventually talks him down to five. This is an example of both God’s favoring of Muhammad and an inconsistency in the religious views of Islam. If Allah wanted people to pray fifty times a day it seems that he could make that happen, he is the all-mighty master of existence. It seems strange that God has legions of angels that control all things and are massive enough to destroy all of existence, keep in mind that these angels constantly praise God for his strength and wisdom, but a simple man can negotiate God down to a fraction of his original request.
Can Dante’s Inferno be considered an original work?
ReplyDeleteAfter careful comparison of Dante’s Divine comedy and Muhammad’s Night Journey one comes to the conclusion that Dante may have “borrowed” more than a few ideas from the prophet. Actually once a closer look is taken Dante’s epic begins to appear quite plagiarized. Besides the parallel plot similarities of the Night Journey every other idea in the Inferno is taken from some other work. The Christian values that Dante abides by in the Inferno are obviously biblical, his characters are mostly taken from the Greek pagan beliefs, and his stock characters are ripped out of any story he had encountered and had any interest in. This may be proof that Dante may not have had an original bone in his body. His entire story is comprised from that of others. It is literately a mash up of the most inspiring stories conceived before Dante’s time. The only original idea that Dante presents is the plagiarism of so many stories. Which begs the question; should he be given credit for the genius of that idea? Or was that idea stolen as well?
Whatever the case Dante himself cannot be persecuted for his actions because one could make the connection that Muhammad’s Quran is inspired by the Bible and that the Bible itself is composed of other peoples stories. The most inspiring books in history to some extent could be considered plagiarized. Can what Dante did in his Inferno even be considered bad? If his epic helps mankind in the search of his soul then it can be considered to be as important as the Bible. When people who read his story but never know its origin read the ideas the important thing is that the ideas themselves live on. In a way this is what humans have always done with all of knowledge everywhere and it is kind of ridiculous to say the idea was stolen. It is more or less the same story with the same ideas but with a modern, more relevant spin on it.
Plagiarism a serious issue?
ReplyDeletePlagiarism in our era is a very serious issue, so serious in that some cases you can be expelled from school for doing so. But for historical people it seems as if they get a pass on plagiarism. We often credit people who have stolen past ideas because we can’t know for sure. The Night Journey seems to have some common ground with Dante’s inferno and Dante could have incorporated them straight from the Night Journey. The idea of stealing ideas does seem heinous but the concept of what constitutes plagiarism is unsettling. If we read a book that contains information we use ,we need to cite it. The reasoning for this is because we did not know it ourselves. But does that not mean we have to cite everything we say, we were not born knowing the alphabet should we have to cite it? If we have to cite all outside information wouldn’t any assignment contain hundreds of citations to varied sources that no teacher could possibly check on their own.
Is squabble inevitable?
Just like from the bible people argue over the ideas proposed in these stories. Some of them argue that Muhammad’s experience was merely spiritual and that his body never moved, while others say it was physical and spiritual. It seems that in almost in story people will turn the story into their own idea and try to rebuke others concepts which causes controversy within their own faction.
God bargains now?
God knows what is best and yet he allows Muhammad to bargain him down from fifty-five prayers a day to five. This idea seems crazy why would God propose something and then let a mortal(even if he is a prophet) debate him. Especially the amount he goes eleven times lower than his first suggestion .
.What is the religious significance of the Night Journey?
ReplyDeleteThe Night Journey has obvious significance to Muslims. The text details the journey of Mohammad through various stages of Heaven and Hell, and his meeting with other Islamic prophets, such as Abraham, Jesus, and Moses. He even meets God himself. However, aside from the obvious Islamic significance, there is also significance to those who are not Muslim. The text has allegorical undertones that apply to those of other religions. The text stresses the importance of prayer and faith to self-betterment.
.In what ways was Dante’s Inferno influenced by the Night Journey?
There are clear similarities between the Night Journey in Dante’s Inferno. The most basic of these similarities is the layered structure of heaven and hell. Dante, in Inferno has Virgil as his guide. In the Night Journey, Mohammad is guided in a similar way by the angel Gabriel. Both Virgil and Gabriel lead their charges throughout their journeys, and frequently grant them access to areas they would not be able to reach on their own. In both texts, the punishment of sinners tends to fit the crime. The most interesting, although not the most obvious, reference to Islamic scriptures in Dante’s Inferno is the punishment that Satan faces. Despite the fact that the Bible states that Satan will be punished with fire, Dante’s text has Satan being punished by being frozen in ice. This punishment is consistent with the Islamic portrayal of Satan as being made of fire.
HUMN 220
ReplyDeleteWhat are the other prophet's roles in the Night Journey?
Over the course of Mohammad's wild adventure, he sees all of the past prophets of Allah. These are guys are Jesus, Moses, Abraham, the whole gang was there. But what were they in context to Moses, since in Islam it is stated continuously that Mohammad is the last and best prophet. Moses is the most prominent prophet, and his role and reaction to Mohammad is especially strange. Moses at one point begins to weep, which is strange since, like baseball, I assumed there was no crying in heaven. He then tells Mohammad that he is crying because many more of Mohammad's followers will reach the ultimate paradise that his. This immediately seems unfair since Moses and his people existed at least a thousand years before Mohammad, so we should they be left out if they never even got the chance to listen to this prophet. This is the same issue that Dante had to deal with when writing the Divine Comedy, how do they explain the great people that existed before are treated in the after life. So, the roles of the other prophets is to show the reader that while the other religions are just and good, Islam is much better to the point that the other prophets weep at its greatness.
Why is Baruq included in the tale?
Everything in writing is a choice, so Baruq's inclusion was a choice made by the other for one reason or another. Baruq is there certainly as a vehicle for Mohammad's travels, but why couldn't Gabriel just fly him to the mosque in Jerusalem? He is described as having an absurd amount of wings, so I'm not sure why Gabriel couldn't just pick him up. Baruq's inclusion must have been there to either create a stronger bond with existing myth, or to add to Mohammad's status as being the "chosen one" and being given a powerful horse, like Perseus and Rostam. I prefer the first, as creating as many connections to older tales is a good idea for a new burgeoning religion, and Baruq could have made the tale more digestible to readers who weren't fully aware of who Mohammad was.