Thematic concerns: The Divine Comedy can be described simply as an allegory: Each canto, and the episodes therein, can contain many alternate meanings. Dante's allegory, however, is more complex, and, in explaining how to read the poem (see the "Letter to Can Grande della Scala"), he outlines other levels of meaning besides the allegory (the historical, the moral, the literal, and the anagogical). The structure of the poem, likewise, is quite complex, with mathematical and numerological patterns arching throughout the work, particularly threes and nines. The poem is often lauded for its particularly human qualities: Dante's skillful delineation of the characters he encounters in Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise; his bitter denunciations of Florentine and Italian politics; and his powerful poetic imagination. Dante's use of real characters, according to Dorothy Sayers in her introduction to her translation of "L'Inferno", allows Dante the freedom of not having to involve the reader in description, and allows him to "[make] room in his poem for the discussion of a great many subjects of the utmost importance, thus widening its range and increasing its variety." Dante called the poem "Comedy" (the adjective "Divine" added later in the 14th century) because poems in the ancient world were classified as High ("Tragedy") or Low ("Comedy"). Low poems had happy endings and were of everyday or vulgar subjects, while High poems were for more serious matters. The Divine Comedy and Islamic philosophy: In 1919 Professor Miguel Asín Palacios, a Spanish scholar and a Catholic priest, published La Escatología musulmana en la Divina Comedia ("Islamic Eschatology in the Divine Comedy"), an account of parallels between Islamic works and the Divine Comedy. Asín Palacios argued that Dante derived many features of and episodes about the hereafter directly or indirectly from various versions of Islamic works: the Hadith and the Kitab al Miraj (translated into Latin in 1264 or shortly before[3] as Liber Scale Machometi, "The Book of Muhammad's Ladder") concerning Muhammad's ascension to Heaven, and the spiritual writings of Ibn Arabi. The work of Professor Asín Palacios was criticized by many groups, including nationalist Italians, the Roman Catholic clergy and other European Christians. [4] He responded by enumerating the possible sources from which Dante could have obtained the salient features of Islamic eschatology. More recently, scholar Giorgio Battistoni has brought to light the role that commissioned Jewish translators working in European circles during the 12th century played in making Arabic texts available to Christendom. Battistoni believes this to be a clear route by which the possible sources of influence may have reached Dante. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante's_Divine_Comedy Seven Heavens of the Arabs * 1 Kether, 2 Chokmah, 3 Binah: Dar al-Jalai (House of Glory, made of pearls) * 4 Chesed: Dar as-Salam (House of Rest or Peace, made of rubies and jacinths) * 5 Geburah: Jannat al-Maawa (Garden of Mansions, made of yellow copper) * 6 Tiphareth: Jannat al-Khuld (Garden of Eternity, made of yellow coral) * 7 Netzach: Jannat al-Naim (Garden of Delights, made of white diamond) * 8 Hod: Jannat al-Firdaus (Garden of Paradise, made of red gold) * 9 Yesod, 10 Malkuth: Jannat al-’adn or al-Karar (Garden of Eden, or Everlasting Abode, made of red pearls or pure musk) Seven Hells of the Arabs and their Inhabitants * 1 Kether, 2 Chokmah, 3 Binah: Háwiyah / Hypocrites * 4 Chesed: Jahim / Pagans or Idolaters * 5 Geburah: Sakar / Guebres * 6 Tiphareth: Sa’ir / Sabians * 7 Netzach: Hutamah / Jews * 8 Hod: Laza / Christians * 9 Yesod, 10 Malkuth: Jehannum / Moslems http://www.thelemapedia.org/index.php/Tree_of_Life:Eastern_Mysticism The concept of seven heavens and seven hells originated in India. Most of the ancient Sanskrit texts of India describe them. "Hindu mythology defines fourteen worlds (not to be confused with planets) - seven higher worlds (heavens) and seven lower ones (hells). (The earth is considered the lowest of the seven higher worlds.)" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_mythology