Miguel Asín Palacios (1871–1944) was a distinguished Spanish scholar of Islamic studies, an Arabic language academic, and a Roman Catholic priest. His academic career was defined by his pioneering research into the historical and theological intersections between Islam and Christianity, particularly during the medieval period. By examining the cultural and intellectual exchanges in medieval Spain (Al-Andalus), Asín Palacios sought to illuminate the profound, often overlooked connections between Eastern and Western religious thought.
He is most famous for his groundbreaking and controversial 1919 work, La Escatología musulmana en la Divina Comedia (Islamic Eschatology in the Divine Comedy). In this study, Asín Palacios argued that Dante Alighieri drew significant inspiration, motifs, and structural elements for his masterpiece from Islamic sources, specifically medieval accounts of the Prophet Muhammad's night journey and ascension (the Isra and Mi'raj). This thesis sparked intense debate among literary critics and medievalists of his era.
Beyond his work on Dante, Asín Palacios wrote extensively on medieval Islamic philosophy and mysticism. He dedicated significant scholarship to the Persian theologian al-Ghazali and published El Islam cristianizado (1931), an in-depth study of Sufism focused on the Andalusian mystic Muhyiddin ibn 'Arabi. Through these comparative works, he explored how Islamic mysticism influenced Spanish Christian mystics, cementing his legacy as a foundational figure in modern Spanish Arabist scholarship.
