batch.motif.islamic-koran-rodwell-gutenberg-l10353-l10500
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamic-koran-rodwell-gutenberg-l10353-l10500
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
passage_locator:
label: PUBLIC SERVICES, / AND EMINENT LITERARY ATTAINMENTS, / THE TRANSLATOR. /
PREFACE; lines 10353-10500
start: '10353'
end: '10500'
translation: The Koran (Al-Qur'an), Rodwell translation
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: The passage closes one sura with instructions about invoking God by excellent
names, moderation in prayer volume, and proclaiming God's greatness and uniqueness.
Notes discuss interpretations and comparisons including the night journey, seven
heavens, Zakkoum, Talmudic parallels, and Gabriel. The next sura opens with the
Koran as guidance, warnings about unbelief and the afterlife, and the beginning
of the Moses fire episode, where Moses perceives fire, approaches it, hears a
divine call, and is told to throw down his staff, which moves like a serpent.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The addressee is instructed to call upon God either as Allah or as the God
of Mercy, Arrahman.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The passage instructs that prayer should be neither too loud nor too low,
but should follow a middle way.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The passage states that God has not begotten a son, has no partner in the
Kingdom, and has no protector due to weakness.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: A note describes a night-journey to Jerusalem and through the seven heavens
to the throne of God, with Borak and Gabriel in some traditions; other traditions
treat it as a vision or dream.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: A note identifies the tree as Zakkoum and associates bitter food with punishments
of Hell in rabbinic teaching.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: The opening of Sura XXVII identifies the verses as signs of the Koran and
the lucid Book, giving guidance and glad tidings to believers.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: Those who do not believe in the life to come are described as having their
deeds made fair-seeming and as being bewildered.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:8
text: The passage says that chastisement awaits unbelievers and that they will suffer
greatest loss in the next life.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: Moses tells his family that he has perceived a fire and will bring tidings
from it or a blazing brand so they may warm themselves.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:10
text: When Moses comes to the fire, he is called to with a blessing on the one in
the fire and the one about it, followed by divine self-identification as God,
the Mighty, the Wise.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:11
text: Moses is commanded to throw down his staff; when it moves as though it were
a serpent, he retreats backward and does not return.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:12
text: Moses is told not to fear because the Sent Ones do not fear in God's presence.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: God / Allah / Arrahman
description: The deity invoked by excellent names, described as without son, partner,
or protector from weakness, and self-identified to Moses as God, the Mighty, the
Wise.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:8
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Moses
description: A figure who perceives a fire, speaks to his family, approaches the
fire, hears the divine call, and throws down his staff.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Moses' family
description: The group addressed by Moses when he says he has perceived a fire and
will bring tidings or a blazing brand.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Borak
description: In a note, Borak is named as the being on whose back the night-journey
through the heavens is made in some traditions.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Gabriel
description: In a note, Gabriel accompanies the night-journey in some traditions;
another note says the word spirit is probably to be understood as the Angel Gabriel.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:10
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Believers
description: Those who observe prayer, pay stated alms, and believe firmly in the
life to come.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Unbelievers in the life to come
description: Those whose deeds are made fair-seeming, who are bewildered, and whom
chastisement and greatest loss await.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
roles:
- id: role:1
label: deity invoked by multiple names
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The passage instructs calling upon God as Allah or Arrahman and says he has
most excellent names.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: divine speaker to Moses
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: At the fire, the voice addresses Moses and says, 'I am God, the Mighty, the
Wise.'
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:3
label: recipient of divine call
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Moses comes to the fire and is directly addressed by the divine voice.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:4
label: staff bearer
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Moses is commanded to throw down his staff, which then moves like a serpent.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: role:5
label: journey companions or household addressed by Moses
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Moses speaks to his family before approaching the fire.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:6
label: heavenly journey mount in cited tradition
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The note says the journey is made on the back of Borak according to some
traditions.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:7
label: angelic companion in cited tradition
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The notes identify Gabriel as accompanying the journey in some traditions
and as a possible meaning of 'spirit.'
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:10
- id: role:8
label: righteous recipients of guidance
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Believers who pray, give alms, and believe in the life to come receive guidance
and glad tidings.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:9
label: warned recipients of chastisement
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Unbelievers in the life to come are said to await chastisement and greatest
loss.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: excellent divine names
literal_form: names Allah and Arrahman / God of Mercy
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: middle way in prayer
literal_form: prayer neither loud nor too low
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:3
label: seven heavens
literal_form: seven heavens traversed in the night-journey note
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:4
label: throne of God
literal_form: throne of God reached in the night-journey note
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:5
label: Zakkoum tree
literal_form: tree identified as Zakkoum in a note
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:6
label: fire perceived by Moses
literal_form: fire seen by Moses and approached for tidings or a blazing brand
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: sym:7
label: blazing brand
literal_form: brand Moses says he may bring so the family may warm themselves
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:8
label: staff moving like a serpent
literal_form: Moses' staff, thrown down, moving as though it were a serpent
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- serpent
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Invocation and moderated prayer
summary: The passage instructs invocation of God by either Allah or Arrahman and
prescribes a middle way in the volume of prayer.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Proclamation of divine uniqueness
summary: The passage praises God as without son, partner, or protector due to weakness
and commands proclamation of his greatness.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Night-journey tradition in a note
summary: A note recounts traditions of a journey to Jerusalem and through the seven
heavens to God's throne on Borak, accompanied by Gabriel, while also noting alternative
interpretations as vision or dream.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Guidance and warning at the opening of Sura XXVII
summary: The Koran is presented as guidance and glad tidings for believers, while
unbelievers in the life to come are warned of chastisement and greatest loss.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:5
label: Moses perceives the fire
summary: Moses tells his family he has perceived a fire and will bring either tidings
from it or a blazing brand for warmth.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: scene:6
label: Divine call at the fire and serpent-like staff
summary: At the fire Moses is addressed by a divine voice, told that the speaker
is God, commanded to throw down his staff, and frightened when the staff moves
as though it were a serpent.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: heavenly ascent or night journey
taxonomy_refs:
- ascent
- afterlife_journey_map
basis: A note describes a night-journey to Jerusalem and through the seven heavens
to the throne of God, with Borak and Gabriel in some traditions.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage presents this chiefly in a translator's note and explicitly
reports disagreement over whether it was a literal journey, vision, or dream.
- id: motif:2
label: divine encounter at a fire
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Moses perceives a fire, approaches it, and receives a divine call in which
God identifies himself.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: No available taxonomy reference exactly matches a divine call from fire,
so no taxonomy motif is assigned.
- id: motif:3
label: serpent-like transformation of a staff
taxonomy_refs:
- serpent
- shapeshifter
basis: Moses' staff, after being thrown down, moves as though it were a serpent,
causing Moses to retreat.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
confidence: medium
cautions: The text says the staff moved as though it were a serpent; it does not
explicitly say here that it became a serpent.
- id: motif:4
label: divine judgment in the next life
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: The opening of Sura XXVII warns that unbelievers in the life to come await
chastisement and greatest loss in the next life.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The passage gives a general warning rather than a detailed judgment scene.
- id: motif:5
label: wisdom as source of revelation
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The passage says the Koran has been received from the Wise, the Knowing.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
confidence: medium
cautions: The motif is abstract and based on an attribute of the divine source rather
than a narrative episode.
- id: motif:6
label: punitive infernal tree
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_tree_axis
basis: A note identifies a tree as Zakkoum and links bitter herbs or food with punishments
of Hell.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: low
cautions: This is in a note referring to another verse and the available taxonomy
has only a broad tree-axis category; the fit is uncertain.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The note compares the seven-heavens motif with a Talmudic passage listing
seven heavens.
claim_level: same_motif
target: Talmud, Tractate Chagiga, fol. 9b, as cited in the translator's note
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage reports a translator's comparison and does not establish
historical dependence.
- id: claim:2
claim: The note compares the instruction against loud prayer with a Talmudic prohibition
of loudness in prayer using Hannah as an example.
claim_level: same_function
target: Talmud, Tractate Berachoth 31:2, as cited in the translator's note
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The comparison is limited to prayer etiquette and is supplied by the
translator's note.
- id: claim:3
claim: The note links bitter infernal food with rabbinic teaching about bitter herbs
as one of the punishments of Hell.
claim_level: same_motif
target: Rabbinic and Talmudic teaching as cited by the translator's note
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: low
limitations: The comparison concerns a note on Zakkoum and rabbinic punishment imagery,
not a fully narrated parallel in the passage.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: quote
locator: lines 10353-10357
quote_or_summary: "“Call upon God (Allah), or call upon the God of Mercy (Arrahman)
... He hath most excellent names” and prayer should be neither loud nor too low,
but follow “a middle way.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain Rodwell translation via Project Gutenberg; short excerpt
used.
- id: ev:2
type: quote
locator: lines 10358-10361
quote_or_summary: "“Praise be to God who hath not begotten a son, who hath no partner
in the Kingdom, nor any protector on account of weakness.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain Rodwell translation via Project Gutenberg; short excerpt
used.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: note 3 within lines 10353-10500
quote_or_summary: The note describes Jerusalem and a journey through the seven heavens
to God's throne on Borak with Gabriel in some traditions, while other early traditions
regard it as vision or dream.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: note 20 within lines 10353-10500
quote_or_summary: The note identifies the tree as Zakkoum and says rabbinic teaching
treats bitter herbs or food as a punishment of Hell.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: Sura XXVII opening within lines 10353-10500
quote_or_summary: The verses are called signs of the Koran and lucid Book, offering
guidance and glad tidings to believers who pray, give alms, and believe in the
life to come.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: Sura XXVII opening within lines 10353-10500
quote_or_summary: Those who do not believe in the life to come have their own deeds
made fair-seeming, are bewildered, and await chastisement and greatest loss in
the next life.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: quote
locator: Sura XXVII, Moses fire episode within lines 10353-10500
quote_or_summary: Moses says to his family, “I have perceived a fire” and will bring
tidings from it or a blazing brand so they may warm themselves.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain Rodwell translation via Project Gutenberg; short excerpt
used.
- id: ev:8
type: quote
locator: Sura XXVII, Moses fire episode within lines 10353-10500
quote_or_summary: 'At the fire Moses is called to: “O Moses! verily, I am God, the
Mighty, the Wise!”'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain Rodwell translation via Project Gutenberg; short excerpt
used.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: Sura XXVII, Moses staff episode within lines 10353-10500
quote_or_summary: Moses is commanded to throw down his staff; when it moves as though
it were a serpent, he retreats, and is told not to fear.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: note 27 within lines 10353-10500
quote_or_summary: The note says the word spirit is probably to be understood as
the Angel Gabriel, though others understand it as the immaterial human soul.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:11
type: quote
locator: Sura XXVII opening within lines 10353-10500
quote_or_summary: "“Thou hast certainly received the Koran from the Wise, the Knowing.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain Rodwell translation via Project Gutenberg; short excerpt
used.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: note 17 within lines 10353-10500
quote_or_summary: The note cites Tractate Chagiga, fol. 9b, for seven heavens, listing
named heavens such as veil, firmament, clouds, habitation, abode, fixed seat,
and araboth.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:13
type: summary
locator: note 29 within lines 10353-10500
quote_or_summary: The note says Talmud Tractate Berachoth 31:2 forbids loudness
in prayer by the example of Hannah.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: medium
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: The main narrative items are clear. Some motif candidates and comparison
claims depend on translator notes rather than the sura text itself and therefore
require review.
reviewer_status:
status: needs_review
reviewer: ''
reviewed_at: ''
notes: Machine-generated draft from OpenAI Batch; not human-reviewed.
extracted_by: openai_batch:gpt-5.5
extracted_at: '2026-04-29'
notes: |-
Only the supplied passage and metadata were used. Taxonomy references were limited to the provided lists.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamic-koran-rodwell-gutenberg__l10353-l10500
passage_sha256=64e87f7118acc3e8832a661ebcb9ec41fa59cb953630d97c128290fbfbfa3af2