batch.motif.islamic-koran-rodwell-gutenberg-l14383-l14516
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamic-koran-rodwell-gutenberg-l14383-l14516
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 14383-14516
start: '14383'
end: '14516'
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 contrasts divine guidance with human fear and idolatry, recalls
destroyed unjust cities, depicts resurrection judgment, argues from the alternation
of night and day, narrates Korah’s pride in wealth and his destruction when the
earth cleaves for him and his palace, and closes with exhortations to follow the
revealed Book and worship God alone.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: God is said to guide whom He wills and to know those who yield to guidance.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Some speakers say that following the guided way would cause them to be driven
from their country.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: A sacred secure precinct is described as a place to which fruits of every
kind are gathered as a gift for support.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Many prosperous cities are said to have been destroyed, leaving dwellings
mostly uninhabited.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The passage states that cities were not destroyed until an apostle had been
sent to the mother-city to rehearse signs, and that destruction came only when
the people were unjust.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: The enjoyments and pomp of present life are contrasted with what is with God,
which is described as better and more lasting.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: On the day of Resurrection, a person attached to the enjoyments of present
life is said to be brought up for punishment.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: On a future day God calls out asking where the supposed companions are.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: obs:9
text: The doomed say that they led others astray as they themselves had been led
astray, while denying that they were the ones worshipped.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: Those who made companions for God are told to call on them; they call, but
the companions do not answer.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:11
text: God is described as creator, free in choice, knowing what people conceal and
disclose, and as the one to whom people are brought back.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:12
text: The passage asks who besides God could bring light if God made a long night
until resurrection, and who besides God could bring night if God made a long day
until resurrection.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:13
text: Night is presented as a time for rest and day as a time to seek supplies and
give thanks.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:14
text: A witness is to be brought from every nation, and people are told to bring
their proofs.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:15
text: Korah is identified as belonging to the people of Moses and as behaving haughtily
toward them.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:16
text: Korah is described as having treasure whose keys would burden a company of
strong men.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:17
text: Korah’s people advise him not to exult, to seek the future Mansion by means
of what God has given, to be bounteous, and not to commit excesses on the earth.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:18
text: Korah says that what he has was given to him because of the knowledge in him.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:19
text: Korah goes forth to his people in pomp, and some who desire present life wish
for the like of what he has.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:20
text: Those given knowledge warn that God’s reward is better for one who believes
and works righteousness, and that it is won by those who patiently endure.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:21
text: The earth is said to cleave for Korah and his palace, and he has no forces
to help him in place of God.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:22
text: Those who had coveted Korah’s lot the previous day say that God enlarges or
restricts supplies and that, had God not been gracious, the earth would have cleaved
for them.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:23
text: The future mansion is promised to those who do not seek self-exaltation on
earth or wrongdoing.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:24
text: Good deeds are said to receive reward beyond their merits, while evil deeds
are rewarded only as they were wrought.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:25
text: The passage commands not to call on another god with God and says everything
shall perish except Himself, judgment is His, and to Him people return.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: God
description: The divine speaker and actor who guides, creates, judges, provides,
knows hidden things, and receives return.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:10
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Addressed messenger
description: The figure addressed as “thou,” associated with guidance and with receiving
the Book and signs.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:12
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Those fearing expulsion
description: Speakers who say that if they follow the guided way, they will be driven
from their country.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Destroyed cities and their people
description: Prosperous cities whose unjust people were destroyed after an apostle
was sent to the mother-city.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Doomed or idolatrous speakers
description: Those questioned on the day of judgment about supposed companions and
about how they answered the apostles.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Supposed companions or false gods
description: Beings associated with God by the accused; when called on, they do
not answer and desert their devotees.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:12
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Apostles
description: Messengers sent to rehearse God’s signs to people and later asked about
through the response of their hearers.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Witnesses from every nation
description: Witnesses brought up from every nation before the demand for proofs.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Korah
description: A man of the people of Moses who behaves haughtily, possesses great
treasure, attributes it to his own knowledge, appears in pomp, and is swallowed
with his palace when the earth cleaves.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Korah’s people
description: The people who admonish Korah not to exult, to seek the future Mansion,
to be bounteous, and to avoid excesses.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Those greedy for present life
description: Observers who covet Korah’s fortune when he appears in pomp and later
reverse their view after his destruction.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:11
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: Those given knowledge
description: People who warn that God’s reward is better for believers who work
righteousness and patiently endure.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
roles:
- id: role:1
label: divine guide, provider, creator, and judge
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: God guides whom He wills, creates freely, provides night and day, questions
people on the judgment day, and holds judgment and return.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:12
- id: role:2
label: recipient and proclaimer of revelation
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The addressed figure is told that the Book was given by mercy and is commanded
not to be turned aside from the signs of God.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: role:3
label: fearful potential followers
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: They say that following the guided way will result in being driven from their
country.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: exempla of punished injustice
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The cities are destroyed only after apostolic warning and when their people
are unjust.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:5
label: accused at judgment
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: They are questioned about supposed companions and apostles, see punishment,
and are confused.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: role:6
label: powerless associated gods
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: They are called upon but do not answer and are said to desert those who devised
them.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: role:7
label: sent warners
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: An apostle is sent to rehearse signs before a city’s destruction; people
are later asked how they answered the apostles.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: role:8
label: judicial witnesses
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: A witness is brought from every nation before people are told to bring proofs.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:9
label: wealthy haughty exemplar
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Korah is haughty, boasts that his wealth came through his own knowledge,
appears in pomp, and is destroyed with his palace.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: role:10
label: moral admonishers
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: They advise Korah against exultation and excess, and urge generosity and
pursuit of the future Mansion.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:11
label: worldly coveters corrected by events
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: They first covet Korah’s fortune, then after his destruction acknowledge
God’s control of provision and the failure of the ungrateful.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:11
- id: role:12
label: knowledgeable moral interpreters
assigned_to:
- fig:12
basis: They interpret true reward as God’s reward for faith, righteous work, and
endurance.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: sacred secure precinct
literal_form: A sacred secure precinct to which fruits of every kind are gathered.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: day of Resurrection
literal_form: The day of Resurrection and future day when people are brought up
for punishment and questioned.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: sym:3
label: supposed companions
literal_form: The companions or gods associated with God who fail to answer when
called.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: sym:4
label: night, day, and light
literal_form: Long night, light, long day, and night for rest are used in questions
about divine power and mercy.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:5
label: treasure and keys
literal_form: Korah’s treasure and keys, so heavy that they would burden a company
of strong men.
associated_figures:
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:6
label: future Mansion
literal_form: The future Mansion sought by means of what God has given and bestowed
on those who do not seek self-exaltation or wrongdoing.
associated_figures:
- fig:10
- fig:12
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:11
- id: sym:7
label: earth cleaving for Korah and palace
literal_form: The earth cleaves for Korah and his palace.
associated_figures:
- fig:9
- fig:11
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: sym:8
label: the Book and signs of God
literal_form: The Book given by mercy and signs sent down to the addressed messenger.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Guidance, fear of expulsion, and secure precinct
summary: The passage says God guides whom He wills; some people object that following
guidance would lead to expulsion, while the text points to a sacred secure precinct
supplied with fruits.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Destroyed cities after warning
summary: Prosperous cities are described as destroyed only after an apostle had
rehearsed signs to their people and after the people were unjust.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:7
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Resurrection questioning and failure of false companions
summary: On the judgment day, God questions the accused about supposed companions
and apostles; the companions do not answer, and the accused see punishment and
confusion.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: Night and day as signs of divine mercy
summary: The passage asks who besides God could bring light after a long night or
night after a long day, then describes night for rest and day for seeking supplies
and giving thanks.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:5
label: Witnesses from every nation
summary: God calls for the supposed companions, brings witnesses from every nation,
demands proofs, and the devised gods desert their devotees.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: scene:6
label: Korah’s wealth and admonition
summary: Korah, of the people of Moses, is haughty and wealthy; his people tell
him not to exult, to seek the future Mansion, to be generous, and to avoid excess.
figure_refs:
- fig:9
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: scene:7
label: Korah’s boast, display, and collapse
summary: Korah claims his wealth comes from his own knowledge, appears in pomp,
is coveted by some, and then the earth cleaves for him and his palace.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:9
- fig:11
- fig:12
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: scene:8
label: Reversal after Korah’s destruction and final exhortation
summary: Those who had coveted Korah’s lot recognize God’s control of provision;
the passage promises the future mansion to the humble, states proportional reward
and punishment, and commands exclusive worship of God.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:6
- fig:11
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Divine judgment after warning
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: The passage states that cities are destroyed only after apostolic warning
and injustice, and it also depicts future judgment with questioning, witnesses,
proofs, punishment, and divine return.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:12
confidence: high
cautions: The passage is theological and admonitory; motif labeling should not obscure
its doctrinal context.
- id: motif:2
label: Resurrection and return to God
taxonomy_refs:
- resurrection
basis: The day of Resurrection, being brought up for punishment, divine questioning,
and return to God are repeatedly invoked.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:12
confidence: high
cautions: The text emphasizes judgment more than a narrative journey through the
afterlife.
- id: motif:3
label: False gods fail their devotees
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: Those who associated companions with God are told to call them; they do not
answer, and later the devised gods desert them.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:12
confidence: high
cautions: The available taxonomy has no dedicated idolatry motif, so the closest
supported family is divine judgment.
- id: motif:4
label: Proud rich man swallowed with his house
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: Korah is haughty, displays treasure and pomp, attributes wealth to his own
knowledge, and the earth cleaves for him and his palace, leaving him without help.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: No separate taxonomy reference for earth-swallowing punishment is supplied.
- id: motif:5
label: True wisdom over worldly display
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The passage contrasts ignorance with guidance, present enjoyment with lasting
reward, Korah’s claim of knowledge with the warning of those given knowledge,
and later recognition by former coveters.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
confidence: medium
cautions: Wisdom is an interpretive grouping across several statements rather than
a single discrete narrative event.
- id: motif:6
label: Divine control of cosmic alternation
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The rhetorical questions about long night, light, long day, and restful night
present night and day as dependent on God’s power and mercy.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: No supplied taxonomy reference directly corresponds to night-day alternation.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 14383-14384
quote_or_summary: God guides whom He wills and knows those who yield to guidance.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 14386-14389
quote_or_summary: Some say following the guided way would drive them from their
country; the reply points to a sacred secure precinct where fruits are gathered
for support.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 14391-14396
quote_or_summary: Many prosperous cities were destroyed and left mostly uninhabited;
destruction came only after an apostle was sent to the mother-city and when the
people were unjust.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 14398-14403
quote_or_summary: The passage contrasts present-life enjoyment and pomp with what
is with God, and mentions the day of Resurrection when one is brought up for punishment.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 14405-14417
quote_or_summary: On that day God asks about supposed companions; the doomed say
they led others astray as they were led astray; those companions do not answer
when called, and the accused see punishment and confusion.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 14421-14435
quote_or_summary: God is described as creator, free in choice, knowing hidden and
manifest things, the one to whom people return; the passage asks who besides God
could bring light after a long night or night after a long day, and says night
and day are made for rest, provision, and thanks.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 14437-14442
quote_or_summary: God again asks where the supposed companions are; a witness is
brought from every nation, proofs are demanded, truth is with God alone, and the
devised gods desert them.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 14444-14452
quote_or_summary: Korah, of the people of Moses, behaves haughtily; he has treasure
whose keys would burden strong men; his people advise him not to exult, to seek
the future Mansion, to be bounteous, and to avoid excesses.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 14454-14461
quote_or_summary: Korah says his wealth was given because of his own knowledge;
the passage recalls stronger and richer destroyed generations; Korah then appears
in pomp, and those greedy for present life envy his fortune.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; summarized.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: lines 14463-14469
quote_or_summary: Those given knowledge say God’s reward is better for believers
who do right and endure; then the earth cleaves for Korah and his palace, and
he has no forces to help him.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; summarized.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: lines 14471-14478
quote_or_summary: Those who had coveted Korah’s lot say God enlarges or restricts
supplies and that God spared them from the same cleaving; the future mansion is
for those who avoid self-exaltation and wrongdoing.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; summarized.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: lines 14480-14500
quote_or_summary: Good and evil are recompensed; the addressed figure will be brought
to his home, is told the Book came by mercy, must not be turned from God’s signs,
must not add gods to God, and is told that judgment is God’s and all return to
Him.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: The literal extraction is well supported by the passage. Motif candidates
use only supplied taxonomy families where reasonably applicable. No comparison
claims were added because the passage itself does not explicitly support a cross-textual
or historical comparison beyond its own references.
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 provided passage and metadata were used. Taxonomy references are limited to the supplied available lists.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamic-koran-rodwell-gutenberg__l14383-l14516
passage_sha256=f4ab4d55a81bec4cbe7eb21d104dc7a90b10044a67d8d3846d06dc437718540e