batch.motif.islamic-koran-rodwell-gutenberg-l14518-l14658
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamic-koran-rodwell-gutenberg-l14518-l14658
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 14518-14658
start: '14518'
end: '14658'
translation: The Koran (Al-Qur'an)
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: The passage contains translator notes on a preceding Moses/Karun narrative
and the opening of Sura XXXIX, 'The Troops.' The sura declares the Book sent down
from God, urges sincere worship of God alone, rejects divine offspring, describes
creation of the heavens, earth, night, day, sun, moon, humankind, cattle, and
embryonic formation in darkness, warns of return to God and judgment, contrasts
thanklessness with devotion and knowledge, mentions resurrection, fire-punishment,
and gives good tidings to those who turn from Thagout to God.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The translator notes compare details of a Moses narrative with Exodus, Genesis,
and Jewish midrashic/traditional material.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: obs:2
text: The sura is introduced as a Meccan revelation with seventy-five verses.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:3
text: The Book is described as sent down from God with truth.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:4
text: The speaker is commanded to serve God with sincere worship and to call others
away from worship besides God.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:10
- id: obs:5
text: God is said to judge between those who take others beside him as lords and
the faithful concerning their disputes.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:6
text: God is described as one, mighty, and without a son.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:7
text: God is said to have created the heavens and earth, to cause night and day
to return upon each other, and to control the sun and moon toward appointed goals.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:8
text: Human beings are described as created from one man and his wife, and as formed
in mothers' wombs by successive creation in triple darkness.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:9
text: A soul burdened with its own works is not burdened with another's burden,
and all return to the Lord to be told of their works.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:10
text: A person in trouble calls on the Lord, but after receiving favor may forget
and set up peers with God.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:11
text: A devout person is described as keeping night hours in prostration or standing,
mindful of the life to come and hoping for mercy.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: obs:12
text: The passage contrasts those who have knowledge with those who do not, stating
that people of understanding take warning.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: obs:13
text: The losers on the day of resurrection are described as losing their own souls
and families.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- id: obs:14
text: Punished persons are described as having canopies of fire over them and floors
of fire beneath them.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
- id: obs:15
text: Good tidings are promised to those who shun worship of Thagout, turn to God,
hear the word, and follow its excellence.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:15
- id: obs:16
text: A final question asks whether one can rescue a person on whom punishment has
justly fallen and who is doomed to the fire.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:16
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: God
description: The one God, described as compassionate, merciful, mighty, wise, creator,
judge, and lord.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:10
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Recipient commanded to say
description: The addressed prophetic speaker who is told to serve God sincerely
and to say warnings and exhortations.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:10
- ev:12
- ev:13
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Those who take others beside God as lords
description: People who claim to serve other lords only so those lords may bring
them near to God.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Faithful
description: Those contrasted with people who take others beside God as lords.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Thankless or forgetful person
description: A person who calls on the Lord in trouble but forgets after receiving
favor and sets up peers with God.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Devout night observer
description: A person who observes night hours in prostration or standing, mindful
of the life to come and hoping for divine mercy.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Believing servants
description: Servants addressed as believers and told to fear their Lord, do good,
endure patiently, and receive reward.
role_refs:
- role:6
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:17
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Those doomed to fire
description: Persons on whom the sentence of punishment has justly fallen and who
are described as doomed to the fire.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
- ev:16
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Moses
description: A figure in translator notes connected with the Hebrew nurse, Madian,
and the Vision of the Bush.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Pharaoh
description: A figure in a translator note who speaks arrogantly in a cited comparison
about lordship and the Nile.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:18
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Karun/Korah
description: A figure in a translator note identified with Korah and associated
with treasure traditions.
role_refs:
- role:13
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
roles:
- id: role:1
label: divine revealer
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The Book is said to be sent down from God.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:2
label: creator and cosmic ruler
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: God creates the heavens and earth, orders night and day, and controls sun
and moon.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:3
label: judge of disputed worship and deeds
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: God judges between disputing groups and tells returning souls of their works.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:10
- id: role:4
label: commanded messenger or speaker
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The addressed figure is repeatedly commanded to say warnings and to serve
God sincerely.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:10
- ev:13
- id: role:5
label: misdirected worshippers
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: They take others beside God as lords while claiming those lords bring them
near to God.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:6
label: faithful servants
assigned_to:
- fig:4
- fig:7
basis: They are contrasted with those taking other lords and are addressed as believing
servants.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:17
- id: role:7
label: ungrateful recipient of favor
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The person calls on God in trouble, then forgets and sets up peers after
receiving favor.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: role:8
label: devotee seeking mercy
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The person keeps night devotion while mindful of the life to come and hoping
for mercy.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: role:9
label: patient righteous recipients of reward
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Those who do good and endure patiently are promised immeasurable reward.
evidence_refs:
- ev:17
- id: role:10
label: punished sinners
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: They are associated with fire above and beneath, or with a just sentence
of punishment.
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
- ev:16
- id: role:11
label: Moses-tradition figure
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Translator notes identify details about Moses with Exodus and related traditions.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:12
label: arrogant ruler in comparative note
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: A note cites Pharaoh claiming lordship and creation of the Nile in a comparative
tradition.
evidence_refs:
- ev:18
- id: role:13
label: wealth figure in comparative note
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: A note identifies Karun with Korah and links him to treasure traditions.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: The Book
literal_form: Book sent down from God with truth
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:2
label: Fire punishment
literal_form: Canopies of fire above, floors of fire beneath, and doom to the fire
associated_figures:
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
- ev:16
- id: sym:3
label: Night and day cycle
literal_form: Night returning upon day and day returning upon night
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:4
label: Sun and moon
literal_form: Sun and moon controlled to speed toward appointed goals
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:5
label: Triple darkness of the womb
literal_form: Creation upon creation in mothers' wombs in triple darkness
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:6
label: Burden of works
literal_form: A soul burdened with its own works and not another's burden
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: sym:7
label: Thagout
literal_form: Object or power whose worship is shunned by those turning to God
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:15
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Translator comparisons with biblical and rabbinic traditions
summary: The notes compare details about Moses, Pharaoh, and Karun/Korah with Exodus,
Genesis, and midrashic or rabbinic materials.
figure_refs:
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:11
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:18
- id: scene:2
label: Revelation and sincere worship
summary: The Book is announced as sent down from God, and the addressed speaker
is told to serve God with sincere worship.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:3
label: Judgment over rival worship
summary: People who take others beside God as lords say those lords bring them near
to God, while God is said to judge between them and the faithful.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:4
label: Cosmic and human creation
summary: God is described as without a son, as creator of the heavens and earth,
as ruler of night, day, sun, and moon, and as creator of human beings in the womb.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: scene:5
label: Return and reckoning
summary: Each soul bears its own works and returns to the Lord, who tells people
of all their works and knows hidden secrets.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: scene:6
label: Ingratitude after divine favor
summary: A person in trouble calls on the Lord, then after receiving favor forgets
and sets up peers with God, drawing a warning of fire.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: scene:7
label: Night devotion and knowledge
summary: The devout night observer is contrasted with the unknowing, and people
of understanding are said to heed the warning.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: scene:8
label: Resurrection loss and fire punishment
summary: Those who lose themselves and their families on the day of resurrection
are warned of fire above and beneath, and the doomed cannot be rescued.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- ev:14
- ev:16
- id: scene:9
label: Good tidings to those who turn to God
summary: Those who shun Thagout, turn to God, heed the word, and follow its excellence
receive good tidings and are identified as guided people of insight.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:15
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Divine revelation of a sacred book
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The Book is described as sent down from God with truth, and the passage emphasizes
knowledge, understanding, and heeding the word.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:12
- ev:15
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference 'wisdom' is broad; the passage itself names a revealed
Book rather than a wisdom genre.
- id: motif:2
label: Divine judgment and individual reckoning
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: God judges rival worshippers, each soul bears its own works, and all return
to the Lord to be told of their deeds.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: ''
- id: motif:3
label: Resurrection loss and afterlife punishment
taxonomy_refs:
- resurrection
- divine_judgment
basis: The day of resurrection is named, and the punished are described with fire
above and beneath and doom to the fire.
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- ev:14
- ev:16
confidence: high
cautions: The passage gives a judgment scene and punishment imagery, but not a narrative
journey through the afterlife.
- id: motif:4
label: Cosmic order under divine sovereignty
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: God is said to create heavens and earth and govern the alternation of night
and day and the motion of sun and moon.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: No available taxonomy reference precisely matches this creation-order
motif.
- id: motif:5
label: Creation in the womb through darkness
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Human formation is described as successive creation in mothers' wombs in
triple darkness.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
confidence: medium
cautions: This is a compact cosmological-anthropological image rather than a developed
narrative motif.
- id: motif:6
label: Rejection of divine offspring
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_parent_child
basis: The passage states that if God had desired a son he would have chosen from
creation, then praises him as the one almighty God.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy reference is used negatively; the passage rejects rather
than develops a divine parent-child relationship.
- id: motif:7
label: Moses and related biblical-rabbinic narrative parallels
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Translator notes explicitly compare details of Moses, the nurse, Madian,
the Bush, Pharaoh, and Karun/Korah with Exodus, Genesis, and rabbinic sources.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:18
confidence: medium
cautions: These comparisons occur in translator notes attached to preceding material,
not in the opening verses of Sura XXXIX itself.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The translator notes present parts of the preceding Moses narrative as comparable
to Exodus traditions about Moses, including the Hebrew nurse, Madian, and the
Vision of the Bush.
claim_level: same_motif
target: Exodus Moses traditions
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage preserves Rodwell's comparative notes, not the full compared
narratives; the line range includes notes from a preceding sura.
- id: claim:2
claim: The translator note says the compact between Laban and Jacob in Genesis was
likely in Muhammad's mind when composing the tale, suggesting a comparison with
patriarchal marriage-service traditions.
claim_level: same_motif
target: Genesis Laban-Jacob compact
evidence_refs:
- ev:19
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: low
limitations: The claim reflects the translator's historical interpretation and is
not demonstrated by the excerpt itself.
- id: claim:3
claim: The translator note links Karun with Korah and rabbinic treasure traditions,
presenting a comparison between Qur'anic Karun and Jewish Korah lore.
claim_level: same_motif
target: Korah treasure traditions in Midrash/Jalkut and rabbinic literature
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The note reports a proposed source or nucleus; the actual Karun narrative
is not included in this excerpt.
- id: claim:4
claim: The opening of Sura XXXIX shares a broad divine-judgment pattern with traditions
in which individual deeds are weighed or assigned to the soul and followed by
afterlife reward or punishment.
claim_level: same_function
target: divine_judgment motif family
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:13
- ev:14
- ev:16
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage supports functional comparison at motif-family level only;
it does not specify a weighing scene or detailed judgment tribunal.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 14518-14532
quote_or_summary: Notes discuss the infant Moses narrative, including a Hebrew nurse,
refusal of Egyptian women's breasts, and comparison with Exodus ii.7 and a Sotah
tradition.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 14533-14548
quote_or_summary: Notes compare details of Madian, the Vision of the Bush, and Moses'
departure with Exodus ii-iii.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 14566-14572
quote_or_summary: A note identifies Ar. Karun with Korah and cites Jewish traditions
about Joseph's hidden treasures and Korah's treasure-chamber keys.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: citation
locator: 14577-14579
quote_or_summary: Sura XXXIX, 'The Troops,' is marked Mecca, seventy-five verses.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; citation/summary.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 14581-14587
quote_or_summary: The Book is sent down from God, the Mighty and Wise; the addressed
speaker is told to serve God sincerely.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: 14589-14594
quote_or_summary: Those who take others beside God as lords say they serve them
to be brought near to God; God will judge between them and the faithful.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: 14596-14599
quote_or_summary: The passage rejects the idea that God has a son and praises him
as God, the One, the Almighty.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: 14600-14604
quote_or_summary: God creates the heavens and earth in truth, causes night and day
to return upon each other, and controls the sun and moon to appointed goals.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: 14606-14611
quote_or_summary: God creates all from one man, forms his wife, sends down four
pairs of cattle, and creates people in mothers' wombs through successive creation
in triple darkness.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: 14613-14620
quote_or_summary: If people are thankless, God is rich without them; each soul bears
its own works, all return to the Lord, and he knows the secrets of breasts.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: 14622-14628
quote_or_summary: A man in trouble calls on his Lord, then after receiving favor
forgets and sets up peers with God; he is warned he will be among the inmates
of fire.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: 14630-14634
quote_or_summary: One who observes night hours in prostration or standing, mindful
of the life to come and hoping for mercy, is contrasted with those without knowledge;
people of understanding take warning.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:13
type: summary
locator: 14646-14649
quote_or_summary: Those who lose their own souls and families on the day of resurrection
are called the true losers and this is clear ruin.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:14
type: quote
locator: 14651-14652
quote_or_summary: Canopies of fire shall be over them, and floors of fire beneath
them.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quote.
- id: ev:15
type: summary
locator: 14654-14657
quote_or_summary: Good tidings are for those who shun worship of Thagout, turn to
God, hearken to the word, and follow its excellence; they are guided and have
insight.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:16
type: summary
locator: '14658'
quote_or_summary: A question asks whether the one on whom punishment has justly
fallen, the one doomed to fire, can be rescued.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:17
type: summary
locator: 14636-14639
quote_or_summary: Believing servants are told to fear their Lord; those who do good
receive good, and those who endure patiently receive immeasurable reward.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:18
type: summary
locator: 14549-14555
quote_or_summary: A note compares Pharaoh's command to kindle upon clay and cites
a tradition in which Pharaoh claims to be Lord of the Worlds and creator of himself
and the Nile.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:19
type: summary
locator: 14541-14543
quote_or_summary: A note says the compact between Laban and Jacob in Genesis must
have been present to Muhammad's mind when composing the tale.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: The Qur'anic verses support extraction of judgment, revelation, creation,
worship, resurrection, and fire-punishment motifs. Comparisons are mostly based
on Rodwell's notes attached to preceding material, so they require human 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. Long quotations were avoided; evidence is primarily summarized.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamic-koran-rodwell-gutenberg__l14518-l14658
passage_sha256=757be7700c7e10e83ee7469ffb393641a47485f2ccdd70575bfade543ba5fff0