batch.motif.islamic-koran-rodwell-gutenberg-l15481-l15633
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamic-koran-rodwell-gutenberg-l15481-l15633
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 15481-15633
start: '15481'
end: '15633'
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 describes God as forgiving, judging, creating, sustaining,
measuring provision, sending rain, controlling sea travel, rewarding believers,
punishing injustice, and revealing guidance through mediated speech and the Spirit/Gabriel.
It also begins Sura Jonah with the wise Book, warning and good tidings, rejection
by unbelievers, and God’s creation and enthronement.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: God is described as bringing untruth to nothing, making truth good by his
word, accepting repentance, forgiving sins, knowing actions, and assigning terrible
punishment to unbelievers.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: God sends rain after people have despaired of it and spreads abroad his mercy.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The creation of the heavens, the earth, and creatures scattered over both
is presented as among God's signs, and God is said to be able to gather them when
he wills.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Mishaps are attributed to people’s own deeds, while God is also said to forgive
many things.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: Sea-traversing ships are compared to mountains; God can still the wind so
that they lie motionless on the waves or cause them to founder.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: Present-life enjoyment is contrasted with a better and more enduring portion
with God for those who believe and trust in their Lord.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: The faithful are described as avoiding major crime and filthiness, forgiving
when angered, hearkening to their Lord, observing prayer, practicing mutual counsel,
and giving alms.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: The passage permits redress after wrongdoing but states that forgiveness and
reconciliation are rewarded by God, while unjust wrongdoers face grievous punishment.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: Perpetrators of injustice are depicted seeing torment, asking whether there
is a way to return, being set before it in shame, and being described as losers
on the day of Resurrection.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: A day ordained by God is described as unavoidable, with no refuge and no denial
of one’s works.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:11
text: The addressee is told that he has not been sent as a guardian over those who
turn aside, but only to preach.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:12
text: God is said to give daughters, sons, both sexes, or childlessness according
to his will.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:13
text: Divine speech to humans is described as occurring by vision, from behind a
veil, or through a messenger; the Spirit, identified in a note as Gabriel, brings
revelation, and the Book is described as a light for guidance.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:14
text: At the opening of Sura Jonah, the signs of the wise Book are announced; a
person among the men of Mecca is said to receive revelation to warn people and
give good tidings to believers, while unbelievers call him a manifest sorcerer.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:15
text: God is described as making the heavens and the earth in six days, mounting
his throne to rule all things, and allowing intercession only after his permission.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: God / Lord
description: The divine figure who creates, rules, forgives, judges, sends rain,
controls provision and sea travel, speaks through mediated revelation, and guides
by the Book.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: servants / humankind
description: People whose actions are known, who receive measured provision, experience
mishaps, may repent, and may receive mercy or punishment.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:6
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: believers / those who do right
description: Those who believe, do right, trust in their Lord, pray, give alms,
forgive, and receive an enduring portion with God.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:8
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: unbelievers / perpetrators of injustice
description: Those who gainsay signs, wrong others unjustly, act insolently, see
torment, and are associated with lasting punishment.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:8
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: the addressee / preacher / revelation recipient
description: The addressed person is told he is not a guardian over those who turn
aside but only a preacher; he receives the Spirit with revelation and guides into
the right way.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: messenger / Spirit / Gabriel
description: A messenger or Spirit sent by God to reveal what God wills; a footnote
identifies the Spirit as Gabriel according to Beidhawi.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: men of Mecca
description: The local audience at the opening of Sura Jonah who wonder that a person
among themselves receives revelation.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
roles:
- id: role:1
label: creator and cosmic ruler
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: God creates the heavens and earth, scatters creatures, gathers them when
he wills, and mounts the throne to rule all things.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:9
- id: role:2
label: forgiver and judge
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: God accepts repentance, forgives sins, knows deeds, and assigns punishment
to unbelievers and unjust actors.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:3
label: revealer and guide
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: God speaks through vision, veil, or messenger, sends the Spirit with revelation,
and makes the Book a light for guidance.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:4
label: morally accountable recipients of provision
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Human beings receive provision by measure, experience consequences of their
deeds, and may be forgiven.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:6
- id: role:5
label: faithful community
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Believers are described as trusting in their Lord, praying, giving alms,
practicing counsel, forgiving, and receiving enduring reward.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:8
- id: role:6
label: unbelieving or unjust opponents
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Unbelievers and perpetrators of injustice reject signs, wrong others, and
face torment and no escape.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:8
- id: role:7
label: preacher and recipient of revelation
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The addressee is told his role is to preach, and that the Spirit has brought
him revelation by God’s command.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:8
label: mediating revealer
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The messenger reveals by God’s permission, and the Spirit/Gabriel is sent
with revelation.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:9
label: local audience of revelation
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The men of Mecca are said to wonder that a person among themselves has received
revelation.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: rain as mercy
literal_form: rain sent down after despair
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: sea-traversing ships
literal_form: ships on the sea, compared to mountains, dependent on wind and waves
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:3
label: veil of divine speech
literal_form: speech from behind a veil
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:4
label: Book as light
literal_form: the Book ordained as a light for guidance
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: sym:5
label: throne of rule
literal_form: God mounted his throne to rule all things
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:6
label: unavoidable day
literal_form: the day ordained by God with no refuge and no denial of works
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Divine forgiveness, measured provision, and cosmic signs
summary: God forgives repentance, knows actions, sends provision by measure, sends
rain after despair, and presents creation and gathering as signs.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Ships under divine control
summary: Ships traverse the sea like mountains; God may still the wind, leave them
motionless, or cause them to founder while still forgiving much.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Ethics of belief, counsel, almsgiving, redress, and forgiveness
summary: The passage contrasts worldly enjoyment with enduring reward for believers
and describes communal virtues, limits on retaliation, and reward for forgiveness.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Judgment, torment, and no refuge
summary: Unjust actors see torment, ask for return, are set before it in shame,
and are described in relation to the day of Resurrection and an unavoidable day
without refuge.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:5
label: Mediated revelation and guidance
summary: God’s speech is described as mediated by vision, veil, or messenger; the
Spirit/Gabriel brings revelation, and the Book becomes a light guiding to God’s
way.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: scene:6
label: 'Opening of Sura Jonah: wise Book, warning, rejection, creation, and throne'
summary: The opening of Sura Jonah announces the signs of the wise Book, revelation
to warn and give good tidings, the unbelievers’ accusation of sorcery, and God’s
creation and enthroned rule.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: divine judgment and moral recompense
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: The passage repeatedly links human deeds to reward, punishment, torment,
lack of escape, and no denial of works on an ordained day.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: The passage is theological and legal-ethical rather than a continuous
narrative episode.
- id: motif:2
label: resurrection and eschatological loss
taxonomy_refs:
- resurrection
basis: The unjust are described as losers on the day of Resurrection and as facing
lasting torment.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The passage gives a judgment scene but not a detailed resurrection narrative.
- id: motif:3
label: revealed wisdom as guiding light
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The Book is called wise and is described as a light by which God guides whom
he pleases; revelation comes through the Spirit/Gabriel or other mediated modes
of divine speech.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy label 'wisdom' is broad; the passage emphasizes revelation
and guidance more specifically.
- id: motif:4
label: life-giving rain after despair
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Rain is sent after people have despaired of it and is directly associated
with God spreading mercy.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
confidence: medium
cautions: No explicit flood or renewal cycle is described; the water image is limited
to providential rain.
- id: motif:5
label: human vulnerability at sea under divine power
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Ships are compared to mountains, yet God can still the wind or cause foundering,
making sea travel a sign for the constant and grateful.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage uses the image as a sign of divine power, not as a full voyage
tale.
- id: motif:6
label: divine enthronement after creation
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The opening of Sura Jonah says God made the heavens and the earth in six
days and then mounted his throne to rule all things.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
confidence: medium
cautions: Available taxonomy does not include a direct 'divine kingship' or 'cosmogonic
enthronement' category; no broader comparison is asserted.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 15481-15489
quote_or_summary: God brings untruth to nothing, makes truth good, accepts repentance,
forgives sins, knows actions, and warns that terrible punishment awaits unbelievers.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 15490-15503
quote_or_summary: God sends provision by measure, sends rain after despair, spreads
mercy, creates the heavens and earth and creatures, and can gather them when he
wills; mishaps are tied to human deeds though God forgives much.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 15504-15514
quote_or_summary: Sea-traversing ships are like mountains; God may still the wind,
leave them motionless, or cause them to founder, and those who gainsay the signs
will have no escape.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 15515-15531
quote_or_summary: Enduring reward belongs with God for believers who trust, avoid
wrongdoing, forgive, pray, use mutual counsel, give alms, and handle wrongs within
limits; God rewards reconciliation and opposes injustice.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 15532-15549
quote_or_summary: Those God causes to err have no protector; unjust people see torment
and ask about return, are set before it in shame, and are linked with loss on
the day of Resurrection, lasting torment, no refuge, and no denial of works.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 15550-15558
quote_or_summary: The addressee is told he is not a guardian over those who turn
aside but only a preacher; people rejoice at mercy but become ungrateful after
misfortune; God grants daughters, sons, both, or childlessness as he wills.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 15559-15570 and note 10
quote_or_summary: God speaks to humans only by vision, from behind a veil, or by
sending a messenger; the Spirit, identified in note 10 as Gabriel, brings revelation,
and the Book is made a light that guides to God’s way.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 15617-15629
quote_or_summary: Sura Jonah opens with the signs of the wise Book; revelation is
given to a person among the men of Mecca to warn people and give good tidings
to believers, while unbelievers call him a manifest sorcerer.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 15630-15633
quote_or_summary: God is said to have made the heavens and earth in six days, then
mounted his throne to rule all things; intercession occurs only after his permission,
and people are told to serve him.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: Extraction relies only on the supplied passage. Motif labels are cautious
because the passage is primarily theological exhortation, legal-ethical instruction,
and revelation discourse rather than a single mythic narrative.
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: |-
No comparison claims were added because the passage itself does not explicitly support a comparison to another text, tradition, or motif family beyond candidate taxonomy mapping.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamic-koran-rodwell-gutenberg__l15481-l15633
passage_sha256=5306ace962470f216700fccdbde21a2ffd25937e7d31573653d44f8ed019ceca