batch.motif.islamic-koran-rodwell-gutenberg-l1841-l2018
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamic-koran-rodwell-gutenberg-l1841-l2018
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 1841-2018
start: '1841'
end: '2018'
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 a prior section on the God-fearing who give alms for
purification and divine favor, then presents Sura LXVIII, 'The Pen.' It swears
by the Pen, defends the Prophet against accusations of possession, condemns slanderous
opponents, tells a parable of garden owners whose attempt to exclude the poor
is punished by destruction of their crop, contrasts divine reward with punishment,
depicts judgment when the disobedient cannot bow, and recalls the figure in the
fish who was rescued by divine favor. Translator notes compare almsgiving with
Luke and Jewish oral law, discuss the possible meaning of Nun, and note a possible
relation to Jonas.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The God-fearing are said to escape punishment by giving away substance for
purification and seeking the face of the Lord rather than human recompense.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The sura opens with an oath by the Pen and what is written.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The Prophet is told that he is not possessed, awaits boundless recompense,
and has a noble nature.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The Prophet is warned not to yield to those who call him a liar or seek smooth
compromise.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: A hostile figure is described as oath-taking, slanderous, obstructive of good,
transgressive, harsh, and wealthy with sons.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: The hostile figure calls the recited verses 'Fables of the ancients' and is
threatened with a brand on the nostrils.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: The Meccans are compared to owners of a garden who swore to cut its fruits
in the morning without adding a reserve.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: An encircling desolation from the Lord swept around the garden while its owners
slept, so that in the morning it appeared as if the fruits had already been cut.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:9
text: The garden owners planned to go early and keep any poor man from entering
the garden that day.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:10
text: After seeing the ruined garden, the owners confessed fault, praised the Lord,
blamed one another, admitted transgression, and hoped for a better garden from
their Lord.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:11
text: The passage contrasts gardens of delight for the God-fearing with heavier
chastisement in the next world for offenders.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:12
text: A judgment scene describes people called to bow in adoration but unable to
do so, with downcast looks and shame because they refused worship while safe.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:13
text: The Prophet is told to await the Lord's judgment patiently and not be like
the one who was in the fish and cried to God in distress.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:12
- id: obs:14
text: The one in the fish would have been cast onto the naked shore in shame if
divine favor had not reached him, but his Lord chose him and made him just.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: obs:15
text: The infidels are said to nearly strike the Prophet down with their looks when
hearing the warning, and they call him possessed.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: God / Lord / Lord Most High
description: The divine figure who grants escape, knows who errs and who is guided,
chastises, judges, gives gardens of delight, favors the figure in the fish, and
gives revelation as warning.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:12
- ev:13
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: God-fearing
description: Those who give away substance for purification, seek the Lord's face,
escape punishment, and are promised gardens of delight.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:8
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Prophet
description: The addressed prophet, declared not possessed, instructed not to yield
to opponents, told to await the Lord's judgment, and accused by infidels of possession.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:10
- ev:13
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Opponents / infidels / Meccans
description: Those who treat the Prophet as a liar, reject verses, are tested like
garden owners, and accuse the Prophet of being possessed.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:13
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Despicable slanderer
description: A hostile man of oaths, slander, obstruction, transgression, harshness,
wealth, and sons, who calls the verses fables of the ancients.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Owners of the garden
description: The owners who swear to cut the garden's fruits, plan to exclude the
poor, discover the ruin, confess fault, and seek a better garden.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Poor man
description: The person whom the garden owners intend to keep from entering the
garden.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Most rightminded owner
description: One of the garden owners who reminds the others that he had urged them
to give praise to God.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Associate-gods
description: The supposed gods joined with God, whom opponents are challenged to
produce if they speak truth.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Him who was in the fish
description: A distressed figure in the fish who cried to God, received divine favor,
and was made one of the just.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:14
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Fish
description: The creature in which the distressed figure was located; a note says
Nun means fish and may possibly refer to the fish that swallowed Jonas, while
also stressing uncertainty.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:14
roles:
- id: role:1
label: Divine judge and chastiser
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The Lord sends chastisement, judges, gives reward, and threatens ruin for
deniers.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: role:2
label: Divine rescuer and chooser
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Divine favor reaches the figure in the fish, preventing shame and leading
to his being chosen as just.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: role:3
label: Righteous almsgivers and rewarded worshippers
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: They give away substance for purification, seek the Lord's face, and receive
gardens of delight.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:8
- id: role:4
label: Warned messenger under accusation
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The Prophet is defended from charges of possession, told to resist accusers,
and associated with a universal warning.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:13
- id: role:5
label: Rejecters of revelation
assigned_to:
- fig:4
- fig:5
basis: They treat revelation as false, call verses fables, and accuse the Prophet
of possession.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:13
- id: role:6
label: Tested possessors of abundance
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: They own a fruitful garden, plan to harvest it while excluding the poor,
and are punished by its destruction.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:7
label: Excluded poor recipient
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The garden owners explicitly plan that no poor man will enter the garden
that day.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:8
label: Internal admonisher
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: He reminds the owners that he had told them to praise God.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:9
label: Challenged false associates
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Opponents are challenged to produce their associate-gods if they speak truth.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:10
label: Distressed enclosed supplicant
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: The figure is in the fish, cries to God in distress, and is rescued from
shame by divine favor.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: role:11
label: Enclosing creature
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: The fish is the place or creature within which the distressed figure is located.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:14
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Pen and writing
literal_form: Pen and what they write
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: Garden and fruit
literal_form: Garden, fruits, dates, and gardens of delight
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: sym:3
label: Brand on nostrils
literal_form: Branding on the nostrils
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: Bowing in adoration
literal_form: Call to bow in worship on the day when legs are bared
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:5
label: Fish enclosure
literal_form: Fish containing the distressed figure
associated_figures:
- fig:10
- fig:11
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:14
- id: sym:6
label: Naked shore
literal_form: Naked shore onto which the figure in the fish might have been cast
associated_figures:
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: sym:7
label: Scripture and Book of God
literal_form: Scripture and the Book of God from which secret things might be copied
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:11
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Almsgiving for purification
summary: The God-fearing give away substance not for human repayment but to become
pure and seek the Lord's face, and they are promised contentment.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Oath by the Pen and defense of the Prophet
summary: The sura invokes the Pen and writing, declares the Prophet not possessed,
promises recompense, and affirms his noble nature.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Condemnation of hostile rejecters
summary: The Prophet is told not to yield to liars and smooth compromisers; a slanderous
wealthy opponent rejects the verses as ancient fables and is threatened with a
mark on the nostrils.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Parable of the ruined garden
summary: Garden owners plan to harvest their fruit while excluding the poor, but
a desolation ruins the garden during the night; they later recognize their fault,
praise God, and hope for a better garden.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:5
label: Judgment and failed worship
summary: The passage contrasts the God-fearing with offenders, challenges claims
to special warrant, and describes a day when people are called to bow but cannot,
suffering downcast looks and shame.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: scene:6
label: Warning through the figure in the fish
summary: The Prophet is told to wait patiently and not be like the distressed figure
in the fish, who cried to God and was saved from being cast shamefully onto the
shore.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:10
- fig:11
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:12
- id: scene:7
label: Universal warning despite accusation
summary: Infidels nearly strike the Prophet down with their looks, call him possessed,
and the revelation is described as a warning for all creatures.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Divine judgment separating righteous and offenders
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: The passage repeatedly contrasts the God-fearing with offenders, threatens
chastisement and next-world punishment, and depicts a judgment scene of shame
and inability to bow.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: The passage is exhortative and theological rather than a full narrative
myth.
- id: motif:2
label: Destroyed abundance after exclusion of the poor
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: The garden owners plan to harvest while excluding the poor, after which divine
desolation destroys the garden and leads them to confession.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The text presents the episode as a moral exemplum and does not name the
owners.
- id: motif:3
label: Purifying gift without human recompense
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
basis: The God-fearing give substance to become pure and seek the Lord's face, not
in exchange for favors from people, and are promised final contentment.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage explicitly denies human recompense; classification as sacred
exchange is limited to the relation between pious giving and divine favor.
- id: motif:4
label: Sacred writing as oath and authority
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The sura opens by swearing by the Pen and writing, while later challenging
opponents about Scripture and the Book of God.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:8
- ev:11
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy reference is approximate because the available list has no
explicit 'sacred writing' category.
- id: motif:5
label: Enclosure in fish and divine rescue
taxonomy_refs:
- hero_descent
- return
basis: The passage alludes to a figure in the fish who cries to God in distress,
is reached by divine favor, avoids shame on the shore, and is made just.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
confidence: medium
cautions: The episode is only briefly alluded to; details of entry into the fish
and return are not narrated in this passage.
- id: motif:6
label: Accused inspired messenger
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The Prophet is accused of possession and falsehood, while the passage defends
his character and presents the revelation as a warning.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:13
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy reference is approximate; the main pattern is prophetic opposition
rather than wisdom teaching alone.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The translator's note compares the passage's view of meritorious almsgiving
with Luke xi. 41 and suggests possible derivation from Jewish oral law.
claim_level: historical_contact
target: Luke xi. 41 and Jewish oral law on almsgiving
evidence_refs:
- ev:15
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: low
limitations: This is a translator's conjectural note, not an explicit claim in the
sura text itself; the note says 'perhaps' and provides no detailed evidence in
this passage.
- id: claim:2
claim: The translator's note reports a conjecture that the initial 'Nun' may relate
to the fish that swallowed Jonas, because Nun means fish, but it also states that
the meaning of such symbols was unknown to early Muslims.
claim_level: linguistic_similarity
target: Jonas/Jonah fish tradition
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
counter_evidence_refs:
- ev:14
confidence: low
limitations: The same note emphasizes uncertainty and offers alternative explanations
such as monograms or rhyme.
- id: claim:3
claim: The translator's note connects the opening reference to the Pen with Sura
xcvi. 4 as a possible reason ancient Muslim authorities dated this sura very early.
claim_level: linguistic_similarity
target: Sura xcvi. 4 reference to the Pen/writing
evidence_refs:
- ev:16
counter_evidence_refs:
- ev:16
confidence: low
limitations: The note treats the dating inference as probably originating from the
expression and says reliable criteria are absent.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 1841-1847
quote_or_summary: The God-fearing escape, give away substance to become pure, seek
the face of the Most High Lord rather than recompense, and will be content.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: Sura LXVIII, opening verses in lines 1858-1866
quote_or_summary: The sura begins with 'Nun' and an oath by the Pen and what is
written; the Prophet is told he is not possessed, awaits recompense, and has a
noble nature.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: Sura LXVIII, early admonition after opening
quote_or_summary: The Lord knows who errs and who is guided; the Prophet is told
not to give way to those who call him a liar or seek smooth compromise.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: Sura LXVIII, denunciation of hostile man
quote_or_summary: A hostile man is described as oath-taking, slanderous, obstructive,
transgressive, harsh, wealthy, and with sons; he calls the verses 'Fables of the
ancients' and is threatened with branding on the nostrils.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; brief quotation from public domain text.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: Sura LXVIII, garden episode beginning
quote_or_summary: The Meccans are said to be proved like owners of a garden who
swore to cut its fruits in the morning without reserve; an encircling desolation
from the Lord swept around it while they slept.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: Sura LXVIII, garden owners' plan
quote_or_summary: At dawn the owners urge one another to go to the field to cut
dates, whispering that no poor man should enter the garden that day.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: Sura LXVIII, garden owners' recognition and repentance
quote_or_summary: Seeing the ruined garden, the owners say they have been at fault
and forbidden their fruits; the most rightminded recalls his warning to praise
God; they confess transgression and ask for a better garden.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: Sura LXVIII, chastisement and contrast
quote_or_summary: The passage says this is chastisement, with heavier chastisement
in the next world; the God-fearing have gardens of delight, while offenders are
challenged about Scripture, oaths, and associate-gods.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: Sura LXVIII, day of bared legs and failed bowing
quote_or_summary: On a day when men's legs are bared, they are called to bow but
cannot; their looks are downcast and shame covers them because they had refused
worship while safe.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: Sura LXVIII, counsel to Prophet before fish allusion
quote_or_summary: The Lord tells the Prophet to leave deniers to him, says they
will be led by degrees to ruin, and instructs the Prophet to await the Lord's
judgment patiently.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: Sura LXVIII, recompense and secret things
quote_or_summary: The Prophet is asked whether he seeks recompense from opponents;
the passage asks whether secret things are within their knowledge or copied from
the Book of God.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: Sura LXVIII, fish allusion
quote_or_summary: The Prophet is told not to be like the one in the fish who cried
to God in deep distress; divine favor prevented him from being cast on the naked
shore in shame, and his Lord chose him as just.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:13
type: summary
locator: Sura LXVIII, closing warning
quote_or_summary: Infidels nearly strike the Prophet down with their looks when
hearing the warning of the Koran and say he is possessed; the passage says it
is a warning for all creatures.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:14
type: summary
locator: Translator note 1 to Sura LXVIII
quote_or_summary: The note says Nun means fish and may possibly refer to the fish
that swallowed Jonas, but adds that the meaning of this and similar symbols was
unknown to early Muslims and offers other possible explanations, including monograms
or rhyme.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:15
type: summary
locator: Translator note 2 before Sura LXVIII
quote_or_summary: The note compares the almsgiving passage with Luke xi. 41 and
says Muhammad perhaps derived this view of the meritorious nature of almsgiving
from Jewish oral law.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:16
type: summary
locator: Translator note 2 to Sura LXVIII
quote_or_summary: The note says ancient Muslim authorities considered the sura among
the earliest revelations, probably because of the expression in verse 1 compared
with Sura xcvi. 4; it also says reliable dating criteria are absent.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: low
notes: Literal extraction is supported by the supplied passage. Motif labels are
cautious because the passage is primarily exhortation, parable, and translator
annotation. Comparison claims rely on translator notes and are explicitly uncertain.
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: '2026-04-28'
notes: |-
No external sources were used. Taxonomy references were limited to the supplied lists; several strong passage symbols, such as pen, garden, fish, and shore, had no exact supplied symbol taxonomy IDs.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamic-koran-rodwell-gutenberg__l1841-l2018
passage_sha256=a902b673bad1aec4d87ce291f26673353817f4d148f520909b5935e9006538c8