batch.motif.islamic-koran-rodwell-gutenberg-l19790-l19894
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamic-koran-rodwell-gutenberg-l19790-l19894
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 19790-19894
start: '19790'
end: '19894'
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 affirms differing ranks among apostles, God’s sovereignty and
knowledge, non-compulsion in religion, the contrast between God’s guidance and
Thagout’s misguidance, examples involving Abraham and resurrection, and exhortations
about almsgiving, wisdom, and divine recompense.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Some apostles are described as more highly endowed than others, and Jesus
son of Mary is said to have received manifest signs and strengthening by the Holy
Spirit.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Believers are urged to give alms before a day when there will be no trafficking,
friendship, or intercession.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: God is described as living, eternal, unsleeping, possessing what is in the
heavens and earth, knowing what is before and after people, and having a Throne
reaching over the heavens and earth.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The passage states that there is no compulsion in religion and contrasts the
right way with error.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: Those who deny Thagout and believe in God are said to grasp a strong handle
that will not break.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: God is described as bringing believers out of darkness into light, while Thagout
brings unbelievers out of light into darkness.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: Unbelievers are said to be given over to the fire and to abide there forever.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: Abraham argues with a ruler about the Lord, saying that God gives life and
causes death and brings the sun from the east.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: A passerby questions how God will give life to a ruined city; God causes him
to die for one hundred years and then raises him to life.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:10
text: The revived passerby is shown uncorrupted food and drink and the bones of
his ass being raised and clothed with flesh.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:11
text: Abraham asks to be shown how God gives life to the dead and is instructed
to cut four birds into pieces, place parts on mountains, and call them back.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:12
text: Almsgiving for God’s cause is likened to a grain of corn producing seven ears,
each with one hundred grains.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:13
text: Alms followed by reproaches or injury are compared to a rock with thin soil
struck by heavy rain, leaving it hard.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:14
text: Sincere expenditure is compared to a garden on a hill that yields fruit after
rain or dew.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:15
text: A garden with palms, vines, rivers, and fruits is imagined as burned by a
fiery violent wind when its owner is old and his offspring are weak.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:16
text: Satan is said to threaten people with poverty and enjoin base actions, while
God promises pardon and abundance.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- id: obs:17
text: Wisdom is said to be given by God to whom He wills, and receiving wisdom is
described as receiving much good.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- id: obs:18
text: Concealed alms given to the poor are said to be advantageous and to do away
sins.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: God
description: The sole deity described as living, eternal, all-knowing, sovereign
over heavens and earth, giver of signs, guidance, life, death, pardon, abundance,
and wisdom.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:13
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Apostles
description: A group of messengers described as unequally endowed, with some raised
to higher grades.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Jesus son of Mary
description: An apostle singled out as receiving manifest signs and strengthening
by the Holy Spirit.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Holy Spirit
description: The agency by which Jesus son of Mary is said to have been strengthened.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Believers
description: People addressed to give alms, deny Thagout, believe in God, and receive
God’s patronage from darkness to light.
role_refs:
- role:7
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:9
- ev:13
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Infidels or unbelievers
description: People described as wrong-doers, as having Thagout as patrons, and
as being given over to the fire.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Thagout
description: A rejected power or patron associated with error and with bringing
unbelievers from light into darkness.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Abraham
description: A speaker who disputes with a ruler about God’s power over life, death,
and the sun, and who asks to see how God gives life to the dead.
role_refs:
- role:11
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Disputant with Abraham
description: A ruler or infidel who disputes with Abraham about his Lord and is
confounded by Abraham’s challenge concerning the sun.
role_refs:
- role:13
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Passerby at the ruined city
description: A person who passes a ruined city, questions how God will revive it,
is made to die for one hundred years, and is raised again.
role_refs:
- role:14
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Ass of the passerby
description: The animal whose bones are shown being raised and clothed with flesh
as a sign.
role_refs:
- role:15
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: Four birds
description: Birds that Abraham is instructed to cut into pieces, distribute on
mountains, and call back swiftly.
role_refs:
- role:15
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:13
name_or_label: Satan
description: A figure said to threaten people with poverty and command base actions.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- id: fig:14
name_or_label: The poor
description: Recipients of concealed alms.
role_refs:
- role:16
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
roles:
- id: role:1
label: sovereign deity
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: God is described as the only God, owner of the heavens and earth, and unburdened
by upholding them.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:2
label: giver of life and death
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Abraham identifies his Lord as the one who makes alive and causes to die;
the ruined-city episode and bird episode demonstrate life after death.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:3
label: guide and patron
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: God is called the patron of believers and brings them from darkness into
light.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:4
label: giver of wisdom and recompense
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: God gives wisdom, knows alms and vows, and promises pardon and abundance.
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- id: role:5
label: divinely endowed messenger
assigned_to:
- fig:2
- fig:3
basis: The apostles are ranked by divine endowment, and Jesus is given manifest
signs.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:6
label: strengthening spirit
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Jesus is strengthened with the Holy Spirit.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:7
label: religious addressee
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Believers are directly addressed with commands about alms and conduct.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:13
- id: role:8
label: recipient of guidance
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Believers are brought by God from darkness into light.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:9
label: misguided or judged group
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Unbelievers are associated with Thagout, darkness, and the fire.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:10
label: misleading adversarial power
assigned_to:
- fig:7
- fig:13
basis: Thagout leads unbelievers into darkness; Satan threatens poverty and enjoins
base actions.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:13
- id: role:11
label: theological disputant
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Abraham argues about God’s power over life, death, and the sun.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:12
label: seeker of assurance
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Abraham asks to see how God gives life to the dead so his heart may be assured.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:13
label: confounded ruler
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: The disputant claims power over life and death but is confounded by Abraham’s
sun challenge.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:14
label: revived witness
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: The passerby dies for one hundred years, is raised, and acknowledges God’s
power after seeing signs.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:15
label: resurrection demonstration creature
assigned_to:
- fig:11
- fig:12
basis: The ass and birds are used in demonstrations of restoring life or bodily
reconstitution.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:16
label: recipient of charity
assigned_to:
- fig:14
basis: The poor are named as recipients of concealed alms.
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Throne over heavens and earth
literal_form: God’s Throne reaching over the heavens and the earth
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: strong handle
literal_form: a handle that shall not be broken
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:3
label: darkness and light
literal_form: movement from darkness into light or from light into darkness
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:4
label: fire of punishment
literal_form: the fire in which unbelievers abide
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: sun from east and west
literal_form: the sun brought from the East, challenged to be brought from the West
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:8
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:6
label: ruined dead city
literal_form: a city laid in ruins and described as dead
associated_figures:
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:7
label: uncorrupted food and drink
literal_form: food and drink not corrupted after one hundred years
associated_figures:
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:8
label: revivified bones and flesh
literal_form: bones of an ass raised and clothed with flesh
associated_figures:
- fig:10
- fig:11
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:9
label: four birds on mountains
literal_form: four birds cut in pieces, placed in parts on every mountain, and called
back
associated_figures:
- fig:8
- fig:12
taxonomy_refs:
- mountain
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:10
label: multiplying grain
literal_form: one grain of corn producing seven ears, each with one hundred grains
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:11
label: rock with thin soil and rain
literal_form: a rock with thin soil struck by heavy rain and left hard
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: sym:12
label: fruitful garden on a hill
literal_form: a garden on a hill yielding fruit after rain or dew
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: sym:13
label: burned garden of palms and vines
literal_form: a garden of palms and vines with rivers and fruits burned by a fiery
violent wind
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: sym:14
label: wisdom as bestowed good
literal_form: wisdom given by God and described as much good
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- id: sym:15
label: alms and vow
literal_form: alms given openly or concealed, and vows vowed
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:14
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Apostolic endowment and later dispute
summary: The passage states that apostles differ in rank, singles out Jesus son
of Mary with signs and the Holy Spirit, and says later people disputed after clear
signs came.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Call to give before the day without exchange
summary: Believers are commanded to give alms from what they have received before
a day without trafficking, friendship, or intercession.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:15
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Divine sovereignty and knowledge
summary: God is described as uniquely divine, living, eternal, unsleeping, all-knowing,
and enthroned over heavens and earth.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: No compulsion and the unbroken handle
summary: The right way is distinguished from error; whoever denies Thagout and believes
in God holds a strong unbreakable handle.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Opposed patronage of God and Thagout
summary: God brings believers from darkness into light, while Thagout brings unbelievers
from light into darkness and toward the fire.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:6
label: Abraham and the ruler
summary: Abraham disputes with a ruler about divine power over life and death and
confounds him by invoking the sun’s course.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:7
label: Passerby revived after one hundred years
summary: A man at a ruined city questions restoration to life, is made to die for
one hundred years, is raised, and is shown preserved food and the reconstitution
of his ass.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:10
- fig:11
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
- sym:7
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: scene:8
label: Abraham and the four birds
summary: Abraham asks how God gives life to the dead and is instructed to cut up
four birds, place parts on mountains, and call them back.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:8
- fig:12
symbol_refs:
- sym:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: scene:9
label: Parables of almsgiving
summary: Almsgiving is explained through images of multiplying grain, unprofitable
rock and rain, fruitful garden, and a garden burned by fiery wind.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:10
- sym:11
- sym:12
- sym:13
- sym:15
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: scene:10
label: Satanic threat and divine wisdom
summary: Satan threatens poverty, while God promises pardon and abundance; God gives
wisdom and knows alms and vows, including concealed gifts to the poor.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:13
- fig:14
symbol_refs:
- sym:14
- sym:15
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: divine judgment without ordinary exchange or intercession
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: The passage warns of a day without trafficking, friendship, or intercession
and describes unbelievers abiding in the fire.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The passage gives doctrinal warning rather than a developed narrative
of judgment proceedings.
- id: motif:2
label: guidance as passage from darkness to light
taxonomy_refs:
- duality
basis: Believers are brought by God out of darkness into light, while unbelievers
are brought by Thagout out of light into darkness.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The extraction records the explicit binary imagery and does not infer
a broader cosmology beyond the passage.
- id: motif:3
label: resurrection demonstration through restored body and living creatures
taxonomy_refs:
- resurrection
- death_rebirth
basis: The passerby dies for one hundred years and is raised; the ass’s bones are
clothed with flesh; Abraham is shown the return of cut birds.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: The main emphasis is divine power to give life to the dead; 'death_rebirth'
is secondary to the explicit resurrection motif.
- id: motif:4
label: sacred exchange through alms, reward, and sin-removal
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
basis: Alms given rightly are linked with divine reward, no fear or grief, advantage,
and removal of sins; improper alms are made void.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:13
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage frames almsgiving ethically and theologically; 'exchange'
is an analytical label and should be reviewed.
- id: motif:5
label: fruitfulness and barrenness as moral analogy
taxonomy_refs:
- seasonal_cycle
basis: Sincere giving is compared to multiplying grain and a fruitful garden after
rain or dew, while invalid giving is compared to a bare rock after rain and a
garden burned by fiery wind.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
confidence: medium
cautions: The imagery uses agricultural productivity, but the passage does not explicitly
present a cyclical seasonal myth.
- id: motif:6
label: wisdom bestowed by divine will
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: God gives wisdom to whom He wills, and the recipient is said to have received
much good.
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
confidence: high
cautions: The passage states the motif directly but briefly.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 19790-19798
quote_or_summary: Some apostles are endowed above others; Jesus son of Mary receives
manifest signs and the Holy Spirit; later people dispute after clear signs.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 19800-19803
quote_or_summary: Believers are told to give alms before a day with no trafficking,
friendship, or intercession; infidels are called wrong-doers.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 19805-19812
quote_or_summary: God is the only God, living and eternal, untouched by sleep, owner
of heavens and earth, all-knowing; His Throne reaches over heavens and earth.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 19814-19818
quote_or_summary: There is no compulsion in religion; the right way is distinct
from error; whoever denies Thagout and believes in God grasps an unbreakable handle.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 19820-19825
quote_or_summary: God is patron of believers and brings them from darkness into
light; Thagout are patrons of unbelievers and bring them from light into darkness
and the fire.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 19827-19834
quote_or_summary: Abraham disputes with a ruler about God, life and death, and the
sun’s rising from the East; the infidel is confounded.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 19836-19846
quote_or_summary: A passerby at a ruined city questions its revival; God causes
him to die one hundred years and raises him, showing preserved food and drink
and the ass’s bones clothed with flesh.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 19848-19854
quote_or_summary: Abraham asks how God gives life to the dead; he is told to take
four birds, cut them in pieces, place parts on mountains, and call them back swiftly.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 19856-19863
quote_or_summary: Those who spend for God’s cause are likened to a grain yielding
seven ears with one hundred grains each; reward and freedom from fear and grief
are promised; kind speech and forgiveness are praised.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: lines 19865-19871
quote_or_summary: Alms made void by reproaches are compared to a rock with thin
soil, struck by heavy rain and left hard.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: lines 19873-19883
quote_or_summary: Sincere expenditure is compared to a garden on a hill made fruitful
by rain or dew; another garden with palms, vines, rivers, and fruits is burned
by a fiery violent wind.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: lines 19885-19889
quote_or_summary: Believers are told to give alms from good things acquired and
brought from the earth, not to choose bad things for giving.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:13
type: summary
locator: lines 19891-19894
quote_or_summary: Satan threatens poverty and enjoins base actions; God promises
pardon and abundance, gives wisdom, knows alms and vows, and concealed alms to
the poor remove sins.
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: uncertain
notes: Extraction uses only the supplied passage and available taxonomy. Motif labels
are strongest where the passage explicitly mentions resurrection, judgment, wisdom,
and darkness/light; agricultural and exchange labels 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: |-
No external comparison claims were added because the supplied passage itself does not explicitly compare these scenes to another tradition or corpus.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamic-koran-rodwell-gutenberg__l19790-l19894
passage_sha256=cd9951dce53e2431f0ff74b18b005c9237ae6b1ceb0d45c8eeec313ec882989c