batch.motif.islamic-koran-rodwell-gutenberg-l386-l465
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamic-koran-rodwell-gutenberg-l386-l465
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 386-465
start: '386'
end: '465'
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 a dedication and the translator's preface explaining
the non-chronological arrangement of the Suras. It summarizes the early collection
of Qur'anic fragments under Abu Bekr at Omar's suggestion, Zaid Ibn Thbit's role
in gathering materials from written objects and human memory, the custody of the
copy by Haphsa, later disputes over variant readings, Othman's standardization
of a text with Zaid and Quraysh colleagues, the burning of earlier copies, and
the translator's judgment that the resulting arrangement is unsystematic but evidence
of Zaid's honesty and reverence for the sacred text.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The translator dedicates the volume with esteem for the dedicatee's private
worth, public services, and literary attainments.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The preface states that the order of the Suras in Arabic manuscripts and printed
editions is not chronological and is not shown by authentic tradition to rest
on Muhammad's authority.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The passage says scattered fragments of the Koran were first collected by
Abu Bekr about a year after the Prophet's death at Omar's suggestion.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: Omar is described as fearing loss of the revelations because Muslim warriors
who remembered large portions were dying or being slain.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: Zaid Ibn Thbit is identified as Muhammad's amanuensis and as the person chosen
to gather the fragments.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: The fragments are said to have been gathered from date leaves, white stone
tablets, and the breasts of men.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: The copy formed by Zaid is said to have remained with Abu Bekr and then to
have been committed to the custody of Haphsa, one of Muhammad's widows.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: The passage states that variant readings arose from copies of the standard
text and caused serious disputes under Othman.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: Hodzeifa warned that the people should be stopped before differing over their
scriptures as Jews and Christians did.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:10
text: Othman established a sole standard text and assigned Zaid and Quraysh colleagues
to the redaction.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:11
text: Copies of the new text were sent to chief military stations, and previous
copies were burned.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:12
text: The preface says Zaid and his coadjutors arranged materials largely by placing
the longest and best-known Suras first after the opening chapter rather than by
chronological order.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:13
text: The translator characterizes the arranged text as a patchwork with Meccan
and Medina materials intermingled.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:14
text: The translator says Zaid's lack of reshaping, linking, suppression, or softening
of details proves scrupulous honesty and reverence for the sacred text.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: the translator
description: Speaker of the dedication and preface; explains the arrangement used
in the translation.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Muhammad
description: Named as the Prophet, founder of Islam, speaker of the Meccan idiom,
and the person whose authority is not authentically shown for the received order
of Suras.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:7
- ev:11
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Abu Bekr
description: Muhammad's immediate successor, under whom scattered fragments of the
Koran were first collected.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Omar
description: The person who suggested collecting the fragments because he foresaw
possible loss of the revelations.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Muslim warriors
description: Warriors whose memories held large portions of the revelations and
who died or were slain.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Zaid Ibn Thbit
description: A native of Medina, one of the Ansars, Muhammad's amanuensis, and the
person selected to collect and later help redact the text.
role_refs:
- role:6
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:7
- ev:11
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Haphsa
description: One of Muhammad's widows and custodian of the copy formed by Zaid.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Othman
description: Caliph under whom disputes over readings led to establishment of a
sole standard text.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Hodzeifa
description: Person whose warning urged intervention before the people differed
over their scriptures.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Quraysh colleagues
description: Three, or according to others twelve, Koreisch colleagues associated
with Zaid for the redaction.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Jews and Christians
description: Groups cited in Hodzeifa's warning as examples of people who differed
regarding their scriptures.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: M. Kasimirski
description: A prior writer quoted in the preface for describing the arranged text
as an incoherent assemblage.
role_refs:
- role:13
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
roles:
- id: role:1
label: translator-prefacer
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The passage presents a dedication by the translator and a preface explaining
editorial arrangement.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:2
label: prophet and founder referenced
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Muhammad is called the Prophet and the founder of Islam, and his authority
is discussed in relation to the Suras' order.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:11
- id: role:3
label: first collector's patron or authority
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The fragments were collected by Abu Bekr, Muhammad's immediate successor.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:4
label: initiator of preservation effort
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Omar suggested the collection because he foresaw loss of the revelations.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:5
label: living memory depositaries
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Their memories are described as the sole depositaries of large portions of
the revelations.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:6
label: collector of fragments
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Zaid was chosen to gather the fragments from multiple sources.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:7
label: redactor and compiler
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Othman entrusted redaction to Zaid, and the translator later discusses Zaid's
compiling method.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:11
- id: role:8
label: custodian of standard copy
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The copy was committed to Haphsa's custody.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:9
label: standardizing caliph
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Othman determined to establish a sole standard text.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:10
label: warner against scriptural division
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Hodzeifa warned to stop the people before they differed over scripture.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:11
label: redaction collaborators
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: Quraysh colleagues were associated with Zaid to secure purity of the Meccan
idiom and decide readings.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:12
label: comparative example of scriptural difference
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: Jews and Christians are named in Hodzeifa's warning as groups that differed
regarding scripture.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:13
label: quoted critical authority
assigned_to:
- fig:12
basis: Kasimirski is quoted in the preface to characterize the text's arrangement.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: scattered fragments of sacred text
literal_form: fragments of the Koran
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: sym:2
label: date leaves
literal_form: date leaves used as written sources for fragments
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:3
label: white stone tablets
literal_form: tablets of white stone used as written sources for fragments
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: breasts of men
literal_form: human memory described as the place from which fragments were gathered
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:5
label: standard copy
literal_form: copy formed by Zaid and kept as a standard
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:6
label: flames
literal_form: flames consuming previously existing copies
associated_figures:
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:7
label: patchwork text
literal_form: arranged text described as an unreadable and incongruous patchwork
associated_figures:
- fig:6
- fig:12
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Dedication by the translator
summary: The translator dedicates the volume with esteem for the dedicatee's qualities
and services.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Explanation of non-chronological arrangement
summary: The preface states that the received order of the Suras is not chronological
and lacks authentic tradition tying it to Muhammad's authority.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: First collection after the Prophet's death
summary: After Muhammad's death, Abu Bekr has scattered fragments collected at Omar's
suggestion because remembered portions may be lost as warriors die.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Custody of the collected copy
summary: The copy formed by Zaid remains with Abu Bekr and is then committed to
Haphsa's custody, serving as the standard during Omar's caliphate.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:5
label: Othman's standardization
summary: Variant readings lead to disputes; after Hodzeifa's warning, Othman establishes
a sole standard text with Zaid and Quraysh colleagues, sends copies to military
stations, and burns earlier copies.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:11
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: scene:6
label: Translator's assessment of arrangement and compiler
summary: The translator says the arrangement lacks chronology and continuity but
also argues that Zaid's unaltered compiling shows honesty and reverence for the
sacred text.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:6
- fig:12
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: preservation of threatened revelation
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage frames the first collection as a response to the danger that
large portions of the revelations could be lost when memory-holding warriors died.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: This is a historical-editorial account in a translator's preface, not
a mythic narrative episode.
- id: motif:2
label: authoritative standardization of sacred scripture
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage describes Othman's creation of a sole standard text to resolve
disputes over variant readings.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: The pattern is institutional and textual rather than explicitly mythological.
- id: motif:3
label: destruction of rival or prior copies by fire
taxonomy_refs:
- world_destroying_fire
basis: Previously existing copies are said to have been committed to the flames
after a standard text was made.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: low
cautions: The fire destroys copies, not the world; the taxonomy link is only a loose
symbolic association with destructive fire and should be reviewed.
- id: motif:4
label: honest compiler preserving contradictions
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The translator says Zaid did not fill chasms, suppress discreditable details,
or soften inaccuracies, and treats this as evidence of honesty and reverence for
the sacred text.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
confidence: low
cautions: The available taxonomy reference 'wisdom' is only indirectly related;
the passage describes editorial integrity more than a wisdom tale.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage itself compares the danger of Muslim disagreement over scripture
to Jews and Christians differing regarding their scriptures.
claim_level: same_function
target: Jewish and Christian scriptural-dispute precedent named in Hodzeifa's warning
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The comparison is reported as Hodzeifa's warning within the translator's
historical account; no details of Jewish or Christian disputes are supplied.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 386-397
quote_or_summary: The volume is dedicated by the translator with esteem for the
dedicatee's private worth, public services, and literary attainments.
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 398-406
quote_or_summary: The preface explains that the arrangement of the Suras in manuscripts
and editions is not chronological and lacks authentic tradition showing Muhammad's
authority for that order.
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 406-414
quote_or_summary: Scattered fragments of the Koran were first collected by Abu Bekr
about a year after the Prophet's death at Omar's suggestion, because warriors
whose memories held revelations were dying or being slain.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: quote
locator: lines 414-419
quote_or_summary: Zaid, Muhammad's amanuensis, was chosen for the task and gathered
fragments "from date leaves and tablets of white stone, and from the breasts of
men."
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 419-423
quote_or_summary: The copy formed by Zaid likely remained with Abu Bekr and was
then committed to Haphsa's custody, continuing as the standard during Omar's caliphate.
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 423-429
quote_or_summary: Variant readings arose and caused serious disputes under Othman;
Hodzeifa warned against allowing the people to differ regarding scripture as Jews
and Christians did.
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 429-437
quote_or_summary: Othman determined to establish a sole standard text and entrusted
redaction to Zaid with Quraysh colleagues to secure the Meccan idiom and decide
readings.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: quote
locator: lines 437-440
quote_or_summary: Copies of the new text were sent to chief military stations, and
"all previously existing copies were committed to the flames."
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 441-449
quote_or_summary: Zaid and his coadjutors appear to have placed the longest and
best-known Suras first after the opening chapter, while chronological arrangement
was lost.
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 449-459
quote_or_summary: The preface describes Medina and Meccan verses as intermixed and
characterizes the received arrangement as an unreadable, incongruous patchwork,
quoting Kasimirski on its incoherence.
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 459-465
quote_or_summary: The translator says Zaid simply brought together and transcribed
materials without reshaping, filling gaps, suppressing discreditable details,
or softening inaccuracies, which proves honesty and reverence for the sacred text.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: medium
motif_candidates: low
comparison_claims: medium
notes: The passage is a translator's historical preface rather than a narrative
myth passage. Literal figures and textual patterns are clear, but motif assignments
are interpretive and need 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: '2026-04-28'
notes: |-
Only the supplied passage and metadata were used. Taxonomy references are omitted except where a literal symbol or tentative motif connection is directly present in the passage.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamic-koran-rodwell-gutenberg__l386-l465
passage_sha256=61cd3f387e45b78c9f8556ae9f5db974e73ca6f7c899bf4e08989c7f3d347211