batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l13840-l13919
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l13840-l13919
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
passage_locator:
label: CHAPTER IV. / IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD / CHAPTER V. / IN THE
NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.; lines 13840-13919
start: '13840'
end: '13919'
translation: The Koran (Al-Qur'an), Sale translation
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: 'The passage contains notes on Cain and Abel/Kbil and Hbil: their disputed
marriages, offerings to God, divine acceptance of Abel’s sacrifice by heavenly
fire, Cain’s murder of Abel, and a raven showing burial. It then gives exhortations
to believers, warnings of punishment and fire for unbelievers on the day of resurrection,
penalties for theft and violent crime, divine pardon for repentance, and instruction
to judge equitably when others seek judgment.'
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Cain and Abel are identified in the notes as Kbil and Hbil among Mohammedans.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: According to the note, Cain and Abel each had a twin sister, and Adam directed
them to marry each other’s twin sister.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Cain refused the arranged marriage because his own sister was described as
the handsomest.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:4
text: Adam ordered Cain and Abel to make offerings to God to refer the dispute to
divine determination.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:5
text: Cain’s offering is described as a sheaf of the worst corn, while Abel’s is
described as a fat lamb from the best of his flock.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:6
text: God’s acceptance of Abel’s sacrifice is described as shown by fire descending
from heaven and consuming Abel’s offering without touching Cain’s.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:7
text: A note says Abel was stronger than Cain and could have prevailed against his
brother.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:8
text: Cain is said to have committed fratricide and to have carried Abel’s corpse
on his shoulders for a time, not knowing where to conceal it.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: God taught Cain to bury the body by the example of a raven that killed another
raven, dug a pit, and buried it.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:10
text: The Qur'anic passage exhorts true believers to fear God, desire near conjunction
with him, and fight for his religion.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:11
text: Unbelievers are described as unable to redeem themselves from punishment on
the day of resurrection, even with all that is in the earth and as much more.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:12
text: The punished are described as desiring to go forth from the fire, but not
being able to leave it.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:13
text: The passage prescribes cutting off the hands of a male or female thief as
retribution, while also stating that God turns mercifully to one who repents and
amends.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:14
text: The apostle is told not to grieve over those hastening to infidelity, including
people who say they believe with their mouths but not their hearts and Jews accused
of hearing lies and perverting the law.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:15
text: If such people come for judgment, the apostle may judge or leave them; if
judging, he is instructed to judge with equity.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Cain / Kbil
description: Brother of Abel; refuses the marriage arrangement, offers inferior
corn, murders Abel, and learns burial from a raven.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:3
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Abel / Hbil
description: Brother of Cain; offers a fat lamb from the best of his flock, whose
sacrifice God accepts.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Adam
description: Father who, by God’s direction according to the note, orders the brothers’
marriages and then orders offerings to God.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: God
description: Divine authority who determines the offering dispute, accepts Abel’s
sacrifice by heavenly fire, teaches burial by the raven’s example, punishes, pardons,
and commands equitable judgment.
role_refs:
- role:7
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Devil
description: In one note, appears in human shape and shows Cain how to kill by crushing
a bird’s head between stones.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Raven
description: A raven kills another raven, digs a pit with claws and beak, and buries
it, thereby serving as Cain’s example for burial.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: True believers
description: Addressed as those who should fear God, desire nearness to him, and
fight for his religion.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Unbelievers
description: Those who cannot redeem themselves from punishment on the day of resurrection
and remain in fire.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Apostle
description: Addressed and instructed not to grieve over infidelity and to judge
with equity if he judges.
role_refs:
- role:13
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Jews mentioned in the passage
description: Described as hearkening to a lie, perverting the words of the law from
their true places, and coming for judgment.
role_refs:
- role:14
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
roles:
- id: role:1
label: brother pair
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:2
basis: The figures are presented as Cain and Abel, brothers involved in a dispute
and fratricide.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: role:2
label: accepted offerer
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Abel’s offering is consumed by heavenly fire as a sign of divine acceptance.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: rejected offerer
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Cain’s offering is not touched by the accepting fire.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: murder victim
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The note describes Abel’s corpse after Cain commits fratricide.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:5
label: fratricide perpetrator
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Cain is described as having committed fratricide.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:6
label: parental arbiter
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Adam orders the marriage arrangement and then the offerings to God.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:7
label: divine judge
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: God determines the offering dispute and is said to punish and pardon whom
he pleases.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:8
- id: role:8
label: merciful authority
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The passage states that God is inclined to forgive and merciful toward one
who repents and amends.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:9
label: murder instructor
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The devil is said to show Cain how to effect the murder by the example of
a bird crushed between stones.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:10
label: burial exemplar
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The raven’s burial of another raven teaches Cain how to bury Abel’s corpse.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:11
label: exhorted faithful
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: True believers are exhorted to fear God, desire nearness, and fight for his
religion.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:12
label: eschatological punished
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Unbelievers are described as suffering punishment on the day of resurrection
and remaining in fire.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:13
label: equitable judge
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: The apostle is instructed that, if he judges, he should judge with equity.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: role:14
label: accused legal distorters
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: The passage accuses them of hearkening to lies and perverting the words of
the law.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: heavenly fire
literal_form: Fire descending from heaven and consuming Abel’s offering
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: fat lamb offering
literal_form: A fat lamb from the best of Abel’s flock
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:3
label: inferior sheaf offering
literal_form: A sheaf of the very worst of Cain’s corn
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:4
label: raven burial example
literal_form: A raven digging a pit with claws and beak and burying another raven
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:5
label: stones used to teach killing
literal_form: Two stones used by the devil’s example to crush a bird’s head
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:6
label: fire of punishment
literal_form: Fire from which the punished desire to go forth but cannot
associated_figures:
- fig:8
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:7
label: cut-off hand penalty
literal_form: Hands cut off for theft
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Marriage dispute and offerings
summary: Cain refuses the proposed marriage arrangement; Adam orders Cain and Abel
to make offerings to God, and their offerings are contrasted.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Divine acceptance by heavenly fire
summary: Fire descends from heaven and consumes Abel’s offering while not touching
Cain’s offering.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Fratricide and burial lesson
summary: Cain kills Abel, carries the corpse without knowing how to conceal it,
and learns burial from a raven that buries another raven.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Instruction in killing by the devil
summary: A note reports that the devil appeared in human shape and demonstrated
a killing method by crushing a bird’s head between stones.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:5
label: Exhortation and resurrection punishment
summary: Believers are exhorted to fear God and fight for his religion; unbelievers
are warned that no ransom will save them from permanent punishment and fire on
the day of resurrection.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:6
label: Punishment, repentance, and judgment
summary: The passage prescribes penalties for theft, affirms God’s power to punish
or pardon, and instructs the apostle to judge with equity if he judges those who
come to him.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:9
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: rival brothers and fratricide
taxonomy_refs:
- sibling_pair
basis: The notes present Cain and Abel as brothers whose dispute over marriage and
offerings leads to Cain’s killing of Abel.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The passage is a translated Qur'anic context with extensive commentator
notes; the extraction treats the brother-pair pattern literally as presented here.
- id: motif:2
label: sacrifice accepted by divine sign
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
- divine_judgment
basis: The brothers make offerings to God, and Abel’s sacrifice is visibly accepted
when heavenly fire consumes it while Cain’s is untouched.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: The visible-fire detail appears in Sale’s note citing commentators, not
in the main translated verse in this excerpt.
- id: motif:3
label: animal teaches burial of the dead
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: God teaches Cain to bury Abel’s corpse through the example of a raven that
digs a pit and buries another raven.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The available taxonomy has no specific animal-teacher or burial motif;
'wisdom' is a broad fit because the raven functions as an instructive example.
- id: motif:4
label: diabolic instruction in violence
taxonomy_refs:
- trickster_boundary
basis: A note reports that the devil appears in human shape and shows Cain how to
commit the murder by demonstrating with a bird and stones.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy reference is broad and may overstate the devil’s role as
a trickster; the passage only states that he instructs Cain in a violent method.
- id: motif:5
label: resurrection punishment in inescapable fire
taxonomy_refs:
- resurrection
- divine_judgment
basis: Unbelievers are described as unable to ransom themselves on the day of resurrection
and unable to leave the fire where punishment is permanent.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The passage emphasizes punishment and resurrection rather than a narrative
journey through the afterlife.
- id: motif:6
label: repentance followed by divine pardon
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: After prescribing theft punishment, the passage states that whoever repents
and amends will find God turned toward him, forgiving and merciful.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: This is a legal-theological statement rather than a narrative episode.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage’s note explicitly says the conversation between Cain and Abel
is related to a similar purpose in the Jerusalem Targum and the Targum of Jonathan
ben Uzziel.
claim_level: same_motif
target: Jerusalem Targum and Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel Cain-Abel tradition
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The excerpt reports a similarity through Sale’s note but does not quote
the Targumic conversations or provide direct textual comparison.
- id: claim:2
claim: The passage’s note explicitly connects the raven burial episode with a Jewish
version of the same story, differing in that the raven appears to Adam, who then
buries his son.
claim_level: same_motif
target: Jewish raven burial tradition cited as R. Eliezer, Pirke, c. 20
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:11
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The claim is limited to the note’s summary of the Jewish parallel;
no independent Jewish text is included in the excerpt.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 13840-13855
quote_or_summary: Notes identify Cain and Abel as Kbil and Hbil; each was born with
a twin sister; Adam ordered cross-marriages by God’s direction; Cain refused;
Adam ordered offerings to God; Cain offered poor corn and Abel a fat lamb.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 13856-13859
quote_or_summary: God’s acceptance of Abel’s sacrifice is said to be visibly shown
by fire descending from heaven and consuming Abel’s offering without touching
Cain’s.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 13860-13862
quote_or_summary: A note says Abel was the stronger brother and could easily have
prevailed against Cain.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 13869-13878
quote_or_summary: After Cain’s fratricide, he carries Abel’s corpse, does not know
where to conceal it, and God teaches him burial through a raven that kills another
raven, digs a pit, and buries it; the note also says Jews tell a similar story
with Adam as the learner.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 13864-13868
quote_or_summary: Some say Cain killed Abel with a stone; another report says the
devil appeared in human shape and showed him how by crushing a bird’s head between
two stones.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: quote
locator: lines 13901-13902
quote_or_summary: "“O true believers, fear GOD, and earnestly desire a near conjunction
with him, and fight for his religion”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 13903-13908
quote_or_summary: Unbelievers cannot redeem themselves from punishment on the day
of resurrection, even with the earth’s wealth doubled; they desire to leave the
fire but cannot, and punishment is permanent.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 13909-13915
quote_or_summary: For theft, the passage prescribes cutting off hands as retribution;
whoever repents and amends will find God forgiving and merciful; God owns heaven
and earth and punishes or pardons whom he pleases.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 13916-13919 and following excerpt end
quote_or_summary: The apostle is told not to grieve over those hastening to infidelity,
including hypocritical speakers and Jews accused of hearing lies and perverting
the law; if they come for judgment, he may judge or decline, and if judging must
judge with equity.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: lines 13863-13864
quote_or_summary: A note states that the conversation between the two brothers is
related somewhat to the same purpose in the Jerusalem Targum and that of Jonathan
ben Uzziel.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: lines 13876-13878
quote_or_summary: A note says Muhammad was beholden to the Jews for the raven circumstance,
except that their version has the raven appear to Adam, who then buries his son.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: medium
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: The passage mixes translated Qur'anic material and Sale’s explanatory notes.
Motif extraction is strongest for the Cain-Abel note sequence and the explicit
resurrection/fire passage. Comparison claims are limited to parallels explicitly
asserted in the notes.
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 taxonomy IDs beyond the supplied motif family and symbol labels were added. Empty taxonomy arrays indicate no supplied label was directly supported.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg__l13840-l13919
passage_sha256=371aa2a3147d8b0af56caaedf6142992e8335d4b85773ce8a7ec4c9fc67b1984