batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l1620-l1670
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l1620-l1670
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
passage_locator:
label: A TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS / THE KORAN. / PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE / SECTION I.;
lines 1620-1670
start: '1620'
end: '1670'
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 describes several pre-Islamic Arabian objects of worship, including
female deities or idols called daughters of God, Allat at Tayef, Al Uzza as either
an idol or sacred acacia tree with a chapel, Manah as a large stone associated
with sacrifice, and five antediluvian idols said to have been preached against
by Noah and later adopted by Arabs.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Angels and their images are described as being called goddesses and daughters
of God, and the images were thought either to be inspired with life by God or
animated as tabernacles of angels.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: These beings or images received divine worship because worshippers imagined
they interceded with God.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Allat is described as the idol of the tribe of Thakif at Tayef, with a temple
at Nakhlah.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Al Mogheirah destroyed the idol Allat by Mohammed's order, with Abu Sofian
also sent on the commission.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: The inhabitants of Tayef, especially women, lamented the loss of Allat and
requested that its destruction be delayed.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:6
text: Al Uzza is described either as an idol of certain tribes or as an Egyptian
thorn or acacia tree worshipped by the tribe of Ghatafan.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: A chapel was built over Al Uzza and contrived to make a sound when someone
entered.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:8
text: Khaled Ebn Walid was sent by Mohammed to destroy Al Uzza; he demolished the
chapel, cut down and burned the tree or image, and slew the priestess.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:9
text: The priestess of Al Uzza ran out with dishevelled hair and hands on her head
as a suppliant.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:10
text: Manah is described as an object of worship for tribes between Mecca and Medina
and as a large stone demolished by Saad.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:11
text: The name Manah is connected in the passage with flowing blood from victims
sacrificed to the deity and with sacrifices at Mina near Mecca.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:12
text: Wadd, Sawa, Yaghuth, Yauk, and Nasr are described as antediluvian idols named
in the Koran, preached against by Noah, later taken by Arabs as gods, and originally
associated with meritorious and pious men whose statues were reverenced.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: God
description: The supreme deity with whom angels or animated images were imagined
to intercede.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Angels and their images
description: Beings and images called goddesses and daughters of God, imagined as
animated or as tabernacles of angels.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Allat
description: Idol of the tribe of Thakif at Tayef, with a temple at Nakhlah.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Mohammed
description: Commands or sends agents to destroy idols in the passage.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Al Mogheirah and Abu Sofian
description: Agents sent on the commission to destroy Allat.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Inhabitants and women of Tayef
description: People who lament Allat and request a delay before its destruction.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Al Uzza
description: Described as an idol of certain tribes or as a worshipped Egyptian
thorn or acacia tree with a chapel.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Dhlem
description: Said to have first consecrated Al Uzza and built a chapel over it;
another report says he was killed by Zohair.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Khaled Ebn Walid
description: Sent by Mohammed to destroy Al Uzza; demolished the chapel, cut down
and burned the tree or image, and killed the priestess.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Priestess of Al Uzza
description: Runs out with dishevelled hair and hands on her head as a suppliant
before being slain.
role_refs:
- role:8
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Manah
description: Object of worship described as a large stone associated with tribes
between Mecca and Medina.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: Saad
description: Person who demolished Manah.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:13
name_or_label: Noah
description: Preaches against five antediluvian idols.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:14
name_or_label: Wadd, Sawa, Yaghuth, Yauk, and Nasr
description: Five antediluvian idols named in the Koran, later taken by Arabs for
gods.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
roles:
- id: role:1
label: supreme deity
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The passage identifies God as the one with whom angels or images were believed
to intercede.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: object of worship or deity/idol
assigned_to:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:7
- fig:11
- fig:14
basis: The passage describes these beings, images, idols, tree, or stone as worshipped
or taken for gods.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:3
label: intercessor
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The images or angels were worshipped because they were imagined to intercede
with God.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:4
label: commander of idol destruction
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Mohammed is described as ordering or sending agents to destroy Allat and
Al Uzza.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:5
label: idol destroyer
assigned_to:
- fig:5
- fig:9
- fig:12
basis: These figures are described as destroying, demolishing, cutting down, burning,
or otherwise removing idols or their sanctuaries.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:6
label: lamenting or supplicating adherent
assigned_to:
- fig:6
- fig:10
basis: The Tayef inhabitants lament Allat, and the priestess of Al Uzza appears
as a suppliant.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:7
label: consecrator and shrine builder
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Dhlem is said to have first consecrated the tree and built a chapel over
it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:8
label: priestess
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: The woman associated with Al Uzza is explicitly called the priestess.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:9
label: preacher against idols
assigned_to:
- fig:13
basis: Noah is described as preaching against the five antediluvian idols.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: animated image as divine tabernacle
literal_form: images thought to be inspired with life or to become tabernacles of
angels
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: temple of Allat
literal_form: temple consecrated to Allat at Nakhlah
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: sacred acacia or thorn tree
literal_form: tree called the Egyptian thorn or acacia, worshipped as Al Uzza
associated_figures:
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:4
label: sounding chapel
literal_form: chapel over Al Uzza contrived to give a sound when a person entered
associated_figures:
- fig:7
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:5
label: large stone idol
literal_form: large stone identified as Manah
associated_figures:
- fig:11
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:6
label: blood of victims
literal_form: flowing blood of victims sacrificed to Manah
associated_figures:
- fig:11
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:7
label: statues of pious men
literal_form: statues of meritorious and pious men later taken as gods
associated_figures:
- fig:14
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Intercessory worship of angelic images
summary: Images associated with angels are described as animated or angelic tabernacles
and worshipped as intercessors with God.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Destruction and lamentation of Allat
summary: Allat, with a temple at Nakhlah, is destroyed by agents sent by Mohammed;
Tayef inhabitants, especially women, lament and request delay.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Destruction of Al Uzza's tree or image and chapel
summary: Al Uzza is described as a worshipped tree or idol with a chapel; Khaled
Ebn Walid destroys the chapel, cuts down and burns the tree or image, and kills
the supplicating priestess.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Manah as stone idol and sacrifice association
summary: Manah is described as a large stone worshipped by tribes and demolished
by Saad; its name is linked to flowing sacrificial blood and sacrifices at Mina.
figure_refs:
- fig:11
- fig:12
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Antediluvian idols and Noah's preaching
summary: Five idols named in the Koran are said to have existed before the flood,
to have been preached against by Noah, and to have originated in statues of pious
men later adopted as gods by Arabs.
figure_refs:
- fig:13
- fig:14
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Intercessory divine images
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage says images or angels were worshipped because they were imagined
to intercede with God.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: high
cautions: This is a passage-level description of belief reported by the translator,
not a narrative episode from the Koranic text itself.
- id: motif:2
label: Destruction of former idols by reforming authority
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Allat, Al Uzza, and Manah are each described as destroyed or demolished by
figures acting under or in the time of Mohammed.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The passage reports historical-traditional notices rather than a mythic
narrative sequence.
- id: motif:3
label: Sacred tree worship and destruction
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Al Uzza is described as a worshipped acacia or thorn tree housed in a chapel,
then cut down and burned.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: Although the available taxonomy includes tree as a symbol, the passage
does not support a stronger sacred-tree-axis interpretation.
- id: motif:4
label: Stone idol associated with sacrifice
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
basis: Manah is described as a large stone, and its name is linked with the flowing
blood of sacrificial victims.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The link between the stone and sacrificial blood is etymological and explanatory
in the passage, not a full ritual narrative.
- id: motif:5
label: Deification of revered ancestral or pious figures through statues
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The five antediluvian idols are said to have been men of merit and piety
whose statues were first reverenced and later taken as gods.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage breaks off after stating that the statues were reverenced
at first, so the full account is incomplete in the supplied range.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 1620-1624
quote_or_summary: Angels and their images are called goddesses and daughters of
God; images are imagined as living or angelic tabernacles and worshipped as intercessors
with God.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary provided.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 1625-1638
quote_or_summary: Allat is identified as an idol of Thakif at Tayef with a temple
at Nakhlah; Al Mogheirah and Abu Sofian are sent by Mohammed to destroy it, while
Tayef inhabitants, especially women, lament and request delay.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary provided.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 1639-1656
quote_or_summary: Al Uzza is described as an idol or as a worshipped acacia/thorn
tree with a sound-making chapel; Khaled Ebn Walid destroys the chapel, cuts down
and burns the tree or image, and kills the supplicating priestess.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary provided.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 1657-1665
quote_or_summary: Manah is described as a worshipped large stone demolished by Saad;
its name is connected with flowing blood of sacrificed victims and sacrifices
at Mina.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary provided.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 1666-1670
quote_or_summary: Wadd, Sawa, Yaghuth, Yauk, and Nasr are named as Koranic antediluvian
idols preached against by Noah, later taken by Arabs as gods, and associated with
statues of pious men.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary provided.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is straightforward from the supplied passage. Motif labels
are descriptive and should be reviewed because the passage is a translator's historical-religious
discourse rather than a continuous 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: '2026-04-28'
notes: |-
No comparison claims were added because the passage does not itself support a cautious cross-tradition comparison beyond internal references to Arabian idols and Koranic naming.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg__l1620-l1670
passage_sha256=7de5c4c313846a7db8573f3c842940c2d6b0c5707f195fcaec3f8a576f285e93