batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l1831-l1877
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l1831-l1877
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 1831-1877
start: '1831'
end: '1877'
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 recounts a Christian miracle story in which Jesus appears from
heaven after a storm before Jews and Christians, after which the Jews are blinded
until baptism. It then describes Christians fleeing persecution to Hira and narrates
the conversion of Al Nooman of Hira after an Arab guest faithfully returns to
face death rather than allow his surety to die in his place, attributing this
conduct to Christianity.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A demand is made that Jesus of Nazareth appear from heaven if he is living,
in heaven, and able to hear worshippers' prayers.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: After thunder and lightning, Jesus Christ appears in the air surrounded by
rays of glory, walking on a purple cloud, with a sword and a diadem.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The appearing figure speaks to the assembly, identifying himself as the one
crucified by their fathers.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:4
text: A cloud receives Jesus from the sight of the assembly.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:5
text: The Christians cry for mercy, while the Jews are struck blind and recover
only after baptism.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:6
text: Several tribes flee to Hira for refuge from the persecution of Dhu Nows, increasing
the Christian community there.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: Al Nooman, king of Hira, orders two sleeping companions to be buried alive
while drunk and later raises a monument to them.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: Al Nooman institutes an unfortunate day on which whoever meets him is slain
and a fortunate day on which whoever meets him receives safety and gifts.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: An Arab of the tribe of Tay appears before the king on an unfortunate day,
but had previously shown him hospitality.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: The king grants the Arab a year's respite to support his family, on condition
that he find a surety for his return to die.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:11
text: A courtier compassionately offers himself as surety for the Arab.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:12
text: At the end of the term, the king orders the surety to prepare to die when
the Arab has not yet appeared, but the Arab arrives before the day ends.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:13
text: The Arab says his willingness to return to certain death was taught by the
Christian religion.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:14
text: Al Nooman asks to hear Christian doctrines, is baptized with his subjects,
and pardons both the Arab and the surety.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Jesus Christ
description: The figure who appears in the air after the storm, surrounded by glory,
on a purple cloud, bearing a sword and diadem, and identifies himself as crucified.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Jews at the assembly
description: The group that asks to see Christ, is struck blind after the apparition,
and recovers after baptism.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Christians at the assembly
description: The group present at the apparition who cry out for mercy.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Dhu Nows
description: The persecutor from whom several tribes flee to Hira.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Christian refugees at Hira
description: Several tribes who flee to Hira for refuge from persecution and increase
the Christians there.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Al Nooman, surnamed Abu Kabs
description: King of Hira who becomes Christian after the Arab's return and explanation
of his conduct.
role_refs:
- role:7
- role:8
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Two intimate companions of Al Nooman
description: The king's companions who fall asleep from drink and are buried alive
by his order.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Arab of the tribe of Tay
description: A former host of Al Nooman who receives a year's respite, returns to
face death, and attributes his conduct to Christianity.
role_refs:
- role:11
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Compassionate courtier surety
description: A member of the prince's court who offers himself as surety for the
Arab and is ordered to prepare for death when the Arab is delayed.
role_refs:
- role:13
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Subjects of Al Nooman
description: The king's subjects who are baptized with him after Christian doctrines
are explained.
role_refs:
- role:14
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
roles:
- id: role:1
label: heavenly apparition
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Jesus appears from heaven or in the air with luminous and royal attributes
after a storm.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: petitioning witnesses
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: They demand that Christ appear and say they will become Christians if they
see him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: blinded converts
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: They are struck blind and recover after baptism.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: mercy-seeking witnesses
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: They cry out, 'Lord, have mercy upon us.'
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:5
label: persecutor
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The tribes flee from the persecution of Dhu Nows.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:6
label: refugees
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: They flee to Hira for refuge.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:7
label: king and judge
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Al Nooman rules Hira and enforces the fortunate and unfortunate days.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:8
label: penitent wrongdoer
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: After ordering his companions buried alive, he is concerned and raises a
monument.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:9
label: royal convert
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: He requests Christian doctrine and is baptized.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:10
label: victims of royal command
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: They are ordered buried alive while asleep.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:11
label: hospitable guest under sentence
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: He had formerly entertained the king but appears on the king's deadly day.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:12
label: faithful returner
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: He returns at the term's end though this exposes him to death.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:13
label: substitute surety
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: He offers himself as surety and is to die if the Arab does not return.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:14
label: baptized subjects
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: They are baptized with the king.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: storm before apparition
literal_form: thunder and lightning
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: luminous glory
literal_form: rays of glory surrounding Jesus
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:3
label: purple cloud
literal_form: purple cloud on which Jesus walks and which later receives him from
sight
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:4
label: sword
literal_form: sword in Jesus' hand
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:5
label: diadem
literal_form: inestimable diadem on Jesus' head
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:6
label: blindness before baptism
literal_form: Jews struck blind until baptized
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:7
label: baptism
literal_form: baptism of the blinded Jews and later of Al Nooman and his subjects
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:6
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
- id: sym:8
label: memorial monument
literal_form: monument raised to the memory of the king's two companions
associated_figures:
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:9
label: fortunate and unfortunate days
literal_form: two days set apart by the king, one bringing death and one bringing
safety and gifts
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:10
label: blood on monument
literal_form: blood of those slain on the unfortunate day sprinkled on the monument
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:11
label: surety pledge
literal_form: a courtier's pledge to answer with his life for the Arab's return
associated_figures:
- fig:8
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Heavenly apparition before the assembly
summary: After a demand for proof, Jesus appears amid thunder, lightning, glory,
cloud, sword, and diadem, speaks to the assembly, and is hidden by the cloud.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Blindness and baptism after the apparition
summary: The Christians ask for mercy; the Jews are struck blind and recover only
after baptism.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Refuge of Christians at Hira
summary: Several tribes flee the persecution of Dhu Nows and take refuge at Hira,
increasing the Christian population there.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Al Nooman's crime and alternating days
summary: Al Nooman has two companions buried alive, raises a monument, and institutes
an unfortunate day for killing and a fortunate day for rewarding those he meets.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:8
- sym:9
- sym:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: The Arab, hospitality, and the surety
summary: An Arab who once hosted the king appears on an unfortunate day; because
of hospitality obligations, the king grants a year's respite if a surety guarantees
his return, and a courtier offers himself.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:9
- sym:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:6
label: Return, pardon, and royal baptism
summary: The Arab returns before the term ends, explains that Christianity taught
him this conduct, and Al Nooman has Christian doctrine explained, is baptized
with his subjects, and pardons both men.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
- sym:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: heavenly apparition as proof of religious truth
taxonomy_refs:
- ascent
- resurrection
basis: Jesus is invoked as living in heaven, appears from heaven or in the air after
a storm, identifies himself as crucified, and then is received by a cloud.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage is reported in Sale's preliminary discourse and is not itself
a Qur'anic narrative; the text gives an apparition story but does not explicitly
frame it as a taxonomy motif.
- id: motif:2
label: punitive blindness followed by baptismal restoration
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: The Jews are stricken blind after the apparition and recover only when baptized.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage does not explicitly state the agent of the blindness; divine
judgment is inferred from the miracle context.
- id: motif:3
label: refuge from persecution
taxonomy_refs:
- departure
basis: Several tribes flee to Hira for refuge from persecution.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage reports migration for safety rather than a fully developed
mythic departure cycle.
- id: motif:4
label: royal penance transformed into deadly ritual rule
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
basis: After killing his companions, the king raises a monument and creates a rule
requiring death and blood sprinkling on one set day.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The killing is a royal custom in the anecdote, not a stated sacrificial
rite; the taxonomy reference is tentative because blood is connected to the memorial
monument.
- id: motif:5
label: substitute surety risking death for another
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
- sacrifice
basis: A courtier offers himself as surety for the Arab and may die in his place
if the Arab does not return.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents a legal or moral surety arrangement; its sacrificial
dimension is based on the surety's exposure to death.
- id: motif:6
label: faithful return to face death leading to conversion
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The Arab returns though he could avoid death, explains that Christianity
taught him this action, and the king consequently seeks doctrine and is baptized.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The motif label is descriptive and not tied to a named external motif
index.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 1831-1840
quote_or_summary: After demands that Jesus appear from heaven, a storm occurs and
Jesus appears in the air with rays of glory, a purple cloud, sword, and diadem;
he says, 'Behold I appear to you in your sight,' and the cloud receives him from
view.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation used for evidence.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 1840-1842
quote_or_summary: The Christians cry 'Lord, have mercy upon us'; the Jews are struck
blind and do not recover until baptized.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 1843-1846
quote_or_summary: Christians at Hira receive new members from tribes fleeing the
persecution of Dhu Nows.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 1846-1858
quote_or_summary: Al Nooman of Hira, in a drunken fit, orders two companions buried
alive; afterward he raises a monument and institutes an unfortunate day for killing
and blood sprinkling and a fortunate day for safety and gifts.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 1858-1869
quote_or_summary: On an unfortunate day an Arab of Tay, formerly the king's host,
appears; the king balances his rule with hospitality by granting a year's respite
if the Arab finds a surety, and a courtier offers himself.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: 1869-1877
quote_or_summary: When the term ends, the surety is ordered to prepare for death,
but the Arab appears; he says his conduct was taught by Christianity, after which
Al Nooman hears Christian doctrine, is baptized with his subjects, and pardons
both men.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Extraction is based entirely on the supplied passage. Motif labels are descriptive
and taxonomy mappings are cautious because the passage is a historical-religious
anecdote in a preliminary discourse, not a formal 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 itself does not support a specific comparison to another corpus or tradition beyond the reported Christian and Arabian historical context.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg__l1831-l1877
passage_sha256=3165fdb28cd0757bb282ad9bc79e74a9305c685e436d21ec10fcfe23e647e31c