batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l23058-l23140
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l23058-l23140
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
passage_locator:
label: CHAPTER XVI. / IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD. / CHAPTER XVII. / IN
THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.; lines 23058-23140
start: '23058'
end: '23140'
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: Am I other than a man, sent as an apostle?
summary: Sale's notes explain intercession, resurrection, Muhammad's departure or
refuge, the question of the spirit, and prophetic tests. The passage then reports
demands for visible miracles, answers that the messenger is a human apostle, warns
of resurrection and hell for disbelievers, affirms God's power to recreate bodies,
and recalls Moses receiving nine signs and being accused by Pharaoh of sorcery.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A note identifies the 'honourable station' as an intercessory station according
to a tradition of Abu Horeira.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: A note glosses a petition as asking to enter the grave in peace and emerge
at resurrection with honor; other commentarial explanations relate it to Muhammad's
departure from Mecca, refuge in a cave, entrance into Mecca, or return from it.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: A note says Muhammad repeated certain words when entering the temple of Mecca
and cleansing it of idols, and that many idols fell when he touched them with
a stick.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: A note discusses the spirit or soul and reports a test in which Jews advised
the Koreish to ask Muhammad about the sleepers in the cave, Dhu'lkarnein, and
the soul of man.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The note says Muhammad answered two histories but acknowledged ignorance about
the origin of the human soul.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: Opponents say they will not believe until the messenger causes a spring of
water to gush from the earth.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: Opponents demand a garden of palm-trees and vines with abundant rivers springing
from it.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: Opponents demand that heaven fall in pieces, that God and angels be brought
down as witnesses, that the messenger have a golden house, that he ascend by a
ladder to heaven, or that a readable book descend to them.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:9
text: The reply states that the speaker is a man sent as an apostle.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: The passage says people object to a human apostle, and answers that if angels
lived on earth, an angel would have been sent from heaven as apostle.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:11
text: The passage says God is a sufficient witness and knows his servants.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:12
text: Those whom God causes to err will be gathered on the day of resurrection creeping
on their faces, blind, dumb, and deaf.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:13
text: Their abode is hell, and its fire is rekindled whenever it is extinguished.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:14
text: Disbelievers question whether they will be raised as new creatures after becoming
bones and dust.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:15
text: The passage argues that the God who created the heavens and earth can create
other bodies like the present ones and has appointed a limited term.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:16
text: The passage says humans would refrain from spending the treasures of the Lord's
mercy out of fear of spending them, because man is covetous.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:17
text: The passage recalls that Moses received nine evident signs, and that Pharaoh
said he considered Moses deluded by sorcery.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Muhammad
description: The person generally supposed by the commentators to be addressed in
the notes; also associated with the answer that the messenger is a man sent as
an apostle.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: God / Lord
description: The divine witness, director of the rightly directed, judge of disbelievers,
creator of heavens and earth, giver of mercy and of Moses' signs.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Opponents / disbelievers / ungodly
description: Those who demand signs before believing, object to a human apostle,
deny resurrection after bones and dust, and receive punishment for disbelief.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Angels
description: Beings whom the opponents demand be brought down, and who would have
been sent as apostle if angels lived on earth.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Moses
description: A prophet to whom God gave nine evident signs, according to the passage.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Pharaoh
description: The ruler who says he esteems Moses to be deluded by sorcery.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Jews and Koreish
description: Figures in the note who are associated with a test involving the sleepers
in the cave, Dhu'lkarnein, and the soul of man.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
roles:
- id: role:1
label: human apostle
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The reply asks whether the speaker is anything other than a man sent as an
apostle.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:2
label: divine witness and director
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The passage calls God a sufficient witness and says God directs or causes
to err.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:3
label: creator and judge
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The passage appeals to God's creation of heaven and earth and describes resurrection
and hell as judgment for disbelief.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:4
label: skeptical demanders of signs
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: They demand water, gardens, cosmic signs, angelic or divine witnesses, ascent,
and a descending book before believing.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:5
label: heavenly apostle category
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The answer says an angel would be sent from heaven as apostle if angels inhabited
earth.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:6
label: recipient of nine signs
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: God is said to have given Moses the power of working nine evident signs.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: role:7
label: accuser of sorcery
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Pharaoh tells Moses that he esteems him deluded by sorcery.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: role:8
label: prophetic testers
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The note reports that Jews advised the Koreish to test Muhammad with questions
about cave sleepers, Dhu'lkarnein, and the soul.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: spring of water from earth
literal_form: A spring of water demanded to gush forth out of the earth.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:2
label: garden with palms, vines, and rivers
literal_form: A garden of palm-trees and vines with rivers springing abundantly
from its midst.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:3
label: falling heaven
literal_form: Heaven demanded to fall down in pieces.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:4
label: God and angels brought down
literal_form: God and the angels demanded to be brought down to vouch for the messenger.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: house of gold
literal_form: A house of gold demanded as proof.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:6
label: ladder to heaven
literal_form: A ladder by which the messenger is demanded to ascend to heaven.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:7
label: descending readable book
literal_form: A book demanded to descend as readable witness to the messenger.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:8
label: hell fire rekindled
literal_form: Hell's fire, rekindled whenever extinguished.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:9
label: bones and dust
literal_form: Bodies reduced to bones and dust before being raised as new creatures.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:10
label: cave refuge and cave sleepers
literal_form: A cave mentioned as Muhammad's refuge in one explanation and as the
setting of those who slept in the cave in a prophetic test.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs:
- cave
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: sym:11
label: nine evident signs
literal_form: Nine evident signs given to Moses.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:5
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Commentarial explanations of departure, grave, cave, and Mecca
summary: The notes explain a petition through resurrection, Muhammad's departure
from Mecca, a cave refuge, entry into Mecca, and the cleansing of idols in the
Meccan temple.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Prophetic test concerning hidden histories and the soul
summary: A note reports that Jews advised the Koreish to test Muhammad with questions
about cave sleepers, Dhu'lkarnein, and the human soul; he answers the histories
but not the soul's origin.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Demands for visible miraculous proofs
summary: Opponents demand water, a fertile garden, cosmic collapse, divine or angelic
attestation, a golden house, heavenly ascent, and a descending book; the answer
emphasizes that the messenger is a human apostle.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:4
label: Resurrection and punishment of disbelievers
summary: Those whom God causes to err are gathered on resurrection day in impaired
condition and consigned to rekindled hell fire; the passage answers denial of
resurrection from bones and dust by appealing to God's creative power.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:8
- sym:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: scene:5
label: Moses, nine signs, and Pharaoh's accusation
summary: The passage recalls Moses receiving nine evident signs and Pharaoh responding
by calling Moses deluded by sorcery.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Demanded miraculous proof of prophecy
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Opponents make belief conditional on water from earth, a fertile garden,
heavenly collapse, divine and angelic witnesses, a golden house, heavenly ascent,
and a descending book.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: These are demanded signs, not miracles performed within this passage.
- id: motif:2
label: Ascent to heaven by ladder
taxonomy_refs:
- ascent
basis: Opponents demand that the messenger ascend by a ladder to heaven and additionally
demand a descending book as witness.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The ascent is presented as a skeptical demand rather than a narrated journey.
- id: motif:3
label: Resurrection after bodily dissolution
taxonomy_refs:
- resurrection
basis: The passage addresses disbelief that bones and dust can be raised as new
creatures and answers with God's power to create bodies.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: The account is doctrinal argument rather than a detailed resurrection
narrative.
- id: motif:4
label: Divine judgment with hell fire
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: Disbelievers are gathered on resurrection day and assigned to hell, where
the fire is rekindled whenever extinguished.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: No individual judgment trial is narrated in detail.
- id: motif:5
label: Reserved divine knowledge of the soul
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
- forbidden_knowledge
basis: The note says Muhammad acknowledged ignorance about the origin of the human
soul and explains that human knowledge fails in spiritual speculations without
divine revelation.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: This motif is drawn from Sale's explanatory note rather than the main
translated verse in this excerpt.
- id: motif:6
label: Cave refuge and hidden sleepers
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The notes mention a cave as a refuge in one explanation and refer to the
history of those who slept in the cave as part of a prophetic test.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The cave sleeper story is only referenced, not narrated here.
- id: motif:7
label: Prophetic signs opposed as sorcery
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Moses receives nine evident signs, while Pharaoh responds by calling him
deluded by sorcery.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: The nine signs themselves are not enumerated in this passage.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: Sale's note explicitly compares the petition for a peaceful death and honorable
resurrection with Balaam's wish for the death of the righteous in Numbers xxiii.10.
claim_level: same_function
target: Balaam's saying in Numbers xxiii.10
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The comparison is from the translator's note, not from the translated
Qur'anic passage itself.
- id: claim:2
claim: The mention of Moses' nine evident signs and Pharaoh's accusation places
this passage in comparison with Israelite prophetic sign traditions in which signs
attest a messenger and are rejected as sorcery.
claim_level: same_function
target: Moses sign tradition among the children of Israel
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage references the tradition briefly and does not narrate the
signs or a full contest.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 23058-23066
quote_or_summary: Notes identify the honorable station as intercession and gloss
a petition through peaceful death, resurrection, departure from Mecca, cave refuge,
entrance into Mecca, or safe return.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain Project Gutenberg/Sale translation; summary used.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 23067-23069
quote_or_summary: A note says Muhammad repeated words when entering the temple of
Mecca after taking the city and cleansing it of idols; idols fell when touched
with his stick.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain Project Gutenberg/Sale translation; summary used.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 23070-23089
quote_or_summary: Notes discuss the spirit or soul, the limits of human knowledge,
and a test involving the cave sleepers, Dhu'lkarnein, and the soul; Muhammad answers
two histories but not the soul's origin.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain Project Gutenberg/Sale translation; summary used.
- id: ev:4
type: quote
locator: 23090-23093
quote_or_summary: Opponents demand belief only if a spring of water gushes from
earth, or if there is a garden of palm-trees and vines with rivers springing abundantly.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain Project Gutenberg/Sale translation; short excerpt summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: quote
locator: 23094-23098
quote_or_summary: Opponents demand heaven falling in pieces, God and angels brought
down, a house of gold, ascent by ladder to heaven, and a readable descending book;
the answer says, 'Am I other than a man, sent as an apostle?'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain Project Gutenberg/Sale translation; short quotation used.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: 23099-23103
quote_or_summary: The passage says people reject a human apostle; if angels walked
on earth as inhabitants, an angel would have been sent from heaven; God is sufficient
witness.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain Project Gutenberg/Sale translation; summary used.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: 23104-23109
quote_or_summary: God directs or causes to err; on resurrection day some are gathered
creeping on their faces, blind, dumb, and deaf, and their abode is hell with fire
rekindled for torment.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain Project Gutenberg/Sale translation; summary used.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: 23110-23115
quote_or_summary: The punishment is for disbelief in signs and denial that bones
and dust can be raised; the passage argues that the creator of heavens and earth
can create bodies like the present ones.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain Project Gutenberg/Sale translation; summary used.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: 23116-23118
quote_or_summary: If people possessed the treasures of the Lord's mercy, they would
refrain from using them for fear of spending them, because man is covetous.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain Project Gutenberg/Sale translation; summary used.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: 23119-23121
quote_or_summary: God gave Moses the power of working nine evident signs; Pharaoh
tells Moses he esteems him deluded by sorcery.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain Project Gutenberg/Sale translation; summary used.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: Literal extraction is based on the provided passage and notes. Some motif
labels derive from brief references or skeptical demands rather than narrated
fulfillment, so they require human 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 supplied passage text and metadata were used. Taxonomy references are limited to provided motif families and symbols.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg__l23058-l23140
passage_sha256=f6f270058a4740959f43fcaf3e5c3b099c0574854a535c6c5584762e949da43d