batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l23300-l23386
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l23300-l23386
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
passage_locator:
label: CHAPTER XVII. / IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD. / CHAPTER XVIII. /
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.; lines 23300-23386
start: '23300'
end: '23386'
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 sleepers preserved in a cave, their dog at the cave
entrance, their awakening after a long period, their concern about persecution,
public discovery of their case, dispute over their number, instructions about
saying 'if God please,' and the statement that they remained in the cave three
hundred and nine years while God best knows hidden matters.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The sun is described as passing to the right of the cave at sunrise and to
the left at sunset while the sleepers are in a spacious part of the cave.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The condition of the sleepers in the cave is called one of the signs of God.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The sleepers would appear awake although they were sleeping, and they are
made to turn to the right and left.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Their dog stretches its forelegs at the mouth of the cave.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: A sudden viewer of the sleepers would turn away and be filled with fear.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:6
text: The sleepers are awakened and ask one another how long they have remained
there.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: One sleeper is to be sent with money into the city to buy food and avoid discovery.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:8
text: The sleepers fear being stoned or forced to return to the religion of those
who might find them.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: Their people are made acquainted with what happened so that they may know
God's promise is true and that there is no doubt of the last hour.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:10
text: People dispute about the sleepers and propose erecting a building or chapel
over them.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:11
text: 'Different numbers are reported for the sleepers: three with the dog as fourth,
five with the dog as sixth, or seven with the dog as eighth.'
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:12
text: The passage says the sleepers remained in their cave three hundred years and
nine years more, while also saying God best knows how long they continued there.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:13
text: A commentary note says the dog followed the sleepers, spoke in support of
those dear to God, and guarded them while they slept.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:14
text: A commentary note reports a later story in which men entering the cave were
struck dead by a burning wind.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: the sleepers
description: A group hidden in a cave, asleep for a long period, later awakened
and discovered.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: God
description: The divine agent who directs or causes to err, makes the sleepers turn,
awakens them, makes their people acquainted with them, and knows hidden matters.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: the dog
description: The dog associated with the sleepers, positioned at the mouth of the
cave; commentary also describes it as a guardian.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: the sent sleeper
description: One member of the sleepers designated to take money into the city and
buy food discreetly.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: their people
description: The people who become acquainted with the sleepers' case, dispute concerning
it, and discuss building over them.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Christians
description: A group whom the speaker is told not to ask concerning the sleepers.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
roles:
- id: role:1
label: long-sleeping cave group
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: They sleep in the cave, are awakened, ask about the time elapsed, and are
said to have remained there three hundred and nine years.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:8
- id: role:2
label: divine controller of guidance, sleep, awakening, and hidden knowledge
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: God is said to guide or mislead, cause the sleepers to turn, awaken them,
reveal their matter to the people, and know the secrets of heaven and earth.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: role:3
label: threshold animal companion
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The dog is placed at the mouth of the cave, and the notes describe it as
following and guarding the sleepers.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: role:4
label: discreet provision seeker
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: One member is instructed to go to the city with money, seek good cheap food,
bring provision, and avoid revealing the group.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:5
label: discovering and memorializing community
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The people learn of the sleepers' case and debate whether to build over them,
with some proposing a chapel.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:6
label: external interlocutors concerning the story
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The speaker is instructed not to ask Christians concerning the sleepers.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: cave
literal_form: The cave containing the sleepers and their dog, with the dog at its
mouth.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- cave
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:8
- id: sym:2
label: sun's path around the cave
literal_form: The sun declines to the right of the cave at rising and leaves them
on the left at setting.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:3
label: dog at the cave mouth
literal_form: A dog stretching its forelegs at the cave entrance.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:4
label: money for the city
literal_form: Money carried by one of the sleepers to buy food in the city.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:5
label: food provision
literal_form: Food to be purchased and brought back to the sleepers.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:6
label: building or chapel over the sleepers
literal_form: A proposed building, specifically a chapel according to those who
prevailed.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:7
label: three hundred and nine years
literal_form: The stated duration of the sleepers' stay in the cave.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:8
label: burning wind in cave tradition
literal_form: A burning wind that kills men who enter the cave, according to a commentary
note.
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: protected sleep in the cave
summary: The sleepers lie in a spacious cave while the sun avoids them, they appear
awake though asleep, are turned from side to side, and the dog lies at the cave
mouth.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: awakening and cautious errand
summary: The sleepers awaken, wonder how long they have stayed, send one of their
number with money to buy food in the city, and warn against discovery because
of possible persecution.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: public discovery and memorial dispute
summary: Their people learn what happened, the event is linked to certainty about
God's promise and the last hour, and people debate erecting a building or chapel
over the sleepers.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:4
label: number dispute and divine knowledge
summary: Different reports are given about the number of sleepers and their dog;
the passage says God best knows their number and how long they remained.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: scene:5
label: commentarial cave danger
summary: A commentary note relates that later men entering the cave were killed
by a burning wind.
figure_refs: []
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: long sleep in a cave followed by awakening
taxonomy_refs:
- death_rebirth
basis: The group sleeps in a cave, is awakened, misjudges the time elapsed, and
is later said to have remained there three hundred and nine years.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage presents sleep and awakening literally; the death-rebirth
taxonomy is an interpretive motif-family fit rather than an explicit statement
that they died and returned.
- id: motif:2
label: miraculous preservation as proof of the last hour
taxonomy_refs:
- resurrection
- divine_judgment
basis: The discovery of the sleepers is said to show that God's promise is true
and that there is no doubt of the last hour.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The passage connects the event to eschatological certainty, but does not
narrate the last hour itself.
- id: motif:3
label: divine guidance and hidden knowledge
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: God is said to guide or mislead, know the sleepers' number, know their duration,
and possess the secrets of heaven and earth.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy fit is general; the passage emphasizes divine knowledge more
than human acquisition of wisdom.
- id: motif:4
label: animal guardian at sacred threshold
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The dog lies at the mouth of the cave, and the commentary describes it as
guarding the sleepers while they sleep.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The guardian role is explicit in the commentary note, while the main passage
only states the dog's position at the cave mouth.
- id: motif:5
label: holy site memorialization over hidden sleepers
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: After the sleepers' case becomes known, people propose erecting a building
over them, and those who prevail say they will build a chapel.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: No broader cultic practice is described beyond this proposed construction.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage acknowledges that Christians are interlocutors concerning the
sleepers' matter, indicating that the story is also associated with a nearby Christian
narrative context.
claim_level: same_motif
target: Christian discussions or accounts concerning the sleepers
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage does not give a Christian version of the story, so the
comparison is limited to the explicit reference to Christians as people who might
be asked about the matter.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 23300-23305
quote_or_summary: The sun passes to the right and left of the cave while the sleepers
remain in a spacious part; this is called one of God's signs, with guidance attributed
to God.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata supplied by requester.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 23306-23312
quote_or_summary: The sleepers appear awake though sleeping; they are turned right
and left; their dog stretches its forelegs at the cave mouth; a viewer would flee
in fear.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata supplied by requester.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 23313-23320
quote_or_summary: The sleepers awaken, ask how long they stayed, answer a day or
part of a day, and send one of their number with money into the city to buy food
discreetly.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata supplied by requester.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 23321-23323
quote_or_summary: The sleepers warn that if discovered they may be stoned or forced
back to the religion of their pursuers.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata supplied by requester.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: note b, lines 23335-23349
quote_or_summary: The note says the dog followed the sleepers, was made to speak,
declared love for those dear to God, and would guard them; it also reports later
respect for the dog and talismanic use of its name.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata supplied by requester.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 23362-23369
quote_or_summary: Their people are made aware of what happened so they may know
God's promise is true and the last hour is certain; people dispute and propose
a building or chapel over them.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata supplied by requester.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 23370-23376
quote_or_summary: Reports differ over whether the sleepers were three, five, or
seven, each count including the dog; the speaker is told not to dispute except
clearly and not to ask Christians concerning them.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata supplied by requester.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 23377-23386
quote_or_summary: The passage instructs saying 'If God please,' states that the
sleepers remained three hundred and nine years, and says God best knows their
duration and the secrets of heaven and earth.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata supplied by requester.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: note c, lines 23351-23359
quote_or_summary: The note reports a later story that men sent into the cave by
the Khalif Mowiyah were struck dead by a burning wind.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata supplied by requester.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: Core extraction is direct from the supplied passage. Motif labels involving
death-rebirth, resurrection, and Christian comparison require review because the
passage itself gives limited interpretive framing beyond the last hour and the
reference to Christians.
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 its embedded notes were used. Commentary notes were treated as part of the provided passage but distinguished from the main narrative in observations and evidence.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg__l23300-l23386
passage_sha256=a659be9a3907af94c2643cb727c7361279d8c02fd44340a2186334430fac4117