batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l24885-l24979
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l24885-l24979
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
passage_locator:
label: CHAPTER XX. / IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD. / CHAPTER XXI. / IN THE
NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.; lines 24885-24979
start: '24885'
end: '24979'
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 opens Chapter XXI, presenting a warning that the time of account
is near for the people of Mecca. It describes their dismissal of the Koran and
of Mohammed, recalls earlier human apostles and destroyed cities, asserts that
creation is not sport, emphasizes God’s sole sovereignty, denies divine offspring
and angelic divinity, and presents signs in creation: heavens and earth cloven
apart, life made from water, and mountains placed to stabilize the earth.'
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The people of Mecca are said to be near the time of giving their account while
remaining negligent and turning aside from admonition.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Unjust speakers privately call Mohammed a man like themselves and describe
the message as sorcery, dreams, forgery, or poetry while asking for a miracle
like those of former prophets.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Earlier apostles are described as men who received revelation, ate food, and
were not immortal.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: God is said to have delivered earlier apostles and whomever he pleased, while
destroying exorbitant transgressors.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: Ungodly cities are described as overthrown; their inhabitants fled, were told
by angels to return, lamented that they had been unjust, and were rendered extinct
like mown corn.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: The heavens, the earth, and what is between them are said not to have been
created by way of sport.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: Truth is said to be opposed to vanity so that vanity vanishes away.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: Whoever is in heaven and on earth is said to be subject to God, and the angels
in his presence praise him night and day without tiring.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: The passage challenges the taking of other gods and states that if there were
gods besides God in heaven or earth, both would be corrupted.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: The passage states that no apostle before Mohammed was sent without receiving
the revelation that there is no god besides God and that he should be served.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:11
text: The claim that the Merciful has begotten issue and that angels are his daughters
is rejected; angels are instead described as honoured servants who execute God’s
command.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:12
text: Angels are said to intercede only for those whom God pleases, to tremble for
fear of him, and any angel claiming to be a god besides him is threatened with
hell.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:13
text: The heavens and the earth are described as once solid and then cloven asunder;
every living thing is said to have been made of water; stable mountains and broad
passages are placed on earth.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: People of Mecca / Koreish / unbelievers
description: The addressed people are negligent regarding their account, mock the
admonition, question Mohammed, and are urged to understand the Koran.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:7
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Mohammed
description: He is referred to by opponents as a man like themselves and is the
implied addressee told to say that his Lord knows what is spoken.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: God / LORD / the Merciful
description: The passage describes God as knowing speech in heaven and earth, sending
down the Koran, delivering and destroying, creating, ruling from the throne, and
being the only deity to be served.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Former apostles / ancient prophets
description: Earlier messengers are described as human men receiving revelation,
eating food, and not being immortal.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Ungodly cities and their inhabitants
description: Cities are said to have been overthrown; their inhabitants flee, lament
injustice, and become extinct.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Angels
description: Angels speak to fleeing inhabitants, serve in God’s presence, praise
him night and day, execute his command, intercede only by permission, and tremble
before him.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Other gods besides God
description: The passage refers to gods taken from the earth or besides God and
challenges their proof and power.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
roles:
- id: role:1
label: admonished hearers
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: They hear the newly revealed admonition, turn it to sport, and are urged
to understand.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:2
label: accused messenger
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Opponents question whether Mohammed is only a man like themselves and label
the message sorcery or poetry.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: sole deity, creator, and judge
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: God is described as creator, ruler, knower, sender of revelation, deliverer,
destroyer, and the only god to be served.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: role:4
label: human apostles receiving revelation
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Earlier apostles are said to have been men to whom God revealed his will,
with ordinary bodies and mortality.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:5
label: destroyed transgressors
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Ungodly cities are overthrown and their inhabitants confess injustice before
extinction.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:6
label: obedient angelic servants
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Angels praise without tiring, execute God’s command, and do not act or intercede
apart from his permission.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: role:7
label: disputed rival deities
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The text asks whether other gods can raise the dead and demands proof for
gods besides God.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: account
literal_form: the time of giving up their account
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: overthrown cities
literal_form: cities overthrown because they were ungodly
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:3
label: mown corn
literal_form: people rendered like corn which is mown down and utterly extinct
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:4
label: throne
literal_form: the throne of God
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: water as source of living things
literal_form: every living thing made of water
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:6
label: stable mountains
literal_form: stable mountains placed on the earth lest it should move
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- mountain
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:7
label: cloven heavens and earth
literal_form: the heavens and the earth were solid and were cloven in sunder
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:8
label: book of the Koran
literal_form: the book of the Koran sent down to the Koreish
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Meccan rejection of admonition
summary: The people of Mecca are warned that their account is near, but they treat
the newly revealed admonition as sport and accuse Mohammed and the Koran in private
speech.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Former apostles and destroyed transgressors
summary: The passage recalls that earlier apostles were human and mortal, that God
delivered some, and that transgressors and ungodly cities were destroyed.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Creation not for sport and angelic praise
summary: The passage states that creation was not made as sport, that truth confounds
vanity, and that all beings are subject to God while angels praise him without
tiring.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:6
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Challenge to rival gods and divine offspring claim
summary: The passage rejects other gods, demands proof, affirms the monotheistic
message of all apostles, denies that angels are divine daughters, and describes
angels as obedient servants.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:5
label: Signs in cosmic and earthly order
summary: The passage points to the heavens and earth being cloven apart, living
things made from water, and mountains and broad passages placed on earth.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Approaching divine account and punishment of unjust peoples
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: The account draws near, unjust people are warned, ungodly cities are overthrown,
and a rebellious angelic claim to divinity is threatened with hell.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The classification is limited to the passage’s explicit language of account,
destruction, and punishment.
- id: motif:2
label: Rejected human messenger
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Earlier apostles and Mohammed are presented as human messengers receiving
revelation, while opponents dismiss the message as sorcery, dreams, forgery, or
poetry.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: No external prophet-story parallels are asserted here.
- id: motif:3
label: Monotheistic challenge to rival gods
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage asks whether other gods can raise the dead, argues that multiple
gods would corrupt heaven and earth, demands proof, and states that all apostles
received the command to serve only God.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: This is a theological argument in the passage rather than a narrative
episode.
- id: motif:4
label: Cosmic ordering through separation, water, and stabilizing mountains
taxonomy_refs:
- chaos
basis: The heavens and earth are described as once solid and then cloven apart;
living things are made from water; mountains are placed to stabilize the earth.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy link to chaos is approximate because the passage does not
explicitly name chaos.
- id: motif:5
label: Scriptural admonition preserving the memory of earlier peoples
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The Koran is presented as admonition and honourable mention, while the passage
directs hearers to those acquainted with scripture and recalls earlier apostles
and destroyed cities.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The wisdom classification is broad and should be reviewed.
- id: motif:6
label: Angelic obedience and restricted intercession
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Angels are denied independent divinity, described as honoured servants, and
said to intercede only for those whom God permits.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The passage treats this doctrinally rather than as a developed narrative
motif.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 24885-24906; Chapter XXI opening admonition
quote_or_summary: The account draws near for the people of Mecca; they treat the
newly revealed admonition as sport and privately call Mohammed merely a man, the
message sorcery, dreams, forgery, or poetry, and ask for a miracle.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; summarized rather than extensively quoted.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 24907-24923; former apostles and Koran sent down
quote_or_summary: Earlier apostles were men receiving revelation, with bodies that
ate food and were not immortal; God delivered whom he pleased and destroyed transgressors;
the Koran is sent down to the Koreish.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; summarized rather than extensively quoted.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 24924-24943; overthrown cities
quote_or_summary: Ungodly cities are overthrown; their inhabitants flee, are told
by angels to return, confess they were unjust, and are made like mown corn, utterly
extinct.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; summarized rather than extensively quoted.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 24944-24957; creation not sport and angels praising
quote_or_summary: God did not create the heavens and earth as sport; truth confounds
vanity; all in heaven and earth are subject to him, and angels in his presence
praise him night and day without tiring.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; summarized rather than extensively quoted.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 24958-24970; challenge to other gods
quote_or_summary: The passage asks whether gods taken from the earth can raise the
dead, says multiple gods in heaven or earth would corrupt both, demands proof
for other gods, and states that every apostle was told there is no god besides
God.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; summarized rather than extensively quoted.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 24971-24976; angels as servants
quote_or_summary: The claim that the Merciful has begotten issue and that angels
are his daughters is rejected; angels are honoured servants who execute God’s
command, intercede only by permission, tremble before him, and any angel claiming
divinity is threatened with hell.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; summarized rather than extensively quoted.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 24977-24979; cosmic and earthly signs
quote_or_summary: The heavens and earth were solid and cloven asunder; every living
thing was made of water; stable mountains and broad passages were placed on the
earth.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; summarized rather than extensively quoted.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is based directly on the supplied passage. Motif labels
use available taxonomy only where supported; broad classifications such as chaos
and wisdom require human review. No comparison claims were made.
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 provided passage and metadata were used. Translator footnotes were not separately expanded into additional figures or motifs.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg__l24885-l24979
passage_sha256=3de911e0fdf2e1959d429b360000d28229fd5ab19f9ca586b12c6457fb0a405c