batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l2714-l2762
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l2714-l2762
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
passage_locator:
label: THE KORAN. / PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE / SECTION I. / SECTION II.; lines 2714-2762
start: '2714'
end: '2762'
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 early followers fleeing to Ethiopia and receiving
protection, later conversions that strengthened Mohammed's party, a Koreish covenant
of social exclusion against the Hashemites and family of al Motalleb, the reported
destruction of the written covenant by a worm except for the name of God, the
deaths of Abu Taleb and Khadijah, and the resulting intensification of Koreish
hostility.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A first flight was followed by additional refugees, numbering eighty-three
men and eighteen women besides children.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The refugees were kindly received by the Najashi, the king of Ethiopia, who
refused to deliver them to Koreish envoys.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: In the sixth year of Mohammed's mission, Hamza and Omar Ebn al Khattab converted,
strengthening Mohammed's party.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: In the seventh year of Mohammed's mission, the Koreish made a solemn league
or covenant against the Hashemites and the family of al Motalleb.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The covenant barred marriages and communication with the targeted families
and was reduced to writing and placed in the Caaba.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: The family of Hashem gathered to Abu Taleb as their head, while Abd'al Uzza,
called Abu Lahab, joined the opposite party led by Abu Sofian Ebn Harb.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: After three years of variance, Mohammed told Abu Taleb that God had shown
disapproval of the league by sending a worm to eat out every word of the document
except the name of God.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: Abu Taleb told the Koreish of Mohammed's report and offered to surrender Mohammed
if the report was false, but asked that the league be annulled if it was true.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: The Koreish inspected the writing and found it as Abu Taleb had said; the
league was declared void.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:10
text: In the same year Abu Taleb died, and afterward Mohammed's wife Khadijah also
died; the year was called the year of mourning.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:11
text: After the deaths of Abu Taleb and Khadijah, the Koreish became more troublesome
to Mohammed than before.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Mohammed
description: The prophet whose mission is being narrated; his party is strengthened
by converts and he reports God's disapproval of the Koreish league.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:8
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Refugees
description: Followers who fled in several groups, including eighty-three men and
eighteen women besides children.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Najashi, king of Ethiopia
description: Ruler who received the refugees kindly and refused to surrender them
to Koreish demand.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Koreish
description: Group that demanded the refugees, opposed Mohammed's movement, made
the covenant against the Hashemites and the family of al Motalleb, and later inspected
the writing.
role_refs:
- role:4
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Hamza
description: Mohammed's uncle, described as a man of great valour and merit, whose
conversion strengthened Mohammed's party.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Omar Ebn al Khattab
description: A highly esteemed person, formerly a violent opposer of the prophet,
whose conversion strengthened Mohammed's party.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Hashemites and family of al Motalleb
description: Families targeted by the Koreish covenant barring marriage and communication.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Abu Taleb
description: Head to whom the family of Hashem repaired; Mohammed's uncle, benefactor,
and patron, who challenged the Koreish regarding the writing.
role_refs:
- role:8
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Abd'al Uzza, surnamed Abu Lahab
description: A kinsman who, out of hatred for Mohammed and his doctrine, joined
the opposite party.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Abu Sofian Ebn Harb
description: Chief of the opposite party, from the family of Ommeya.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: God
description: Named by Mohammed as the one who showed disapproval of the league by
sending a worm to destroy the writing except for the divine name.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: Worm
description: Creature said to have eaten every word of the instrument except the
name of God.
role_refs:
- role:13
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:13
name_or_label: Khadijah
description: Mohammed's wife, described as having generously made his fortune, whose
death contributed to the year being called the year of mourning.
role_refs:
- role:14
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
roles:
- id: role:1
label: prophet and mission leader
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The passage calls Mohammed the prophet and refers to years of his mission
and his party.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:8
- id: role:2
label: religious refugees
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: They fled and were received in Ethiopia rather than surrendered to the Koreish.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: protective host ruler
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: He kindly received the refugees and refused to deliver them up.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:4
label: opponents and persecutors
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: They demanded the refugees and later became more troublesome to Mohammed.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:8
- id: role:5
label: makers of exclusionary covenant
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: They made a solemn league or covenant against the Hashemites and family of
al Motalleb.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:6
label: new converts strengthening the party
assigned_to:
- fig:5
- fig:6
basis: Their conversions in the sixth year strengthened Mohammed's party.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:7
label: targeted kin groups
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The covenant was made against these families and imposed marriage and communication
restrictions.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:8
label: kin head and protector
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: The family of Hashem repaired to Abu Taleb as their head; he is later called
a great benefactor and patron.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:7
- id: role:9
label: challenger of the covenant's validity
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: He informed the Koreish of the destroyed document and proposed surrender
or annulment depending on the outcome.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:10
label: defecting kinsman and opponent
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: He went over to the opposite party because of hatred for Mohammed and his
doctrine.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:11
label: chief of opposing party
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: The opposite party's chief is named as Abu Sofian Ebn Harb.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:12
label: divine judge or disapprover
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: Mohammed says God showed disapproval of the league through the destruction
of the writing.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:13
label: agent of document destruction
assigned_to:
- fig:12
basis: The worm is said to have eaten the words of the instrument.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:14
label: wife and benefactor
assigned_to:
- fig:13
basis: Khadijah is identified as Mohammed's wife who had generously made his fortune.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: written covenant
literal_form: A written instrument of the Koreish league placed in the Caaba.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: sym:2
label: Caaba as repository
literal_form: The Caaba, where the written covenant was laid up.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:3
label: worm destroying document
literal_form: A worm eating every word of the covenant document except the name
of God.
associated_figures:
- fig:11
- fig:12
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:4
label: name of God preserved
literal_form: The name of God remaining while the rest of the written covenant is
eaten away.
associated_figures:
- fig:11
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: year of mourning
literal_form: The year named for the deaths of Abu Taleb and Khadijah.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:8
- fig:13
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Flight and asylum in Ethiopia
summary: Followers flee in multiple groups and are protected by the king of Ethiopia,
who refuses Koreish demands to surrender them.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Conversions strengthen Mohammed's party
summary: Hamza and Omar Ebn al Khattab convert in the sixth year of Mohammed's mission,
strengthening his party.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Koreish covenant of exclusion
summary: The Koreish form a written covenant against the Hashemites and the family
of al Motalleb, forbidding marriages and communication, and place it in the Caaba.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Family division around Abu Taleb and Abu Lahab
summary: The family of Hashem aligns with Abu Taleb, except Abu Lahab, who joins
the opposite party led by Abu Sofian.
figure_refs:
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:10
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Worm sign and annulment of the league
summary: Mohammed reports that God sent a worm to destroy the covenant document
except for the divine name; Abu Taleb challenges the Koreish to inspect it, and
the league is declared void when the report is confirmed.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:8
- fig:11
- fig:12
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:6
label: Deaths and year of mourning
summary: Abu Taleb dies, followed by Khadijah, and the year is called the year of
mourning; afterward the Koreish become more troublesome to Mohammed.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:8
- fig:13
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Flight of persecuted followers to protective asylum
taxonomy_refs:
- departure
basis: Followers leave in a first and subsequent flight, and the Ethiopian king
protects them from surrender to the Koreish.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage is historical-biographical rather than a mythic journey narrative;
the taxonomy fit is functional and broad.
- id: motif:2
label: Exclusionary covenant against a kin group
taxonomy_refs:
- covenant
basis: The Koreish make a solemn league or covenant against specified families,
formalize it in writing, and place it in the Caaba.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: The covenant is an antagonistic social boycott rather than a divine-human
covenant.
- id: motif:3
label: Divine disapproval manifested through destruction of a written pact
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: Mohammed states that God showed disapproval by sending a worm to eat the
covenant document except the name of God, leading to inspection and annulment.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The narrator notes Mohammed may have had private notice of the accident,
so the passage itself presents both a religious explanation and a skeptical possibility.
- id: motif:4
label: Mourning after loss of protectors
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Abu Taleb, Mohammed's patron, and Khadijah, his wife and benefactor, die
close together, and the year is called the year of mourning.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: No available taxonomy reference directly matches this passage-level pattern.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 2714-2720
quote_or_summary: A first flight is followed by others, totaling eighty-three men
and eighteen women besides children; the refugees are kindly received by the Najashi,
king of Ethiopia, who refuses to surrender them to Koreish envoys.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 2721-2726
quote_or_summary: In the sixth year of Mohammed's mission, his party is strengthened
by the conversion of Hamza and Omar Ebn al Khattab.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 2726-2734
quote_or_summary: In the seventh year, the Koreish form a solemn league or covenant
against the Hashemites and family of al Motalleb, forbidding marriages and communication,
then write it down and lay it up in the Caaba.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 2734-2740
quote_or_summary: The family of Hashem gathers to Abu Taleb as head, except Abd'al
Uzza/Abu Lahab, who joins the opposite party led by Abu Sofian Ebn Harb.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 2741-2747
quote_or_summary: After three years, Mohammed tells Abu Taleb that God showed disapproval
of the league by sending a worm to eat every word of the instrument except the
name of God; the narrator adds that Mohammed may have had private notice of the
accident.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 2747-2755
quote_or_summary: Abu Taleb reports the matter to the Koreish, offers to surrender
Mohammed if false, asks annulment if true, and the inspected writing is found
as stated; the league is declared void.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 2756-2762
quote_or_summary: Abu Taleb dies, with disagreement over whether he embraced Mohammedism
at death; shortly afterward Khadijah dies, and the year is called the year of
mourning.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 2762
quote_or_summary: After the deaths of Abu Taleb and Khadijah, the Koreish become
more troublesome than ever to Mohammed.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: The narrative details are explicit, but motif labels are broad because the
passage is historical-biographical prose from a preliminary discourse rather than
a mythic episode.
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 explicitly compare this episode to another motif family, text, pattern, or nearby corpus tradition.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg__l2714-l2762
passage_sha256=afd100125c25f004d0767faf304f8881da92785dd12fa852eef8fbda9d44888e