batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l28271-l28369
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l28271-l28369
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
passage_locator:
label: CHAPTER XXVII. / IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD. / CHAPTER XXVIII.
/ IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.; lines 28271-28369
start: '28271'
end: '28369'
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: "“build me a high tower, that I may ascend unto the GOD of Moses”"
summary: The passage recounts Moses bringing signs that Pharaoh and his people reject,
Pharaoh ordering Haman to build a high tower to confront the God of Moses, the
destruction and afterlife punishment of Pharaoh and his forces, the giving of
the law to Moses, and the later sending of the prophet to warn a people. It also
contrasts those who accept prior scriptures with opponents who demand Moses-like
miracles, describes the secure asylum granted to the Meccans, recalls destroyed
cities, and closes with resurrection judgment over imagined divine partners.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Moses comes with evident signs, and the recipients call them deceitful sorcery
not heard among their forefathers.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Moses says the Lord knows who comes with direction from him and says the unjust
shall not prosper.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Pharaoh tells his princes he knows of no god for them besides himself.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Pharaoh orders Haman to burn clay into bricks and build a high tower so that
Pharaoh may ascend to the God of Moses.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: Pharaoh and his forces behave insolently and unjustly and imagine they will
not be brought before God for judgment.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:6
text: Pharaoh and his forces are taken and cast into the sea.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:7
text: Pharaoh and his forces are made deceitful guides inviting followers to hell
fire, are pursued by a curse in this life, and are rejected on the day of resurrection.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:8
text: The book of the law is given to Moses as enlightenment, direction, and mercy
after earlier generations had been destroyed.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:9
text: The addressed prophet is said not to have been present at the west side of
Mount Sinai, at Moses' commission, among the inhabitants of Madian, or at the
side of the mount when Moses was called.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:10
text: The addressed prophet is described as sent as a mercy from the Lord to warn
a people to whom no preacher had previously come.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:11
text: Opponents demand the same miraculous power as Moses and are described as rejecting
both the earlier revelation to Moses and the present truth.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:12
text: The passage challenges opponents to produce a book from God more right than
the two revelations.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:13
text: Sale's note reports an expanded story in which Haman's tower is built to an
immense height and Gabriel demolishes it with a stroke of his wing.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:14
text: People who received earlier scriptures believe in the new recitation, say
it is the truth from their Lord, and are promised a double reward.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:15
text: The Meccans object that following the same direction would cause them to be
expelled from their land, and the passage answers that a secure asylum with fruits
has been established for them.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:16
text: Many cities whose inhabitants lived in ease and plenty are said to have been
destroyed only after an apostle had been sent to their capital.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:17
text: The passage contrasts present-life provisions and pomp with what is with God,
described as better and more durable.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:18
text: On the day of resurrection, God calls to people and asks where the partners
they imagined are.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Moses
description: Recipient of evident signs, the book of the law, and a divine commission
at Sinai; rejected by Pharaoh and later invoked as a precedent for miracles.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Pharaoh
description: Ruler who claims no god is known besides himself, orders a tower to
ascend to the God of Moses, behaves unjustly, and is cast into the sea with his
forces.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Haman
description: Pharaoh's subordinate ordered to burn clay into bricks and build a
high tower.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Pharaoh's forces
description: Forces associated with Pharaoh, described as insolent and unjust and
cast into the sea with him.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: God / LORD
description: Source of signs, direction, judgment, revelation, mercy, and resurrection
calling.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Addressed prophet
description: The prophet addressed by the passage, described as absent from Moses'
earlier scenes but sent as mercy and warning to a people.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Opponents of the revelation
description: People who demand Moses-like miracles, reject both revelations, and
are challenged to produce a more right book from God.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Recipients of earlier scriptures who believe
description: People given earlier scriptures who accept the recitation as truth
from their Lord and are promised double reward.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Meccans
description: People who say following the direction would lead to forced expulsion
from their land, while the passage identifies their asylum as secure and provisioned.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Inhabitants of destroyed cities
description: People living in ease and plenty whose cities are destroyed after an
apostle is sent to their capital and they behave injuriously.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Gabriel
description: In Sale's note, the angel who demolishes Pharaoh's tower with one stroke
of his wing.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
roles:
- id: role:1
label: prophetic bearer of signs and law
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Moses brings evident signs and receives the book of the law and a commission.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:2
label: arrogant unjust ruler
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Pharaoh claims exceptional divine status, orders the tower, behaves unjustly,
and is judged.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: royal builder-agent
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Haman is ordered to prepare bricks and build the tower for Pharaoh.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
- id: role:4
label: condemned followers or forces
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The forces share Pharaoh's insolence, are cast into the sea, and are associated
with later punishment.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:5
label: divine revealer, guide, and judge
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: God sends direction, gives scripture, judges the unjust, directs whom he
pleases, and calls people on resurrection day.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: role:6
label: later warner sent as mercy
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The addressed prophet is said to be sent as mercy to warn a people without
a prior preacher.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:7
label: rejecting audience
assigned_to:
- fig:7
- fig:9
basis: Opponents reject revelation, demand miracles, and fear social or territorial
consequences of following the direction.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:8
- id: role:8
label: believing recipients of prior scripture
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: They believe the recitation when it is read and are promised reward twice.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:9
label: judged communities
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: Their cities are destroyed after an apostle has been sent and after injurious
conduct.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:10
label: angelic destroyer in explanatory note
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: Sale's note attributes the tower's demolition to Gabriel.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: evident signs
literal_form: Signs brought by Moses
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: high tower for ascent
literal_form: A tower of bricks built so Pharaoh may ascend toward the God of Moses
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- ascent
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
- id: sym:3
label: sea of judgment
literal_form: The sea into which Pharaoh and his forces are cast
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs:
- water
- divine_judgment
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:4
label: hell fire
literal_form: Fire to which deceitful guides invite their followers
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
- divine_judgment
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:5
label: Mount Sinai and the side of the mount
literal_form: The mountain setting associated with Moses' commission and divine
calling
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs:
- mountain
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:6
label: book of the law and scriptures
literal_form: The law given to Moses and the two revelations/books discussed by
the passage and notes
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: sym:7
label: secure asylum
literal_form: A secure asylum to which fruits of every sort are brought
associated_figures:
- fig:9
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Moses' signs rejected as sorcery
summary: Moses brings evident signs, which are dismissed as sorcery, and he replies
that the Lord knows who has true direction and final success.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Pharaoh's tower and sea judgment
summary: Pharaoh asserts exceptional divine status, commands Haman to build a high
tower for ascent toward Moses' God, and is later cast into the sea with his forces.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Afterlife punishment and gift of law
summary: Pharaoh's side is described as deceitful guides bound for hell fire and
resurrection shame, while Moses receives the law as enlightenment and mercy.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Later prophet not present at Moses' commission
summary: The addressed prophet is told he was not present at Sinai, Madian, or the
mount when Moses was called, but has been sent as mercy to warn a people.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Demand for Moses-like miracles and challenge of the books
summary: Opponents demand powers like Moses received, reject both revelations, and
are challenged to produce a book from God more right than the two.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:6
label: Prior scripture believers rewarded
summary: Those given earlier scriptures believe the recitation, affirm it as truth,
and are promised double reward for perseverance and good conduct.
figure_refs:
- fig:8
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: scene:7
label: Secure asylum and destroyed cities
summary: The Meccans fear expulsion if they follow the direction; the passage answers
with the secure asylum and recalls cities destroyed after an apostolic warning.
figure_refs:
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: scene:8
label: Present life contrasted with resurrection judgment
summary: Present provisions and pomp are contrasted with God's more durable reward,
and God calls on resurrection day to ask about imagined partners.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:7
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: scene:9
label: Commentarial tower demolition
summary: Sale's note relates a later explanatory account in which Pharaoh ascends
the tower, boasts impiously, and Gabriel destroys the tower.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:11
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Divine judgment of the arrogant unjust
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: Pharaoh and his forces are cast into the sea, cursed, associated with hell
fire, and rejected at resurrection; destroyed cities are also judged after warning.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: The extraction combines several judgment statements within the same passage,
including both the Pharaoh episode and later general statements about destroyed
cities and resurrection.
- id: motif:2
label: Attempted ascent to confront the divine
taxonomy_refs:
- ascent
basis: Pharaoh orders Haman to build a high tower so he may ascend to the God of
Moses; Sale's note expands this into an ascent and demolition narrative.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The core text gives the command to build and ascend; the detailed tower
destruction is from Sale's explanatory note rather than the main translated verse.
- id: motif:3
label: Revelatory book as guidance and mercy
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The law is given to Moses to enlighten minds and serve as direction and mercy;
later the passage challenges opponents over which divine book is more right.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference is to a broad wisdom family rather than a narrower
book-specific motif supplied in the available list.
- id: motif:4
label: Resurrection accountability
taxonomy_refs:
- resurrection
- divine_judgment
basis: The passage repeatedly invokes the day of resurrection, including punishment,
rejection, and God's question about imagined partners.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: No journey through the afterlife is described; the motif is limited to
resurrection judgment and accountability.
- id: motif:5
label: Warning before communal destruction
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: Cities are not destroyed until an apostle is sent to their capital to rehearse
signs, and destruction is linked to the inhabitants' injurious conduct.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: The passage states the principle generally and does not narrate one city's
full destruction sequence here.
- id: motif:6
label: Acceptance by prior scripture communities
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: People who received earlier scriptures believe the recitation, declare it
true, and receive a double reward.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: This is a religious-recognition pattern rather than a mythic action sequence.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage explicitly compares rejection of the present revelation with
earlier rejection of Moses' revelation by saying opponents demand Moses-like miracles
and reject both.
claim_level: same_function
target: Moses' revelation/signs and the present recitation/revelation
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The comparison is internal to the passage and concerns religious authority
and rejection, not evidence for historical contact beyond the text's own theological
framing.
- id: claim:2
claim: The tower episode fits the broad ascent motif family insofar as a ruler seeks
upward access to the divine, but the passage frames it as arrogant disbelief rather
than successful heavenly ascent.
claim_level: same_motif
target: ascent motif family
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
counter_evidence_refs:
- ev:2
confidence: medium
limitations: The main translated text only reports Pharaoh's command to build and
ascend; the fuller ascent and demolition details come from the translator's note.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 28271-28276
quote_or_summary: Moses comes with evident signs; they are rejected as deceitful
sorcery; Moses says the Lord knows who has direction and that the unjust shall
not prosper.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: quote
locator: lines 28277-28283
quote_or_summary: Pharaoh says he knows of no god besides himself, orders Haman
to build a high tower so he may ascend to the God of Moses, and Pharaoh with his
forces is cast into the sea.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; short quote/summary used.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 28284-28289
quote_or_summary: Pharaoh's side is made deceitful guides inviting followers to
hell fire, pursued by a curse, rejected at resurrection, and the law is given
to Moses as enlightenment, direction, and mercy.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 28290-28303
quote_or_summary: The addressed prophet was not present at Sinai, Madian, or the
mount when Moses was called, but is sent as mercy to warn a people without a previous
preacher.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 28304-28312
quote_or_summary: Opponents demand Moses-like miracles, reject both the earlier
revelation and the present truth, and are challenged to produce a more right book
from God.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: note
locator: lines 28313-28331, notes p-s and note 5
quote_or_summary: 'Sale''s notes identify related references and report an expanded
tower legend from Al Zamakhshari: Haman builds an immense tower; Pharaoh ascends,
throws a javelin heavenward, boasts, and Gabriel demolishes the tower.'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain translator/editorial notes; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 28332-28347
quote_or_summary: Those given earlier scriptures believe the recitation as truth
from their Lord, are promised double reward, repel evil by good, give alms, avoid
vain discourse, and God directs whom he pleases.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 28348-28358
quote_or_summary: The Meccans fear expulsion if they follow the direction; the passage
says a secure asylum with fruits has been established and recalls cities destroyed
after apostles warned them.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 28359-28369
quote_or_summary: Present-life provisions and pomp are contrasted with what is with
God; on resurrection day God asks where the imagined partners are.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: Main narrative elements are explicit in the passage. Motif labels use only
supplied taxonomy where supported; the tower expansion is marked as coming from
Sale's note and should be reviewed separately from the translated Qur'anic text.
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: |-
All observations and motif candidates are based only on the supplied passage text and metadata. Translator/editorial notes are cited separately from the main translated passage.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg__l28271-l28369
passage_sha256=67998322f80e71b2a62bf2bebdb4f3c08de87b0106923d7417f7aff5eacb3e7e