batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l294-l377
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l294-l377
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
passage_locator:
label: OF THE / LIFE OF GEORGE SALE. / R. A. DAVENPORT. / INTRODUCTION; lines 294-377
start: '294'
end: '377'
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 introduces the importance of studying the Koran, summarizes
the history of European translations, describes the Koran as divine speech addressed
to the Prophet, notes Muslim traditions about chapter revelation and transmission
of hadith, evaluates Sale's translation and Preliminary Discourse, criticizes
distorted European accounts of Islam, and presents Muhammad's central doctrine
as the unity of God preached among groups described as star-worshippers, dualists,
idol-worshippers, and others.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The Koran is described as providing the canon of faith, ritual text-book,
and principles of civil law for Muhammadans.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The passage states that the Crusades first brought the West into close touch
with Islam and mentions a Latin version made in 1143.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Several seventeenth- and eighteenth-century translations in Latin and French
are listed, along with Ross's English translation and Marracci's work.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: George Sale's translation is said to have first appeared in November 1734,
with later editions in 1764, 1825, and 1877.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: Early Muhammadan theologians are said to have discussed the correct reading
of the text and reports connected with the revelation of each chapter.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: The chapters are described as arranged mostly by length, except for the opening
chapter, which has a special place in the sacred book and ceremonial usage.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: The passage states that the Koran's actual text is not the Prophet's composition
but the word of God addressed to the Prophet.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: Traditional sayings of the Prophet, called Hadis, are described as handed
down orally with strict regard to genealogical continuity.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: Sale's Preliminary Discourse is praised as a major introduction to the religion
promulgated by the Prophet of Arabia, while modern research is said to modify
some early statements.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:10
text: European acquaintance with Muhammadanism is described as having long relied
on distorted reports and calumnies.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:11
text: Muhammad's central doctrine to several groups is described as the unity of
God.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:12
text: The passage states that Islam brought a spiritual religion to one half of
Asia and that conquering Turks were themselves conquered by the Faith of Islam.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: obs:13
text: The Mongols are described as attempting to wipe out traces of Islam when they
sacked Baghdad.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: The Koran
description: The sacred book of Islam, described as canon of faith, ritual text-book,
civil-law source, and word of God addressed to the Prophet.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: God
description: The speaker whose word is said to constitute the actual text of the
Koran; also the subject of the doctrine of unity preached by Muhammad.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:11
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: The Prophet / Muhammad
description: The recipient of God's word in the Koran and preacher of the unity
of God to his contemporaries and other peoples.
role_refs:
- role:4
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:11
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Early Muhammadan theologians
description: Scholars who discussed correct readings of the text and reports connected
with revelation of chapters.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: George Sale
description: Translator whose version first appeared in 1734 and whose Preliminary
Discourse is praised in the passage.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:9
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Europeans / the West
description: The passage describes the West encountering Islam through the Crusades
and later relying on distorted reports of Muhammadanism.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:10
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Contemporaries in Arabia
description: A group addressed by Muhammad and described as worshipping the Stars.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Persians
description: A group addressed by Muhammad and described as acknowledging Ormuz
and Ahriman.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Indians
description: A group addressed by Muhammad and described as worshipping idols.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Turks
description: A group described as having no particular worship, later conquering
by arms and being conquered by the Faith of Islam.
role_refs:
- role:9
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Mongols
description: The thirteenth-century Mongols are described as sacking Baghdad and
trying to wipe out traces of Islam.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
roles:
- id: role:1
label: sacred book
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The passage calls the Koran the Sacred Book of the Moslems and the sacred
book of Islam.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
- id: role:2
label: divine speech text
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The actual text is described as the word of God addressed to the Prophet.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:3
label: divine speaker
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The Koran is described as God's word, introduced in quotation by formulas
such as 'He said.'
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:4
label: recipient of revelation
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The word of God is said to be addressed to the Prophet.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:5
label: preacher of divine unity
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Muhammad is said to have preached the unity of God to several peoples.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: role:6
label: textual and revelatory interpreters
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Early theologians discussed correct readings and reports about the revelation
of each chapter.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:7
label: translator and expositor
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Sale produced a translation and a Preliminary Discourse praised as an introduction.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:9
- id: role:8
label: external observers of Islam
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The West is described as encountering Islam through the Crusades and Europeans
as receiving distorted reports.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:10
- id: role:9
label: audience of monotheistic preaching
assigned_to:
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:10
basis: The passage lists these groups as addressed by Muhammad's doctrine of the
unity of God.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: role:10
label: military conquerors converted by faith
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: The Turks are described as irresistible in arms yet conquered in turn by
the Faith of Islam.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: role:11
label: destroyers of Islamic center
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: The Mongols are described as sacking Baghdad and trying to wipe out traces
of Islam.
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: sacred book
literal_form: The Koran as a book/text
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
- id: sym:2
label: opening chapter with special liturgical place
literal_form: The opening chapter of the Koran
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:3
label: stars as worship objects
literal_form: The Stars worshipped by Muhammad's contemporaries in Arabia
associated_figures:
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: sym:4
label: idols as worship objects
literal_form: Idols worshipped by Indians as described in the passage
associated_figures:
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: sym:5
label: sword of the Ghazis
literal_form: The sword of the Ghazis
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: sym:6
label: faith conquering conquerors
literal_form: The Faith of Islam overcoming the Turks who conquered by arms
associated_figures:
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: sym:7
label: sacked Baghdad
literal_form: Baghdad as a site sacked by the Mongols
associated_figures:
- fig:11
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: European transmission of the sacred book
summary: The passage recounts Latin, French, and English efforts to translate and
publish the Koran, culminating in discussion of Sale's translation and editions.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:2
label: Textual revelation and ordering
summary: Early theologians discuss readings and reports of chapter revelation; the
present arrangement is described as mostly by chapter length, with a special opening
chapter.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:3
label: Divine speech addressed to the Prophet
summary: The Koran is defined as the word of God addressed to the Prophet, while
the Prophet's own sayings are distinguished as Hadis transmitted orally.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: scene:4
label: Corrective view of Islam in Europe
summary: The passage criticizes distorted European reports of Muhammadanism and
praises Sale's Preliminary Discourse as a reliable introduction while noting later
modifications by research.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: scene:5
label: Proclamation of divine unity among diverse worships
summary: Muhammad's doctrine of the unity of God is described as preached to groups
characterized by star worship, dual acknowledgment of Ormuz and Ahriman, idol
worship, or no particular worship.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: scene:6
label: Faith overcoming military powers
summary: Islam is described as spreading spiritually through Asia, conquering the
Turks by faith despite their military conquests, and surviving Mongol attempts
to erase it after the sack of Baghdad.
figure_refs:
- fig:10
- fig:11
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:13
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: sacred scripture as divine speech
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The Koran is explicitly described as not the Prophet's composition but God's
word addressed to him and used as a central religious, ritual, and legal text.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage is introductory prose, not a narrative mythic episode; the
taxonomy reference to wisdom is broad and should be reviewed.
- id: motif:2
label: revelation ordered and interpreted by later tradition
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The passage describes theologians discussing correct readings, reports of
chapter revelation, chapter ordering, and transmitted prophetic sayings.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: This is a textual-historical pattern rather than a discrete mythic motif.
- id: motif:3
label: monotheistic proclamation against multiple worship forms
taxonomy_refs:
- duality
basis: Muhammad is said to preach the unity of God to groups described as star-worshippers,
acknowledgers of Ormuz and Ahriman, idol-worshippers, and others.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
confidence: medium
cautions: The duality taxonomy applies only to the contrast involving Ormuz and
Ahriman and not to the entire scene.
- id: motif:4
label: faith conquers military conquerors
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Turks are described as conquering by arms but being conquered in turn
by the Faith of Islam.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
confidence: high
cautions: The passage states this as historical interpretation, not as a mythic
narrative.
- id: motif:5
label: sacred tradition survives attempted destruction
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Mongols are described as trying to wipe out Islam at Baghdad, yet the
passage implies Islamic polities and faith continued afterward.
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
confidence: medium
cautions: The provided passage cuts off at the end, so the survival sequence is
only partially visible in this excerpt.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage compares the Koran's role among Muhammadans with the Bible's
role in Christianity and says the Koran plays a greater role because it also provides
ritual and civil-law principles.
claim_level: same_function
target: Bible in Christianity
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: This is the passage author's comparative claim; it is not independently
evaluated here.
- id: claim:2
claim: The opening chapter of the Koran is compared in function or place to the
Christian Pater Noster.
claim_level: same_function
target: Pater Noster / Lord's Prayer
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The comparison is brief and qualified by the phrase 'in a manner.'
- id: claim:3
claim: The passage contrasts Muhammad's doctrine of the unity of God with Arabian
star worship, Persian acknowledgment of Ormuz and Ahriman, Indian idol worship,
and Turkish lack of particular worship.
claim_level: same_function
target: Non-Islamic worship forms named in the passage
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage uses broad historical generalizations and does not provide
details of the compared traditions.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 294-301
quote_or_summary: The Koran is said to play a greater role among Muhammadans than
the Bible in Christianity because it provides faith canon, ritual text-book, and
civil-law principles.
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 302-309
quote_or_summary: The Great Crusades brought the West into close touch with Islam;
a Latin version of the Moslem sacred book was made in 1143 and printed in Basel
in 1543.
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 310-314
quote_or_summary: Seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Latin and French translations
appeared; du Ryer's French version was translated into English by Alexander Ross,
and Marracci's Koran appeared in 1698.
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 315-320
quote_or_summary: Sale's translation first appeared in November 1734, with later
printings or editions noted for 1764, 1825, and 1877.
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 321-324
quote_or_summary: After the Prophet's death, early Muhammadan theologians discussed
correct readings of the text and first-hand reports about the revelation of each
chapter.
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 324-332
quote_or_summary: The chapters are arranged more or less by length except the opening
chapter, which has a special place comparable in a manner to the Pater Noster
and has important ceremonial uses.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: quote
locator: lines 333-337
quote_or_summary: '"the actual text is never the composition of the Prophet, but
is the word of God addressed to the Prophet"'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 337-340
quote_or_summary: Prophetic quotations refer to traditional sayings called Hadis,
handed down orally with strict regard to genealogical continuity.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 341-359
quote_or_summary: Sale's translation is praised as unsurpassed, and his Preliminary
Discourse is described as a strong introduction to Islam, though modern research
modifies some early statements.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: lines 360-364
quote_or_summary: For many centuries European knowledge of Muhammadanism is said
to have been based on distorted reports and gross calumnies, ignoring good aspects
and exaggerating or misinterpreting others.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: lines 365-370
quote_or_summary: Muhammad's central doctrine is described as the unity of God,
preached to Arabs who worshipped the Stars, Persians acknowledging Ormuz and Ahriman,
Indians worshipping idols, and Turks with no particular worship; the creed's simplicity
is contrasted with the sword of the Ghazis.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: lines 371-375
quote_or_summary: Islam is said to have brought a spiritual religion to one half
of Asia, and Turks who conquered by arms are described as conquered in turn by
the Faith of Islam and as founders of Muhammadan dynasties.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:13
type: summary
locator: lines 376-377
quote_or_summary: The thirteenth-century Mongols are said to have tried to wipe
out Islam when they sacked Baghdad; the excerpt breaks off after noting the Caliphate's
obscurity in Egypt and newly founded empires.
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: medium
notes: The passage is a historical and interpretive introduction rather than a mythic
narrative; motif candidates are therefore broad textual, doctrinal, and historical
patterns requiring 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: |-
Extraction uses only the supplied passage and metadata. The source passage includes older terminology and broad historical generalizations; these are recorded as claims within the passage, not endorsed.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg__l294-l377
passage_sha256=1439de11996eb24b8a3b68cb994c44c4d236435f5a438a59734aea033827b2bc