batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l3526-l3575
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l3526-l3575
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
passage_locator:
label: PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE / SECTION I. / SECTION II. / SECTION III; lines 3526-3575
start: '3526'
end: '3575'
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 traditions about the first revealed Qur'anic verses,
the recording and memorization of revealed passages, their disorderly storage,
Abu Becr's collection of them after Mohammed's death, Hafsa's custody of the transcript,
Othmn's later standardization of copies amid provincial variation, suppression
of older copies, and the later need for specialized readers because early Arabic
writing lacked vowel marks.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The first revealed passage is said to have been the first five verses of the
ninety-sixth chapter.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Newly revealed passages were taken down in writing by the prophet's scribe,
then published to followers, some of whom copied them and many of whom memorized
them.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Returned originals were placed without chronological order in a chest, making
the timing of many revelations uncertain.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: At Mohammed's death, the revelations are described as remaining in disorder
rather than in the arrangement later known.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: Abu Becr ordered the revelations collected from written materials and from
people who had memorized them, partly because many memorizers had been killed
in wars.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: The completed transcript was placed in the custody of Hafsa, daughter of Omar
and one of the prophet's widows.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: The passage reports that Abu Becr is commonly imagined to have compiled the
Koran, while also qualifying that he may chiefly have arranged chapters and added
or corrected material from memorizers.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: Othmn observed disagreements among copies in different provinces and ordered
many copies transcribed from Abu Becr's copy in Hafsa's care.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: A named group of supervisors oversaw the transcription, and disputes over
words were to be resolved by writing in the dialect of the Koreish.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:10
text: The standardized copies were distributed to provinces, while older copies
were burned and suppressed; some variant readings nevertheless remained.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:11
text: Because Arabic characters lacked vowel marks, specialized readers were considered
necessary for proper recitation of the Koran.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Mohammed
description: The prophet from whose mouth newly revealed passages were taken down,
and whose death preceded Abu Becr's collection of the revelations.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Mohammed's scribe
description: The unnamed scribe who took down newly revealed passages in writing
from the prophet's mouth.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Mohammed's followers
description: Followers who received the published passages; some copied them privately
and many memorized them, with some later serving as oral sources for collection.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Abu Becr
description: Mohammed's successor, who ordered the collection of the revelations
and whose copy later served as the base for Othmn's recension.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Hafsa
description: Daughter of Omar and one of the prophet's widows, entrusted with custody
of the completed transcript.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Othmn
description: The Khalif who observed disagreement among provincial copies and ordered
standardized copies to be made.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:10
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Provincial copy traditions
description: The copies or readings of provinces such as Irak and Syria, associated
in the passage with Abu Musa al Ashari and Macdd Ebn Aswad.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Transcription supervisors
description: Zeid Ebn Thabet, Abd'allah Ebn Zobair, Sad Ebn al As, and Abd'alrahmn
Ebn al Hreth, appointed to oversee transcription from Hafsa's copy.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Mokris, or readers
description: Specialized readers whose profession was to read the Koran with its
proper vowels.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
roles:
- id: role:1
label: prophetic source of recited revelations
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Revealed passages are described as taken from the prophet's mouth and left
after his death.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: role:2
label: scribe of revelation
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The scribe writes down newly revealed passages from the prophet's mouth.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: copyists and memorizers
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Followers copied passages for private use and many learned them by heart;
memorized recitations later supplied the collection.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: role:4
label: collector or arranger of the text
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Abu Becr orders the whole to be collected and is commonly imagined to be
the compiler, though the passage qualifies this claim.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: role:5
label: custodian of transcript
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The completed transcript was committed to Hafsa's custody.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:6
label: standardizing ruler
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Othmn, as Khalif, orders standardized copies after observing disagreement
among provincial copies.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:10
- id: role:7
label: variant-reading communities
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The passage names different provincial readings in Irak and Syria.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:8
label: authorized transcription supervisors
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: The named men oversaw transcription and were directed on how to settle disagreements
about wording.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: role:9
label: professional reciters of proper vowels
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: The lack of vowel marks made these readers necessary for reading the Koran
with proper vowels.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: chest of disordered originals
literal_form: Chest holding returned written originals without chronological order
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: written revelation materials
literal_form: Palm-leaves, skins, and boards or covers used to preserve written
passages
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:3
label: custodial transcript
literal_form: Completed transcript entrusted to Hafsa and later used for standardized
copying
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: sym:4
label: standardized provincial copies
literal_form: Copies transcribed from Abu Becr's copy and dispersed through the
provinces
associated_figures:
- fig:6
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:10
- id: sym:5
label: vowel marks
literal_form: Arabic vowel characters or marks absent from early writing and discussed
in the footnote
associated_figures:
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: First revelation and early recording
summary: The passage identifies the first revealed verses, then describes newly
revealed passages being written down by a scribe, published to followers, copied
by some, and memorized by many.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Unordered storage of originals
summary: Returned originals were put into a chest without chronological order, contributing
to uncertainty about when many passages were revealed.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Abu Becr's collection
summary: After Mohammed's death, Abu Becr ordered the scattered written and memorized
revelations collected into a transcript, which was placed in Hafsa's custody.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:4
label: Othmn's standardization of copies
summary: Othmn responded to provincial disagreements by ordering copies made from
Hafsa's transcript under named supervisors, prescribing the Koreish dialect for
disputed wording, distributing new copies, and suppressing old ones.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: scene:5
label: Need for professional readers
summary: Because early Arabic writing lacked vowel marks, professional readers became
necessary to read the Koran with proper vowels.
figure_refs:
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: oral and written preservation of sacred revelation
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage repeatedly describes revelation preserved through both written
materials and memorized recitation, then collected from both channels.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: This is a transmission pattern in historical prose rather than a mythic
narrative motif.
- id: motif:2
label: authoritative compilation after disorder
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The revelations are described as unordered, then collected and arranged by
a successor into a transcript.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage reports and qualifies claims about compilation; it does not
present a symbolic mythic episode.
- id: motif:3
label: royal or caliphal standardization of sacred text
taxonomy_refs:
- royal_legitimacy
basis: Othmn, as Khalif, orders standardized copies, supervises wording policy,
distributes official copies, and suppresses older ones.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
confidence: low
cautions: The available taxonomy reference is only loosely applicable; the passage
concerns textual authority, not explicit royal legitimation myth.
- id: motif:4
label: custody of a sacred transcript
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: A completed transcript is entrusted to Hafsa and later serves as the source
for official copies.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage treats custody as historical transmission detail, with no
explicit symbolic interpretation.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 3526-3527
quote_or_summary: The first revealed text is generally said to have been the first
five verses of chapter ninety-six.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain; Project Gutenberg/Sale translation metadata supplied.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 3528-3532
quote_or_summary: New revelations were written by the prophet's scribe, published
to followers, copied by some, and memorized by many.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain; Project Gutenberg/Sale translation metadata supplied.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 3532-3535
quote_or_summary: Returned originals were placed promiscuously in a chest without
chronological order, making the dates of many passages uncertain.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain; Project Gutenberg/Sale translation metadata supplied.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 3536-3538
quote_or_summary: At Mohammed's death the revelations were said to remain in disorder
and not in the arrangement later found.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain; Project Gutenberg/Sale translation metadata supplied.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 3538-3544
quote_or_summary: Abu Becr ordered the whole collected from palm-leaves, skins,
boards or covers, and from people who had memorized the passages, after many memorizers
were killed in wars.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain; Project Gutenberg/Sale translation metadata supplied.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 3544-3546
quote_or_summary: The completed transcript was committed to Hafsa, daughter of Omar
and one of the prophet's widows.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain; Project Gutenberg/Sale translation metadata supplied.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 3547-3554
quote_or_summary: The passage says Abu Becr is generally imagined as compiler of
the Koran, but suggests he may have mainly ordered chapters and added or corrected
from memorized material.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain; Project Gutenberg/Sale translation metadata supplied.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 3555-3562
quote_or_summary: In the thirtieth year of the Hejra, Othmn observed disagreement
among provincial copies, including Irak and Syria, and ordered copies transcribed
from Abu Becr's copy in Hafsa's care.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain; Project Gutenberg/Sale translation metadata supplied.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 3561-3566
quote_or_summary: Zeid Ebn Thabet, Abd'allah Ebn Zobair, Sad Ebn al As, and Abd'alrahmn
Ebn al Hreth supervised transcription and were told to use the Koreish dialect
for disputed words.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain; Project Gutenberg/Sale translation metadata supplied.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: lines 3566-3570
quote_or_summary: The new copies were dispersed through the provinces, old copies
were burned and suppressed, corrections were made to Hafsa's copy, and some variant
readings remained.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain; Project Gutenberg/Sale translation metadata supplied.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: lines 3571-3575
quote_or_summary: The absence of vowels in Arabic writing made specialized Koran
readers necessary for proper vocalization.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain; Project Gutenberg/Sale translation metadata supplied.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: footnote within lines 3571-3575
quote_or_summary: The footnote says Arabic vowel marks were not used until several
years after Mohammed and gives differing attributions for their invention.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain; Project Gutenberg/Sale translation metadata supplied.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: Literal extraction is strong because the passage is expository and specific.
Motif candidates are framed as textual-transmission patterns rather than mythic
motifs. No external comparison claims are made because the passage itself does
not support them.
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 comparisons were added beyond patterns directly supported by the passage. Available taxonomy symbol refs were not used because none of the listed symbols occur in this passage.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg__l3526-l3575
passage_sha256=1ae85f246786221a7016c02eeb41114cefefd2cb5ecda6563594a9f660a28e4a