batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l4586-l4634
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l4586-l4634
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
passage_locator:
label: SECTION I. / SECTION II. / SECTION III / SECTION IV.; lines 4586-4634
start: '4586'
end: '4634'
translation: The Koran (Al-Qur'an), Sale / Project Gutenberg edition
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: The passage describes views on the afterlife fate of genii, the division
of the judged assembly into right-hand and left-hand ways, the crossing of the
bridge al Sirt over hell, the safe passage of the good and fall of the wicked,
comparison with Magian and Jewish bridge traditions, and the beginning of a description
of hell divided into seven levels for classes of the damned.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Believing genii are described by some as assigned a place near the borders
of paradise, while unbelieving genii are said to be punished eternally in hell
with mortal infidels.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: After trials end and the assembly is dissolved, those admitted to paradise
take the right-hand way, and those destined to hell fire take the left.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Both groups must first pass the bridge called al Sirt, laid over the midst
of hell.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The bridge is described as finer than a hair and sharper than a sword edge,
with briars and hooked thorns on each side.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: The good pass the bridge with ease and speed, while Mohammed and his Moslems
lead the way.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: The wicked lose their footing because of the narrow slippery path, the thorns,
and the extinction of guiding light, and fall into hell beneath.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: A Magian teaching is summarized in which all mankind must pass a bridge called
Pul Chinvad or Chnavar into the other world, where angels require an account of
actions and weigh them.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: A Jewish bridge of hell is mentioned as no broader than a thread, but only
idolaters are said to be obliged to pass it and fall into perdition.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: Hell is described as divided into seven stories or apartments, one below another,
for seven distinct classes of the damned.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: believing genii
description: Genii capable of belief and assigned by some to a place near the confines
of paradise.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: unbelieving genii
description: Genii, including the devil and his companions in the passage's account,
said to be punished eternally in hell.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: those admitted into paradise
description: The judged group who take the right-hand way and pass the bridge safely.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: those destined to hell fire
description: The judged group who take the left-hand way and fall from the bridge
into hell.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Mohammed
description: Named as leading his Moslems across the bridge in the passage's account.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: angels appointed by God
description: In the summarized Magian comparison, angels stand on the bridge to
require an account and weigh actions.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: idolaters
description: In the summarized Jewish comparison, the group obliged to pass the
bridge of hell and fall into perdition.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
roles:
- id: role:1
label: rewarded marginal afterlife inhabitants
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: They are assigned sufficient felicity near paradise but not admitted into
it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: eternally punished beings
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: They are said to be thrown into hell with mortal infidels.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: saved bridge-crossers
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: They take the right-hand way and pass the bridge with ease and speed.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: role:4
label: condemned bridge-fallers
assigned_to:
- fig:4
- fig:7
basis: They are described as falling from a bridge into hell or perdition.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: role:5
label: leader across the bridge
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Mohammed and his Moslems are said to lead the way across the bridge.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:6
label: judicial weighers or examiners
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The angels require strict accounts and weigh actions in the Magian comparison.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: right-hand way
literal_form: right-hand path after judgment
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: left-hand way
literal_form: left-hand path after judgment
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: al Sirt bridge
literal_form: bridge over the midst of hell, finer than a hair and sharper than
a sword edge
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: sym:4
label: briars and hooked thorns
literal_form: briars and hooked thorns set on each side of the bridge
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: sym:5
label: extinguished guiding light
literal_form: light that guided the good to paradise but is extinguished for the
wicked
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:6
label: hell beneath the bridge
literal_form: hell gaping beneath the bridge
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:7
label: seven-storied hell
literal_form: hell divided into seven stories or apartments
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Fate of genii after judgment
summary: The passage reports differing views on whether believing genii receive
only dissolution or a limited felicity near paradise, while unbelieving genii
are assigned eternal punishment in hell.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Division after the trials
summary: After the trials conclude, those bound for paradise take the right-hand
way and those bound for hell fire take the left.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Crossing al Sirt
summary: Both saved and condemned must pass the narrow bridge over hell; the good
cross swiftly with Mohammed and his Moslems leading, while the wicked fall into
hell because of the hazardous path, thorns, and loss of guiding light.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:4
label: Comparative bridge traditions
summary: The passage compares al Sirt with a Magian bridge into the other world
where angels judge and weigh actions, and with a Jewish bridge of hell crossed
by idolaters.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: scene:5
label: Seven divisions of hell
summary: The passage begins an account of hell as seven descending stories or apartments
for distinct classes of the damned.
figure_refs: []
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: post-judgment bridge over hell
taxonomy_refs:
- afterlife_journey_map
- divine_judgment
basis: The passage presents a post-trial route in which all must cross a perilous
bridge over hell; the righteous pass and the wicked fall.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The passage is from Sale's explanatory material and includes sectarian
and comparative commentary, not only Qur'anic text.
- id: motif:2
label: right and left ways after judgment
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
- duality
basis: Those admitted to paradise take the right-hand way, while those destined
to hell fire take the left.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: The symbolic interpretation of right and left is not elaborated in the
passage.
- id: motif:3
label: weighing and accounting of actions on the bridge
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: In the Magian comparison, angels on the bridge require a strict account of
each person's actions and weigh them.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: This motif appears in the comparative Magian material summarized by the
passage, not as the primary Islamic bridge account in this excerpt.
- id: motif:4
label: tiered hell for classes of the damned
taxonomy_refs:
- afterlife_journey_map
- divine_judgment
basis: Hell is described as seven descending apartments designed for distinct classes
of the damned.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: Only the beginning of the seven-level description is included in the supplied
passage.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage explicitly compares the Islamic bridge al Sirt with the Magian
Pul Chinvad or Chnavar, both functioning as a bridge passage into the other world
associated with judgment.
claim_level: same_function
target: Magian Pul Chinvad / Chnavar bridge tradition
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:7
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage states Mohammed seems to have borrowed the circumstance,
but the extraction can only report this as the author's claim, not independently
verify historical borrowing.
- id: claim:2
claim: The passage explicitly notes a Jewish bridge of hell that is similarly extremely
narrow, though its required crossers are limited to idolaters in the summary.
claim_level: visual_similarity
target: Jewish bridge of hell tradition mentioned by Sale
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:8
counter_evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: medium
limitations: 'The passage itself marks a functional difference: unlike al Sirt,
the Jewish bridge is said here to be required only for idolaters.'
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 4586-4596
quote_or_summary: Some views place believing genii near the confines of paradise
with sufficient felicity, while unbelieving genii, including the devil and companions,
are assigned eternal punishment in hell.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 4597-4600
quote_or_summary: After trials and dissolution of the assembly, those admitted to
paradise take the right-hand way and those destined to hell fire take the left.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 4600-4603
quote_or_summary: Both groups must pass al Sirt, a bridge laid over the midst of
hell, described as finer than a hair and sharper than a sword edge.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 4607-4610
quote_or_summary: The bridge is said to be beset on each side with briars and hooked
thorns.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 4610-4612
quote_or_summary: The good are not impeded and pass with ease and swiftness, with
Mohammed and his Moslems leading the way.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 4612-4616
quote_or_summary: The wicked, hindered by slipperiness, narrowness, thorns, and
loss of guiding light, miss their footing and fall into hell beneath.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 4617-4624
quote_or_summary: The passage says this circumstance seems borrowed from the Magians,
who teach that all mankind must cross Pul Chinvad or Chnavar into the other world,
where appointed angels demand accounts and weigh actions.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 4624-4628
quote_or_summary: The passage says Jews also speak of a bridge of hell no broader
than a thread, but only idolaters are obliged to pass it and fall into perdition.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 4629-4634
quote_or_summary: Hell is described as seven stories or apartments, one below another,
for seven distinct classes of the damned; the first is named Jehennam.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized rather than quoted.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: The passage clearly describes afterlife geography, bridge crossing, judgment,
and comparative parallels. Confidence is reduced for motif and comparison fields
because the excerpt is Sale's commentary and its historical-borrowing claims are
not independently assessed.
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 claims are based only on the supplied passage and metadata. Taxonomy references are limited to provided motif families and symbols.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg__l4586-l4634
passage_sha256=fe13d6d73d8de042ea88f3e2b2a71ed861e21440e20a86c4e3326294ddd4f744