batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l5568-l5619
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l5568-l5619
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
passage_locator:
label: SECTION I. / SECTION II. / SECTION III / SECTION IV.; lines 5568-5619
start: '5568'
end: '5619'
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 discusses a fast associated with Ashra/Ashura and Moses' escape
from Pharaoh, then introduces the obligation of pilgrimage to Mecca and describes
the sacred temple at Mecca, especially the Kaaba, its stones, enclosure, rain
spout, interior pillars, lamps, annual covering, and the Station or Place of Abraham.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Jews at Medina are described as fasting on the day of Ashra because Pharaoh
and his people were drowned while Moses and his companions escaped.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Mohammed is described as saying he bore a nearer relation to Moses than the
Jews and ordering his followers to fast on that day.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Mohammed is described as later intending to alter the fast to the ninth day
to avoid close agreement with the Jews.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:4
text: Pilgrimage to Mecca is described as a necessary practice and as expressly
commanded in the Koran.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: The temple of Mecca is said to stand in the midst of the city and to be called
the sacred or inviolable temple.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: The Kaaba is described as a square stone building, called the house of God,
hallowed and set apart for worship.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: The Kaaba is described with measured dimensions, an east-side door raised
above the ground, and a floor level with the bottom of the door.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:8
text: A black stone is located in the corner next to the Kaaba's door.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: A white stone lies north of the Kaaba within a semicircular enclosure and
is said to be the sepulchre of Ismael.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:10
text: Rain-water falling from the Kaaba is received by the area of the white stone
through a spout formerly of wood and now of gold.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:11
text: The Kaaba has a double roof, three octangular pillars of aloes wood, an iron
bar, and silver lamps.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:12
text: The outside of the Kaaba is covered with rich black damask and an embroidered
gold band, changed every year and supplied by rulers.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:13
text: The Station or Place of Abraham is located a small distance east of the Kaaba.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Mohammed
description: Religious figure who asks Jews at Medina about their fast, orders followers
to fast, and later intends to alter the day.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Jews at Medina
description: Community described as fasting on the day of Ashra in memory of Pharaoh's
drowning and Moses' escape.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Moses
description: Figure whose escape with companions from Pharaoh is commemorated by
the fast described in the passage.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Pharaoh and his people
description: Figures described as drowned on the day commemorated by the fast.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Mohammed's followers
description: Followers ordered by Mohammed to fast on the day of Ashra.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Ismael
description: Figure whose sepulchre the white stone is said to be.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Abraham
description: Figure associated with the Station or Place east of the Kaaba.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Rulers supplying the Kaaba covering
description: Khalifs, Sultans of Egypt, and Turkish emperors are named as providers
of the annual covering in different periods.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
roles:
- id: role:1
label: religious authority
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He questions the practice, gives an order to his followers, and proposes
an alteration of the fast day.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: claimant of relation to Moses
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He is described as saying he bore a nearer relation to Moses than the Jews.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: fasting community
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: They are described as fasting on the day of Ashra and explaining the reason
for it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:4
label: escaped deliverance figure
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Moses and those with him are described as escaping when Pharaoh and his people
were drowned.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:5
label: drowned adversaries
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Pharaoh and his people are described as drowned.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:6
label: ordered fasting group
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Mohammed ordered his followers to fast on the day of Ashra.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:7
label: associated burial figure
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The white stone is said to be the sepulchre of Ismael.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:8
label: station-associated patriarch
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: A nearby place is named the Station or Place of Abraham.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:9
label: ritual furnishing patrons
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: The covering is said to have been supplied by named ruling powers in different
periods.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Kaaba
literal_form: Square stone building called the house of God, hallowed for worship.
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: sacred temple of Mecca
literal_form: Temple in the midst of Mecca, called the sacred or inviolable temple
and serving as the chief scene of worship.
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs:
- world_center
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:3
label: black stone
literal_form: Stone in the corner next to the east-side door of the Kaaba.
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: white stone
literal_form: Stone north of the Kaaba within a semicircular enclosure, said to
be the sepulchre of Ismael.
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:5
label: rain-water from the Kaaba
literal_form: Rain-water falling from the Kaaba and directed by a spout toward the
area of the white stone.
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:6
label: annual black covering with gold band
literal_form: Rich black damask covering with embroidered gold band, changed every
year.
associated_figures:
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:7
label: silver lamps inside the Kaaba
literal_form: Silver lamps hanging on an iron bar between three octangular pillars.
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:8
label: Station or Place of Abraham
literal_form: Place east of the Kaaba associated by name with Abraham.
associated_figures:
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:9
label: drowning water
literal_form: Water implied in the drowning of Pharaoh and his people.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Ashra fast and Moses' escape
summary: Jews at Medina fast on the day of Ashra because Pharaoh and his people
were drowned while Moses and his companions escaped; Mohammed orders his followers
to fast and later plans differentiation from the Jewish practice.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Pilgrimage obligation
summary: Pilgrimage to Mecca is presented as a necessary practice and as commanded
in the Koran.
figure_refs: []
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Sacred precinct and Kaaba description
summary: The passage locates the sacred temple in the midst of Mecca and describes
the Kaaba as a hallowed square stone house of God with a raised door and specified
dimensions.
figure_refs: []
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Stones, water, and furnishings of the Kaaba
summary: The passage describes the black stone, the white stone associated with
Ismael, the rain-water spout, interior pillars and lamps, annual covering, and
nearby Station of Abraham.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
- sym:6
- sym:7
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: deliverance commemorated by fasting
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: The fast is explained as commemorating the drowning of Pharaoh and his people
and the escape of Moses and those with him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage reports a tradition and does not explicitly frame the event
as divine judgment in the quoted lines.
- id: motif:2
label: pilgrimage to a sacred center
taxonomy_refs:
- world_center
basis: Pilgrimage to Mecca is called necessary, and the temple stands in the midst
of the city as the chief scene of worship.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage describes a central sanctuary, but does not make an explicit
cosmological world-center claim.
- id: motif:3
label: holy house with sacred stones
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Kaaba is a hallowed house of God, with a black stone near its door and
a white stone associated with Ismael's sepulchre.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: No supplied taxonomy reference directly matches sacred stones.
- id: motif:4
label: annual renewal of sacred covering
taxonomy_refs:
- seasonal_cycle
basis: The Kaaba's outer black damask covering with gold band is changed every year.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: low
cautions: The text states annual replacement but does not connect it to a seasonal
mythic cycle.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage presents the Ashra fast among Mohammed's followers as initially
corresponding to a Jewish fast at Medina commemorating Moses' escape and Pharaoh's
drowning, while also noting a later desire to differentiate the Islamic practice.
claim_level: same_function
target: Jewish fast on the day of Ashra at Medina
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
counter_evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: medium
limitations: This is based on the passage's report of a tradition; it does not establish
historical origin beyond the reported imitation and later differentiation.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 5568-5578
quote_or_summary: At Medina, Jews fast on Ashra because Pharaoh and his people were
drowned while Moses and companions escaped; Mohammed orders followers to fast,
then later intends to fast on the ninth to avoid close agreement with the Jews.
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 5579-5583
quote_or_summary: Pilgrimage to Mecca is described as so necessary that one who
dies without performing it may as well die a Jew or Christian, and it is said
to be expressly commanded in the Koran.
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 5591-5604
quote_or_summary: The temple of Mecca stands in the midst of the city and is called
the sacred or inviolable temple; the Kaaba is a square stone building called the
house of God, hallowed for worship, with specified dimensions and an east-side
raised door.
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 5604-5611
quote_or_summary: A black stone is in the corner near the door; north of the Kaaba
lies a white stone within a semicircular enclosure, said to be Ismael's sepulchre,
receiving rain-water from the Kaaba by a spout formerly wood and now gold.
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 5611-5617
quote_or_summary: The Kaaba has a double roof, three aloes-wood octangular pillars,
silver lamps on an iron bar, and an outer black damask covering with a gold embroidered
band changed yearly and supplied by rulers.
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 5617-5619
quote_or_summary: A small distance east of the Kaaba is the Station or Place of
Abraham, where another stone is mentioned as the passage breaks off.
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: Literal extraction is straightforward from the passage. Motif labels are
conservative; some taxonomy links, especially world_center and seasonal_cycle,
are interpretive and should be reviewed.
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: |-
Only the supplied passage and metadata were used. The passage is explanatory prose from Sale's edition/notes rather than a continuous Quranic narrative.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg__l5568-l5619
passage_sha256=f603e658776901ff87607be00e4ce15404cde3660607f03ddc454f1c99964ab0