batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l5622-l5672
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l5622-l5672
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
passage_locator:
label: SECTION I. / SECTION II. / SECTION III / SECTION IV.; lines 5622-5672
start: '5622'
end: '5672'
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 the Caaba and its surrounding enclosures, oratories,
well, colonnade, lamps, minarets, and sacred territory of Mecca. It states that
the Harm forbids fighting, hunting, fowling, or cutting tree branches, and explains
the sacred status of Meccan pigeons. It also reports a Muslim tradition that Adam,
after expulsion from paradise, asked God for a terrestrial counterpart of a celestial
house, and that God sent down a light-formed representation to Mecca beneath its
heavenly original.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The Caaba is described as partly surrounded by a circular enclosure of pillars
with a low balustrade below and silver bars above.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Three buildings near the Caaba serve as oratories for three orthodox sects,
while the fourth sect uses the station of Abraham.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: A south-eastern edifice covers the well Zemzem, the treasury, and the cupola
of al Abbas.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:4
text: The larger piazza or square colonnade has small domes or cupolas, four minarets
or steeples, gilded spires and crescents, and lamps that are lit at night.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: A third sacred enclosure around Mecca is marked by small turrets at varying
distances from the city.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: Within the sacred territory it is unlawful to attack an enemy, hunt, fowl,
or cut a branch from a tree.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: The passage says Meccan pigeons are considered sacred because of the sanctuary
rules, while a footnote records an alternate tradition linking them to pigeons
at a cave where Mohammed and Abu Becr hid.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: The temple of Mecca is said to have been venerated by Arabs long before Mohammed.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: A Muslim tradition in the passage says Adam, after expulsion from paradise,
asked God to let him erect a building like one he had seen there, toward which
he could pray and which he could compass.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: God is said to have let down a representation of the celestial house in curtains
of light and placed it in Mecca beneath its original.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:11
text: A footnote records a variant in which the Beit al Mmr itself descended from
heaven for Adam and was taken back up at the Flood.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Adam
description: Adam appears in a reported Muslim tradition as expelled from paradise
and asking God for a building like the one he had seen there.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: GOD
description: God is said to let down a representation of the celestial house and
set it in Mecca.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: angels
description: The angels are described as compassing the celestial house.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Mohammed and Abu Becr
description: A footnote says Mohammed and Abu Becr hid in a cave when they fled
from Mecca.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Meccan pigeons
description: The pigeons at Mecca are described as sacred; a footnote gives a tradition
connecting them with pigeons that laid eggs at a cave mouth.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:7
roles:
- id: role:1
label: expelled supplicant
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Adam is described as acting after expulsion from paradise and begging God
for a corresponding sacred building.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:2
label: divine sender of the sanctuary model
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: God lets down and sets in Mecca a representation of the celestial house.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:3
label: celestial circumambulators
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The angels are said to compass the celestial house.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:4
label: cave refugees
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The footnote says Mohammed and Abu Becr hid in a cave when fleeing from Mecca.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:5
label: sacred sanctuary birds
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The passage states that Meccan pigeons are reckoned sacred and gives sanctuary
and cave-related explanations.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:7
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Caaba
literal_form: The central sacred building at Mecca surrounded by enclosures and
associated structures.
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: sym:2
label: Beit al Mmr / frequented house
literal_form: A celestial house seen by Adam and compassed by angels.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:3
label: curtains of light
literal_form: The form in which God lets down a representation of the celestial
house.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:4
label: well Zemzem
literal_form: A well covered by an edifice near the Caaba.
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:5
label: Harm sacred territory
literal_form: The sacred territory of Mecca marked by a third enclosure and small
turrets.
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:6
label: tree branch taboo
literal_form: A rule forbidding cutting a branch from a tree inside the sacred territory.
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:7
label: cave refuge
literal_form: The cave where a footnote says Mohammed and Abu Becr hid.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs:
- cave
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:8
label: sacred pigeons
literal_form: Pigeons at Mecca considered sacred, with an alternate cave-related
origin noted.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:7
- id: sym:9
label: boundary turrets
literal_form: Small turrets marking the sacred enclosure around Mecca at several
distances from the city.
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Architectural layout of the Caaba precinct
summary: The passage describes the Caaba, its inner enclosure, nearby oratories,
the edifice over Zemzem, and the larger colonnaded piazza with cupolas, minarets,
crescents, and lamps.
figure_refs: []
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Rules of the sacred territory of Mecca
summary: The sacred territory of Mecca is marked by boundary turrets and is governed
by prohibitions against attack, hunting, fowling, and cutting tree branches; the
sacred status of pigeons is explained in this context.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
- sym:6
- sym:8
- sym:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Adam and the heavenly prototype of the Caaba
summary: After expulsion from paradise, Adam asks God for a building like the heavenly
house he had seen, and God sends down a light-formed representation to Mecca beneath
the celestial original.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: Variant traditions in footnotes
summary: A footnote records a variant that the Beit al Mmr itself descended from
heaven and later returned at the Flood; another notes a tradition about pigeons
laying eggs at the cave where Mohammed and Abu Becr hid.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:7
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: terrestrial sanctuary aligned with a celestial prototype
taxonomy_refs:
- world_center
basis: The passage says the Meccan house was placed perpendicularly under its celestial
original and mirrors a heavenly house compassed by angels.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The passage reports a tradition in Sale's explanatory material, not a
Qur'anic verse in this excerpt.
- id: motif:2
label: sanctuary boundary with nonviolence and nature taboos
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Harm around Mecca is marked by turrets and prohibits attacking enemies,
hunting, fowling, and cutting tree branches.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: No specific available taxonomy family directly matches sanctuary taboo
or sacred precinct law.
- id: motif:3
label: divine descent of a sacred architectural model
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: God lets down a representation of the celestial house in curtains of light
and sets it in Mecca; a footnote gives a variant in which the house itself descends
from heaven and later returns at the Flood.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The variant appears in a footnote and may represent a related but distinct
tradition.
- id: motif:4
label: sacred birds of a holy place
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage explains why the pigeons at Mecca are reckoned sacred and records
a cave-related alternate explanation.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage gives explanatory notes rather than a full narrative episode
about the birds.
- id: motif:5
label: cave refuge with bird sign
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: A footnote says Mohammed and Abu Becr hid in a cave and that pigeons laid
eggs at its mouth.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: low
cautions: The protective function of the eggs is not stated in the supplied passage;
only the cave, hiding, and eggs are mentioned.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage itself compares the terrestrial Caaba with the celestial Beit
al Mmr by presenting the Meccan sanctuary as a counterpart placed under its heavenly
original and used for analogous circumambulation.
claim_level: same_function
target: Caaba and celestial Beit al Mmr / heavenly house pattern
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: This is an internal comparison within the reported tradition; it does
not by itself establish historical contact with other traditions.
- id: claim:2
claim: The Adam tradition in the passage supports a world-center reading of the
Meccan sanctuary because it places the earthly house directly beneath a celestial
original.
claim_level: archetypal_reading
target: world_center motif family
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage does not use the term world center; the classification
is based only on vertical alignment and celestial-terrestrial correspondence.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 5622-5630
quote_or_summary: The Caaba is surrounded at some distance by a circular enclosure
of pillars; nearby are three oratories, the station of Abraham for the fourth
sect, and the edifice covering Zemzem, the treasury, and the cupola of al Abbas.
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 5631-5641
quote_or_summary: The buildings are enclosed by a large colonnaded piazza with cupolas,
four minarets or steeples, gilded spires and crescents, and lamps lighted at night;
the outward enclosure began with Omar and was later enlarged.
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 5642-5652
quote_or_summary: Mecca as Harm or sacred territory has a third enclosure marked
by small turrets; within it one may not attack an enemy, hunt, fowl, or cut a
tree branch, which is given as the reason Meccan pigeons are sacred.
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 5653-5657
quote_or_summary: The temple of Mecca is described as a place of worship held in
veneration by Arabs from great antiquity, long before Mohammed, though probably
first used idolatrously.
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 5657-5666
quote_or_summary: 'Muslims are said to believe the Caaba is nearly coeval with the
world: Adam, after expulsion from paradise, asked God for a building like the
Beit al Mmr he had seen, toward which he might pray and which he might compass
as angels do the celestial one; God sent down a representation in curtains of
light and placed it in Mecca beneath the original.'
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 5668-5672
quote_or_summary: A footnote says some identify the Beit al Mmr itself as Adam's
Caaba, sent down from heaven and taken back up at the Flood.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 5663-5668
quote_or_summary: A footnote reports that al Mogholta says the Meccan temple pigeons
descend from pigeons that laid eggs at the cave mouth where Mohammed and Abu Becr
hid while fleeing Mecca.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: medium
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: The architectural and sanctuary-law details are explicit. Motif classification
is strongest for celestial-terrestrial sanctuary alignment and weaker for the
cave-and-pigeon note because the supplied text gives only a brief footnote.
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: |-
Used only the supplied passage and metadata. Taxonomy references were limited to available motif families and symbols.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg__l5622-l5672
passage_sha256=ffedc7d7b604505145fe2cac098d8995997e3623be970a72916850330be870d3