batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l5733-l5786
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l5733-l5786
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
passage_locator:
label: SECTION I. / SECTION II. / SECTION III / SECTION IV.; lines 5733-5786
start: '5733'
end: '5786'
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 sacred objects and practices associated with the
Meccan temple: a stone said to be authenticated by swimming on water; the stone
at Abraham''s place bearing his footsteps and serving in traditions as a self-moving
scaffold; the holy well of Zemzem, associated with Hagar and Ismael in the desert
and drunk by pilgrims; the obligation of pilgrimage for able Muslims; and the
assumption of Ihram with ritual restrictions on hunting and killing during entry
into sacred territory.'
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A stone was said to have been returned after twenty-two years and to have
been proven genuine by its ability to swim on water.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: A stone in Abraham's place is said to show Abraham's footsteps.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: One tradition says Abraham stood on the stone when building the Caaba and
that it rose and fell by itself as needed.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Another tradition says Abraham stood on the stone while the wife of Ismael
washed his head.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: The stone at Abraham's place is enclosed in an iron chest, and pilgrims drink
Zemzem water from it and are ordered to pray at it.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:6
text: The well Zemzem is located on the east side of the Caaba and is covered with
a small building and cupola.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: The well Zemzem is identified in the passage as the spring that gushed out
for the relief of Ismael when Hagar wandered with him in the desert.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:8
text: Zemzem water is treated as holy, drunk devoutly by pilgrims, and sent in bottles
to many parts of Mohammedan dominions.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:9
text: Abd'allah al Hfedh claimed that he acquired great memory by drinking large
draughts of Zemzem water.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:10
text: Every Mohammedan with sufficient health and means is said to be obliged to
perform pilgrimage to the temple at least once, and women are not exempted.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:11
text: Pilgrims gather at appointed places near Mecca during specified months and
must be there by the beginning of Dhu'lhajja.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:12
text: At the commencement of pilgrimage, men put on the Ihram, consisting of two
woolen wrappers, bare heads, and slippers that cover neither heel nor instep.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:13
text: While wearing the Ihram, pilgrims enter sacred territory on the way to Mecca.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:14
text: While in the sacred habit, pilgrims must not hunt or fowl, though fishing
is allowed, and they avoid killing even lice or fleas.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:15
text: Some harmful animals, including kites, ravens, scorpions, mice, and dogs,
are permitted to be killed during pilgrimage.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: pilgrims
description: Mohammedans undertaking the pilgrimage to the Meccan temple, drinking
Zemzem water, wearing Ihram, and observing ritual restrictions.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Abraham
description: An ancestral figure associated with a stone that bears his footsteps
and with traditions about building the Caaba.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Ismael
description: The son of Hagar, relieved by the spring in the desert according to
the passage's account of Zemzem.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Hagar
description: The mother of Ismael, described as wandering with him in the desert
when the spring appeared.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: wife of Ismael
description: A woman in one tradition who washed Abraham's head while he stood on
the stone.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Karmatians
description: A group said to have taken the stone, prompting temple officers to
hide the stone at Abraham's place.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: officers of the temple
description: Temple officials who hid the stone at Abraham's place when the Karmatians
took the other stone.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Abd'allah al Hfedh
description: A man noted for great memory who claimed to have acquired that faculty
by drinking Zemzem water.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
roles:
- id: role:1
label: ritual pilgrim
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Pilgrims travel to the temple, drink holy water, wear Ihram, and observe
restrictions.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:2
label: recipient of holy water
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The passage says pilgrims drink Zemzem water with particular devotion.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: ancestral builder figure
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Traditions connect Abraham with standing on the stone while building the
Caaba.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: child relieved by spring
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The spring is said to have gushed out for Ismael's relief in the desert.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:5
label: wandering mother
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Hagar is described as wandering in the desert with Ismael.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:6
label: ritual washer in variant tradition
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: A tradition says she washed Abraham's head while he stood on the stone.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:7
label: stone-taking group
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The Karmatians are said to have taken one stone, leading to the hiding of
another.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:8
label: sacred-object guardians
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The officers of the temple hid the stone at Abraham's place.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:9
label: claimant of water-given memory
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Abd'allah al Hfedh claimed his memory came from drinking Zemzem water.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: authenticating stone
literal_form: stone said to swim on water
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: Abraham's footprint stone
literal_form: stone in Abraham's place showing footsteps and enclosed in an iron
chest
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:5
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: self-moving scaffold stone
literal_form: stone said to rise and fall by itself while Abraham built the Caaba
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:4
label: Zemzem well and water
literal_form: well and holy water of Zemzem
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:5
label: Caaba and Meccan temple
literal_form: temple at Mecca, Caaba, and surrounding sacred territory
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: sym:6
label: Ihram
literal_form: sacred habit of two woolen wrappers, bare head, and open slippers
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:7
label: bottled holy water
literal_form: Zemzem water sent in bottles as a rarity
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Stone returned and tested
summary: A stone is returned after twenty-two years and is said to be shown genuine
because it swims on water.
figure_refs: []
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Abraham's stone at the temple
summary: The passage presents traditions about a stone bearing Abraham's footsteps,
serving as a self-moving scaffold, and being enclosed where pilgrims drink Zemzem
water and pray.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:5
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Zemzem well and sacred water
summary: Zemzem is described as a holy well near the Caaba, linked to Hagar and
Ismael in the desert, drunk by pilgrims, exported in bottles, and claimed to grant
memory.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Obligation and timing of pilgrimage
summary: Able Muslims are said to be obliged to perform pilgrimage to the temple
once in life, gathering near Mecca in appointed months.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Entering sacred state
summary: Pilgrims put on the Ihram, enter sacred territory, and observe restrictions
against hunting and killing most creatures during pilgrimage.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Sacred stone authenticated by miraculous property
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage says the stone was claimed genuine because it could swim on water.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage reports the claim rather than endorsing it, and the larger
context of the stone is partly outside the supplied range.
- id: motif:2
label: Ancestral footprint preserved in stone
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The stone in Abraham's place is said to show his footsteps.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: The passage attributes the claim to temple tradition.
- id: motif:3
label: Sacred object assisting temple construction
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: A tradition says Abraham stood on a stone that rose and fell by itself while
he built the Caaba.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage presents this as one tradition and immediately notes another
variant.
- id: motif:4
label: Miraculous desert spring saving mother and child
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Zemzem is identified as the spring that gushed out for Ismael's relief while
Hagar wandered with him in the desert.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: The passage reports Muslim belief as described by the translator.
- id: motif:5
label: Holy water drunk, transported, and revered
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Zemzem water is called holy, drunk by pilgrims with devotion, and sent in
bottles as a rarity.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: No broader ritual context beyond this passage is inferred.
- id: motif:6
label: Sacred water granting memory or wisdom
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: Abd'allah al Hfedh claimed his great memory came from drinking large draughts
of Zemzem water.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The narrator expresses skepticism and compares the claim ironically to
Helicon.
- id: motif:7
label: Pilgrimage to sacred center
taxonomy_refs:
- world_center
basis: The passage states that every able Mohammedan ought to go on pilgrimage to
the Meccan temple at least once and describes gathering near Mecca and entry into
sacred territory.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy reference is interpretive; the passage itself emphasizes
obligation and sacred territory rather than using the term world center.
- id: motif:8
label: Initiatory sacred garment and temporary prohibitions
taxonomy_refs:
- initiation
basis: Pilgrims commence the pilgrimage by putting on the Ihram and observing restrictions
on hunting and killing while entering sacred territory.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage describes ritual commencement and restrictions, but does not
explicitly call it initiation.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage identifies Zemzem with the desert spring associated with Hagar
and Ismael, and its footnote points to Genesis xxi.19.
claim_level: same_motif
target: Hagar and Ismael desert-water tradition / Genesis xxi.19
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: This is based on the passage's reported identification and citation;
no broader textual comparison is supplied in the passage.
- id: claim:2
claim: The passage compares the claim that Zemzem water grants memory to the classical
idea of Helicon's water inspiring a poet.
claim_level: same_function
target: Helicon as inspiring water
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: low
limitations: The comparison is made in a skeptical or ironic tone by the narrator,
so it should not be treated as an asserted historical connection.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 5733-5737
quote_or_summary: A returned stone is said to have been mocked as false, but proved
genuine by the peculiar quality of swimming on water.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 5738-5748
quote_or_summary: The stone in Abraham's place is said to show his footsteps; traditions
connect it with building the Caaba or with Abraham having his head washed; it
is enclosed in an iron chest, associated with pilgrims drinking Zemzem water and
prayer, and was hidden by temple officers during the Karmatian seizure of the
other stone.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 5749-5761
quote_or_summary: Zemzem is a well east of the Caaba, covered by a small building
and cupola; it is believed to be the spring that appeared for Ismael and Hagar
in the desert; its holy water is drunk by pilgrims, sent in bottles, and claimed
by Abd'allah al Hfedh to have given him great memory, with a comparison to Helicon.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 5762-5768
quote_or_summary: Every Mohammedan with health and sufficient means is said to owe
at least one pilgrimage to the temple; women are not excused; pilgrims gather
near Mecca during specified months before Dhu'lhajja.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 5769-5786
quote_or_summary: Pilgrims begin by putting on the Ihram, described as two woolen
wrappers with bare head and open slippers, then enter sacred territory; while
in this state they avoid hunting and killing, with some exceptions for harmful
animals.
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 concrete ritual descriptions and objects are clear. Motif labels are
cautious and limited to the supplied passage. Comparison claims are included only
where the passage itself makes or cites the comparison.
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 entries are based only on the supplied passage and metadata. Taxonomy references are limited to the provided available taxonomy list.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg__l5733-l5786
passage_sha256=b7a1a3e0ef74a15a999c553bd671ea7968008ed065bfe63c1e250816ca98c00e