batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l6226-l6276
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l6226-l6276
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
passage_locator:
label: SECTION III / SECTION IV. / SECTION V. / OF CERTAIN NEGATIVE PRECEPTS IN
THE KORN.; lines 6226-6276
start: '6226'
end: '6276'
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 explains several pre-Islamic Arab classifications of consecrated
animals, including Bahra/Sba, Wasla, and Hami. It describes rules about drinking
milk, sacrificing or sparing offspring, turning animals loose, freeing animals
from labor, and restricting human use of them. It states that these customs were
observed in honor of false gods and condemned in the Koran as impious superstitions.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A female camel category is described whose milk was reserved for her young
one or a guest until her death; after death her flesh was eaten, and her last
female young one had her ear slit and was turned loose as Bahra.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The appellation Sba is said to apply not only to female camels but also, in
some explanations, to a male animal, a freed servant, or an animal turned loose
in honor of idols with restricted use thereafter.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Wasla is explained through several variants involving repeated births by a
she-camel or ewe, twin births, male and female offspring, and the formula that
a female offspring is joined to her brother.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: In the Wasla variants, offspring may be consecrated, sacrificed, spared, turned
loose, or reserved for use by men or women according to sex and birth order.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: Hami is described as a male camel used as a stallion and then freed from labor
after females had conceived ten times by him.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: After becoming Hami, the male camel was let loose, not driven from pasture
or water, and no benefit was to be taken from him, including shearing his hair.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: The customs are described as observed by the old Arabs in honor of their false
gods, ascribed to divine institution, and condemned in the Koran as impious superstitions.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Bahra / final female young one
description: A last female young one whose ear was slit and who was turned loose
like her dam.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Sba animal
description: An animal, sometimes described as female or male, turned loose in honor
of idols with restricted use thereafter.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Wasla animal
description: A she-camel or ewe defined through repeated births, twins, or male-female
offspring, with rules governing milk, sacrifice, consecration, and use.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Hami male camel
description: A stallion camel freed from labor after ten conceptions and thereafter
protected from ordinary human use.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: old Arabs
description: The people said to have observed these animal customs in honor of false
gods.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: false gods / idols
description: The beings in whose honor the animals were turned loose, consecrated,
or used in ritual observance.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
roles:
- id: role:1
label: consecrated or protected animal
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
basis: The animals are described as turned loose, consecrated, spared, freed from
labor, or protected from ordinary use.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:2
label: sacrificial or spared offspring
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Wasla variants determine whether male offspring are sacrificed, consecrated,
or spared because of a female counterpart.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: ritual observers
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The passage says the old Arabs observed these customs as worship practices.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:4
label: recipient of honor or consecration
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The passage says animals were turned loose or observances performed in honor
of idols or false gods.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: restricted milk
literal_form: Milk of the dam reserved for particular permitted consumers according
to animal category, sex, or ritual status.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- milk
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: slit ear
literal_form: The ear of the last female young one is slit before she is called
Bahra and turned loose.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:3
label: turned-loose consecrated animal
literal_form: Animals are released from ordinary labor or use and allowed to go
loose.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: male-female twin or joined pair
literal_form: A male and female offspring pair is described as joined, sometimes
causing the male to be spared from sacrifice.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:5
label: pasture and water access
literal_form: The Hami camel is not driven from pasture or water.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Bahra or Sba release and restricted use
summary: A consecrated animal has restrictions placed on its milk or use, and its
female young one may have the ear slit and be turned loose.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Wasla birth classification
summary: A she-camel or ewe is classified by repeated births and male-female offspring
patterns, resulting in rules about milk, sacrifice, consecration, sparing, and
gendered access.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Hami stallion release
summary: A male camel used for breeding is freed from labor after a specified number
of conceptions and protected from ordinary human benefit.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Koranic condemnation of animal superstitions
summary: The passage states that these old Arab observances were performed in honor
of false gods, ascribed to divine institution, and condemned in the Koran.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: consecrated animal released from ordinary use
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
basis: Animals are turned loose, freed from labor, or protected from benefit in
honor of idols or false gods.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The available taxonomy does not include a precise category for consecrated
livestock taboo; sacred_exchange is a broad fit only.
- id: motif:2
label: animal sacrifice or offering to gods
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
basis: Several Wasla variants describe male offspring being consecrated or sacrificed
to gods, while other offspring are spared under specified conditions.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: The passage is explanatory and legal-polemical rather than a narrative
myth of sacrifice.
- id: motif:3
label: sacred or tabooed male-female birth pair
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_twins
basis: Wasla explanations repeatedly focus on twin or paired male and female births,
including the statement that the female is joined to her brother and the resulting
ritual sparing or restriction.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: low
cautions: The taxonomy reference is tentative because the passage concerns livestock
birth rules, not mythic twin figures.
- id: motif:4
label: condemnation of ritual superstition attributed to divine institution
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage says the customs were ascribed to divine institution but condemned
in the Koran as impious superstitions.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: No specific available motif-family taxonomy directly captures legal condemnation
of pre-Islamic animal taboos.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 6226-6233
quote_or_summary: A camel category is described with restricted milk use until death;
after death the flesh is eaten, and the last female young one has her ear slit,
is called Bahra, and is turned loose.
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 6234-6240
quote_or_summary: The term Sba is explained as applying in some cases to male animals,
freed servants, or animals turned loose in honor of idols, with later use restricted.
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 6241-6263
quote_or_summary: Wasla is explained through multiple variants involving repeated
births, twins, male and female offspring, the phrase that a female is joined to
her brother, milk restrictions, consecration, sacrifice, sparing, and gendered
use.
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 6264-6268
quote_or_summary: Hami is a stallion camel freed from labor after females conceived
ten times by him; he is not driven from pasture or water, and no benefit, even
hair-shearing, is allowed.
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 6269-6276
quote_or_summary: The passage states that these practices were observed by the old
Arabs in honor of false gods, treated as divinely instituted, and condemned in
the Koran as impious superstitions.
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: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is strong because the passage is explicit. Motif classification
is less certain because the passage is a translator's explanatory note on legal-religious
customs, and the available taxonomy only partially matches the material.
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. No external taxonomy identifiers beyond the provided available refs were added.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg__l6226-l6276
passage_sha256=dcef0f24e19f69856ac9899fbd5b82118c4ce68e2d13a4fb15017addce4451fa