batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l6564-l6614
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l6564-l6614
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
passage_locator:
label: SECTION V. / OF CERTAIN NEGATIVE PRECEPTS IN THE KORN. / SECTION VI. / OF
THE INSTITUTIONS OF THE KORAN IN CIVIL AFFAIRS.; lines 6564-6614
start: '6564'
end: '6614'
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 summarizes Qur''anic inheritance and civil provisions as presented
by Sale: reforms to protect widows, women, and orphans from unjust exclusion;
proportional estate distribution rules; requirements for wills and witnesses;
recommended charitable gifts to poor kin and orphans; an early, later-abrogated
rule privileging religious migration and support over blood kinship for inheritance;
and the legitimacy status of children of concubines or slaves.'
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The passage states that certain pagan Arab practices denied widows and orphan
children shares in inheritance and treated widows as part of a husband's possessions.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Mohammed is said to have ordered respect for women, protection for orphans,
and a prohibition on taking women against their wills by right of inheritance.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Women are described as entitled to a distributive share of what parents, husbands,
and near relations leave behind.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:4
text: The general inheritance rule given is that a male receives twice as much as
a female, with stated exceptions for some parents, brothers, and sisters receiving
equal shares in limited cases.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: A valid will disposing of estate property requires at least two witnesses,
preferably from the testator's own tribe and religion if available.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: The passage says legal doctors disapprove of giving estate substance away
from one's family except for pious legacies, and even then only a reasonable part.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: Heirs are directed, when estate value permits, to give something to the poor,
especially poor kin of the deceased, and to orphans.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:8
text: An early inheritance rule is described in which those who fled with Mohammed
from Mecca and those who received and assisted him at Medina were treated as nearest
kin and heirs to one another before blood relations.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: The early rule privileging emigrants and helpers for inheritance is said to
have been quickly abrogated.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:10
text: The passage states that among Mohammedans the children of concubines or slaves
are esteemed as equally legitimate with others, though the sentence continues
beyond the provided excerpt.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Widows
description: Women whose husbands have died; described as having been unjustly treated
and formerly disposed of as possessions in pagan Arab practice.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Orphan children
description: Children described as formerly denied inheritance shares and later
protected from wrong.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Women heirs
description: Women entitled to distributive shares from parents, husbands, and near
relations.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Male heirs
description: Male heirs described under the general rule as receiving twice the
share of female heirs, except in specified cases.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Parents, brothers, and sisters
description: Relatives who may receive equal shares with one another in certain
limited inheritance cases.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Man making a will
description: A person disposing of part of his estate by will.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Two witnesses
description: At least two witnesses required to validate a will, preferably of the
testator's tribe and religion if available.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Heirs
description: Those distributing the estate and directed to bestow something on the
poor and orphans when possible.
role_refs:
- role:4
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Poor kin of the deceased
description: Poor persons, especially relatives of the deceased, who are to receive
something from the estate when value permits.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Those who fled with Mohammed from Mecca
description: Religious emigrants described as initially deemed nearest kin and heirs
with those who assisted Mohammed at Medina.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Those who received and assisted Mohammed at Medina
description: Helpers at Medina described as initially deemed nearest kin and heirs
with the emigrants from Mecca.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: Blood relations
description: Relations by blood who were temporarily excluded under the early rule
favoring emigrants and helpers.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:13
name_or_label: Children of concubines or slaves
description: Children described as esteemed equally legitimate with others among
Mohammedans.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:14
name_or_label: Mohammed
description: Presented as ordering inheritance reforms and laying down an early
inheritance rule later abrogated.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
roles:
- id: role:1
label: Protected vulnerable party
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:2
basis: Widows and orphans are described as having suffered injustice and as objects
of later protection.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: Entitled female inheritor
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:3
basis: Women are said to be entitled to a distributive part of the estate rather
than being inherited against their will.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: Orphan beneficiary
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Orphans are protected from wrong and are among those to whom heirs should
give something when possible.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: role:4
label: Estate heir
assigned_to:
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:8
basis: The passage describes proportional inheritance shares for male heirs, female
heirs, relatives, and heirs distributing estates.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:5
label: Testator
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The man disposing of part of his estate by will is subject to witness requirements
and limits on charitable giving.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:6
label: Legal witness
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: At least two witnesses are required to render a will valid.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:7
label: Distributor of charitable portion
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Heirs are directed to bestow something on poor kin and orphans if the estate
value permits.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:8
label: Charitable recipient
assigned_to:
- fig:9
- fig:2
basis: The poor, especially kin of the deceased, and orphans are named as recipients
of gifts from the estate.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:9
label: Religious kin-heir under abrogated rule
assigned_to:
- fig:10
- fig:11
basis: Emigrants from Mecca and helpers at Medina were initially deemed nearest
kin and heirs to one another.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:10
label: Temporarily displaced blood kin
assigned_to:
- fig:12
basis: Blood relations were excluded by the early rule favoring emigrants and helpers.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:11
label: Legitimate child
assigned_to:
- fig:13
basis: Children of concubines or slaves are said to be esteemed equally legitimate.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:12
label: Lawgiver in passage summary
assigned_to:
- fig:14
basis: Mohammed is described as ordering reforms and declaring an early inheritance
rule.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Inheritance estate
literal_form: The deceased's estate and distributive parts left by parents, husbands,
and near relations
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: Two witnesses
literal_form: At least two witnesses validating a will
associated_figures:
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:3
label: Pious legacy or charitable portion
literal_form: A reasonable part of substance given for pious uses or bestowed on
poor kin and orphans
associated_figures:
- fig:6
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:4
label: Migration from Mecca and assistance at Medina
literal_form: Flight with Mohammed from Mecca and reception or assistance at Medina
as criteria for early inheritance status
associated_figures:
- fig:10
- fig:11
- fig:14
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Reform of widow and orphan inheritance treatment
summary: The passage contrasts prior pagan Arab practices that denied widows and
orphans inheritance and treated widows as possessions with Mohammed's orders that
women be respected, orphans protected, and women granted distributive shares.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:14
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Distribution of estate shares
summary: The passage gives a general rule that males receive twice the share of
females while noting exceptions in which certain parents, brothers, and sisters
receive equal shares.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Will, witnesses, and charitable estate use
summary: The passage states that wills require at least two witnesses and discusses
limits on charitable legacies along with directions for heirs to give to poor
kin and orphans when possible.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Abrogated religious-kin inheritance rule
summary: An early rule treated emigrants from Mecca and helpers at Medina as nearest
kin and heirs to one another over blood relations, but the passage says this rule
was quickly abrogated.
figure_refs:
- fig:10
- fig:11
- fig:12
- fig:14
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Legitimacy of children of concubines or slaves
summary: The passage begins to state that children of concubines or slaves are considered
equally legitimate among Mohammedans.
figure_refs:
- fig:13
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Protection of widows and orphans through inheritance reform
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage centers on preventing injustice to widows and orphans by granting
women shares and forbidding their inheritance against their will.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: high
cautions: This is a legal-social pattern rather than a mythic narrative motif.
- id: motif:2
label: Estate distribution by fixed kinship proportions
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage specifies proportional inheritance rules, including the general
male-to-female share ratio and exceptions for certain relatives.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: The passage summarizes legal doctrine; no narrative episode is present.
- id: motif:3
label: Witnessed testament and constrained charitable gift
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
basis: A will requires witnesses, and charitable or pious estate gifts are limited
to a reasonable portion while heirs are directed to give to poor kin and orphans.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy reference is tentative because the passage treats legal charity
and pious use, not a reciprocal mythic exchange.
- id: motif:4
label: Religious affiliation temporarily replacing blood kinship
taxonomy_refs:
- covenant
basis: An early rule makes emigrants from Mecca and helpers at Medina nearest kin
and heirs to one another, excluding blood relations, before being abrogated.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage itself frames this as an abrogated civil inheritance rule;
the covenant taxonomy is a broad analogy only.
- id: motif:5
label: Equal legitimacy of children across maternal status
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Children of concubines or slaves are described as esteemed equally legitimate
among Mohammedans.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The provided excerpt ends mid-sentence, so the full statement is incomplete.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage states that the Qur'anic inheritance laws are in several respects
conformable to those of the Jews, suggesting a functional similarity in inheritance
regulation.
claim_level: same_function
target: Jewish inheritance laws
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage gives Sale's assertion of conformity but does not provide
detailed Jewish legal parallels within the excerpt.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 6564-6576
quote_or_summary: Qur'anic inheritance laws are described as partly conformable
to Jewish laws and as abolishing pagan Arab injustices against widows and orphans;
Mohammed orders women respected, orphans protected, and women not inherited against
their will but given shares.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized rather than extensively quoted.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 6577-6587
quote_or_summary: The passage states a general rule that a male has twice the female
share, with exceptions where certain parents, brothers, and sisters receive equal
shares; it presents the rules as preferring children and nearest relations.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized rather than extensively quoted.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 6588-6600
quote_or_summary: A will requires at least two witnesses, preferably from the testator's
tribe and religion; legal doctors discourage giving substance away from family
except reasonable pious legacies, and heirs should give something to poor kin
and orphans if possible.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized rather than extensively quoted.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 6601-6609
quote_or_summary: An early inheritance rule made those who fled from Mecca with
Mohammed and those who assisted him at Medina heirs and nearest kin over blood
relations, but this rule was quickly abrogated.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized rather than extensively quoted.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 6610-6614
quote_or_summary: The passage begins a statement that children of concubines or
slaves are esteemed equally legitimate among Mohammedans; the provided passage
cuts off before the sentence finishes.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized rather than extensively quoted.
confidence:
extraction: medium
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: The passage is primarily a legal commentary rather than a mythic narrative.
Motif labels are therefore social-legal patterns extracted from the passage, and
taxonomy links are limited and tentative.
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 Qur'anic, Jewish, or Islamic legal details were added.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg__l6564-l6614
passage_sha256=45a47d6d3695f02fbcd4a4f74c2dbfb784b545e1aeac0b932595027e8d5e5a30