batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l8205-l8254
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l8205-l8254
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
passage_locator:
label: SECTION VI. / OF THE INSTITUTIONS OF THE KORAN IN CIVIL AFFAIRS. / SECTION
VII. / SECTION VIII.; lines 8205-8254
start: '8205'
end: '8254'
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 polemical accounts of Islamic sectarian beliefs involving
the deification of mortal leaders, claims that Ali or his descendants were divine
manifestations, beliefs in metempsychosis and divine descent into creatures, miraculous
proofs attributed to Ali, comparisons to claims about Christ, and mystical claims
of union or direct speech with God.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The passage says certain groups are accused of deifying mortal men and making
God corporeal.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Abd'allah Ebn Saba is described as a former Jew and as the ringleader of one
group; he is said to have greeted Ali with words interpreted as identifying Ali
with God.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Some adherents are described as claiming that Ali or one of his descendants
was not dead, would return in the clouds, and would fill the earth with justice.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The Gholtes are described as holding metempsychosis and al Holl, glossed as
the descent of God on his creatures.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: Al Holl is explained in the passage as the belief that God is present everywhere,
speaks with every tongue, and appears in an individual person.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: The Nosairians and Ishkians are described as teaching that spiritual substances,
angels, the devil, and God appear in grosser bodies or in the form of certain
men.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: The passage says these groups attribute divinity to Ali and his sons because
they hold that God appeared in their form, spoke with their tongue, and used their
hands.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: Miraculous stories about Ali, including moving the gates of Khaibar, are described
as being used to support claims that he possessed a particle of divinity and sovereign
power.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: The passage says that claims about Ali are treated as applying to him things
said in scripture of Christ.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:10
text: The passage reports al Ghazali as saying that some people boast of union with
God and of familiar discourse with him without a veil.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: God
description: The divine being whom the passage says some groups made corporeal or
claimed appeared in human form.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Ali
description: A central figure whom some groups are described as identifying with
God, treating as not dead and returning, and crediting with miracles such as moving
the gates of Khaibar.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:3
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Abd'allah Ebn Saba
description: A former Jew described as the ringleader of a group and as greeting
Ali in a way interpreted as calling him God.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Gholtes
description: A sectarian group described as divided into several types and as holding
metempsychosis and divine descent on creatures.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Ali's descendants or sons
description: Descendants or sons of Ali whom some groups are said to identify with
divine manifestation or exceptional status.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Nosairians and Ishkians
description: Groups described as teaching that spiritual substances and God appear
in grosser bodies or human forms.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Angels and the devil
description: Spiritual beings said by the Nosairians and Ishkians to have appeared
in grosser bodies.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Christ
description: A figure whose scriptural descriptions are said by the passage to have
been applied to Ali by these groups.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Sufis
description: A group among whom, according to the passage, some boast of heavenly
relation and strange revelations.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: al Ghazali
description: An author quoted as criticizing claims of union with God and direct
divine discourse.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Hosein al Hallaj
description: A mystic named as having been put to death for words of this kind,
including the reported expression 'I am the Truth.'
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: Joshua the son of Nun
description: A figure of whom Abd'allah Ebn Saba is said previously to have asserted
the same thing.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
roles:
- id: role:1
label: deity made corporeal or manifest
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The passage says some liken God to a creature and claim God appears in individual
persons or human forms.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:2
label: human figure claimed as divine manifestation
assigned_to:
- fig:2
- fig:5
- fig:12
basis: Ali, his descendants, and Joshua are associated in the passage with claims
identifying a human figure with divinity or the same kind of assertion.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: role:3
label: returning just ruler
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Some are said to claim that Ali or a descendant was not dead, would return
in the clouds, and fill the earth with justice.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:4
label: sectarian proponent group or leader
assigned_to:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:6
- fig:9
basis: The passage names these persons or groups as holding, teaching, or boasting
of the described claims.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:8
- id: role:5
label: miracle-working proof figure
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Stories about Ali moving the gates of Khaibar are said to be used as proof
of divinity and sovereign power.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:6
label: spiritual being appearing in bodily form
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The passage says angels and the devil have appeared in grosser bodies according
to the Nosairians and Ishkians.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:7
label: scriptural comparison figure
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: The passage says things said in scripture of Christ are applied to Ali.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:8
label: critic of mystical union claims
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: Al Ghazali is quoted as criticizing claims of union with God and unveiled
discourse.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:9
label: mystic associated with divine identity speech
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: Hosein al Hallaj is cited in connection with the statement 'I am the Truth.'
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: clouds of return
literal_form: clouds
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: gates of Khaibar
literal_form: gates
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:3
label: veil before God
literal_form: veil
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:9
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:4
label: human body as divine manifestation form
literal_form: grosser bodies or form of certain men
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Deification of Ali and division of the Gholtes
summary: Abd'allah Ebn Saba is described as greeting Ali in a way interpreted as
calling him God, after which the Gholtes divide into groups making similar claims
about Ali or his descendants.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:2
label: Expected return in clouds
summary: Some adherents are described as saying that Ali or a descendant was not
dead and would return in clouds to fill the earth with justice.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Doctrine of divine descent and bodily appearance
summary: The passage describes beliefs in metempsychosis, divine descent on creatures,
and the appearance of spiritual substances or God in bodily or human form.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: Miracle of the gates of Khaibar used as proof
summary: Miraculous accounts of Ali moving the gates of Khaibar are presented as
arguments used to claim he possessed divinity and sovereign power.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:5
label: Mystical union claims criticized by al Ghazali
summary: Al Ghazali is quoted as criticizing people who boast of union with God
and unveiled discourse with him; Hallaj is cited in connection with the phrase
'I am the Truth.'
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:11
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: human leader deified as divine manifestation
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage repeatedly describes claims that Ali, his descendants, or other
mortal men are God, divine, or forms in which God appears.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The passage is polemical and reports the beliefs through hostile or critical
language.
- id: motif:2
label: hidden or undying ruler returns to establish justice
taxonomy_refs:
- return
basis: Some adherents are described as saying that Ali or a descendant was not dead
and would return in the clouds to fill the earth with justice.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not provide a full narrative of the return, only a doctrinal
report.
- id: motif:3
label: metempsychosis and descent of divinity into creatures
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Gholtes are described as unanimously holding metempsychosis and al Holl,
defined as the descent of God on his creatures.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The account is a summary of sectarian doctrine rather than a mythic episode.
- id: motif:4
label: mystical union with God and unveiled divine discourse
taxonomy_refs:
- annihilation_union
basis: Al Ghazali is quoted as describing people who boast of union with God and
direct discourse without a veil.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy reference is approximate; the passage reports criticized
claims rather than a developed union narrative.
- id: motif:5
label: miracle as proof of divine status
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage says stories of Ali moving the gates of Khaibar are used as proof
that he had a particle of divinity and sovereign power.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: Only one miracle example is given in the passage.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage explicitly compares claims about Ali to things said in scripture
of Christ, saying those scriptural things are applied to Ali.
claim_level: same_function
target: scriptural claims about Christ applied to Ali
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage gives no specific scriptural quotations, and the comparison
is framed polemically by the author.
- id: claim:2
claim: The passage states that Abd'allah Ebn Saba had asserted the same thing of
Joshua the son of Nun before applying the claim to Ali.
claim_level: same_motif
target: claim about Joshua the son of Nun paralleled with claim about Ali
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage does not explain the earlier assertion about Joshua beyond
saying it was the same thing.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 8205-8208
quote_or_summary: Certain groups are said to err by deifying mortal men and making
God corporeal, sometimes likening an Imam to God and sometimes likening God to
a creature.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: quote
locator: lines 8208-8214
quote_or_summary: Abd'allah Ebn Saba is described as a former Jew and ringleader;
he greets Ali, 'Thou art Thou,' interpreted as 'Thou art GOD,' and is said previously
to have asserted the same thing of Joshua son of Nun.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation used.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 8214-8218
quote_or_summary: Some groups are said to maintain that Ali or one of his descendants
was not dead, would return again in the clouds, and would fill the earth with
justice.
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 8218-8224
quote_or_summary: The Gholtes are said to hold metempsychosis and al Holl, described
as the descent of God on creatures, meaning God is present everywhere, speaks
with every tongue, and appears in an individual person.
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 8224-8235
quote_or_summary: The Nosairians and Ishkians are said to teach that spiritual substances,
angels, the devil, and God appear in grosser bodies or certain men; they attribute
divinity to Ali and his sons because God appeared in their form, spoke with their
tongue, and used their hands.
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 8235-8242
quote_or_summary: Miraculous things are told of Ali, including moving the gates
of Khaibar, and are used as proof that he had a particle of divinity and sovereign
power; the passage also reports claims that God created with Ali's hands and spoke
commands with his tongue.
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 8242-8245
quote_or_summary: The passage says these claims apply to Ali things that scripture
says of Christ.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: quote
locator: lines 8245-8254
quote_or_summary: Al Ghazali is quoted as saying some boast of 'an union with GOD'
and familiar discourse with him 'without the interposition of a veil'; Hallaj
is cited with the phrase 'I am the Truth.'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotations used.
confidence:
extraction: medium
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: The extraction is based only on the supplied passage. Confidence is reduced
because the passage is a hostile secondary note summarizing sectarian and mystical
claims rather than presenting primary mythic narrative.
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: |-
No taxonomy symbol refs were assigned because the available symbol list does not include clouds, gates, veil, or body/form.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg__l8205-l8254
passage_sha256=c017e02bcfc992a62976099ed5063ffe17ab1fc2a23280da9dec64d0c4644a74