batch.motif.sufi-rumi-mesnevi-book-1-redhouse-gutenberg-l13790-l13899
---
record_id: batch.motif.sufi-rumi-mesnevi-book-1-redhouse-gutenberg-l13790-l13899
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
passage_locator:
label: IN THE NAME OF GOD, / THE ALL-MERCIFUL, THE VERY-COMPASSIONATE. / VIII. /
XIII.; lines 13790-13899
start: '13790'
end: '13899'
translation: The Mesnevi
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: The passage teaches that lust and sin are like an inner hell-born fire
that ordinary water cannot quench, but divine or religious light and piety can
restrain. It then narrates a fire in the days of ‘Umer that water and vinegar
fail to extinguish; ‘Umer explains it as burning by divine command because the
people’s almsgiving lacks sincere love of God, and directs them to distribute
bread without avarice or ostentation. A following section presents ‘Alī conquering
a champion in battle, then dropping his raised sword when the foe spits in his
face. The spared foe questions and praises him, comparing his generosity to Moses’
cloud that supplied quails and manna. The passage closes by recalling divine provision
in Moses’ time and promising spiritual nourishment to Ahmed’s people who trust
in the Lord.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Lust is described as the root of frailty, sin, misdeeds, and mistrusts, and
as a fire that may carry a person to hell.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Material outer fire is said to be put out by water, while the fire of lust
cannot be quenched by water.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The passage says religion’s light and the light of God can extinguish the
fire of lust or sin.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:4
text: The speaker says that adding fuel keeps a fire burning, while withholding
fuel lets it go out; piety similarly reduces lust.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: A conflagration in the days of ‘Umer consumes stones, buildings, households,
nests, and nestlings.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: Water, cisterns, and vinegar are used against the conflagration, but the fire
grows fiercer.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: The people go to the Caliph’s gate in wonder that water does not abate the
fire.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: "‘Umer tells the people that the fire burns by divine command and is connected
with their frugality; he instructs them to distribute bread and avoid avarice."
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: The people answer that their doors have been open and that they have practiced
almsgiving.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:10
text: "‘Umer replies that their giving has been outward custom, pride, and ostentation
rather than love of God, charity, pity, or duty."
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:11
text: "‘Umer advises them to distinguish friend and foe to divine truth and to seek
out God’s saints rather than leaving them to starve."
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:12
text: "‘Alī has conquered a champion in battle and raises his sword to kill him."
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:13
text: The conquered champion spits in ‘Alī’s face.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:14
text: "‘Alī immediately drops his sword and leaves the spitter unharmed."
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:15
text: The spared foe is astonished and asks why ‘Alī dropped the sword and spared
him.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:16
text: The foe praises ‘Alī as God’s Lion and compares his generosity to Moses’ cloud,
from which quails and manna poured forth.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:17
text: Moses’ cloud is said to have sent down prepared food in plenty by God’s command.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:18
text: Daily bread is said to have continued for forty years, though the people later
demanded leeks and onions.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:19
text: Ahmed’s people are addressed as promised spiritual blessings until the last
judgment and are told that whoever trusts in the Lord will be fed.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:20
text: Accepting the promise without twisting its words is described as finding it
in the mouth as sweet as milk and honey.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Lust
description: A passion or desire described metaphorically as hell-born fire and
as the root of frailty, sin, misdeeds, and mistrusts.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: "‘Umer"
description: A Caliph to whom the people come during a conflagration; he interprets
the fire and instructs them about sincere giving.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: People of Medīna or afflicted householders
description: People affected by the fire who try water and vinegar, come to the
Caliph, and claim they have been lavish in almsgiving.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: "‘Alī"
description: Named as God’s Lion; he conquers a champion, drops his sword after
being spat upon, and leaves the foe unharmed.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Conquered champion
description: A defeated foe who spits in ‘Alī’s face, is spared, becomes astonished,
and questions ‘Alī’s motive.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: God
description: Named as the source of light that extinguishes sin, the one whose command
causes or governs events, and the one who feeds those who trust in the Lord.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Moses
description: Associated with a cloud that sends quails, manna, and prepared food
by God’s command.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Ahmed’s people
description: An addressed community promised spiritual blessings until the last
judgment and divine feeding for trust in the Lord.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
roles:
- id: role:1
label: Caliph and moral interpreter
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: "‘Umer receives the people at his gate, explains the fire as divine command,
and gives moral instructions about bread, avarice, and sincere charity."
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:2
label: Afflicted community
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The people suffer the conflagration, attempt to extinguish it, and seek the
Caliph’s explanation.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:3
label: Forbearing warrior
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: "‘Alī is victorious and armed, but drops the sword and spares the foe after
being insulted."
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:4
label: Defeated provocateur and questioner
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The champion spits in ‘Alī’s face, is spared, and then asks why ‘Alī has
abandoned the killing stroke.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:5
label: Divine source of command, light, and provision
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The passage attributes the quenching of sin to God’s light, the fire’s burning
to divine command, and promised feeding to the Lord.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:9
- id: role:6
label: Exemplar associated with providential food
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Moses’ cloud is described as sending quails, manna, and prepared food by
God’s command.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:7
label: Recipients of promised spiritual nourishment
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Ahmed’s people are directly addressed as promised spiritual blessings and
divine feeding if they trust in the Lord.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Fire
literal_form: Outer fire, the fire of lust, the fire of sin, and the Medīna conflagration.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: sym:2
label: Water
literal_form: Water and exhausted cisterns used against fire; also water that cannot
quench lust.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: sym:3
label: Divine or religious light
literal_form: Religion’s light, God’s light, and Abraham’s light as what can extinguish
sin or protect from lust-fire.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:4
label: Bread and almsgiving
literal_form: Bread to be distributed, riches as seed, and alms given outwardly
or sincerely.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: Sword
literal_form: "‘Alī’s raised sword, dropped when the foe spits in his face."
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: sym:6
label: Moses’ cloud, quails, and manna
literal_form: A cloud associated with Moses that sends down quails, manna, and prepared
food.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:7
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: sym:7
label: Milk and honey
literal_form: Milk and honey as a sweetness found in the mouth when the divine promise
is accepted without twisting.
associated_figures:
- fig:8
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs:
- milk
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Teaching on lust as fire
summary: The passage distinguishes ordinary fire from the inner fire of lust, saying
water cannot quench lust but divine light and piety can reduce it.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: "‘Umer interprets the Medīna fire"
summary: A destructive fire resists water and vinegar. The people go to ‘Umer, who
attributes the fire to divine command and diagnoses their giving as outward and
ostentatious rather than sincere.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:3
label: "‘Alī drops the sword"
summary: After conquering a champion and being spat upon, ‘Alī drops his raised
sword and spares the foe, prompting the foe’s astonished questions and praise.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:4
label: Providential nourishment and spiritual promise
summary: The passage recalls Moses’ cloud supplying food by God’s command, then
addresses Ahmed’s people with a promise of spiritual blessings and divine feeding
for those who trust in the Lord.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Inner destructive passion as unquenchable fire
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: Lust and sin are described as fire that water cannot extinguish, requiring
divine light, piety, and withholding of fuel.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents this as moral and mystical instruction rather than
as a narrative mythic episode.
- id: motif:2
label: Disaster interpreted as divine moral correction
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: The conflagration is said to burn by divine command because of the people’s
frugality and defective almsgiving.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The passage emphasizes moral diagnosis and charity; it does not present
a formal court-like judgment scene.
- id: motif:3
label: Sincere giving over ostentatious charity
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
- wisdom
basis: "‘Umer distinguishes outward almsgiving driven by pride from giving done
out of love of God, charity, pity, and duty."
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy label sacred_exchange is applied cautiously because the passage
concerns proper religious giving, not an explicit reciprocal bargain.
- id: motif:4
label: Mercy suspending violence after provocation
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: "‘Alī drops his sword and spares the defeated foe after the foe spits in
his face."
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The supplied excerpt does not include ‘Alī’s own explanation, so the exact
motive for the restraint remains within the foe’s question and the section title.
- id: motif:5
label: Providential nourishment for trust
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: Moses’ cloud provides food by God’s command, and Ahmed’s people are told
that those who trust in the Lord will be fed and receive spiritual blessings.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: The passage treats the nourishment partly literally in the Moses example
and partly spiritually in the address to Ahmed’s people.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage explicitly contrasts outer material fire with the inner fire
of lust, assigning them similar imagery but different means of extinguishing.
claim_level: same_function
target: Outer fire compared with inner lust-fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: This is an internal comparison within the passage, not evidence of
historical relationship with another tradition.
- id: claim:2
claim: The Medīna conflagration is presented as a fire with moral-divine significance,
fitting the function of a divine-correction or divine-judgment pattern.
claim_level: same_function
target: divine_judgment motif family
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage frames the event through ‘Umer’s teaching; it does not
describe a full mythic judgment narrative.
- id: claim:3
claim: The defeated foe explicitly compares ‘Alī’s generosity to Moses’ cloud that
provided quails and manna.
claim_level: same_function
target: Moses’ cloud providing quails and manna
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The comparison is rhetorical praise within the speech of the spared
foe.
- id: claim:4
claim: The promise to Ahmed’s people is linked to the same providential-feeding
pattern recalled in the account of Moses’ cloud.
claim_level: same_function
target: Providential feeding through Moses’ cloud and promised spiritual nourishment
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The Moses example concerns food supplied in the wilderness, while the
later promise is explicitly spiritual blessing.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 13790-13804
quote_or_summary: Lust is called the root of sin and likened to fire; water quenches
outer fire but not lust, while religion’s light and God’s light can extinguish
sin.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain; source metadata indicates full text allowed.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 13805-13812
quote_or_summary: The speaker warns not to pile fuel on the flame and says that
withholding fuel lets fire go out; piety brings lust down.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain; source metadata indicates full text allowed.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 13813-13824
quote_or_summary: A fire in the days of ‘Umer consumes stones, buildings, households,
nests, and nestlings; water, cisterns, and vinegar fail to abate it and the fire
grows fiercer.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain; source metadata indicates full text allowed.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 13825-13834
quote_or_summary: The people come to the Caliph’s gate; ‘Umer says the fire burns
by divine command from their frugal hand and tells them to distribute bread and
avoid avarice; they claim they have always given alms.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain; source metadata indicates full text allowed.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 13835-13844
quote_or_summary: "‘Umer says their giving has been formal and ostentatious rather
than from love of God, charity, pity, or duty; he tells them to use riches rightly
and seek God’s saints."
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain; source metadata indicates full text allowed.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 13845-13858
quote_or_summary: "‘Alī conquers a champion and raises his sword; the champion spits
in his face, and ‘Alī drops the sword and leaves him unharmed."
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain; source metadata indicates full text allowed.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 13859-13873
quote_or_summary: The spared foe asks why ‘Alī abandoned the killing stroke, praises
him as God’s Lion, and likens his generosity to Moses’ cloud pouring forth quails
and manna.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain; source metadata indicates full text allowed.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 13874-13887
quote_or_summary: Moses’ cloud is described as sending prepared food by God’s command;
daily bread continued for forty years, though the people demanded leeks and onions.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain; source metadata indicates full text allowed.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 13888-13899
quote_or_summary: Ahmed’s people are promised spiritual blessings until the last
judgment; whoever trusts in the Lord will be fed, and accepting the promise is
described as sweet as milk and honey.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain; source metadata indicates full text allowed.
confidence:
extraction: medium
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: Extraction is based only on the supplied English passage. Line subranges
are approximate subdivisions within the provided canonical range. Some motif labels,
especially sacred_exchange and divine_judgment, are cautious taxonomy mappings
from explicit moral language in the passage.
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: '2026-04-29'
notes: |-
Passage includes didactic verse, embedded headings, and bracketed note numbers. No external sources were used.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:sufi-rumi-mesnevi-book-1-redhouse-gutenberg__l13790-l13899
passage_sha256=0bedc9e3c440fad9efa8975658c2c84a9ced46a04302bad4d4a5168c87efcd16