batch.motif.sufi-rumi-mesnevi-book-1-redhouse-gutenberg-l2427-l2553
---
record_id: batch.motif.sufi-rumi-mesnevi-book-1-redhouse-gutenberg-l2427-l2553
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
passage_locator:
label: THE ACTS OF THE ADEPTS / CHAPTER I. / CHAPTER II. / CHAPTER III.; lines 2427-2553
start: '2427'
end: '2553'
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 contains an editorial historical note, followed by anecdotes
in which Jelāl teaches humility through tree imagery and the example of the Prophet,
bows to socially varied people including children and an Armenian butcher, declines
to answer detractors, intercedes successfully for a disciple involved in homicide,
preaches until only dogs remain and identifies them with the Seven Sleepers, and
answers requests for private and public instruction with images of burden, water,
and fruit-bearing trees.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Jelāl uses a contrast between fruitless trees that grow high and fruit-bearing
trees whose branches droop to teach self-abasement and humility.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The Apostle of God is presented as the most humble of men and as praying for
the guidance of those who harmed him.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Jelāl is described as humble and considerate toward all, especially children
and old women, and as bowing back to those who bowed to him, even non-Muslims.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: An Armenian butcher bows to Jelāl seven times, and Jelāl bows to him in return.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: Children leave their play to bow to Jelāl, and he waits for one child to arrive
before returning the bow.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:6
text: People circulate legal opinions against music, singing, and dancing, but Jelāl
makes no reply, and the writings are later forgotten.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: Jelāl writes to the Perwāna on behalf of a disciple involved in homicide and
answers the objection with a jest about a homicide being a son of ‘Azrā’īl, the
angel of death.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: The Perwāna pardons the culprit and pays the blood price to the heirs of the
slain man.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: After Jelāl preaches in the market until night, dogs gather in a circle around
him, wagging their tails and whining.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: Jelāl says the dogs understand his discourse and should be regarded as of
the family of the Seven Sleepers.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:11
text: Jelāl refuses the Perwāna’s request for private instruction, saying he cannot
bear the burden and comparing the matter to a bucket whose water is enough for
forty people but cannot be drained by one.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:12
text: When asked to lecture publicly to the city’s men of science, Jelāl compares
himself or his teaching to a fruit-laden tree once within reach but now raised
to the skies and beyond.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:13
text: When the Perwāna asks for counsel, Jelāl first asks whether he has memorized
the Qur’ān and studied a major work on jurisprudence.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Jelāl
description: Teacher, preacher, and central saintly figure in the anecdotes.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: The Apostle of God / Muhammed
description: Presented in Jelāl’s discourse as a supremely humble prophet who suffered
harm and prayed for his people.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Armenian butcher
description: A non-Muslim butcher who bows seven times to Jelāl and receives reciprocal
bows.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Children
description: Children playing who leave their game to bow to Jelāl; one child calls
for Jelāl to wait.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Detractors of Jelāl
description: People who speak and write against Jelāl and circulate legal opinions
against music, singing, and dancing.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Perwāna
description: Official or patron who receives Jelāl’s note, pardons a culprit, and
seeks instruction and counsel from Jelāl.
role_refs:
- role:8
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Disciple involved in homicide
description: A disciple for whom Jelāl intercedes after an act of homicide.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: "‘Azrā’īl"
description: The angel of death, named in Jelāl’s jest about a homicide as a son
of ‘Azrā’īl.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Dogs of the market-place
description: Dogs that gather around Jelāl after his market preaching and are said
by him to understand his discourse.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Seven Sleepers
description: A group invoked by Jelāl when he says the market dogs are of their
family.
role_refs:
- role:13
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Bahā’u-’d-Dīn / Sultan Veled
description: Jelāl’s son, who intercedes with Jelāl on the Perwāna’s behalf and
reflects on Jelāl’s saying.
role_refs:
- role:14
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: Men of science of the city
description: A group said to desire a public lecture from Jelāl.
role_refs:
- role:15
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
roles:
- id: role:1
label: humility teacher
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Jelāl lectures on self-abasement and humility through a tree parable.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: humble exemplar
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Jelāl is described as bowing to others, including children and non-Muslims.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: intercessor
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Jelāl writes to the Perwāna for a disciple involved in homicide.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:4
label: preacher of truths
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Jelāl preaches in the market and says even the dogs understand the truths
he expounds.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:5
label: prophetic model of humility
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The Apostle is described as more humble than any other prophet and forgiving
toward those who harmed him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:6
label: recipient of reciprocal bowing
assigned_to:
- fig:3
- fig:4
basis: Both the Armenian butcher and the children bow to Jelāl and are bowed to
in return.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:7
label: opponents
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: They speak and write against Jelāl and obtain legal opinions against practices
associated with him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:8
label: pardoning authority
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The Perwāna pardons the culprit and pays the blood price.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:9
label: seeker of instruction
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The Perwāna asks for private instruction, a public lecture, and counsel from
Jelāl.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:10
label: culprit-disciple
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The disciple is said to have been involved in homicide and to have taken
refuge elsewhere.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:11
label: angel of death reference
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: "‘Azrā’īl is identified parenthetically as the angel of death in Jelāl’s
repartee."
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:12
label: nonhuman hearers
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: The dogs gather around Jelāl and are said to comprehend his discourse.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:13
label: sacred comparison group
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: Jelāl says the dogs are of the family of the Seven Sleepers.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:14
label: son and intermediary
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: Bahā’u-’d-Dīn is named as Jelāl’s son and intercedes with him for the Perwāna.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:15
label: would-be audience
assigned_to:
- fig:12
basis: The men of science are described as desiring to hear Jelāl lecture publicly.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: fruit-bearing tree
literal_form: A tree that bears fruit and bends its branches downward.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
- id: sym:2
label: fruitless tall tree
literal_form: Pine, cypress, box, and other trees that bear no fruit and grow tall
and straight.
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:3
label: bowing
literal_form: Repeated reciprocal bowing between Jelāl and others.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:4
label: blood price
literal_form: Payment made by the Perwāna to the heirs of the slain man.
associated_figures:
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:5
label: circle of dogs
literal_form: Dogs gathered in a circle around Jelāl in the market-place.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:6
label: water in a bucket
literal_form: A bucket whose water is enough for forty but cannot be drained by
one.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:6
- fig:11
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:7
label: tree raised to the skies
literal_form: A fruit-laden tree that has raised its head to the skies and beyond.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:12
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Tree parable of humility
summary: Jelāl teaches that fruit-bearing trees droop while fruitless trees grow
tall, and applies this to humility and to the Apostle of God.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Reciprocal humility in public encounters
summary: Jelāl bows back to an Armenian butcher and to children, waiting for a late-arriving
child before returning the bow.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Silent response to detractors
summary: Opponents circulate condemnations of music, singing, and dancing, but Jelāl
does not reply, and their writings are later forgotten.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Intercession for a homicide
summary: Jelāl intercedes for a disciple involved in homicide, answers the Perwāna’s
objection with a jest about ‘Azrā’īl, and the Perwāna pardons the culprit and
pays the blood price.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Dogs as hearers of sacred discourse
summary: After Jelāl preaches in the market until night, dogs gather around him
and he declares that they understand his discourse and belong to the family of
the Seven Sleepers.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:9
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:6
label: Private instruction refused as unbearable burden
summary: The Perwāna seeks private instruction through Bahā’u-’d-Dīn, but Jelāl
says he cannot bear it and gives the image of a bucket of water sufficient for
forty.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:6
- fig:11
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:7
label: Public lecture refused through fruit-tree image
summary: The Perwāna asks for a lecture for the city’s men of science, and Jelāl
responds with the image of a fruit-laden tree once not harvested and now beyond
reach.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:6
- fig:11
- fig:12
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: scene:8
label: Request for counsel
summary: The Perwāna asks Jelāl for counsel, and Jelāl begins by asking about the
Perwāna’s memorization of the Qur’ān and study of jurisprudence.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:6
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Humility figured as fruitful downward-bending abundance
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The passage explicitly connects fruitful trees bending downward with humility
and applies the pattern to the Apostle and to Jelāl’s conduct.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference is broad; the passage presents a moral parable
rather than a full mythic narrative.
- id: motif:2
label: Saintly reciprocal humility toward outsiders and children
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: Jelāl bows back to an Armenian butcher and to children, including waiting
for a child to arrive before returning the bow.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: This is an ethical anecdote rather than a developed mythic cycle.
- id: motif:3
label: Merciful intercession transforms judgment
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
basis: Jelāl intercedes for a homicide, the Perwāna is pleased by his repartee,
pardons the culprit, and pays the blood price to the heirs.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The exchange is legal and social in literal terms; a sacred-exchange classification
is interpretive and should be reviewed.
- id: motif:4
label: Animals comprehend saintly teaching
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: Dogs gather around Jelāl after his market preaching, and he declares that
they understand his discourse and the truths he expounds.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The passage reports Jelāl’s assertion; it does not narrate independent
speech or action by the dogs beyond gathering and whining.
- id: motif:5
label: Nonhuman hearers linked to the Seven Sleepers
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Jelāl says the dogs should not be called dogs and identifies them as of the
family of the Seven Sleepers.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not explain the Seven Sleepers story; the link is explicit
but undeveloped here.
- id: motif:6
label: Esoteric instruction as burden beyond the recipient’s capacity
taxonomy_refs:
- initiation
- wisdom
basis: Jelāl refuses private instruction to the Perwāna, saying he cannot bear that
burden, and uses the image of a bucket sufficient for forty but not drainable
by one.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage does not describe an initiation ritual; the motif is inferred
from the language of capacity and instruction.
- id: motif:7
label: Rejected wisdom becomes unreachable fruit
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
- ascent
basis: Jelāl says that a fruit-laden tree was not harvested because of doubts and
gainsaying and has now raised its head to the skies and beyond.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The image is metaphorical; the ascent reference depends on the tree’s
described upward removal rather than a literal journey.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage explicitly associates the market dogs who hear Jelāl’s discourse
with the family of the Seven Sleepers.
claim_level: same_motif
target: Seven Sleepers tradition
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: Only the association is present in this passage; no details of the
Seven Sleepers narrative are supplied here.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 2442-2462
quote_or_summary: Jelāl lectures on humility by contrasting fruitless trees that
grow upright with fruit-bearing trees that droop, then presents the Apostle of
God as supremely humble and forgiving despite persecution.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 2463-2478
quote_or_summary: Jelāl is described as humble toward all; he bows back to an Armenian
butcher who bows seven times and waits to bow to a child who calls from afar.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 2479-2485
quote_or_summary: Detractors circulate legal opinions against music, singing, and
dancing; Jelāl makes no reply, and their writings are later forgotten while his
family and followers endure.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 2487-2495
quote_or_summary: Jelāl intercedes with the Perwāna for a disciple involved in homicide;
after a jest about the angel of death, the Perwāna pardons the culprit and pays
the blood price.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:5
type: quote
locator: lines 2497-2506
quote_or_summary: Dogs gather around Jelāl after his market preaching; he says,
“These dogs comprehend my discourse” and calls them “of the family of the ‘Seven
Sleepers.’”
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation used.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 2508-2517
quote_or_summary: The Perwāna asks for private instruction through Bahā’u-’d-Dīn;
Jelāl says he cannot bear the burden and compares it to a bucket whose water is
enough for forty but cannot be drained by one.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 2519-2528
quote_or_summary: Asked to lecture publicly to the city’s men of science, Jelāl
answers with an image of a fruit-laden tree once not harvested because of doubts
and now raised to the skies and beyond.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 2530-2553
quote_or_summary: The Perwāna asks Jelāl for instruction and counsel; Jelāl asks
whether he has memorized the Qur’ān and studied a major work on jurisprudence.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: Literal extraction is strong for the anecdotal sequence. Motif labels are
cautious because the passage is hagiographic and didactic rather than a single
myth narrative. The Seven Sleepers comparison is explicit in the passage but not
elaborated.
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: |-
The opening editorial historical note about Seljūq succession and anachronism was not used for motif extraction because it functions as source criticism rather than a symbolic or narrative episode in the anecdotes.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:sufi-rumi-mesnevi-book-1-redhouse-gutenberg__l2427-l2553
passage_sha256=1b6174493758ed3d85503ae90124a5879662f8afd5a475990aa33a482ab13caf