batch.motif.sufi-rumi-mesnevi-book-1-redhouse-gutenberg-l2823-l2930
---
record_id: batch.motif.sufi-rumi-mesnevi-book-1-redhouse-gutenberg-l2823-l2930
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 2823-2930
start: '2823'
end: '2930'
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 recounts several episodes concerning Jelāl: he straightens
a hunchback by touching him; he defends singing hymns during a saint''s funeral
as rejoicing at the soul''s release from the body; he miraculously rescues a young
pilgrim lost in the Arabian desert by appearing at a devotee''s tent and returning
him to his caravan when he closes and reopens his eyes; and he answers a learned
visitor''s theological questions about scriptural language concerning God, after
which the visitor becomes his disciple.'
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Jelāl asks a hunchback why he does not stand erect, pats and strokes his back,
and the man immediately stands upright and graceful.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The healed man's wife initially denies that he is her husband, but companions
testify about what happened and she admits him.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Jelāl is asked why he introduced hymn-singing into funeral processions despite
objections from canonists.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: Jelāl says ordinary reciters witness that the deceased lived as a Muslim,
while his singers witness that the deceased was also a believer and lover of God.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: Jelāl describes the human spirit as released after imprisonment in the body
and flying to its source and to the presence of the Eternal.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: A young pilgrim from Qonya reports falling asleep in the Arabian desert and
being left behind by his caravan.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: obs:7
text: The lost pilgrim finds a large tent with smoke, a kettle of sweetmeat, and
cool clear water, maintained by a disciple awaiting Jelāl's possible visit.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:8
text: Jelāl enters the tent, takes a small morsel, gives some to the young pilgrim,
and tells him to be of good cheer.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:9
text: Jelāl tells the young pilgrim to close his eyes; when the pilgrim opens them,
he is back among his caravan companions.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:10
text: A learned man tests Jelāl with questions about whether God can be called a
living soul or a thing in light of Qur’ānic verses.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:11
text: Jelāl answers by interpreting 'Thy soul' as knowledge, absentness, or secrecy,
and by distinguishing created things that perish from the Creator.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: obs:12
text: After Jelāl answers, the learned man professes himself a disciple and composes
a panegyric.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Jelāl / Jelālu-’d-Dīn of Qonya
description: The central holy man and teacher who heals, explains funeral practice,
appears in the desert episode, miraculously returns the pilgrim to his caravan,
and answers theological questions.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:12
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: The hunchbacked man
description: An infirm man whose hunch is removed after Jelāl pats and strokes his
back.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Wife of the healed man
description: The wife who at first refuses admittance to the transformed man, then
accepts him after testimony from companions.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Companions of the healed man
description: Companions who witness to the wife about the hunchback's transformation.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: The deceased saint or Muslim lover of God
description: The dead person discussed in Jelāl's explanation of burial hymns, described
as a Muslim, believer, lover of God, and saint whose death occasions rejoicing.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Funeral reciters and singers
description: Ordinary reciters and Jelāl's singers who perform at funerary rites
and testify to the status of the deceased.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Young pilgrim from Qonya
description: A handsome young man, son of a chief professor, who is separated from
the caravan in the Arabian desert and later becomes a disciple after Jelāl's miraculous
aid.
role_refs:
- role:9
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:10
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Caravan companions
description: The pilgrim's caravan companions, from whom he is separated and among
whom he later reappears.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:10
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Desert tent host
description: A formidable-looking personage and disciple of Jelāl who keeps a tent,
food, and water ready in hope that Jelāl may visit.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Learned visitor
description: A man of great learning who tests Jelāl with theological questions,
then becomes his disciple and composes a panegyric.
role_refs:
- role:13
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:13
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Jesus
description: Jesus is cited within the learned man's Qur’ānic question about the
phrase 'Thy soul.'
role_refs:
- role:14
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: God
description: The divine referent in Jelāl's theological explanations and in the
description of the soul's return to the Eternal.
role_refs:
- role:15
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:11
- ev:12
roles:
- id: role:1
label: holy teacher and adept
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Jelāl is presented as the teacher whose acts and sayings structure the episodes.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:9
- ev:12
- id: role:2
label: miracle worker
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He heals the hunchback and returns the lost pilgrim to his caravan after
the closing and opening of eyes.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:10
- id: role:3
label: theological interpreter
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He interprets scriptural phrases in response to a learned man's questions.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: role:4
label: healed infirm person
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: His hunch is removed after Jelāl touches his back.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:5
label: initial non-recognizer
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: She denies that the transformed man is her husband until companions testify.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:6
label: witnesses to transformation
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: They bear witness to the wife about what happened.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:7
label: saintly deceased / lover of God
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Jelāl says his singers testify that the deceased was a Muslim, believer,
and lover of God, and likens a saint's death to release from prison.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:8
label: ritual witnesses
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Reciters and singers are described as bearing testimony about the deceased
during burial rites.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:9
label: lost pilgrim
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: He falls asleep, is left by the caravan, and wanders alone in trackless sands.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:10
label: new disciple
assigned_to:
- fig:7
- fig:10
basis: Both the rescued pilgrim and the learned visitor profess themselves disciples
after their encounters with Jelāl.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:13
- id: role:11
label: lost-and-found community
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: The caravan leaves the pilgrim behind and is later the group among whom he
reappears.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:10
- id: role:12
label: devotional host
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: He keeps a tent and prepares food for Jelāl in hope of receiving him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:13
label: examiner of wisdom
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: He asks Jelāl two theological questions by way of a test.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: role:14
label: scriptural speaker cited in question
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: Jesus is mentioned as the speaker of a Qur’ānic phrase under discussion.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: role:15
label: divine source and Creator
assigned_to:
- fig:12
basis: Jelāl speaks of the soul flying to the Eternal and distinguishes the Creator
from created things that perish.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:12
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: body as cage and dungeon
literal_form: The body is described as a cage and dungeon imprisoning the human
spirit for years.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:2
label: soul flight to source
literal_form: The spirit is said to be set free and to wing its flight to the source
from which it came and to the presence of the Eternal.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:12
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:3
label: funeral hymns, rejoicing, and dancing
literal_form: Hymn-singing in the funeral procession is defended as an occasion
for rejoicing, thanks, and dancing.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: sym:4
label: trackless desert
literal_form: The Arabian desert and trackless sands where the pilgrim is separated
from the caravan.
associated_figures:
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:5
label: hospitality tent with smoke, food, and water
literal_form: A large tent marked by smoke, containing fresh-cooked sweetmeat and
cool clear water prepared for Jelāl.
associated_figures:
- fig:7
- fig:9
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: sym:6
label: closed and opened eyes
literal_form: The pilgrim closes his eyes at Jelāl's command and opens them to find
himself back with the caravan.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:7
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: sym:7
label: cypress-like uprightness
literal_form: The healed man rises erect and graceful as a cypress after Jelāl touches
him.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Healing of the hunchback
summary: Jelāl approaches an infirm hunchback, touches and strokes his back, and
the man immediately becomes upright; his wife recognizes him only after companions
testify.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Defense of hymns at burial
summary: Jelāl responds to criticism of funeral hymn-singing by saying the singers
testify that the deceased was a believer and lover of God, and by describing a
saint's death as the soul's release and ascent.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:12
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:3
label: Desert rescue of the lost pilgrim
summary: A young pilgrim left behind by his caravan wanders in the desert, finds
a devotee's tent prepared for Jelāl, encounters Jelāl there, and is returned to
the caravan after closing and reopening his eyes.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: scene:4
label: Theological test and conversion
summary: A learned man tests Jelāl with questions about scriptural language for
God; Jelāl answers through interpretive distinctions, after which the man becomes
his disciple.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:10
- fig:11
- fig:12
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
- ev:13
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Miraculous healing by saintly touch
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Jelāl's patting and stroking of the hunchback's back immediately removes
the deformity and restores uprightness.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents the event as a saintly act, but no broader comparative
taxonomy reference is supplied for healing miracles.
- id: motif:2
label: Death of the saint as release and ascent
taxonomy_refs:
- ascent
- return
basis: Jelāl explains the saint's death as the spirit's release from bodily imprisonment
and flight back to its source and the presence of the Eternal.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The passage emphasizes release, return, and ascent; it does not explicitly
describe bodily resurrection or reincarnation.
- id: motif:3
label: Funeral rejoicing for holy death
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Hymns, rejoicings, thanks, and dancing are defended as proper for the death
of a saint because the soul is released.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: This is a ritual explanation within the passage rather than a full mythic
narrative.
- id: motif:4
label: Lost traveler rescued through miraculous relocation
taxonomy_refs:
- mystical_quest
- return
basis: The pilgrim is lost in the desert, meets Jelāl, closes his eyes at Jelāl's
command, and opens them among his caravan companions.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:9
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not describe the mechanism of transport beyond the command
to close and open the eyes.
- id: motif:5
label: Devotee's prepared hospitality for a holy visitor
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
basis: The desert host prepares a tent, food, and water daily for Jelāl in hope
that the saint may honor and bless him by accepting hospitality.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: The sacred exchange is devotional and hospitable; no formal covenant or
reciprocal bargain is described.
- id: motif:6
label: Wisdom test answered by inspired interpretation
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: A learned visitor poses scriptural-theological tests, and Jelāl answers immediately
with interpretive explanations that lead the man to discipleship.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
- ev:13
confidence: high
cautions: The passage frames this as theological learning rather than a riddle contest
or mythic trial.
- id: motif:7
label: Encounter leading to discipleship
taxonomy_refs:
- initiation
basis: Both the rescued pilgrim and the learned man profess themselves disciples
after experiencing Jelāl's miraculous aid or authoritative answer.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:13
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage states discipleship but gives little detail about formal initiation
rites.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: Jelāl explicitly compares the death of a saint to a prisoner released from
a dungeon and clothed with honor; both function as occasions for rejoicing.
claim_level: same_function
target: prisoner released from dungeon analogy within the passage
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: This is an internal analogy stated by the passage, not evidence of
historical contact with another tradition.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 2823-2827
quote_or_summary: Jelāl asks the hunchback why he does not stand erect, then pats
and strokes his back; the man immediately rises erect and graceful as a cypress.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 2828-2832
quote_or_summary: The healed man's wife denies he is her husband until companions
bear witness to what happened, after which she admits him.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 2836-2843
quote_or_summary: Jelāl is asked why he introduced hymn-singing into burial processions,
a practice criticized as an innovation by canonists.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: quote
locator: lines 2844-2848
quote_or_summary: "“My singers, however, testify that he was a Muslim, a believer
and a lover of God.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 2849-2858
quote_or_summary: Jelāl says the human spirit is freed from the cage and dungeon
of the body, flies to its source and the Eternal, and that a saint's death is
like a prisoner released from a dungeon, making rejoicing proper.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 2862-2867
quote_or_summary: A chief disciple says a company of pilgrims from Mekka came to
Qonya with a handsome young man from that city, son of a chief professor.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 2870-2878
quote_or_summary: The young man recounts falling asleep in the Arabian desert, being
left by the caravan, waking alone in trackless sands, and wandering exhausted.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 2879-2892
quote_or_summary: He finds a large tent with smoke, a formidable host, a kettle
of sweetmeat, and cool clear water; the host says he is Jelāl's disciple and prepares
hospitality in hope of Jelāl's visit.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 2893-2899
quote_or_summary: Jelāl enters while the host is speaking, takes a small morsel,
gives some to the pilgrim, hears that he has missed the caravan, and reassures
him as a fellow townsman.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: lines 2899-2905
quote_or_summary: Jelāl tells the pilgrim to close his eyes; when he opens them
he is among his caravan companions, later returning safely to give thanks and
become a disciple.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: lines 2908-2918
quote_or_summary: A learned man tests Jelāl with questions about calling God 'a
living soul' or 'a thing,' citing Qur’ānic verses and a saying attributed to Jesus.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: lines 2920-2928
quote_or_summary: Jelāl answers that 'Thy soul' means knowledge, absentness, or
secrecy; he also says God may be called a thing and that 'Every thing shall perish'
means every created thing, not the Creator.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:13
type: summary
locator: lines 2929-2930
quote_or_summary: The learned man immediately professes himself a disciple and composes
a panegyric on Jelāl.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: The narrative actions and speeches are explicit in the passage. Motif taxonomy
assignment is cautious because several motifs, such as healing by touch and funeral
rejoicing, lack exact supplied taxonomy labels.
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 provided passage text and metadata. Taxonomy references are limited to supplied motif families and symbols.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:sufi-rumi-mesnevi-book-1-redhouse-gutenberg__l2823-l2930
passage_sha256=4d2f1f5eb98c5e99106b4dc2e9804cdfd59c72e07f580e2dd6bb50c3ff45df10