Doubts on the Attribution of al-Waraqāt to Imām al-Ḥaramayn al-Juwaynī: Materials for Pseudepigrapha Studies in an Islamic Context

Abstract Pseudepigraphy, namely the attribution of texts to people other than their authors, is a fascinating but complex area of philology. It involves carefully examining historical and literary evidence to determine the authenticity of attributions, a process that can be likened to traversing a winding road full of uncertainties. This article discusses reservations about the attribution of one of the most famous manuals of legal theory, al-Waraqāt fī uṣūl al-fiqh , to Imām al-Ḥaramayn al-Juwaynī (d. 478 AH / 1085 CE ). The article serves as a modest roadmap for philologists venturing into the labyrinth of pseudepigraphy in Islamic texts and aims to illustrate that pseudepigraphy is far from being a binary proposition. On the contrary, it offers a range of doubts, highlighting the variability of the arguments and the need for a nuanced analysis. More broadly, this contribution also provides an opportunity for further reflection on the relationship between a text and its author.