An Examination of Authenticity and Content: Demonstrating The Epistle on Nafs al-amr Attributed to Jurj(a)over-barn(i)over-bar as Having Been Taken from al-Samarqand(i)over-bar's al-Ma'(a)over-barrif*

Abstract

This article examines the authenticity of the alleged epistle on nafs al-amr which has been attributed to Sayyid Sharif Jurjani since at least 971 A.H. The research have confirmed that the alleged epistle does not belong to Jurjani, but rather it is an autonomous copy of a passage of Shams al-din al-Samarqandi's al-Ma'arif fi sharh al-Sahaif on nafs al-amr and its differentiation from the external world and the mind. Secondly, the study demonstrates the similarities and the distinctness between the philosophies of al-Samarqandi and Jurjani, with references to Jurjani's thoughts on nafs al-amr in his other books. Hence, it is argued that the alleged epistle is weak to represent Jurjani's thoughts on nafs al-amr. Thirdly, upon examining a great number of manuscripts, the article reveals that Jurjani himself or his students had probably copied the passage and written some notes on it. However, the manuscript was mistakenly attributed to Jurjani later on. Thus, certain considerations have been made regarding the probabilities of this historical error. Lastly, the article evaluates al-Samarqandi's thought on nafs al-amr based on the passage and shows the connection of al-Samarqandi's thoughts on nafs al-amr with the truth theory of propositions. Based on some discussions which are written in most of the al-Ma'arif's manuscripts, but absent from the published edition; it is discovered that al-Samarqandi has a new perspective on the debate on elements of propositions: dhat-'unwan-wasf and haqiqiyya propositions between al-Abhari and al-Tusi. As a result, the article points out the overwhelming need to publish and analyze the epistles on nafs al amr in a theoretical framework in order to uncover what Muslim philosophers have to say about the truth-maker theories.