On Wine and Fālūdhaj: Questions of Literary Influence and Creativity in the Plagiarism Dispute between al-Sarī al-Raffāʾ and the Khālidī Brothers

Abstract

Abstract Any critical engagement with the controversial fourth/tenth century plagiarism dispute between the poet al-Sarī al-Raffāʾ and the two Khālidī brothers poses a challenge. This challenge applies to evaluations made by both medieval and modern scholars who address the parties’ arguments with a varying degree of depth. In this article, I attempt to assess the plagiarism allegations and their textual basis within the context of the poetic norms and practices prevalent during that period. Following a discussion of medieval and modern views of the arguments made by the two parties, I will conduct an in-depth analysis of a relevant poetic case to explore questions of literary influence and creativity related to this dispute. The results, disappointing as they may be, show that it is impossible to confidently identify the culprit(s) in this dispute, and yet they shed light on the intricacies of intertextuality in Abbasid-era poetry.