Epistemology of İkhwān al-Safā' and intuitive knowledge

Knowledge has been a subject on which many thinkers have expressed their opinions throughout history. Among the Islamic philosophers, names such as al-Fārābī and Ibn Sīnā have come to the fore in terms of knowledge due to their views on sense and mind knowledge, revelation knowledge, and intuitive knowledge. One of the names that influenced the understanding of knowledge in the tradition of Islamic thought was a secret society that called themselves Ikhwān al-Ṣafā' (Brethren of Purity) and emerged in Basra in the tenth century. This community conveyed its views in many different fields, such as philosophy, religion, and politics, to people through the epistles they wrote. One of the main subjects of the Epistles of the Brethren of Purity who say that knowledge is the only way for man to resemble God and achieve happiness is the theory of knowledge. In this context, when the Epistles are examined, it is seen that the definition, purpose, sources, and types of knowledge are clearly expressed in the texts. The efforts to find a way between reason and intuition within the theories of knowledge carry Ikhwān al-Ṣafā' to an important position in the literature of Islamic philosophy. The Ikhwān's approach to intuition was influential in gaining a mystical identity to rational philosophy and gave direction to the thoughts of philosophers who came after them. In this research, Ikhwān's understanding of intuitive knowledge will be discussed and its place and importance in their theory of knowledge will be tried to be explained. In this direction, the views of the Ikhwān on the theory of knowledge and intuitive knowledge are presented to the reader's use with a descriptive method. Additionally, the views of philosophers such as Plato, al-Kindī, and al-Fārābī are also compared with the views of the Ikhwān.