Islamic sects in İkhwan Al-Safa booklets

This study focuses on assessing the Booklets authored by the Ikhwan al-Safa society which emerged in the midst of Abbasid social polarizations in Basra during the 4th/10th century, corresponding to the latest periods of Abbasids, from the perspective of the History of Islamic Sects. The members of this secret group, who labeled themselves as Ikhwan al-Safa, Khullan al-Wafa, Ahl al-Adl and Abna al-Khamd, combined their thoughts on the sects in their works, comprising 52 booklets, classified into four sections along with Risalatu al-Jamia. Introducing themselves as Shiite and Alevi, Ikhwan al-Safa claimed that they had no objection against any scientific disciplines, that they were not fanatics of any sects, that they had not abandoned any books, and that their thoughts and sects accounted for all sects and sciences. Nevertheless, they still heavily criticized those who disagreed with them. This study begins by examining the period of Ikhwan al-Safa from a political and socio-cultural religious perspective. The first section briefly mentions the works and authors of Ikhwan al-Safa. Many scholars have expressed their thoughts about which sect Ikhwan al-Safa was a part of. Accordingly, efforts have been made to reveal how Ikhwan al-Safa labeled themselves from a religious and sectarian perspective. Their efforts to spread the faith, as well as their invitational methods, were compared, and the relationship between Ikhwan al-Safa and Ismailiyyah was investigated. Furthermore, research was carried out to evaluate the similarities between their thoughts on the Seventh Imam, Mahdi, the Imamate-Caliphate and Ahl al-Bayt. In the second section, efforts are made to reveal the conflicts and incorrect ideas that have been proposed in relation to the reasons for the emergence of sects from the perspective of Ikhwan al-Safa, as well as the sects covered in Booklets. Furthermore, Ikhwan al-Safa's thoughts on these sects are presented.