Brothers of Purity

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13th century Arabic book illustration

The so-called Brothers of Purity or Honest Brothers ( Arabic اخوان الصفا Ikhwan al-Safa , DMG Iḫwān Al-Safa ) were a mostly of Iranians existing Muslim philosophical, religious and political groups, the first in the 2nd half of the 10th century (about 970) in Basra occurred and a branch in Baghdad had . Its members "exchanged opinions on religious knowledge, the history of peoples, religious laws and religions".

This secret group of scholars well versed in the usual sciences and skills of their time left behind many works, the most important of which is the encyclopedic Rasa'il ichwan as-safa (full name Rasa'il ichwan as-safa wa-chillan al-wafa ) in 52 articles , which deals with a wide range of different topics - from music to magic, from natural to religious studies, from rational to social topics - and "sought to unite Islam with the then state of philosophy and the exact sciences. . "

Members

Various considerations have been made about the members of the group. Renowned personalities assigned to her include Zaid ibn al-Rifa'i and "the trinity of arch heretics in Islam" (as-Subki) Abu l-'Ala al-Ma'arri , Ibn ar-Rawandi (approx. 825-910) and Abu Hayyan at-Tawhidi (d. 1023).

al-Ghazali is considered to be influenced by the group, including Raschid ad-Din Sinan ibn Sulayman (the so-called Old Man of the Mountains ), the head of the assassins in Syria .

Omar Chajjam , the disciple of Avicenna (Ibn Sina), came close to Ichwan as-Safa in his thinking and his arguments .

Four ranking groups (by age)

Its members were divided into four ranking groups:

  1. The first group, known as the "kind righteous brothers" ( al-abrār wa-r-Ruhamā ), consisted of talented beginners between the ages of 15 and 30.
  2. The next higher group of the age group from 30 to 40 were the "knowing and excellent brothers" ( al-achyār wa-l-fudalā ' ), who had to have high qualities such as generosity, friendliness and reliability.
  3. The third group, the "noble and excellent brothers" ( al-fudalā 'al-kirām ), consisted of members aged 40 to 50. They had to be well versed in the law and defend the truth.
  4. People over 50 belonged to the fourth group - the level of the wise and perfect ( al-martabat al-malakiyya ).

Main work (Rasa'il Ichwan as-Safa ')

The work Rasa'il Ichwan as-Safa or Rasa'il ichwan as-safa 'wa-chillan al-wafa ( Arabic رسائل إخوان الصفاء وخلان الوفا, DMG Rasāʾil Iḫwān aṣ-Ṣafāʾ wa-Ḫullān al-Wafā ) has been her most important. It contains 52 articles (rasa'il), each relating to a specific science, from natural to religious studies, or dealing with rational and social topics.

The work was understood as the “foundation of humanism in classical universalism”.

Research history

The German scholar Friedrich Dieterici (1821–1903) worked intensively on this major work of the group for over 30 years. His writings have been translated into many languages.

Under the title The Epistles of the Brethren of Purity , the work is currently being re-edited by Oxford University Press in conjunction with the Institute of Ismaili Studies , London , by several authors in a bilingual series with an Arabic critical edition and an annotated English translation.

Works

expenditure

  • Ikwan al-Safa '. Rasa'il Ikhwan al-Safa 'wa Khullan al Wafa'. Beirut: Dar Sadir, 1957.

Translations

  • As-Safa (Safa), I (k) hwan: humans and animals before the king of the jinn. From the writings of the Louder Brothers of Basra . ed. u. trans. v. Alma Giese, approx. 200 p. Hamburg: Felix Meiner, 1990. Court hearing about the problem of whether people are allowed to act as rulers over animals.
  • As-Safa, Ichwan: Man and Beast before the King of the Djins From the writings of the Lauteren Brothers of Basra. Ed. Erdmann 2005 ISBN 978-3-86503-033-7
  • Epistles of the Brethren of Purity. On Logic. An Arabic Critical Edition and English Translation of Epistles 10-14 . Edited and translated by Carmela Baffioni . Oxford University Press, Oxford 2010. Review by Peter Adamson in: Journal of Islamic Studies 2011, online .
  • The Rasail Ikhwan as-Safa

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Ph. K. Hitti : History of the Arabs , 8. A., 1964, p. 372: "a philosophical but also a religio-political association with ultra-Shīʿite, probably Ismāʿīlite, views".
  2. a b german.irib.ir: The Islamic Culture and Civilization in the Course of History (30) ( IRIB broadcast manuscript of November 24, 2011)
  3. Brockhaus' Kleines Konversations-Lexikon, fifth edition, volume 2. Leipzig 1911., p. 28.
  4. cf. Seyyed Hossein Nasr : An Introduction to Islamic Cosmological Doctrines: Conceptions of Nature and Methods Used for Its Study by the Ikhwan Al-Safa, Al-Biruni, and Ibn Sina. State University of New York Press 1993, p. 25 ( online excerpt ) & iis.ac.uk: The Ikhwan al-Safa 'and their Rasa'il: An Introduction (Nader El-Bizri)
  5. Ph. K. Hitti : History of the Arabs , 1964, p. 373: "the trinity of archheretics in Islam", according to as-Subki , Ṭabaqat al-shāfiʿiya al-kubra
  6. Qarmatians and Ihwan as-Safa ' ( Memento of the original from November 3, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Book presentation)  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.tup-verlag.com
  7. s. Dieterici (1858–1879 and 1884–1886) / F. DIETERICI, The Philosophy of the Arabs in the Xth Century, 1865 ff. - The treatises of Ichwân es safâ, 1883 ff .; see. The dispute between man and animal, an Arabic fairy tale from the writings of the honest brothers, translated and with a treatise on this order (1858)
  8. iis.ac.uk: Epistles of the Brethren of Purity Series ( Memento of the original from May 26, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.iis.ac.uk
Brothers of Purity (alternative names of the lemma)
Ikhwān aṣ-Ṣafā; Iḫwān aṣ-ṣafāʾ; Ichwan as-Safa; Ichwān al-ṣafā; Ichwān al-ṣafā; Honest Brothers of Basra; Brothers of purity; Brothers of sincerity and loyal friends; Honest Brothers; Ichwân al-Ssafâ