Ikhwan AL-Safa

The Ikhwan Al Safa or Brethren of Purity were a highly secretive group of tenthcentury Shiite thinkers their identities remaining unclear even today. Renowned for creating the legendary Rasail Ikhwan alSafa an encyclopedia of philosophical sciences they proposed a coherent intellectual system that sought to reconcile human reasoning with prophetic revelation. This fascinating survey provides a clear objective and innovative introduction to the Brethren of Purity and their encyclopedic project showing its critical place in the history of Arabic science philosophy and literature.