Los Ijwān al-ṣafā’ contra el estado abasí. Acción política en relación con los diversos estados de su época

Abstract

This article studies the ideological identity of the authors of the Rasā’il Ikhwān al-Ṣafā’ and addresses the question of the authorship of the other works attributed to the Brethren of Purity (al-Risāla al-jāmi‘a and Jāmi‘at aljāmi‘a). Based on these theosophical works, it provides new evidence for the authors’ political stance against the Abbasid state and confirms their Shii inclination and opposition to the Abbasid caliphs of their time. These findings highlight the Ikhwān’s involvement in political activities through preaching the end of the “state of evil” (dawlat ahl al-sharr) and the beginning of the “state of good” (dawlat ahl al-khayr). It also contributes to the debate on the Ikhwān’s relation to other political opposition movements against the Abbasid reign and their links to the Shii states (Qarmatians, Buyids and Fatimids).