A Perusal of the Thought of Ikhwān al-Ṣafā with an Attitude of Philosophy as a Way of Life

Document Type : Original Article

Author

PhD of Kalam and Philosophy of Religion,Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran,Iran

10.22081/nir.2026.69989.1461

Abstract

Many scholars have so far addressed the nature of Islamic philosophy, each of which has been influenced by the dominant approaches in the field of Islamic thought studies. However, alongside these a priori intellectual movements, new approaches to Islamic philosophy have also emerged and received attention. In this study, the author attempts to present a new perusal of philosophical texts based on the implication of “philosophy as a way of life” by criticizing conventional approaches. To this end, after explaining this concept and its legal standing among Muslim philosophers, the Treatises (Rasā’il) of Ikhwān al-Ṣafā (the Brethren of Purity) have been selected as a case study for further study and research. In these treatises, Ikhwān al-Ṣafā present a coherent philosophical system, outlining a philosophical discourse that reflects their monotheistic way of life. It seems that the Ikhwān's understanding of philosophy in the Islamic world is based on a holistic system whose ultimate goal is to achieve happiness and salvation of the soul.

Highlights

ابراهیمی دینانی، غلامحسین. (1389). ماجرای فکر فلسفی در جهان اسلام. تهران: طرح نو.

ابراهیمی دینانی، غلامحسین. (1389). درخشش ابن رشد در حکمت مشاء. تهران: نشر علم.

اخوان‌الصفا (1403). رساله‌های اخوان‌الصفا. ترجمهٔ محمدعلی عسگری. تهران: مولی.

اشتراوس، لئو  (1400). مقدمه‌ای سیاسی بر فلسفه. ترجمهٔ یاشار جبرانی. تهران: آگه.

رحمتی، ان‌شاءالله (1389) .پیشگفتار در ابن‌سینا و تمثیل عرفانی. اثر هانری کربن. تهران: سوفیا.

فارابی، محمد بن محمد (1384) .سعادت از نگاه فارابی. ترجمهٔ دو کتاب تحصیل السعاده و کتاب التنبیه علی سبیل، ترجمهٔ علی‌اکبر جابری مقدم. قم: دارالهدی.

کربن، هانری (1388). تاریخ فلسفه اسلامی. ترجمه جواد طباطبایی. تهران: کویر.

کربن، هانری (1391) .چشم‌اندازهای فلسفی و معنوی اسلام ایران. مقدمه، ترجمه و توضیح ان‌شاءالله رحمتی. تهران: سوفیا.

کندی، ابویوسف یعقوب بن اسحاق (1387) .مجموعه رسائل فلسفی کندی. ترجمه سیدمحمود یوسف ثانی. تهران: شرکت انتشارات علمی و فرهنگی.

لیمن، اولیور (1389).مقدمه‌ای در تاریخ فلسفهٔ اسلامی. ترجمهٔ حسین معماری. تهران: مؤسسهٔ انتشارات حکمت.

Adamson, Peter (2007). Al-Kindi. England: Oxford University Press.

Adamson, Peter (2021). Al-Rāzī. England: Oxford University Press.

Chase, M. (2024). “Pierre Hadot and His Critics on Spiritual Exercises and Cosmic Consciousness: From Ancient Philosophy to Contemporary Neurology.” In Marta Faustino & Helder Teli (Eds.), Hadot and Foucault on Ancient Philosophy. Leiden: Brill.

Davidson, Arnold I. (1995). “Pierre Hadot and Spiritual Phenomenon of Ancient Philosophy.” In Pierre Hadot, Philosophy as a Way of Life: Spiritual Exercises from Socrates to Foucault. Trans. M. Chase. New Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell.

Foucault, Michel (2005). The Hermeneutics of the Subject: Lectures at the Collège de France 1981–1982. Trans. G. Burchell. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Gutas, Dimitri (2002). “The Study of Arabic Philosophy in the Twentieth Century: An Essay on the Historiography of Arabic Philosophy.” British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, 29(1), 5–25.

Hadot, Pierre (1995). Philosophy as a Way of Life: Spiritual Exercises from Socrates to Foucault. Trans. M. Chase. New Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell.

Hadot, Pierre (2002). What Is Ancient Philosophy? Trans. M. Chase. London: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.

Hodgson, Marshall G. S. (1974). The Venture of Islam: Conscience and History in a World Civilization, Volume One. London: University of Chicago Press.

Leaman, Oliver (1985). An Introduction to Medieval Islamic Philosophy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Netton, I. R. (2009). “Private Caves and Public Islands.” In M. Elkaisy-Friemuth & J. M. Dillon (Eds.), The Afterlife of the Platonic Soul: Reflections of Platonic Psychology in the Monotheistic Religions, 107–120. Leiden–Boston: Brill.

Rizvi, Sajjad H. (2013). “Approaching Islamic Philosophical Texts: Reading Mulla Sadra Sirazi (d. 1635) with Pierre Hadot.” In Michael Chase, Stephen R. L. Clark & Michael McGhee (Eds.), Philosophy as a Way of Life: Ancients and Moderns—Essays in Honor of Pierre Hadot. Wiley-Blackwell.

Sharpe, Matthew & Ure, Michael (2021). Philosophy as a Way of Life. New York: Bloomsbury Academic.

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References

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Adamson, Peter (2007). Al-Kindi. England: Oxford University Press.
Adamson, Peter (2021). Al-Rāzī. England: Oxford University Press.
Chase, M. (2024). “Pierre Hadot and His Critics on Spiritual Exercises and Cosmic Consciousness: From Ancient Philosophy to Contemporary Neurology.” In Marta Faustino & Helder Teli (Eds.), Hadot and Foucault on Ancient Philosophy. Leiden: Brill.
Davidson, Arnold I. (1995). “Pierre Hadot and Spiritual Phenomenon of Ancient Philosophy.” In Pierre Hadot, Philosophy as a Way of Life: Spiritual Exercises from Socrates to Foucault. Trans. M. Chase. New Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell.
Foucault, Michel (2005). The Hermeneutics of the Subject: Lectures at the Collège de France 1981–1982. Trans. G. Burchell. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Gutas, Dimitri (2002). “The Study of Arabic Philosophy in the Twentieth Century: An Essay on the Historiography of Arabic Philosophy.” British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, 29(1), 5–25.
Hadot, Pierre (1995). Philosophy as a Way of Life: Spiritual Exercises from Socrates to Foucault. Trans. M. Chase. New Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell.
Hadot, Pierre (2002). What Is Ancient Philosophy? Trans. M. Chase. London: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
Hodgson, Marshall G. S. (1974). The Venture of Islam: Conscience and History in a World Civilization, Volume One. London: University of Chicago Press.
Leaman, Oliver (1985). An Introduction to Medieval Islamic Philosophy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Netton, I. R. (2009). “Private Caves and Public Islands.” In M. Elkaisy-Friemuth & J. M. Dillon (Eds.), The Afterlife of the Platonic Soul: Reflections of Platonic Psychology in the Monotheistic Religions, 107–120. Leiden–Boston: Brill.
Rizvi, Sajjad H. (2013). “Approaching Islamic Philosophical Texts: Reading Mulla Sadra Sirazi (d. 1635) with Pierre Hadot.” In Michael Chase, Stephen R. L. Clark & Michael McGhee (Eds.), Philosophy as a Way of Life: Ancients and Moderns—Essays in Honor of Pierre Hadot. Wiley-Blackwell.
Sharpe, Matthew & Ure, Michael (2021). Philosophy as a Way of Life. New York: Bloomsbury Academic.

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