Investigating the Similarities and Differences between Horufiyeh Movement and Ekhwan Al-Safa

Believing in justice and defeating oppression in different periods of Iran's history have created many intellectual and political schools; Horufiyeh and Ekhwan Al-Safa are among the sects that emerged in Iran with a justice-spreading approach. Although they differ in time, they have remarkable proportions in both field of thought and action; Horufiyeh like Ekhwan Al-Safa, theoretically, places great emphasis on the superiority of words and letters, and believe that only words enjoy originality. In general, the sphere of action i.e. practical policy is the main point of contention between the two sects; however, there is, theoretically, not much difference between them. Accordingly, the main question of the present study is what are the similarities and differences between the theoretical and practical foundations of Sharia from the perspective of the Ekhwan al-Safa and Horufiyeh? The hypothesis of the research is that although Ekhwan Al-Safa and Horufiyeh share the same views in the field of theoretical foundations of Sharia, they differ in the field of practical foundations, which is related to politics. Using a descriptive and analytical method, this research has been carried out with the aim of examining the intellectual and practical generalities of Ekhwan Al-Safa and Horufiyeh in the fields of religion and politics.