 Attempts to define the Ikhwân's ideological commitment have been made, but there has been no consensus on the matter. The Ikhwân's view of ‘Alî as the Prophet's legitimate legate (walî) persuaded some scholars to link them to the Shî‘a, though scattered references in negative terms to the “hidden” imâm appear contrary to twelver Shî‘ism. Other elements have been alleged as proofs of the Ikhwân's Ismâ‘îli inspiration, such as the hierarchical structure of universe, references to septenary cycles, distinction between elect and masses, the use of Ismâ‘îli symbols (e.g., the bee as symbol of the imâm, etc.). Already Stanislas Guyard in 1874 published a fragment of the Ikhwân reporting it to Ismâ‘îlism; and so Paul Casanova in 1898, discovering a manuscript of Risâla al-Jâmi‘a (Daftary 2007, 28 and 235; Hamdani, Soufan 2019, 10–11). Corbin (1964, 190) openly and radically affirmed that the Ikhwân belonged to Ismâ‘îlism. He gave an esoterical interpretation of the religious, philosophical, and the Brotherhood rites described in Epistle 50 On the kinds of administration (Corbin 1950). Hamdani (1996, 146) considers this treatise to be "the most explicitly Shî‘i or Ismâ‘îli" of the entire encyclopedia. The main lines of Corbin's presentation are shared, though in more nuanced terms, by Mattila 2016. Corbin was followed by Marquet (1968, 1071) who stressed their attacks on Mu‘tazili and Ash‘arite ideas. Stern (1964, 416–417) and Diwald (1975, 26ff.) remarked that the Epistles exercised their influence on the Ismâ‘îlis only from the twelfth century. The concepts and historical ideas that are at least close to those of the Shî‘a – such as deprecation of the slaughter of Karbalâ’, the allegorical interpretation of the Qur’ân and prophecy, or the aversion to political governments and the hope that they will fall when the present septenary cycle comes to an end (cf. Baffioni 2019b) – show according to Stern (1964, 421) and later Bausani that the authors were representative of an Ismâ‘îli tendency, but not of the official da‘wa (propaganda) (Bausani 1978, 14–16; Bausani 1977, 323; Bausani 1978-1, 267, note 1). Considering Epistles 50 and 48, Bausani agrees, albeit cautiously, on the hypothesis of an Ismâ‘îlism of the Ikhwân (Bausani 1978-1, 270; 278 and note 2), identified in their “encyclopedic” approach to knowledge (Bausani 1985, 145; cf. also Daftary 1998, 2 and 83). Marquet 1973, on the other hand, recognizes in the encyclopedia (in Epistle 48 in particular, On the invitation (da‘wa) to God) the official Ismâ‘îli organization at the time (see also Marquet 1981, 95; Marquet 1998, 5, 7–8), and remarks that the propaganda appeals here to philosophers, mystics, and rulers. According to Hamdani (1996, 150), the event expected by the Ikhwân is the advent of the Fatimids. Epistle 48, Marquet claims, was written before 910, and almost entirely preserved in its original form; but even if it was composed after the advent of the Fatimids, its meaning would not have been perverted (Marquet 1984, 77–78). Other scholars have remarked that even when discussing number seven, so linked to Ismâ‘îliyya, the Ikhwân criticize the "supporters of the seven" (Hamdani 1979, 68; Netton 1996, 28–29). Non-Ismâ‘îli ideas can also be found in the work, for example the invitation to celibacy proper of Sufism (but for contrary views see above). In general, the evidence supporting such theories derives mostly from doctrines or parts of doctrines hinted at in the encyclopedia. In denying the Brethren's Ismâ‘îli commitment, for instance, Netton (1996, 28) remarks that, if the issue of such an allegiance is widely debated, scholars have much less addressed the "broader topic [...] of whether the Ikhwân al-Safâ’ should even be considered to be Muslims." The enormous variety of its contents and, often, their inconsistency seem to have hindered scholars from reaching unanimous conclusions on the authors' religious (or rather ideological) commitment and, consequently, on their goals. The main lines of research in this field were resumed in Kraemer 1992, 165–178; cf. Hamdani 1999, 79 ; Hamdani, Soufan 2019, 10ff.).