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AH/ 986–1072 C.E.) uses futuwwah as one of the qualities a Sufi
must have in his famous al-Risālah al-Qushayrīyah.

(3) Youth Organization

Futuwwah is also used as a name for youth organizations committed
to futuwwah ethics. It emerged at the time of the Abbasids, spread to
Iran and Anatolia and continued until the end of the Ottoman State
in Turkey.
(4) Guilds
Guilds in Islamic civilization were social organizations rooted in Is-
lamic and Sufi principles. Artisans, merchants, and craftsmen, who
adhered to these ethical principles, known as futuwwah, established
guilds, referred to in Turkish as ahîlik (originates from the Arabic
root akh meaning ‘brother’ or from Turkish akı which means ‘gene-
rous’). Ahîlik is a professional guild based on altruistic work ethics
that has existed since the Seljuk period. To become a member in the
Ahî Brotherhood, one had to participate a ceremony that involved
the consumption of a special drink, wearing garments, and com-
mitting to a code of moral and ethical principles delineated in the
“Fütüvvetname.” Members were expected to exhibit loyalty, honesty,
trustworthiness, generosity, and humility, among other virtues, while
abstaining from actions such as alcohol consumption, adultery, dis-
honesty, and gossip. The Ahî Brotherhood played a pivotal role in the
establishment of the Ottoman Empire, with many early rulers and
leaders having ties to the organization.

Our interest in this book is mainly on the first usage of the term
futuwwah, as the applied ethics derived mainly from the Sunnah of
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and his followers in the subsequent centu-
ries.

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