Symbolic discourse on the heart and acts of worship in Hakîm al-Tirmidi

Hakîm al-Tirmidhi, known as an imam, sufi, ascetic (zahid), muhaddith, hafiz, and a scholar of usul al-din (principles of religion), was born in the early 3rd (9th) century in Tirmidh. He began his scholarly journey at young age, driven by a passion to learn both "ilm al-athar" and "ilm al-ra'y". Over time, he made significant progress in his scholarly endeavors. When expressing in idea, Hakîm al-Tirmidhi often chose to begin with the abstract meaning of a concept and then translate it into a concrete from. In this context, it can be said that the use of symbolic language through linguistic and rhetorical tools such as analogy, parable, metaphor, simile and indication was one of the primary methods he employed. Based on this, one can argue that by concretizing the stages of the heart to make them understandable to his audience, referncing the metaphorical expression of worships with his unique style and touching upon the symbolic meanings of letters, Tirmidhi laid a foundation for the better understanding of highly abstract matters through these methods. As a result of our research, we encountered various academic studies on symbolic language or symbolic narrative styles across different fields. However, no study has been found specifically focusing on symbolic expression in relation to the heart and acts of worship in the works of Hakîm al-Tirmidhi. This gap has opened the door for us to conduct such a study and present the findings to readers. In conclusion, the purpose of conducting such a study is to explore symbolic language -which helps make the intended message more engaging and encourages the audience to think more creatively- within the context of sufi interpretation, and to discuss the subject based on the works authored by Hakîm al-Tirmidhi.