Abū Bakr al-Warrāq, Muḥammad b. ʿUmar al-Ḥakīm al-Tirmidhī al-Balkhī, a renowned Persian gnostic (ʿārif) of the 3rd/9th century. He was born in Tirmidh, but lived in Balkh (al-Sulamī, 216; Anṣārī, 261–262; ʿAṭṭār, 2/87). Al-Warrāq's nephew was Abū ʿĪsā Muḥammad b. ʿĪsā al-Tirmidhī (d. 279/892) author of the Musnad, one of the six classical Sunni compendia of ḥadīths (al-ṣiḥāḥ al-sitta) (Anṣārī, 262; Jāmī, 123).

Abū Bakr al-Warrāq was a companion of Aḥmad b. Khiḍrawayh (d. 240/854–855), and benefited greatly from his associati…