A Discourse Representation Model in Intellectual Conduct: A Semiotic Analysis of Allegorical Spaces in Hayy ibn Yaqzan and Its Connection to Avicennian Theory of Perception

The allegorical-philosophical treatise Hayy ibn Yaqzan by Avicenna is not merely a literary or mystical narrative, but a text in which natural spaces—namely the seven climes, springs, Mount Qaf, the surrounding ocean, light, and darkness—function as a system of signs, deriving their ultimate meaning in relation to one another and within the framework of the text's mystical-philosophical discourse. The present study, drawing upon Discourse Representation Theory (DRT) and the concepts of metonymy (majāz) and allegory (mathal) in Islamic rhetoric, seeks to offer an operational model for analyzing how these spaces undergo transformation from natural referents to an epistemic-conductual domain. The central question is how the referential structure in this treatise enables the transition from the literal meaning of places to their esoteric significance within the discursive context. The findings indicate that the referential system is founded upon three fundamental features: the fluidity of discourse referents through the gradual updating of the domain, epistemic-ethical accessibility whereby access to certain referents is contingent upon spiritual purification and divine assistance, and the dual interplay of metonymy and allegory. In this model, the journey across the climes is redefined not as physical movement, but as a traversal through layers of discourse and an elevation of the discourse domain from the realm of sensibilia to that of intelligibilia. This model not only elucidates the epistemic structure of the treatise but also demonstrates the potential of DRT in analyzing Islamic mystical-philosophical texts, while expanding the notion of accessibility within this theory toward an epistemological meaning.