Heavens Witness: The Uses and Abuses of Muhammad Ghawths Mystical Ascension

This article explores the motif of ascension [mi[ogon]r[amacr]j] in the mystical experience and religious discourse of Muhammad Ghawth Gwaliori, an Indian Sufi of the Shattari Tariqa in the 16th century CE. It offers translated passages from his text, Mi[ogon]r[amacr]j N[amacr] ma, that documents his visionary journey through the heavens on the model of the Prophet Muhammadʹs ascension. This experience gave Muhammad Ghawth the authority to help the early Mughal dynasty logistically and ideologically to establish its rule in Northern India.