This book traces how royal dynastic cults and shrine-centered Sufism came together in the imperial cultures of Timurid Central Asia, Safavid Iran, and Mughal India. By juxtaposing imperial chronicles, paintings, and architecture with theories of sainthood, apocalyptic treatises, and manuals on astrology and magic, this book uncovers a pattern of Islamic politics shaped by Sufi and millennial motifs. It shows how alchemical symbols and astrological rituals enveloped the body of the monarch, casting him as both spiritual guide and material lord. Uncovering a startling yet widespread phenomenon, it shows how the charismatic pull of sainthood (wilayat)—rather than the draw of religious law (sharia) or holy war (jihad)-inspired a new style of sovereignty in Islam. In effect, this book offers a striking new perspective the history of Islam and the religious and political developments linking South Asia and Iran in early-modern times.