ETHICS AND THE MORAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF POWER IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF ZAHIRIDDIN MUHAMMAD BABUR

Abstract

The legacy of Zahiriddin Muhammad Babur (1483–1530) is most commonly framed in political and military terms — as the founder of the Mughal Empire, a skilled general, and a cultural innovator. Yet beneath the conquests and chronicles lies a powerful, reflective philosophy of governance shaped by ethics, introspection, and a deeply personal understanding of justice. Babur’s writings, especially the Baburnama, reveal a ruler who saw leadership as a moral responsibility entrusted by God, and who believed that power must be regulated by ethical principles, self-awareness, and spiritual accountability.