Last year, a university in Azerbaijan hosted a conference on the scientific aspects of Nizami Ganjavi’s (d. 1209) writings. The nature of Nizami as poet, mystic, ethicist, and scientist has been a topic of debate for several decades in Euro-American scholarship as well. Little examined in this ongoing conversation, however, is the first of his five masnavis, The Makhzan al-asrar (Treasury of Secrets), which is not an insignificant work. A mystico-ethical text, it was emulated in both meter and structure by a host of major Persian poets, including Amir Khosrow (d. 1325) and Jami (d. 1492). The Makhzan inaugurated a tradition of beginning mansavis with several lengthy prolegomena, covering topics such as God’s unity (tawhid), praise of the patron, and praise of the Prophet. Invocations of the Prophet in the Makhzan and its descendants make a point of highlighting Muhammad’s heavenly journey (Mi’raj). The Mi’raj narratives in Nizami, Amir Khosrow’s Matla al-anwar (The Ascent of Lights) and Jami’s Tohfat al-ahrar (The Gift of the Nobles) focus upon Muhammad as a cosmic figure with ontological significance, and as a model for Sufis to follow. This paper will examine all three texts’ treatment of the Mi’raj, which set themselves apart from what Frederick Colby dubs “the Ibn ‘Abbas discourse” of ascension narratives in several ways. One thread that runs through each of these poetic ascension accounts is the recurrence of references to garments, garment touching, and the bestowal of clothing—especially cloaks and belts. Nizami goes so far as to depict the throne of heaven bowing to touch the hem of Muhammad’s robe (daman). Through a close reading, this paper will argue that all three poetic accounts of the Mi’raj: 1) depict Muhammad as an initiate who is symbolically granted knowledge and authority during his ascension; 2) utilize language and imagery derived from a Sufi context to portray such transfers of knowledge and authority; and, 3) link Muhammad’s ascension to the mystical path, pointing to it as a paradigmatic model for those who would aspire to attain proximity to God. This paper contributes to current scholarship by: 1) examining a set of poems mostly overlooked by Western language scholarship; 2) situating Nizami, Jami, and Amir Khosrow’s discussion of the Mi’raj firmly within mystical discourses on the Prophet’s ascension; and, 3) highlighting masnavi prefaces on the Mi’raj as an important source of information for discussions of the nature of Muhammad’s ascension among Sufis.