Ziauddin Barani’s Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi is considered the most authoritative contemporary source describing Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s reign. Barani lived during that period and observed many of the Sultan’s experiments. He criticized Tughlaq for excessive idealism, poor planning and impractical reforms such as the introduction of token currency, shifting the capital and enforcing harsh revenue assessments. His writing provides detailed descriptions of administrative chaos, rebellions and economic decline. Although Barani had personal biases, his chronicle remains the primary historical reference for understanding the complex and controversial rule of Muhammad bin Tughlaq.