NEW DELHI: Syed Shaban Bukhari, the son of the incumbent Shahi Imam (royal cleric) of Jama Masjid Syed Ahmed Bukhari, will be anointed as his successor on Sunday.
According to the office of Jama Masjid, Dastarbandi (investiture) ceremony will be held in the iconic mosque with Islamic scholars and intellectuals from various states in attendance.
Shaban (29), a graduate in social work from Amity University, Noida, has passed two certificate programmes in Islamic studies — ‘Alim’ and ‘Fazil’ — from a madarsa in Delhi. He will be the youngest Imam designate of the 17th century mosque, which was built by Mughal emperor Shahjahan in the 1650s.
Ahmed Bukhari said Sunday’s event is just a religious ceremony with limited attendance of ‘Ulema-e-Deen’ (Islamic scholars) and invites are being sent to dignitaries, including top government officials, diplomats and eminent residents of the national capital for the formal dinner scheduled on February 27.
“The process to designate the next Imam was initiated two years ago. There is a procedure to propose names and for approval thereafter. This is first discussed in the family and then Ulema-e-Deen are intimated. Subsequently, the management committee deliberates over the name and accords its approval. The anointment of Shaban was cleared six months ago and the date for the ceremony was decided by us,” Ahmed Bukhari said.
Ahmed Bukhari, the 13th Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid, will continue to be head cleric until he decides to pass on the responsibility to Shaban.
Shahjahan appointed his ancestor Abdul Ghafoor Shah Bukhari, who had come from Bukhara in Uzbekistan, as the first Imam of the mosque in 1656. Ahmed Bukhari, the 13th Imam, took over reins in October 2000.
Shaban was designated as naib (deputy) Shahi Imam in November 2014. The declaration stoked a controversy as an invitation was extended to then Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for the anointment ceremony.