Abdullah Bukhari (; 1922–2009) was the 12th

Shahi Imam The Shahi Imam is the Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid, Delhi, Jama Masjid. History Mughal emperors, Mughal Emperor Shahjahan appointed Abdul Ghafoor Shah Bukhari, who originally came from Shah of Bukhara, Uzbekistan to be the first Imam of the Mosque ...

of the Jama Masjid, Delhi.Profile and obituary of Syed Abdullah Bukhari
in

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...

newspaperEx-Shahi Imam of Delhi Jama Masjid dies at 87 on Dawn newspaper
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Early life and career

He was born in

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...

and completed his ''Senior Cambridge'' from New Delhi and was appointed ''Naib-Shahi Imam'' in 1946. He was appointed to the office of the ''Shahi Imam'' on Sunday, 8 July 1973 AD after the Eleventh Shahi Imam Maulana ''Syed Hameed Bukhari''.

Association with politics

India's

Prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

Morarji Desai Morarji Ranchhodji Desai (29 February 1896 – 10 April 1995) was an Indian independence activist and politician who served as the 4th Prime Minister of India between 1977 to 1979 leading the government formed by the Janata Party. During his ...

offered to him the position of

Vice President of India The vice president of India (IAST: ) is the deputy to the head of state of the Republic of India, i.e. the president of India. The office of vice president is the second-highest constitutional office after the president and ranks second in the ...

after he won the 1977 elections defeating Indira Gandhi. "He was one of the strong voices that opposed the Emergency in 1975. He protested against the targeting of Muslims when they were asked to undergo 'nasbandi' (vasectomy)."

Death

Syed Abdullah Bukhari was hospitalized with breathing difficulties, as well as heart and kidney issues, on 9 June 2009. He died a month later, on 8 July, of a heart attack and was buried the same day in the family burial ground in the

Walled city of Delhi Old Delhi or Purani Dilli is an area in the Central Delhi district of Delhi, India. It was founded as a walled city named Shahjahanabad in 1648, when Shah Jahan (the Mughal emperor at the time) decided to shift the Mughal capital from Agra. Th ...

. He was survived by four sons and two daughters. His son,

Ahmed Bukhari Ahmed Bukhari is the 13th Shahi Imam of the Jama Masjid, Delhi. Ancestry and appointment Ahmed Bukhari succeeded his father, Abdullah Bukhari, on 14 October 2000 as Shahi Imam of the Jama Masjid, Delhi, Jama Masjid in Delhi.

, is the current Shahi Imam of the Jama Masjid. ''

'' said "He is believed to have risked his life to rescue Muslims from rioters following Partition and made arrangements for their relief and rehabilitation. He also encouraged them to remain in the country."

References

1922 births 2009 deaths 20th-century imams Indian Quran reciters Indian imams 21st-century imams Indian Islamic religious leaders {{India-reli-bio-stub