Nineteen-year-old Shaban Bukhari, son of Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari, has been chosen to succeed his father as the 14th Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in the country.
Credit: Reuters File Photo
New Delhi: A 'dastarbandi (investiture)' ceremony during which Jama Masjid's incumbent Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari will declare his son 'as his successor' is currently underway in the courtyard of the grand mosque.
The ceremony at the Mughal-era mosque built by Emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th century is expected to last more than an hour.
Several 'ulemas (Islamic scholars)' are attending the ceremony for which the mosque -- a veritable symbol of old Delhi or Shahjehanabad and a celebrated landmark -- has been decked up.
Some congratulatory posters bearing images of the Shahi Imam and his son have been put up along the street running in front of the mosque, whose architecture draws awe from both locals and foreign tourists.
The ceremony involves tying a 'dastarbandi (turban)' on the head, according to the old 'riwaz (tradition)' associated with the investiture, the official said.
Syed Shaban Bukhari (29) was anointed as the mosque's Naib Imam in a 'dastarbandi' ceremony in November 2014, the official said.
The Jama Masjid, in its official invite for the event issued on Saturday, said, 'You are cordially invited to attend the 'dastarbandi (investiture)' ceremony at the Jama Masjid, where Shahi Imam Maulana Syed Ahmed Bukhari will declare his son, Maulana Syed Shaban Bukhari, as his successor. This significant event will take place on Sunday, the 25th of February 2024.' Syed Ahmed Bukhari -- the 13th Imam in the line of descent -- is the son of Syed Abdullah Bukhari, the 12th Shahi Imam, who died aged 87 in 2009.