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

Shahi Imam The Shahi Imam is the Imam of the Jama Masjid mosque in Delhi. History Mughal Emperor Shahjahan appointed Abdul Ghafoor Shah Bukhari, who originally came from Shah of Bukhara, Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , ...

of the

Jama Masjid, Delhi The Masjid-e-Jehan-Numa, commonly known as the Jama Masjid () of Delhi, is one of the largest Sunni mosques in India. Its builder is the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, between 1644 and 1656, and inaugurated by its first Imam, Syed Abdul Ghafoor ...

.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 was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...

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 (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

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 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. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Morarji Desai Morarji Ranchhodji Desai (29 February 1896 – 10 April 1995) was an Indian politician and Indian independence activist, independence activist who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India between 1977 and 1979 leading th ...

offered to him the position of

Vice President of India The vice president of India (ISO: ) 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 t ...

after he won the 1977 elections defeating

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 un ...

. "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. He was survived by four sons and two daughters. His son, Ahmed Bukhari, 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 Shahi Imams of Jama Masjid {{India-reli-bio-stub