When did first Namaz was prayed in Jama Masjid of Delhi?

First Salah in Jama Masjid:

According to the documentation found in the book “Waqiat-e-Darul Hukumat Delhi.” Shah Jahan, fifth Mughal emperor of India, commissioned the Jama Masjid (Jahan-Numa mosque) on 6 October 1650ah on Friday, that is 10 Shawwal ul mukkrrarm 1060 Hijri. The construction took six years to complete. It was completed in 1656 ah. and 1066 Hijri according to Hijri calendar.

• The first Salah in the Jama Masjid was done on the occasion of Eid ul-Fitr. Shah Jahan ordered the cleaning of the mosque, he invited everyone to come and pick whatever they find, so everyone came and took whatever they wanted from the construction site.

This way rubble and other stuffs were cleaned and mosque was ready in time for namaz-e Eid Ul-Fitr.

On the morning of Eid Ul-Fitr, emperor Shah Jahan alongside his companions and 100s of people gathered in the Jama Masjid and prayed two Rakah of Eid.

• This way the first prayer in the grand mosque of Delhi was prayed on 24 July 1656 ah, which is 1st Shawwal 1066 Hijri, on Monday.

• First Imam of the Jama Masjid Delhi was Hazrat Syed Abdul Ghafoor Bukhari رَحْمَتُ اللہ عَلَیہ who was also the Imam of the Eid prayer.

• After the Eid prayer the obligatory five times a day prayer, started in the mosque every day.

Syed Abdul Ghafoor Shah Bukhari was from Bukhara, which is now Uzbekistan, Shah Jahan invited Syed Abdul Ghafoor Shah Bukhari to be the Shahi Imam (Royal Imam) of the mosque.

• The mosque was inaugurated on 23 July 1656 by Syed Abdul Ghafoor Shah Bukhari.

• It is said that it was made sure that the Minbar of Jama Masjid was kept higher than the “takht-e Shahi” sitting place of emperor Shah Jahan in Lal Quila (Red Fort.)

• Jama Masjid served as the royal mosque of the Mughal rulers until the end of the Mughal empire. Mughal emperor used to recite the khutba before the Friday prayer.

There is a sun watch installed in the courtyard of the Jama Masjid Delhi, this shows time to this day, Muslim scientists did great work designing the watch, the sun watch is used to know the prayer time.

• Jama Masjid has a blessed water reservoir for ablution (wudu.)

• The Jama Masjid can accommodate up to 25,000 people for prayer. It covers an area of approximately 75,000 square feet (7,000 square meters)