Saudi Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh passes away

Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh, head of the Council of Senior Scholars, passed away in Riyadh on Tuesday morning at the age of 82, the Royal Court announced.

Funeral prayers were scheduled to take place after the Asr prayer at Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh. King Salman ordered that funeral prayers in absentia also be performed at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah and all mosques across the Kingdom. Both the King and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman extended condolences to Al-Sheikh’s family, the Saudi people and the wider Islamic world.

The Royal Court described Al-Sheikh’s death as a loss for Saudi Arabia and Muslims worldwide, noting his long service to Islamic scholarship and leadership.

Born in Makkah in 1943, Al-Sheikh memorized the Qur’an at a young age and lost his eyesight at 17. He graduated from the College of Shariah at Imam Mohammad bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh in 1965 and began his career as a teacher at Imam al-Dawa Scholarly Institute before moving into university-level teaching.

Over the decades, he held several key positions. He served as imam at multiple mosques in Riyadh and for more than three decades delivered the annual Arafat sermon at Namirah Mosque during Hajj. He was appointed to the Council of Senior Scholars in 1987, became deputy grand mufti in 1995 and in May 1999 succeeded Sheikh Abdulaziz Ibn Baz as grand mufti of Saudi Arabia.

During his tenure, Al-Sheikh also chaired the General Presidency of Scholarly Research and Ifta and the Supreme Council of the Muslim World League. He remained a central religious authority in Saudi Arabia for more than two decades until his passing.