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Abdulaziz Al Sheikh عبد العزيز آل الشيخ | |
|---|---|
 Al Sheikh in 2012 | |
| Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia | |
| In office June 1999 – 23 September 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Ibn Baz |
| Personal life | |
| Born | 30 November 1943 Mecca, Saudi Arabia |
| Died | 23 September 2025 (aged 81) Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
| Alma mater | Imam Muhammad ibn Saud University |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Lineage | Al ash-Sheikh family |
| Jurisprudence | Independent |
| Creed | Athari |
| Movement | Salafi |
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Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al ash-Sheikh[a] (30 November 1943 – 23 September 2025) was a Saudi Islamic scholar who served as the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia from 1999 until his death in 2025.[1]
As such he was head of the Council of Senior Religious Scholars and its sub-committee, the Permanent Committee for Islamic Research and Issuing Fatwas.
Early life
Abdulaziz Al Sheikh was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia on 30 November 1943.[2] He was a member of the Al ash-Sheikh family. In 1969–70 he assumed leadership at the Sheikh Muhammad bin Ibrahim Mosque in Dukhna, Riyadh. In 1979 he was appointed assistant professor at the College of Sharia, Mecca.
Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia
In June 1999, King Fahd appointed Al Sheikh as Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, following the death of Grand Mufti Abdulaziz Bin Baz.[3]
Proclamations
Following Pope Benedict XVI's quotation of a Byzantine emperor in a lecture, the grand mufti called the Pope's statement "lies", adding that they "show that reconciliation between religions is impossible".[4]
In 2005, he issued a fatwa banning forced marriages; in 2018, he backed the decision allowing women to drive.[5]
In 2007, the Grand Mufti announced plans to demolish the Green Dome and flatten the dome.[6]
On 15 March 2012, the Grand Mufti declared that, "All churches in the Arabian Peninsula must be destroyed". This declaration caused criticism from some Christian officeholders. Roman Catholic bishops in Germany and Austria responded sharply to his fatwa, concerned about the human rights of non-Muslims working in the Persian Gulf region. Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Mark, Archbishop of Yegoryevsk, said the ruling was "alarming". Most of the world overlooked the statement.[7] Mehmet Görmez, the most senior imam in Turkey, blasted Al Sheikh's call to "destroy all the churches" in the Persian Gulf region, saying that the announcement totally contradicted the peaceful teachings of Islam. Görmez, the president of Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı (Presidency of Religious Affairs), said he could not accept Al Sheikh's fatwa, adding that it ran contrary to the centuries-old Islamic teachings of tolerance and the sanctity of institutions belonging to other religions.[8]
In April 2012, the Grand Mufti issued a fatwa allowing ten-year-old girls to marry insisting that girls are ready for marriage by age 10 or 12: "Our mothers and grandmothers got married when they were barely 12. Good upbringing makes a girl ready to perform all marital duties at that age."[9] However, he was opposed to the practice of marrying off very young girls to older men, emphasizing its incongruence with Islamic tradition.[10]
In June 2013, Al Sheikh issued a fatwa demanding the destruction of statues of horses placed in a roundabout in Jizan:[11] "The sculptures [must] be removed because they are a great sin and are prohibited under Sharia".[12]
The Grand Mufti issued a fatwa on 12 September 2013 that suicide bombings are "great crimes" and bombers are "criminals who rush themselves to hell by their actions". He described suicide bombers as "robbed of their minds... who have been used (as tools) to destroy themselves and societies."[13]
In late August 2014, the Grand Mufti condemned the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and al-Qaeda saying, "Extremist and militant ideas and terrorism which spread decay on Earth, destroying human civilisation, are not in any way part of Islam, but are enemy number one of Islam, and Muslims are their first victims".[14]
On 25 September 2015, one day after the Mina crowd crush disaster which (according to the Associated Press) killed at least 1,399 foreign Muslims performing Hajj, Al Sheikh publicly told Muhammad bin Nayef, then-Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, that he was "not responsible for what happened", and "as for the things that humans cannot control, you are not blamed for them. Fate and destiny are inevitable." Prince Muhammad was also the country's interior minister, responsible for safety in Mecca, and the Grand Mufti's words immunized the Crown Prince from possible public criticism within Saudi Arabia, which set the official death toll for the Mina tragedy at fewer than 800 deaths.[15]
In January 2016, while answering a question on a television show in which he issues fatwas in response to viewers' queries on everyday religious matters, Al Sheikh ruled that chess was forbidden in Islam because it constituted gambling, was a waste of time and money and a cause of hatred and enmity between the players.[16][17]
In September 2016, the Grand Mufti ruled that the Iranian Leadership is not Muslim and is the "son of the magi".[18][19] The Grand Mufti was on a list of religious scholars included on a death list by ISIS.[20]
His tolerance toward the west, including environmental aspirations, grew over the years along with softening policies.
Death
Abdulaziz Al Sheikh died in Riyadh on 23 September 2025, at the age of 81.[21][22] His funeral prayer was held at Imam Turki bin Abdullah Grand Mosque in Riyadh. Absentia funeral prayers were also held in Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, led by Bandar Baleela, and in the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, led by Ali al-Hudhayfi, as well as in all Mosques across Saudi Arabia by order of King Salman bin Abdulaziz.[23] The UAE Fatwa Council, through its chairman Abdullah ibn Bayyah, expressed condolences following his death.[24]
Notes
References
- Schmitt, Eric; Shanker, Thom (18 March 2008). "U.S. adapts cold-war idea to fight terrorists". The New York Times.
Saudi Arabia 's top cleric, Grand Mufti Sheik Abdul Aziz al-Asheik, gave a speech last October warning Saudis not to join unauthorized jihadist activities, a statement directed mainly at those considering going to Iraq to fight the American-led forces.
- "حقيقة وفاة مفتى عام السعودية الشيخ (عبد العزيز ال شيخ)". نجوم مصرية. Archived from the original on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
- Eur (22 November 2002). The Middle East and North Africa 2003. Taylor & Francis. p. 950. ISBN 978-1-85743-132-2. Archived from the original on 23 June 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
- "Hässliche, unglückliche Äußerungen: Erdogan fordert Entschuldigung des Papstes" Archived 8 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Netzeitung, 17 September 2006 (in German)
- "Saudi Grand Mufti, an Archconservative in a Changing Kingdom, Dies". 23 September 2025. Archived from the original on 23 September 2025. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
- Jerome Taylor (24 September 2011). "Mecca for the rich: Islam's holiest site 'turning into Vegas'. Historic and culturally important landmarks are being destroyed to make way for luxury hotels and malls, reports Jerome Taylor". The Independent. Archived from the original on 16 June 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
A pamphlet published in 2007 by the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, endorsed by Abdulaziz Al Sheikh, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, stated that "the green dome shall be demolished and the three graves flattened in the Prophet's Masjid".
- "Europe bishops slam Saudi fatwa against Persian Gulf churches". Reuters. 24 March 2012. Archived from the original on 16 December 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
- Haberler, Dini. "Diyanet'ten Suudi Müftüye Kilise Cevabı (Answer to the Saudi cleric from the Religious Affairs Directorate)". Diyanet Haber. Religious News (Turkish), 7 April 2012. Archived from the original on 10 April 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
- Huffington Post: "Sheikh Abdul-Aziz Al al-Sheikh, Saudi Arabian Mufti, Says Girls Ready For Marriage At 10 Years Old" By Simon McCormack Archived 27 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine 24 April 2012
- Schleifer, Abdallah; Ahmed, Aftab (2016). "Sheikh Abdul-Aziz Aal Al-Sheikh" (PDF). The Muslim 500 (2016): 62–63. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 January 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
- "Horse statues demolished in Jazan". 13 June 2013. Archived from the original on 11 May 2016. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
- Arabian Business News: "Saudi's Grand Mufti vents against horse statues" By Courtney Trenwith Archived 21 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine 13 June 2013
- "Saudi grand mufti says suicide bombers will go to hell". en.alalam.ir. Archived from the original on 20 October 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
- "Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti denounces Islamic State group as un-Islamic". Reuters. 25 August 2014. Archived from the original on 27 August 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
- "Saudi Mufti: Hajj stampede beyond human control". Al Jazeera. 26 September 2015. Archived from the original on 28 September 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
- Melvin, Don (21 January 2016). "Checkmate: Saudi grand mufti makes move against chess". CNN. Archived from the original on 22 January 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
- Kareem Shaheen (21 January 2016). "Chess forbidden in Islam, rules Saudi mufti, but issue not black and white". The Guardian. Scott Trust Media. Archived from the original on 13 February 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
- Matt Payton (7 September 2016). "'Iranians are not Muslims', says Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti". Independent. Archived from the original on 23 October 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
- "Saudi cleric calling Iranians 'non-Muslims' and deriding Zoroastrians is religion-based persecution - Firstpost". www.firstpost.com. 8 September 2016. Archived from the original on 19 November 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
- "ISIS Launches Campaign Calling To Kill Prominent Islamic Clerics Such As Yousuf Al-Qaradawi, Saudi Mufti 'Abd Al-'Aziz Aal Al-Sheikh, Former Egyptian Chief Mufti 'Ali Gum'a". MEMRI. 14 February 2017. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
- "Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia has passed away: Royal Court". Al Arabiya English. 23 September 2025. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
- "Saudi Arabia announces the passing of its Grand Mufti". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
- "Saudi Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh passes away". Saudigazette. 23 September 2025. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
- "وفد «الإمارات للإفتاء» ينقل تعازي القيادة بوفاة مفتي السعودية" [The UAE Ifta Delegation Conveys the Leadership's Condolences on the Death of the Saudi Mufti]. Al Khaleej (in Arabic). 26 September 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
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Saudi Grand Mufti, an Archconservative in a Changing Kingdom, Dies
The death of Abdulaziz Al Asheikh, Saudi Arabia’s most senior cleric, was the symbolic end of an era as the kingdom transforms.
Reporting from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s grand mufti, the ultraconservative Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Asheikh, died on Tuesday after having served as the kingdom’s top religious authority for more than two decades.
Sheikh Abdulaziz was appointed in 1999 to the head of the Council of Senior Scholars, a government body that issued religious edicts.
The council once held considerable sway, both in Saudi Arabia and for Muslim communities around the world. But its authority has waned over the past decade as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud has remade the kingdom, loosening social and religious restrictions while consolidating power under himself.
The Saudi royal court announced the mufti’s death in a statement. It did not include his age or cause of death, but he was believed to be in his early to mid-80s. Prince Mohammed participated in a funeral prayer for him on Tuesday in Riyadh, the Saudi capital. His replacement has not yet been named.
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The death was the symbolic end of an era for Saudi Arabia. The kingdom has long been closely associated with a religious ideology that critics derisively called “Wahhabism” — after the 18th century scholar Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, who played a role in the founding of modern Saudi Arabia.
Sheikh Abdulaziz was a part of that religious tradition. But he served as grand mufti through a period of immense change, including the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, in which 15 Saudi citizens participated, sparking a period of internal reckoning in the kingdom.
“His death draws the curtain on the last of the great Wahhabis,” said Mansour al-Nogaidan, a former firebrand Saudi preacher turned religious reformist and writer who now lives in the neighboring United Arab Emirates. “During his 25 years as the grand mufti, he tried to adapt to the transformations and challenges the kingdom faced after the events of Sept. 11."
Like many Saudi religious scholars, Sheikh Abdulaziz espoused a strict and deeply conservative interpretation of Islam. In 2004, he made headlines after he criticized the mixing of unveiled women with men at an economic forum in Jeddah, calling their behavior a cause of “evil and catastrophe,” Reuters reported at the time.
The belief system of clerics like him long defined the kingdom’s religious and cultural life. But over the past 10 years, the influence of Prince Mohammed, now 40, has rendered Saudi Arabia nearly unrecognizable. One of the prince’s first major actions, in 2016, was to strip authority from the religious police, who had roamed the streets hunting for unmarried couples, forcing cafes to turn off background music or shouting at women to cover their hair.
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In 2018, the prince ended a ban on women driving. In 2019, he opened the kingdom to foreign tourists, did away with a stipulation that women wear long robes in public and abolished a requirement for women to obtain the permission of a male guardian before traveling abroad.
The group of scholars that Sheikh Abdulaziz led was essentially an advisory body, while true decision-making power rested with senior members of the royal family. But for decades, Saudi rulers had shown a degree of deference to conservative clerics, allowing them to shape education, social life and religious scholarship in the kingdom.
Alongside the sweeping social changes, Prince Mohammed has overseen a crackdown on dissent, shrinking the meager political freedoms that once existed in the kingdom. That has included stifling criticism by religious conservatives, many of whom have been detained after speaking out against the rapid changes. Official clerics like the mufti have generally fallen into line.
Born in the 1940s, Sheikh Abdulaziz was blind from the age of 14. He memorized the Quran at an early age, according to a biographical video published by Saudi state television, and later worked as a teacher, academic and preacher.
As mufti, he ran a popular call-in radio show that received queries from listeners, issuing religious edicts on the spot. His views were often in sharp contrast to the kingdom’s reality today.
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In one ruling, he described the game of chess as the “work of Satan.” In another, he denounced Twitter as a source of “evil and harm.”
However, in 2005, he issued a ruling banning forced marriages, and in 2018, he formally backed the decision allowing women to drive.
“He faced intense pressure, sometimes, from his colleagues and those loyal to Wahhabi teachings,” Mr. al-Nogaidan said. “He was forced to swing between his loyalty to the teachings of his Wahhabi forebears and the demands of modernity and avoiding embarrassing the state.”
On Tuesday, Saudi scholars extolled his legacy in social media posts.
Mohammed Alazzam, a retired Saudi professor and researcher in heritage and history, said that he knew the mufti when he was a student.
“Throughout his entire life, he was distinguished by his faith, high moral character, virtue, and righteousness, as well as his dedication to seeking knowledge,” he wrote on X.
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