Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti, Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh, has died, the Royal Court announced on Tuesday, according to state broadcaster Al-Ekhbariya. He was the Kingdom’s highest-ranking religious authority and head of the Council of Senior Scholars.
His funeral prayer is scheduled to take place today at Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh.
King Salman bin Abdulaziz has also ordered absentee funeral prayers to be held for the late Grand Mufti at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, and in all mosques across Saudi Arabia after the Asr prayer.
Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh was appointed Grand Mufti in 1999 and, over more than two decades, played a central role in shaping religious rulings and interpretations of Islamic law in the Kingdom. He issued fatwas and guided decisions on both legal and social matters, making him one of the most influential religious figures in Saudi Arabia.
