Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s most senior religious leader, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Sheikh, passed away on Tuesday. He had served as the Kingdom’s top cleric for more than two decades. His death is being described as the symbolic end of an era in Saudi Arabia.
Sheikh Abdulaziz was appointed in 1999 as the head of the Council of Senior Scholars, the official body responsible for issuing religious edicts.
The Royal Court confirmed his death but did not mention his age or cause. He was believed to be around 80 years old. His funeral prayer was led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh. A successor has not yet been announced.
Sheikh Abdulaziz was associated with the religious school of thought often referred to by critics as “Wahhabism.” He served as Grand Mufti during a time of profound change, including the September 11, 2001 attacks, which triggered a period of reckoning within the Kingdom.
Saudi reformist and former preacher Mansour al-Nogaidan said: “His death closes the chapter on the last of the major Wahhabi scholars. For 25 years as Grand Mufti, he tried to adapt to the transformations and challenges the Kingdom faced after 9/11.”
Sheikh Abdulaziz was known for his strict conservative interpretations. In 2004, he made headlines when he strongly criticized the mixing of men and unveiled women at an economic forum in Jeddah. His fatwas included describing chess as “the work of Satan” and Twitter as a source of “evil and harm.” However, in 2005, he issued a ruling against forced marriages and in 2018 supported the decision to allow women to drive.
With Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s rise to power, sweeping social changes took place: in 2016 the religious police were stripped of authority, in 2018 the ban on women driving was lifted, and in 2019 the Kingdom was opened to foreign tourists. At the same time, political freedoms were curtailed, and many conservative clerics were detained.
Born in the 1940s, Sheikh Abdulaziz lost his eyesight at a young age and had memorized the Quran by the age of 14. He served as a teacher, academic, and preacher, and as Grand Mufti hosted a popular radio program where he issued religious edicts in response to listeners’ questions.
His students and colleagues paid tribute on social media to his scholarship and character. Professor Mohammed Alazzam wrote: “Throughout his life, he was distinguished by faith, high moral character, virtue, and a deep dedication to knowledge.”
On Tuesday, Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman performed his funeral prayer at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh, following the announcement of his death earlier that day by the Royal Court.
After the prayer, Crown Prince Mohammed and the deceased’s sons received condolences from princes and scholars.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ordered that funeral prayers in absentia be held in Makkah’s Grand Mosque, Madinah’s Prophet’s Mosque, and all mosques across the Kingdom.
According to the Royal Court, with his passing the Kingdom and the Islamic world have lost a distinguished scholar who made significant contributions in the service of Islam and Muslims.
King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed offered their condolences to his family, the Saudi people, and the Muslim world.
