Saudi Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Dies; Crown Prince Leads Funeral Prayer

The Royal Court announced the death of Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Sheikh, Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti, in Riyadh on Tuesday at age 84.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman led funeral prayers at Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque, with King Salman ordering absentia prayers in all Saudi mosques and global observances via the Muslim World League, as world leaders offered condolences for his contributions to Sunni Islam.

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‘With his passing, the Kingdom and the Islamic world have lost a distinguished scholar who made significant contributions to the service of science, Islam, and Muslims,’ the court added.

The Grand Mufti is the most senior and influential Muslim religious and legal authority in the kingdom.

Appointed in 1999, he led the Council of Senior Scholars and issued thousands of fatwas on religious matters, rising from personal hardships including early orphanhood and vision loss.

He wrote widely on Islamic doctrine, including lawful and prohibited matters, and collections of fatwas.

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Sheikh Abdulaziz served as head of the General Presidency of Scholarly Research and Ifta, and the Supreme Council of the Muslim World League

Sheikh Abdulaziz was the third Grand Mufti, after Sheikh Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Shaikh and Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Baz.