Image Credentials: المفتي عبد العزيز بن عبد الله آل الشيخ مفتي المملكة العربية السعودية(Mufti Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al al-Sheikh, Mufti of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.) By Ayman dhū alghiná – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, (Wikipedia)
By Emma Cole | Staff Writer with Agencies
RIYADH — The Saudi Royal Court on Tuesday announced the passing of Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Al-Sheikh, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia and one of the Kingdom’s most senior religious authorities.
Sheikh Abdulaziz, who served as the head of the Council of Senior Scholars, the General Presidency of Scholarly Research and Ifta, and the Supreme Council of the Muslim World League, was a leading figure in shaping the Kingdom’s religious and scholarly landscape.
According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), his funeral prayer will be held after the Asr prayer at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has also ordered funeral prayers in absentia to be performed at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, and in all mosques across the Kingdom.
The death of the Grand Mufti marks the end of an era in Saudi Arabia’s religious leadership. Sheikh Abdulaziz, known for his decades of service in guiding Islamic jurisprudence and issuing religious edicts, has held the position of Grand Mufti since 1999.
Condolences have begun to pour in from across the Muslim world, with religious leaders and government officials expected to pay tribute to his legacy and long service to the faith.
Sheikh Abdulaziz will be remembered as a prominent religious authority whose influence extended beyond the Kingdom, shaping Islamic thought through his leadership roles in national and international scholarly bodies.