Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Asheikh dies at age 82

King Salman and Crown Prince extended their condolences to Sheikh Abdulaziz’s family, the Saudi people, and Muslims worldwide.

The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia and Head of the Council of Senior Scholars, Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Al-Sheikh, has passed away. He died on Tuesday, September 23 at the age of 82.

The Royal Court confirmed his death in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), highlighting his leadership of the General Presidency of Scholarly Research and Ifta and the Supreme Council of the Muslim World League.

His funeral prayer will be held at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh after the Asr prayer.

By royal directive, prayers in absentia will also be performed at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, and in mosques throughout the Kingdom.

The Royal Court praised him as a scholar who devoted his life to serving Islam and guiding Muslims, leaving a lasting impact on religious scholarship.

Condolences were offered by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who expressed sympathy to his family, the Saudi people, and the wider Islamic world.

Who was Saudi Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz?

Sheikh Abdulaziz was born on November 30, 1943, in Makkah. Orphaned at the age of seven, he memorised the Qur’an at an early age and continued his religious studies despite losing his sight in his twenties. He later pursued advanced Sharia education and served on academic councils at Saudi universities.

Appointed Grand Mufti in 1999, Sheikh Abdulaziz became the Kingdom’s highest religious authority, shaping jurisprudence and issuing rulings that influenced Saudi society for more than two decades.