Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti Abdulaziz al-Sheikh dies at 82

Saudi Arabia's top cleric, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz al-Sheikh, died on Tuesday morning at age 82, the Royal Court said. The passing leaves the kingdom and the wider Islamic world without the most senior religious and legal authority in the conservative kingdom. '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 Royal Court said. It added that King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman offered condolences to the late Sheikh's family, the Saudi people and the Muslim world.

The Grand Mufti was the most senior and influential Muslim religious and legal authority in Saudi Arabia. He led the General Presidency for Scholarly Research and Ifta and sat on the Supreme Council of the Muslim World League. He was the third person to hold the post, after Sheikh Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Shaikh and Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Baz. He was born in Mecca in November 1943, according to Elaph and Gulf News. He grew up an orphan and lost his sight in his twenties before becoming a member of academic councils at universities and working as a preacher.

A funeral prayer will be held at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh after the Asr prayer today, the Royal Court announced. King Salman bin Abdulaziz has also ordered that a funeral prayer be held at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, and at mosques across the kingdom after the Asr prayer.

During his long career, Abdulaziz al-Sheikh wrote widely on Islamic doctrine, including matters of halal and haram, and issued numerous fatwas. He served as head of the General Presidency of Scholarly Research and Ifta and was a member of the Supreme Council of the Muslim World League, positions that positioned him at the center of Saudi Arabia's religious establishment.

His tenure made him the third Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, following predecessors Sheikh Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Shaikh and Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Baz. He was born in Mecca and spent much of his life in service of Saudi religious institutions, shaping interpretations that inform public life, education and the legal system in the kingdom.

Observers note that the Grand Mufti's death removes a figure whose fatwas and public guidance shaped religious life across Saudi Arabia and influenced regional and Islamic discourse. His passing comes at a time when Saudi authorities have been reviewing roles of religious institutions amid ongoing reforms and modernization efforts.