Last Updated on September 24, 2025 11:09 am by INDIAN AWAAZ
Jeddah
Saudi Arabia on Tuesday announced the death of Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Asheikh, the country’s Grand Mufti and head of the Council of Senior Scholars, according to state media outlet Al-Ekhbariya.
The funeral prayer will be held later today at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh. Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz has also ordered that absentee funeral prayers be performed for the late cleric after the Asr prayer at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, and all mosques across the Kingdom.
Sheikh Al-Asheikh, who assumed the role in 1999, was the highest-ranking religious authority in Saudi Arabia. As Grand Mufti, he oversaw the interpretation of Sharia law and issued influential fatwas on religious, legal, and social matters. His guidance shaped both the kingdom’s domestic policies and its broader role in the Muslim world.
Al-Asheikh’s passing marks the end of an era in Saudi Arabia’s religious leadership. His nearly three decades in the position saw him preside over pivotal debates on religion, society, and modernization in the Kingdom.
The Royal Court has extended condolences to the Saudi people and the wider Muslim community.
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